Immune modulating therapy, such as tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha inhibitors, is becoming increasingly more widespread in the treatment of many autoimmune diseases. One of the well-documented side effects of TNF-alpha inhibitors is an increased risk of reactivating latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI). Diagnostic tools available for diagnosing LTBI lack sensitivity and specificity. We repor...

In a search for novel nonsteroidal inhibitors of human prostatic 5 alpha-reductase, we found a new series of phenoxybenzoic acid derivatives to be potent human prostatic 5 alpha-reductase inhibitors. Among them, 4-(biphenyl-4-yloxy)benzoic acid derivatives (2n, YM-31758), 2o and 2s showed more potent inhibitory activities than finasteride with IC50 values of 0.87, 0.67 and 0.56 nM, respectively...

One of the immediate early microglial genes that are up-regulated in response to proinflammatory stimuli is cyclo-oxygenase 2 (COX-2). In the present study, we have investigated the effects of alpha-tocopherol (alpha TocH), an essential constituent of the nervous system, on the activation of COX-2 in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated mouse BV-2 microglia. In unstimulated BV-2 cells, COX-2 mRN...

Recombinant tumor necrosis factor alpha (rTNF-alpha)-induced release of endogenous fatty acids was examined in WEHI 164 clone 13 fibrosarcoma cells using a highly sensitive HPLC method. The initial rTNF-alpha-induced extracellular release of endogenous fatty acids was dominated by 20:4n;-6, 22:4n;-6, 24:4n;-6, and 18:1n;-9 showing relative rates of 2.9, 0.9, 1.1, and 1.0, respectively. Release ...

BACKGROUND Neutrophil elastase is able to degrade connective tissue matrices and is thought to be involved in the pathogenesis of destructive lung diseases. METHODS The ability of recombinant secretory leucoprotease inhibitor (rSLPI) to inhibit neutrophil mediated degradation of fibronectin in vitro is demonstrated and its efficacy compared with native alpha-1-proteinase inhibitor (n alpha 1-...

Doppel protein (Dpl) is a paralog of the cellular form of the prion protein (PrP(C)), together sharing common structural and biochemical properties. Unlike PrP(C), which is abundantly expressed throughout the central nervous system (CNS), Dpl protein expression is not detectable in the CNS. Interestingly, its ectopic expression in the brain elicits neurodegeneration in transgenic mice. Here, by...