Background: Previous studies used indirect methods to identify basophils in the bronchi in asthma, and the numbers were not compared with eosinophils and mast cells. Furthermore, differences in ...basophil numbers between atopic and nonatopic asthma at baseline and between late-phase skin and asthmatic reactions have not been previously documented. Objective: The basophil granule–specific mAb BB1 was used to identify basophils in (1) bronchial biopsy specimens from atopic asthmatic subjects and nonatopic asthmatic subjects and control subjects, (2) biopsy specimens from atopic asthmatic subjects before and after inhalational allergen challenge, and (3) late-phase skin reactions. Basophil numbers were compared with EG2+ eosinophils and tryptase+ mast cells. Methods: Cells were enumerated in bronchial and skin biopsy specimens by means of immunohistochemistry with the alkaline phosphatase-antialkaline phosphatase method. Results: There were elevated numbers of basophils in baseline biopsy specimens in atopic asthmatic subjects compared with atopic control subjects or normal control subjects, although eosinophils and mast cells were 10-fold higher. There was an intermediate number of basophils in nonatopic asthmatic subjects. Basophils increased after allergen inhalation, but again basophils were less than 10% of eosinophils. In contrast, basophils in cutaneous late-phase reactions were approximately 40% of infiltrating eosinophils. The peak of basophil accumulation was at 24 hours, whereas maximal eosinophil infiltration occurred at 6 hours. One third of cutaneous basophils had morphologic appearances suggestive of degranulation. Conclusion: Numerous basophils infiltrated cutaneous late-phase reactions in atopic subjects. However, this cell was not prominent in bronchial biopsy specimens of asthmatic subjects, either at baseline or after allergen challenge. (J Allergy Clin Immunol 2000;105:99-107.)
F4/80 is a monoclonal antibody that recognizes a murine macrophage-restricted cell surface glycoprotein and has been extensively used to characterize macrophage populations in a wide range of ...immunological studies. Apart from the tightly regulated pattern of expression of the F4/80 antigen, little is known about its possible role in macrophage differentiation and function. We have sought to characterize the molecule at the molecular level, through the isolation of cDNA clones, and now describe the sequence of the F4/80 protein. The primary amino acid sequence demonstrates homology to two protein superfamilies. The NH2-terminal region consists of seven epidermal growth factor-like domains, separated by approximately 300 amino acids from a COOH-terminal region that shows homology to members of the seven transmembrane-spanning family of hormone receptors. The potential role of these distinct domains is discussed with respect to the possible function of the F4/80 molecule.
An analysis of Maternity Health Episode Statistics data for earlier years, which adjusted for available data about factors associated with caesarean section, found that they accounted very little of ...the differences between units' caesarean section rates. 3 This implied strongly that differences between units' and consultants' policies are likely to play an important part.
We have used the relatively noninvasive technique of induced sputum to measure allergen-induced changes in the concentration of eicosanoid mediators in bronchial secretions from atopic asthmatics. ...Sputum induction was performed before and 24 h after inhalational allergen challenge in 14 atopic asthmatics who developed a late asthmatic reaction (LAR). Differential cell counts were made on sputum cytospins and eicosanoid (cysteinyl leukotrienes cys LTs, prostaglandin D(2) PGD(2), and PGE(2)) concentrations were measured in the sputum supernatants. The percentage of eosinophils at baseline correlated with the concentration of cys LTs (r = 0.84, p < 0.001) but not prostanoid mediators. Allergen challenge produced a significant increase in the concentration of sputum cys LTs from 3. 45 ng/ml sputum to 11.95 ng/ml (p = 0.002), which correlated with the increase in sputum eosinophils (r = 0.55, p < 0.05). There were no significant changes in PGD(2) or PGE(2) concentrations in sputum supernatants in response to challenge. Thus, the noninvasive technique of induced sputum has been used to demonstrate increased cys LTs, but not prostanoids associated with LAR after allergen challenge. The correlation between eosinophil numbers and cys LT concentrations at baseline values and 24 h after allergen challenge is consistent with these cells being a principal source of cys LTs within the airways at these time points.
Invariant tensors for simple groups de Azcárraga, J.A.; Macfarlane, A.J.; Mountain, A.J. ...
Nuclear physics. B,
01/1998, Letnik:
510, Številka:
3
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
The forms of the invariant primitive tensors for the simple Lie algebras
A
l
,
B
l
,
C
l
, and
D
l
are investigated. A new family of symmetric invariant tensors is introduced using the non-trivial ...cocycles for the Lie algebra cohomology. For the
A
l
algebra it is explicitly shown that the generic forms of these tensors become zero except for the
l primitive ones and that they give rise to the
l primitive Casimir operators. Some recurrence and duality relations are given for the Lie algebra cocycles. Tables for the 3- and 5-cocycles for
su(3) are
su(4) are also provided. Finally, new relations involving the
d and
f
su(
n) tensors are given.
The allergen-induced late asthmatic reaction (LAR) is associated with increases in bronchial eosinophils and basophils as well as upregulation of several eosinophil active cytokines and C-C ...chemokines. Cyclosporin A (CsA) was previously shown to inhibit the LAR, but not the early asthmatic reaction (EAR), and this was associated with a decrease in blood eosinophils. For these reasons, we determined whether CsA inhibited the allergen-induced increases in bronchial eosinophils, basophils, eotaxin, interleukin-5 (IL-5), and granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF). Subjects with a demonstrable LAR underwent bronchoscopy with biopsy and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) at baseline and then were randomly allocated to receive either CsA (n = 13) or placebo (n = 11) before challenge. A second bronchoscopy was performed 24 h later. The LAR, but not the EAR, was significantly attenuated in the CsA group compared with placebo (p < 0.05). CsA significantly inhibited the allergen-induced increases in IL-5 (p = 0.02) and GM-CSF (p = 0. 0028) in mRNA+ cells in BAL, and in a mAB against human activated eosinophils (EG2+) (p = 0.0227). We conclude that inhibition of the LAR by CsA may be related to its inhibitory effects on eosinophil-associated cytokines and chemokines. The beneficial effect of CsA in asthma may also be the result of inhibition of eosinophil accumulation.
This study has investigated the transcriptional regulation of the
Emr1 gene in murine macrophages and defined an enhancer element within the proximal promoter that is necessary for
Emr1 expression in ...myeloid cells. This element consists of an extended purine-rich sequence (PuRS) of 83 consecutive purine residues containing 9 GGAA sequences, the core binding sequence for members of the Ets family of transcription factors. The Ets factor PU.1 associates with this PuRS element both in vitro and in vivo. Using a standard BLAST search we identified similar PuRS elements in other myeloid and nonmyeloid genes. All PuRS elements tested confer enhancer activity onto a heterologous promoter and chromatin immunoprecipitation experiments revealed that PU.1 associates in vivo with the PuRS elements from the genes expressed in myeloid cells. Our results provide evidence that extended purine-rich sequence elements may constitute a new transcription regulatory motif and that PU.1 association is a prerequisite for macrophage-specific expression.
Summary The NHS plan announced sustained increases in funding accompanied by wide ranging reform, the success of which would be measured by targets set across the board, including increases in ...numbers of beds, staff, hospitals and equipment. In this article we assess progress towards the target of 7000 extra beds in hospitals and intermediate care to be achieved by 2004. Summary points are as follows. (1) Although the 2003/2004 target for availability of general and acute NHS beds in England was achieved, the increase did not offset the overall decrease in all categories of beds. Bed availability fell by 2083, from 186290 in 1999/2000 to 184207 in 2003/2004, following a fall of 12558 from 1996/1997 to 1999/2000. (2) Lack of standardized definitions and data collection systems both within the NHS and for the independent sector, compounded by ambiguity over the funding of extra capacity for the NHS, call into question the accuracy of data collected about intermediate care beds. (3) Systems for collecting data about intermediate care should be made subject to the same code of practice as official NHS statistics in order to monitor future targets and plan for provision of care. (4) Changes in definitions, lack of detail about criteria used in setting targets and lack of data about private sector care, make it impossible to monitor the overall capacity available to the NHS and assess whether bed availability targets have been met.
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