Background Inhalation exposure to fine and ultrafine particles (UFPs) has been associated with respiratory diseases. However, little is known on the quality, threshold levels and concentration of these particles causing adverse health effects. Methods The impact of occupational exposure to submicrometer and UFPs was assessed in 30 healthy police shooting instructors by clinical investigation,...

Cryptococcus gattii infections, especially including those with severe clinical manifestations, may be related to underlying host immunologic factors. We present 2 cases with autoantibodies to granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), a key cytokine in macrophage function. Immunologic evaluation for anti-GM-CSF antibodies may be important to inform management and counseling.

We used the promoter of the human C-reactive protein (CRP) gene to drive inflammation-inducible overexpression of the cytokine granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) in transgenic mice. Transgenic mice carrying a CRP/GM-CSF fusion gene show a >150-fold increases in circulating levels of GM-CSF within 6 h of intraperitoneal inoculation with 25 microg of lipopolysaccharide. How...

The performance of biomaterials-based therapies can be hindered by complications associated with surgical implant, motivating the development of materials systems that allow minimally invasive introduction into the host. In this study, we created cell-adhesive and degradable gelatin scaffolds that could be injected through a conventional needle while maintaining a predefined geometry and archit...

BACKGROUND Recombinant human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (rhGM-CSF) is usually administered by injection, and its oral administration in a clinical setting has been not yet reported. Here we demonstrate the bioavailability of orally administered rhGM-CSF in healthy volunteers. The rhGM-CSF was expressed in Bombyx mori expression system (BmrhGM-CSF). METHODS AND FINDINGS U...

Peripheral monocytes are short-lived and are replenished from hematopoietic stem cells whose proliferation is believed to be confined to the bone marrow. Human peripheral monocytes are assumed not to be able to proliferate. In this study we show that CD137 (ILA/4-1BB), a member of the tumor necrosis factor receptor family, induces a widespread and profound proliferation of human peripheral mono...

The cytokine granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) is involved in the pathogenesis of chronic inflammatory diseases such as multiple sclerosis. However, the environmental cues promoting differentiation of GM-CSF producing T cells are unclear. Herein, we performed a broad experimental screening of cytokines and data-driven analysis assessing their ability to induce human GM-C...

It is increasingly evident that neutrophils are able to cross-talk with other leukocytes to shape ongoing inflammatory and immune responses. In this study, we analyzed whether human NK cells may influence the survival and activation of neutrophils under co-culture conditions. We report that NK cells exposed to either IL-15 or IL-18 alone strongly protect the survival of neutrophils via the rele...

Recently, palladium nanoparticles (PdNPs) have been increasingly used in many industrial sectors, and this has led to a significant release of nano-sized palladium particles into the environment. However, despite the increase in occupational and general population exposure, information on the potential adverse effects of these PdNPs is still limited and their impact on the immune system constit...

CD137 (ILA/4-1BB), a member of the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor family, promotes adherence and prolongs survival of human peripheral monocytes. It induces a strong expression of macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF), an essential monocyte survival factor. Monocyte survival induced by CD137 is primarily mediated by M-CSF and to a lesser extent by granulocyte-macrophage colony-stim...