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 15,125 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Elevated levels of ambient particulate matter (PM(10)) have been associated with increased cardiopulmonary morbidity and mortality. We previously showed that the deposition of particles in the lung induces a systemic inflammatory response that includes stimulation of the bone marrow. This marrow response is related to mediators released by alveolar macrophages (AM) and in this study we measured cytokines produced by human AM exposed to ambient particles of different composition and size. Identified cytokines were also measured in the circulation of healthy young subjects exposed to air pollutants during the 1997 Southeast Asian forest fires. Human AM were incubated with particle suspensions of residual oil fly ash (ROFA), ambient urban particles (EHC 93), inert carbon particles, and latex particles of different sizes (0.1, 1, and 10 microm) and concentrations for 24 h. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) increases in a dose-dependent manner when AM were exposed to EHC 93 particles (p < 0.02). The TNF response of AM exposed to different sizes of latex particles was similar. The latex (158 +/- 31%), inert carbon (179 +/- 32%), and ROFA (216 +/- 34%) particles all show a similar maximum TNF response (percent change from baseline) whereas EHC 93 (1,020 +/- 212%, p < 0.05) showed a greater maximum response that was similar to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) 1 microg/ml (812 +/- 320%). Macrophages incubated with an optimal dose of EHC 93 particles (0.1 mg/ml) also produce a broad spectrum of other proinflammatory cytokines, particularly interleukin (IL)-6 (p < 0.01), IL-1 beta (p < 0.05), macrophage inflammatory protein-1 alpha (MIP-1 alpha) (p < 0.05), and granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) (p < 0.01) with no difference in concentrations of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 (p = NS). Circulating levels of IL-1 beta, IL-6, and GM-CSF were elevated in subjects exposed to high levels of PM(10) during an episode of acute air pollution. These results show that a range of different particles stimulate AM to produce proinflammatory cytokines and these cytokines are also present in the blood of subjects during an episode of acute atmospheric air pollution. We postulate that these cytokines induced a systemic response that has an important role in the pathogenesis of the cardiopulmonary adverse health effects associated with atmospheric pollution.
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PMID:Cytokines involved in the systemic inflammatory response induced by exposure to particulate matter air pollutants (PM(10)). 1154 40

The effects of an orally administered hot-water extract (HW) from cultured mycelia of Cordyceps sinensis on the activation of macrophages and the intestinal immune system were studied in mice. The general composition of HW was 83.9% carbohydrate, 11.8% protein, 1.9% lipid and 2.4% ash, and the carbohydrates were mainly composed of glucose, mannose, galactose and arabinose (molar ratio of 1.0:0.8:0.5:0.1). HW stimulated the activation (1.7-fold of the saline control) of macrophages and IL-6 production (1.5-fold) at 2.0 g/kg/day. Analyzing the culture supernatant of Peyer's patch cells from C3H/HeJ mice that had been fed with HW at 1.0 g/kg/day for 7 days indicated that the bone marrow cells had significantly proliferated (1.9-fold). In addition, the amounts of GM-CSF and IL-6 in the culture supernatant of Peyer's patch cells at the same dose were significantly increased (1.8-fold and 2.2-fold, respectively). These results indicate that an oral administration of HW may modulate IL-6 production by the activation of macrophages, and also enhance the secretion of hematopoietic growth factors such as GM-CSF and IL-6 from Peyer's patch cells. Since such cytokines as GM-CSF and IL-6 from Peyer's patch cells act on the systemic immune system, it can be assumed that orally administered HW modulated not only the local but also systemic immune system.
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PMID:Activation of macrophages and the intestinal immune system by an orally administered decoction from cultured mycelia of Cordyceps sinensis. 1199 17

Five cases of intraventricular subependymal giant cell astrocytomas (SEGCA) were retrospectively reviewed. Records and detailed work-up of all five cases were well maintained in view of rare occurrence of these tumors. The five patients were males aged 10, 12 (2 cases), 14 and 18 years. The 18-year-old aged male had no stigmata of tuberous sclerosis (TSC) on examination, while the rest presented with features of TSC, intraventricular tumors and hydrocephalus. None of the five cases had renal tumors and did not reveal cardiac tumors. Skin manifestations like shagreen patches were present in two, facial angiofibromas in three, periungal fibromas in two, hypopigmented macules in two and ash-leaf spot in two patients. Fundoscopic examination revealed retinal astrocytomas in two cases only. Two of the five children did not have mental compromise. A child who started throwing seizures early (at 5 months of age) had severe mental retardation. Although SEGCA is a less vascular tumor, one tumor bled profusely intraoperatively; it was excised rapidly via the transcortical route to salvage the life of the child, though he was planned for the transcallosal route like the other cases. The tumor of another child was also very vascular. Four children survived surgery and required no shunt CSF diversion, while one died of severe ventriculitis and septicemia 3 weeks after surgery.
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PMID:Subependymal giant cell astrocytoma: a report of five cases. 1604 50

Metabolic and cognitive alterations occur during hyperammonemia. Here, we report that chronic hyperammonemia also leads to increased sensitivity to LPS. Sparse-fur mice were challenged i.p. with LPS or saline control and then tested for motivation to investigate a novel juvenile over 24 h. Cytokine, ammonia, and urea concentration were quantified at the peak of sickness (2 h post injection). Chronic hyperammonemic Otc(spf-ash) mice displayed more pronounced and prolonged sickness behavior in response to LPS (P=0.02). LPS significantly (P<0.0001) increased plasma concentrations of TNFalpha, IL-1 beta, IL-6, IL-15, IL-9, IL-2, IL-1 alpha, IL-1 beta, Rantes, MIP1 alpha, MIP1 beta, MCP-1, KC, GM-CSF, G-CSF, Eotaxin, IL-13, and IL-12 in both wild type and Otc(spf-ash) mice. No significant genotype/treatment interactions (P>0.1) were detected for any cytokine. Adult Otc(spf-ash) mice (168+/-41 microM) had four times higher plasma ammonia compared to wild type mice (40 +/- 6 microM) (P=0.002). Two hours after LPS injection, plasma ammonia concentrations tended (P=0.08) to decrease in both wild type and Otc(spf-ash) mice. Learning and memory behaviors were assessed in mice under basal conditions to determine the impact of chronic hyperammonemia on cognition. Otc(spf-ash) mice performed significantly poorer in the two trial Y-maze (P=0.02) and the Morris water maze (P=0.001) than their littermate wild type controls. Taken together, these data indicate that chronic hyperammonemia results in impaired cognition and creates a state of LPS hypersensitivity.
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PMID:Hyperammonemia increases sensitivity to LPS. 1649 29