Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0032285 (pneumonia)
 54,520 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Pneumonia remains one of the most common infectious causes of mortality. Patients with pneumonia develop parapneumonic effusions with a high neutrophil count as well as high protein concentrations. We hypothesized that pulmonary parenchymal bacterial infection causes a permeability change in the pleural mesothelium by inducing the production of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Complicated parapneumonic pleural effusions (empyema) have a 19-fold higher VEGF level than pleural fluids secondary to congestive heart failure and a 4-fold higher level than pleural fluids secondary to uncomplicated parapneumonic effusions. We also analyzed the influence of live Staphylococcus aureus on mesothelial barrier function using a model of confluent mesothelial monolayers. There was a significant drop in electrical resistance across S. aureus-infected pleural mesothelial cell (PMC) monolayers. Recombinant VEGF also decreases PMC electrical resistance. Neutralizing antibodies to VEGF significantly inhibited the drop in PMC electrical resistance caused by S. aureus. S. aureus infection also caused a significant increase in protein leak across confluent mesothelial monolayers. Our results suggest that bacterial pathogens induce VEGF release in mesothelial cells and alter mesothelial permeability, leading to protein exudation in empyema.
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PMID:Bacterial induction of pleural mesothelial monolayer barrier dysfunction. 1140 54

Smoking causes various changes in the lung. This report describes a case of cigarette smoke-induced acute eosinophilic pneumonia (CS-AEP) with neutrophilia in the blood. However, the precise mechanism is unknown, so we examined the effect of exposure to cigarette smoke extracts on the production of interleukin (IL)-4, IL-5, IL-8, IL-18, granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) by human bronchial epithelial cells (HBECs) obtained from the patient. We found that IL-8 released from HBECs was involved in neutrophilia in the blood, and is a new factor in the development of AEP, especially in the early phase.
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PMID:Cigarette smoke-induced acute eosinophilic pneumonia accompanied with neutrophilia in the blood. 1248 58

Smoking of crystalline cocaine, known as "crack" cocaine, has been associated with eosinophilic pneumonitis, but not with pleural effusions. We describe a patient with eosinophilic pneumonitis with an eosinophilic "empyema" after using "crack" cocaine. The illness resolved with corticosteroids. We hypothesised that his effusion would have increased levels of eosinophil cytokines that promote oedema, and found a marked increase in pleural vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and smaller increases in interleukins IL-5, IL-6, and IL-8. In the setting of "crack" use, we suggest that a pleural effusion that appears grossly to be pus should be evaluated for eosinophilic inflammation. Such eosinophilic effusions may respond to corticosteroids alone, consistent with a non-infectious process driven by proinflammatory cytokines.
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PMID:Eosinophilic "empyema" associated with crack cocaine use. 1294 50

This study investigated the serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels in children with community-acquired pneumonia. Serum VEGF levels were measured in patients with pneumonia (n=29) and in control subjects (n=27) by a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The pneumonia group was classified into bronchopneumonia with pleural effusion (n=1), bronchopneumonia without pleural effusion (n=15), lobar pneumonia with pleural effusion (n=4), and lobar pneumonia without pleural effusion (n=9) groups based on the findings of chest radiographs. We also measured serum IL-6 levels and the other acute inflammatory parameters. Serum levels of VEGF in children with pneumonia were significantly higher than those in control subjects (p<0.01). Children with lobar pneumonia with or without effusion showed significantly higher levels of serum VEGF than children with bronchopneumonia. For lobar pneumonia, children with pleural effusion showed higher levels of VEGF than those without pleural effusion. Children with a positive urinary S. pneumonia antigen test also showed higher levels of VEGF than those with a negative result. Serum IL-6 levels did not show significant differences between children with pneumonia and control subjects. Serum levels of VEGF showed a positive correlation with the erythrocyte sedimentation rate in the children with pneumonia. In conclusion, VEGF may be one of the key mediators that lead to lobar pneumonia and parapneumonic effusion.
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PMID:Serum vascular endothelial growth factor in pediatric patients with community-acquired pneumonia and pleural effusion. 1689 1

Acute mycoplasma pneumonia may be accompanied by wheeze in some children considered not to have asthma. The aim of the present study was to evaluate cytokine secretion in children with acute mycoplasma pneumonia and wheeze. We studied 58 patients with mycoplasma pneumonia (12 with wheeze, Group 1; 46 without wheeze, Group 2) and 36 patients of non-mycoplasma pneumonia (Group 3). Serum levels of interleukin (IL)-4, IL-5, interferon (IFN)-gamma, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits. The mean +/- SD IL-5 level of Group 1 was 97.1 +/- 73.0 pg/ml, which was significantly higher than that of Group 2 (28.2 +/- 32.2 pg/ml) and that of Group 3 (35.7 +/- 42.0 pg/ml). The mean +/- SD VEGF level of Group 1 was 687.5 +/- 385.8 pg/ml, which was significantly higher than that of Group 2 (310.0 +/- 251.9 pg/ml) and that of Group 3 (402.3 +/- 279.5 pg/ml). No significant differences in serum levels of IL-4, IFN-gamma, and IgE were observed between the groups. Our results show that children with mycoplasma pneumonia and wheeze have significantly higher serum levels of IL-5 and VEGF. These increased immune responses may be associated with the pathophysiological mechanisms by which the Mycoplasma pneumoniae contribute to the development of wheeze during acute mycoplasma pneumonia.
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PMID:Increased serum interleukin-5 and vascular endothelial growth factor in children with acute mycoplasma pneumonia and wheeze. 1936 Aug 50

Epilepsy is a common health problem. Although variety of factors influence the incidence and prevalence of seizures, cytokines are considered to play an important role in seizures. Cytokines are also known to be involved in other neurodegenerative disorders. Proinflammatory cytokines like IL-1, IL-6, TNF-alpha and growth factor vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) as well as anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 and related molecules have been described in CNS and plasma of experimental models of seizures and clinical cases of epilepsy. There are reports suggesting more predispositions to seizures during inflammatory conditions like colitis, pneumonia and rheumatoid arthritis. These inflammatory cytokines and growth factors are also known to have dual roles in affecting seizure susceptibility. It remains to be seen if cytokine modulators can be therapeutically exploited for patients with inflammatory disorder and suffering from epilepsy.
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PMID:Role of different cytokines and seizure susceptibility: a new dimension towards epilepsy research. 1977 68

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is one of the most lethal genitourinary malignancies. Recently, there has been a paradigm shift in the management of advanced RCC. New targeted therapies including vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitors have been developed which have shown promising results in a patient population who otherwise had very few options for treatment. The first mTOR inhibitor, temsirolimus, an intravenous prodrug, has shown improved overall survival in poor prognosis patients. More recently, an oral mTOR inhibitor, everolimus (RAD 001), has been developed which has been shown to delay disease progression in patients with metastatic RCC who have progressed on other targeted therapies. Although a survival advantage in phase III trials is seen with everolimus, associated systemic toxicities, while generally well tolerated, are not insignificant. These include mucositis, hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia, and pneumonitis. Despite the side effects, emerging evidence points to everolimus as the optimal second-line treatment for patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma.
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PMID:Safety and clinical efficacy of everolimus in the treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC). 2170 20

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a Gram-negative, aerobic bacillus causing infections of the respiratory and other organ systems in susceptible hosts. Although it does not cause pulmonary infections in immunocompetent individuals, P. aeruginosa causes chronic lung infection in individuals with cystic fibrosis and nosocomial pneumonia resulting in significant morbidity and mortality. Exogenous administration of an important P. aeruginosa virulence factor, lipase, present in P. aeruginosa culture supernatant, induces potent mononuclear cell activation leading to the production of numerous proinflammatory cytokines. In particular, P. aeruginosa culture supernatant stimulated increased proliferation of THP-1 cells and monocytes (MN). The addition of culture supernatant to THP-1 cells and MN also induced Interleukin (IL)-23 and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) release in a time-dependent manner. To investigate whether any compounds present in the supernatant lipase contributed to releasing IL-23 and VEGF, the culture supernatant from P. aeruginosa containing lipase was treated with hexadecylsulfonylfluoride (AMSF). The AMSF-treated culture supernatant (CS) did not show any induction on the IL-23 and VEGF release compared to the cells treated with CS without AMSF. We also showed that Toll-like receptors (TLR)2/TLR4 are expressed in THP-1 cells and MN treated with P. aeruginosa CS in a time-dependent fashion. Flow cytometry analysis revealed a higher TLR4 and a lower TLR2 expression at 48 and 72 h of treatment. The treatment of cells with TLR4 neutralizing antibody, and to a lesser extent with TLR2 neutralizing antibody, resulted in a decrease in P. aeruginosa CS-induced IL-23 and VEGF production.
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PMID:Expression of IL-23, VEGF and TLR2/TLR4 on mononuclear cells after exposure to Pseudomonas aeruginosa. 2223 Apr 2

Treatment options for metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) have evolved very rapidly, as reflected by the approval of the many drugs that have shown efficacy in phase III studies. Approved drugs include tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) such as sunitinib, sorafenib and pazopanib, vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitors such as bevacizumab, and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitors such as temsirolimus and everolimus. These biological agents have toxicity profiles that differ from those accompanying current chemotherapeutic agents, but their novelty leads to a lack of exhaustive clinical data regarding related adverse events (AEs), whose symptoms may overlap with those of the chronic illnesses of patients with mRCC such as hypertension, hyperglycemia, and pneumonitis. Hypertension, hypothyroidism, hand-foot syndrome, and fatigue are AEs frequently associated with TKIs; whereas immunosuppression, stomatitis, metabolic alterations, and non-infectious pneumonitis are AEs of mTOR inhibitors. Recommendations for treating these adverse events in patients with mRCC are usually the same as those for the general population. Mild to moderate toxicities may be managed with supportive and pharmacologic interventions, but higher-grade toxicities usually require external specialist consultation, dose reductions, and treatment interruption or discontinuation. Some groups of patients with mRCC, such as frail, elderly patients, and patients with renal or liver dysfunction, require special management of AEs.
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PMID:Management of adverse events of targeted therapies in normal and special patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma. 2282 50

Bronchiolitis obliterans-organizing pneumonia (BOOP) is an inflammatory and fibrosing disease involving the distal bronchioles, bronchiolar ducts, and alveoli. We studied 91 patients with BOOP. Univariate analysis was used to relate age, sex, smoking, morphology, and expression of immunohistochemical markers CD68, D2-40, CD31, CD34, collagen IV, collagen III, platelet-derived growth factor receptor, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) with the response to corticosteroid therapy. Seventy-two patients had idiopathic BOOP and 19 secondary BOOP. The median age of the patients was 59.54 years. Most patients were current or former smokers. All cases had a patchy lesion consisting of small buds of fibromyxoid tissue in small bronchioles, bronchiolar ducts, and alveoli. The buds contained collagen and reticulin fibers, fibroblasts, macrophages, mononuclear inflammatory cells, and vessels in different proportions. We found no morphologic differences between primary and secondary BOOP. Patients younger than 38 years and nonsmokers had a significant good response to corticosteroid therapy. Favorable morphologic predictors were the presence of large bronchial plugs and mild inflammatory reaction (P = .093). By immunohistochemistry, the presence of collagen IV with the absence of collagen III, CD68-positive cells and positive VEGF were associated with a good response to corticosteroid therapy. We conclude that age, smoking, localization, and extension of proliferative intrabronchiolar plugs and positive immunostains for CD68, VEGF, and collagen IV with negative collagen III were useful to predict response to corticosteroid therapy and relapse.
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PMID:Prognostic value of clinical, morphologic, and immunohistochemical factors in patients with bronchiolitis obliterans-organizing pneumonia. 2311 22


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