Patients with HIV-associated tuberculosis (TB) initiating antiretroviral therapy (ART) may develop immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (TB-IRIS). No biomarkers for TB-IRIS have been identified and the underlying mechanisms are unclear. Here we perform transcriptomic profiling of the blood samples of patients with HIV-associated TB. We identify differentially abundant transcripts as earl...

We have recently demonstrated that glucose-regulated protein 170 (Grp170), a stress-responsive molecular chaperone of the endoplasmic reticulum, can be exploited to stimulate anticancer immunity due to its superior antigen chaperoning and delivering capacity. The immune remodeling of the tumor microenvironment induced by a Grp170-based chaperone leads to immune responses that effectively contro...

Even though we are all exposed to various pathogens at all times, we only seldom become clinically ill. This is because we are endowed with a robust immune apparatus that is highly evolved and multi-facet with the ability to distinguish between “self” and “non-self”. On escaping and by-passing the mechanical barriers like the skin and muco ciliary clearances, as a part of the antigen non-specif...

Immunization of hypercholesterolemic mice with selected apoB-100 peptide antigens reduces atherosclerosis but the precise immune mediators of athero-protection remain unclear. In this study we show that immunization of apoE (-/-) mice with p210, a 20 amino acid apoB-100 related peptide, reduced aortic atherosclerosis compared with PBS or adjuvant/carrier controls. Immunization with p210 activat...

Since the introduction of immune modulators in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), there has been hope that orally effective biologic agents would be developed. Tofacitinib, a Janus kinase inhibitor, has become the first oral biologic to receive approval for use in active RA patients. This paper reviews the efficacy and safety profile of Tofacitinib at dosages of 5 mg and 10 mg twice da...

Stress has long been postulated to influence the progression of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Our current understanding of the relationship between stress and IBD is still limited, and hence explanation for the occurrence of relapses has remained largely speculative. Stress affects the immune system, the neuroendocrine system and the intestinal epithelia. Stress induces the release of pro-i...

Antimicrobial or host defense peptides are innate immune regulators found in all multicellular organisms. Many of them fold into membrane-bound α-helices and function by causing cell wall disruption in microorganisms. Herein we probe the possibility and functional implications of antimicrobial antagonism mediated by complementary coiled-coil interactions between antimicrobial peptides and de no...

The potentially life-threatening effects of total body ionizing radiation exposure have been known for more than a century. Despite considerable advances in our understanding of the effects of radiation over the past six decades, efforts to identify effective radiation countermeasures for use in case of a radiological/nuclear emergency have been largely unsuccessful. Vitamin E is known to have ...

Genetic studies of human diseases have identified multiple genetic risk loci for various fibrotic diseases. This has provided insights into the myriad of biological pathways potentially involved in disease pathogenesis. These discoveries suggest that alterations in immune responses, barrier function, metabolism and telomerase activity may be implicated in the genetic risks for fibrotic diseases...

Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) is overexpressed during human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. RP 55778, a TNF-alpha synthesis inhibitor, decreases HIV replication in monocytes/macrophages. Therapeutic use of RP 55778 in vivo, like that of other biological response modifiers, would theoretically require association with dideoxynucleosides. We have evaluated here the combinatory e...