OBJECTIVE At present, no reliable in vitro test is available to monitor the success of specific venom immunotherapy (VIT) in preventing insect venom anaphylaxis. We investigated usefulness of the basophil activation test (BAT) in predicting the outcome of sting challenge in bee venom-allergic patients after VIT. PATIENTS AND METHODS Twenty-one patients with bee venom anaphylaxis at the end of...

TheDufourÕs glandof twosolitarycavity-nestingbees,Osmia lignariaSayandMegachile rotundata (F.) (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae), was examined with microscopy to determine the structure and arrangement of the gland in the sting apparatus. The appearance and relative size of the DufourÕs gland of these two bee species are similar. Unlike the termination of the DufourÕs gland at the base of the sting i...

A postulated role of the contact system in anaphylactic reactions to insect stings was investigated. During prospective, in-hospital sting challenge, we collected serial blood samples from five normal volunteers and 16 patients with a history of insect-sting anaphylaxis. Activation of the contact system was assessed by measuring plasma levels of factor XIIa-C1-inhibitor and kallikrein-C1-inhibi...

Ascension to the oviduct is necessary for Chlamydia to induce tubal infertility. Using the Chlamydia muridarum induction of hydrosalpinx mouse model, we have demonstrated a significant role of the uterotubal junction in preventing chlamydial ascending infection. First, delivery of C. muridarum to either side of the uterotubal junction resulted in significant reduction in live organisms from the...

York et al. identify a role for decreased cholesterol biosynthesis in virally infected cells as a critical event in the induction of the anti-viral response. The mechanism involves enhanced signaling by STING in the ER membrane in response to the second messenger cGAMP, promoting increased transcription of type I interferons. The authors suggest that a "lipid code" is being sensed by STING to a...

Uncontrolled immune responses to intracellular DNA have been shown to induce autoimmune diseases. Homeostasis regulation of immune responses to cytosolic DNA is critical for limiting the risk of autoimmunity and survival of the host. Here, we report that the E3 ubiquitin ligase tripartite motif protein 30α (TRIM30α) was induced by herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infection in dendritic cells...

The oviposition process of the red imported Þre ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), is described as a succession of four events forming one egg-laying cycle. Each time an egg is laid, the vulva opens and the sting is fully extended. When the vulva closes, the egg is forced to the base of the sting, whereupon the sting is usually retracted across the egg. This phenomenon has...

The presence of microbial or self DNA in the cytoplasm of mammalian cells is a danger signal detected by the DNA sensor cyclic-GMP-AMP (cGAMP) synthase (cGAS), which catalyzes the production of cGAMP that in turn serves as a second messenger to activate innate immune responses. Here we show that endogenous cGAMP in mammalian cells contains two distinct phosphodiester linkages, one between 2'-OH...

Emerging evidence suggests that innate immunity drives alcoholic liver disease (ALD) and that the interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF3),a transcription factor regulating innate immune responses, is indispensable for the development of ALD. Here we report that IRF3 mediates ALD via linking endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress with apoptotic signaling in hepatocytes. We found that ethanol induced ER...