• Vol 9 • April 2007 Transient ST-Elevation Following a Wasp Sting The occurrence of an acute myocardial infarction after a bee, wasp or yellow-jacket sting has been reported in the literature [1,2]. The anaphylactic shock and the use of epinephrine can act synergistically and produce acute coronary thrombosis. We report here the case of a 57 year old man who was admitted to our institution aft...

PURPOSE Little is known about the role of International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) codes for identification of specific allergic reactions in the emergency department (ED). METHODS Investigators in 10 EDs reviewed 1395 charts of consecutive patients presenting with food allergy (ICD-9-CM codes 693.1 and 995.60 to 995.69) and insect sting aller...

Agonists for TLR9 and Stimulator of IFN Gene (STING) act as vaccine adjuvants that induce type-1 immune responses. However, currently available CpG oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN) (K-type) induces IFNs only weakly and STING ligands rather induce type-2 immune responses, limiting their potential therapeutic applications. Here, we show a potent synergism between TLR9 and STING agonists. Together, they...

We have demonstrated that radiation alone is weakly effective at generating anti-tumor adaptive immune responses despite release of tumor-associated antigen. We hypothesized that providing potent adjuvant would improve this immune response increasing immune control of local and distant disease. Recently, we have shown that activation of STimulator of INterferon Genes (STING) innate signaling ha...

Although type I IFNs play critical roles in antiviral and antitumor activity, it remains to be elucidated how type I IFNs are produced in sterile conditions of the tumor microenvironment and directly affect tumor-infiltrating immune cells. Mouse de novo gliomas show increased expression of type I IFN messages, and in mice, CD11b(+) brain-infiltrating leukocytes (BIL) are the main source of type...

OBJECTIVE To study the relationship between the primary sensitization to wasp venoms and the geographical and seasonal circumstances of the anaphylaxis-induced sting. METHODS We performed a retrospective review of 115 patients (age 10-80) who suffered a systemic reaction to a wasp sting. Season and type of locality (urban or rural) at the moment of the sting were recorded. Serum specific IgE ...

The efficacy of checkpoint inhibitor therapy illustrates that cancer immunotherapy, which aims to foster the host immune response against cancer to achieve durable anticancer responses, can be successfully implemented in a routine clinical practice. However, a substantial proportion of patients does not benefit from this treatment, underscoring the need to identify alternative strategies to def...

UNLABELLED STING (stimulator of interferon genes) is known to control the induction of innate immune genes in response to the recognition of cytosolic DNA species, including the genomes of viruses such as herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1). However, while STING is essential for protection of the host against numerous DNA pathogens, sustained STING activity can lead to lethal inflammatory disease. I...

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) 1 stimulates type I IFN expression through the cGAS-STING-TBK1 signaling axis. Macrophages have recently been proposed to be an essential source of IFN during viral infection. However, it is not known how HSV-1 inhibits IFN expression in this cell type. Here, we show that HSV-1 inhibits type I IFN induction through the cGAS-STING-TBK1 pathway in human macrophages, in ...

Scorpion sting envenomation with systemic manifestations is a life threatening emergency and poses a significant health problem in children. Mesobuthus tumulus or Indian red scorpion, the most toxic species in India, is abundantly found in coastal areas and para-Gangetic regions. In envenomed children, serum venom concentration peaks at about 2 hours, and its level is directly related to clinic...