Dengue fever is a re-emerging tropical disease and its severe form is caused by cross-reactivity between its four serotypes (DEN1, DEN2, DEN3 and DEN4). The third domain of the viral envelope protein (ED3) contains the two major putative epitopes and is a highly suitable model protein for examining the molecular determinants of a virus' sero-specificity. Here we examine d the sero-specificity a...

Both endothelial and immune dysfunction contribute to the high mortality rate in human sepsis, but the underlying mechanisms are unclear. In response to infection, interferon-γ activates indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) which metabolizes the essential amino acid tryptophan to the toxic metabolite kynurenine. IDO can be expressed in endothelial cells, hepatocytes and mononuclear leukocytes, all...

In general, malaria immunity has been suggested to be species specific with very little, if any, known cross-reactivity between Plasmodium vivax and P. falciparum, both of which are responsible for >90% of human malaria, and co-endemic in many countries. It is therefore believed that species-specific immunity may be needed to target different species of Plasmodium. Pfs48/45 and Pvs48/45 are wel...

background: the autoimmune disease known as idiopathic (immune thrombocytopenic purpura thrombocytopenic purpura (itp) is clinically defined by a low numbers of platelets in the circulation blood. this study aimed to isolate autoantibodies made against the platelet glycoproteins using platelets from healthy volunteers, to determine their specificity and further elucidate their effects on platel...

All of the over 1 million total joint replacements implanted in the US each year are expected to eventually fail after 15-25 years of use, due to slow progressive subtle inflammation at the bone implant interface. This inflammatory disease state is caused by implant debris acting, primarily, on innate immune cells, that is, macrophages. This slow progressive pathological bone loss or "aseptic l...

Informatic methodologies are being applied successfully to analyze the complexity of the genome. But beyond the genome, the immune system reflects the state of the body in health and disease. Traditionally, immunologists have reduced the immune system, where possible, to one-to-one relationships between particular antigens and particular antibodies or T-cell clones. Autoimmune diseases, caused ...

The mesenteric lymph nodes in total colectomy specimens from patients with ulcerative colitis or Crohn's colitis were assessed for immunological reactivity. Despite the suggestion of previous work using different methods that immunological difference between the diseases exist and may be important in pathogenesis, no significant differences were found in this study. Changes were observed in bot...

The immune system of 90-day old piglets SM-1 Novosibirsk breed depends on sex and stress-reactivity. Stress-reactivity was measured using halothane test. immunologic testing performed 30 days after weaning. Our results show that overall piglet demonstrated high proliferative activity T- B- immunocompetent cells with active formation mature T-and B-lymphocytes did not signs immunosuppression. Co...

Current immunological opinion disdains the necessity to define global interconnections between lymphocytes and regards natural autoantibodies and autoreactive T cells as intrinsically pathogenic. Immunological theories address the recognition of foreignness by independent clones of lymphocytes, not the relations among lymphocytes or between lymphocytes and the organism. However, although extrem...

Granulomatous inflammation around parasite eggs is the prominent lesion in human schistosomiasis. Studies have suggested the involvement of a series of suppressive mechanisms in the control of this reaction, such as macrophages, cytokines, idiotypic interactions and immune complexes (IC). The studies examine the role of IC obtained from chronic intestinal schistosomiasis patients (ISP) in the r...