Beta2-adrenergic agonists (beta2-agonists) play a pivotal role in the acute and chronic management of asthma. Their major action on the airways is the relaxation of smooth muscle cells. In addition to their bronchodilator properties, beta2-agonists may have other effects through their activation of beta2-receptors expressed on resident airway cells such ...

Several epidemiological studies using sensitive detection methodologies have confirmed that the majority of acute asthma exacerbations follow upper respiratory tract infections--common colds. Most of these colds are due to human rhinoviruses (RVs). RVs are able to reach and replicate in epithelial cells of the lower airways and can activate these ...

Exposure to allergens and infections contribute to early immune development. However, knowledge of the role of cellular metabolic, physiologic, and endocrinologic factors in controlling immune development and asthma is limited. Immune cells, including macrophages, dendritic cells, and T lymphocytes, express receptors for atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) both in the fetal ...

The relative contribution of Th2 and Th1 cytokines to the pathogenesis of lesions of chronic asthma remains poorly understood. To date, therapeutic inhibition of Th2 cytokines has proved disappointing. We used a clinically relevant model of chronic allergic asthma in mice to compare the effects of administering neutralizing antibodies to ...

BACKGROUND: Cytokines which signal via the gamma chain of the interleukin (IL)-2 receptor and the interferons (IFNs) have been shown to enhance T cell survival in vitro by rescuing cells from apoptosis. METHODS: A study was undertaken to determine whether treatment with inhaled fluticasone propionate (FP; 250 microg twice daily) ...

OBJECTIVE: To review the evidence supporting a role for psychological interventions in the treatment of asthma, with particular emphasis on underlying psychobiological mechanisms. DATA SOURCES: Independent literature searches on MEDLINE, PREMEDLINE, Cochrane Library, and PSYCHINFO from their respective inception to 2003 were performed. Separate searches were performed for psychological stress ...

OBJECTIVE: To review the current information and hypotheses related to the underlying mechanisms that link psychological stress and asthma activity via a neuroimmune network dysfunction that may manifest as increased morbidity of immune diseases, such as asthma. DATA SOURCES: Literature searches of MEDLINE for published human and animal studies and ...

The heavy metal, lead, is a known developmental immunotoxicant that has been shown to produce immune alterations in humans as well as other species. Unlike many compounds that exert adverse immune effects, lead exposure at low to moderate levels does not produce widespread loss of immune cells. In contrast, changes ...

Epidemiological evidence points to the inverse relationship between microbial exposure and the prevalence of allergic asthma and autoimmune diseases in Westernized countries. The molecular basis for this observation has not yet been completely delineated. Here we report that the administration of certain toll-like receptor (TLR) ligands, via the activation of ...

BACKGROUND: Combination treatment with steroids and long-acting beta2-agonists provides greater asthma control than simply increasing the dose of steroids. OBJECTIVE: Although the effects of combination treatment with steroids and long-acting beta2-agonists have been attributed to their anti-inflammatory and bronchodilator effects, the ability of this combination to act synergistically on T ...

Taban-Arshan extract decreased expression of T-lymphocyte activation markers, normalized T-cell-mediated immunity, and suppressed increased activity of natural killer receptors during culturing with lymphocytes of patients with atopic bronchial asthma. Taban-Arshan extract normalized activation processes in the B-cell immunity and stimulated expression of receptors of activation-induced apoptosis.

Chitin is a surface component of parasites and insects, and chitinases are induced in lower life forms during infections with these agents. Although chitin itself does not exist in humans, chitinases are present in the human genome. We show here that acidic mammalian chitinase (AMCase) is induced via a T ...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: For the present article we collected and reviewed the more relevant experimental results concerning the asthma-rhinitis link in allergic diseases, published since January 2002. RECENT FINDINGS: During the last 2 years, particular attention has been devoted to the behaviour of the immune response in the two compartments ...

The therapeutic potential of interleukin (IL)-16 and derived peptides in allergic asthma is considered, focusing on key interactions with CD4 and associated chemokine receptors. IL-16 is a pleiotropic cytokine that has multiple effector functions with putative roles in varied T cell-mediated inflammatory diseases, such as asthma, inflammatory bowel disease and ...

T helper (Th) 2 cytokines, particularly interleukin 4 (IL-4), IL-5 and IL-13, might be important in the development of allergic asthma. Humanized monoclonal antibodies (hMAbs) against IL-5, and a recombinant soluble human IL-4 receptor have been developed as possible treatments for this disorder. However, these approaches have not yet proven ...

Histone acetylation status is a key factor in the regulation of inflammatory gene transcription. We investigated the activity of histone acetylases (HAT) and deacetylases (HDAC), and the effect of glucocorticoids in alveolar macrophages (AM) and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from subjects with asthma. Bronchoalveolar lavage was performed in 10 ...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Diisocyanates are the leading cause of occupational asthma, the most commonly reported lung disease associated with the workplace. Clinical studies have implicated the immune system in the pathogenesis of occupational asthma, but ethical and moral issues prevent mechanistic investigations in humans. For this reason, the development and ...

Allergic asthma is an inflammatory lung disease thought to be initiated and directed by type 2 helper T cells responding to environmental Ags. The mechanisms by which allergens induce Th2-adaptive immune responses are not well understood, although it is now clear that innate immune signals are required to promote DC ...

A new system has been developed for RNA-based drug screening, and the feasibility of this approach has been demonstrated by the identification of new immunomodulating compounds. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were chosen as the cellular assay system. Cells were either stimulated by TPA/ionomycin to produce T cell cytokines as asthma ...

CD26 is a 110 kDa surface-bound ectopeptidase with intrinsic dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP IV) activity, which has multiple biological functions. In this review, we will focus specifically on work demonstrating that CD26 has a key role in immune function as a T cell activation molecule and a regulator of the ...

Interleukin-13 (IL-13) is a Th2-type cytokine, secreted from CD4(+) T cells, mast cells, basophils and eosinophils. The human IL-13 gene locates at 5q31, generating a cluster with other Th2-type cytokines such as IL-4 and IL-5. Although the homology between IL-13 and IL-4 at the amino acid level is only about ...

PURPOSE OF THE REVIEW: Allergic asthma is a disease characterized by airway hyperresponsiveness, inflammation and remodeling. In the past few decades it has become clear that the pathogenesis and development of this disease is controlled by cytokines released by CD4 T helper type 2 lymphocytes that develop under the influence ...

A chronic inlammatory process is underlying the pathophysiology of asthma. T cells from the Th2-type are thought to play a crucial role in the development of the inlammatory reaction in the asthmatic airways in response to allergen exposure. Asthmatic subjects display enhanced activity of T(h2) cells, as relected by enhanced ...

Thesis (Ph.D.)--National Taiwan University Graduate Institute of Immunology

Airway inflammation is a hallmark of respiratory diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Cell adhesion molecules play critical roles in the recruitment and migration of cells to sites of inflammation. Not surprisingly, these receptors have garnered the attention of the pharmaceutical industry as targets for the development ...

Th2 cytokines play an important role in producing and maintaining airway inflammation in asthma. As a consequence, there is considerable interest in developing agents that modulate their effects. Therapeutic strategies include decreasing cytokine synthesis or release, blocking their effects by antibodies or soluble receptors, as well as administration of anti-inflammatory ...

Lung epithelium plays a central role in modulation of the lung inflammatory response, and lung repair and airway epithelial cells are targets in asthma and viral infection. Activated T lymphocytes release cytokines such as interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) that induce apoptosis, or programmed cell death, of damaged epithelial cells. Death-associated protein-3 (DAP3) ...

The effects of inhaled corticosteroids (ICSs) have been investigated in asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) using endobronchial biopsies. In asthma, most studies have shown reductions in infiltrating eosinophils, mast cells, and T lymphocytes. Cell-associated mediators, such as cytokines derived from type 2 T-helper lymphocytes, are decreased as assessed ...

Recurrent viral infections are frequently observed in children with atopic asthma. In this study we investigated the ability of the synthetic immunomodulator pidotimod to affect in vitro the phenotype and/or cytokine profile of blood cells in relation to atopic asthma. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were isolated from 13 atopic asthmatic ...

Although Th-2-mediated inflammation is a key therapeutic target in asthma, its relationship to altered structure and functions of the airways is largely unknown. In addition to inflammation, asthma is a disorder involving the airway epithelium that is more vulnerable to environmental injury and responds to this by impaired healing. This ...

Occupational asthma is a form of immunotoxicity resulting from an exaggerated immune response to substances encountered in the workplace. Symptoms include reversible airway obstruction, airway hyperresponsiveness, airway remodeling, mucus production and cellular infiltration into the lung, particularly eosinophilia. The asthmatic response is divided into the induction phase, occurring after initial ...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: A small percentage of asthma exacerbations are linked with infection by an atypical bacterium, such as Chlamydia pneumoniae or Mycoplasma pneumoniae. These bacteria also have been proposed to cause occult chronic lower airway inflammation and to initiate nonatopic asthma in adults. Consequently, the logical procedure would be ...

Different inflammatory cell profiles are observed in the lungs of patients with asthma versus those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In asthma, several key mediators have been implicated, including tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin (IL)-1beta, together with cytokines derived from type 2 T-helper lymphocytes, such as IL-4, IL-5, and ...

Nitric oxide (NO) is synthesized from L-arginine in the human respiratory tract by enzymes of the NO synthase (NOS) family. Levels of NO in exhaled air are increased in asthma, and measurement of exhaled NO has been advocated as a noninvasive tool to monitor the underlying inflammatory process. However, the ...

The prevalence and severity of atopic diseases (atopic dermatitis, asthma, and allergic rhinitis) have increased over recent decades, particularly in industrialized nations. Atopic dermatitis, like asthma, is more common in older siblings and in less crowded houses and with late entry to day care, increased maternal education, and higher socio-economic ...

For 50 years, macrolide antibiotics have been used to treat community acquired pneumonia and atypical infections such as Chlamydia pneumonia and Mycoplasma. In the late 1960s it was noted that when the 14-member ring macrolide antibiotic troleandomycin was given to asthma patients who required large doses of systemic corticosteroids, they ...

The development of asthmatic inflammation involves a complex array of cytokines that promote the recruitment and activation of a number of different immune cells. While factors involved in initiating and establishing inflammation are well characterized, the process by which this pro-inflammatory cascade is regulated is less well understood. The identification ...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To summarize and evaluate critically recent progress with mycobacteria as a potential novel disease modifying treatment strategy in asthma. RECENT FINDINGS: The link between exposure to pathogenic or saprophytic mycobacteria and protection from allergic diseases is still controversial, and recent epidemiological studies, which addressed only exposure to ...

Multiple cytokines play a critical role in orchestrating and perpetuating inflammation in asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and several specific cytokine and chemokine inhibitors now in development as future therapy for these diseases. Anti-IL-5 antibody markedly reduces peripheral blood and airway eosinophils, but does not appear to be ...

Allergic asthma can be precipitated by many factors. For the atopic person, fungus, pollen, dust mites, cockroach antigens, and diesel exhaust are all agents that may trigger an allergic attack. Cytokines and chemokines are integral mediators of fungal asthma. From the earliest time points, they recruit and activate the cells ...

BACKGROUND: Unlike other chemokines, fractalkine is expressed as a membrane-bound form, mainly on endothelial and epithelial cells, and can be shed as a soluble chemotactic form. Fractalkine can capture leukocytes expressing its receptor (CX(3)CR(1)), including T lymphocytes, rapidly and firmly in an integrin-independent manner. Because of its dual activity, fractalkine ...

This investigation was designed to confirm IL-8 production from human bronchial epithelial cells with toluene diisocyanate (TDI) exposure and to examine the effects of pro-inflammatory cytokine and dexamethasone. We cultured Beas-2B, a bronchial epithelial cell line with TDI-HSA conjugate and compared with those without conjugate. IL-8 in the supernatant was ...

The etiology of atopy is unknown. Its family distribution suggests transmissibility. Populations moving from countries with a low incidence to those with a high incidence increase to the higher rate. African and New Guinea village groups developed asthma with return of individuals who have acquired atopy in the city. Protection ...

Asthma is a common, chronic inflammatory condition of the airways that leads to airway hyperresponsiveness, reversible narrowing of the airways, and airway wall remodeling. Cytokines are involved in various aspects of asthma pathophysiology, such as the polarization of T-helper (Th)2 cells, antigen presentation, immunoglobulin (Ig)E response, airway wall remodeling, and ...

OBJECTIVE: Previous research has demonstrated links between low socioeconomic status (SES) and clinical asthma outcomes, as well as links between stress and asthma. The objective of this study was to test whether adolescents with asthma from different SES backgrounds differed in biological profiles relevant to asthma, including immune and cortisol ...

Inflammatory diseases such as asthma and diabetes are rising in industrialized countries and the modern lifestyle that is associated with lower exposure to microbes has been held responsible for the increasing prevalence of these diseases. Several studies have shown an inverse association between pathogen-exposure and allergy or autoimmunity. The mechanisms ...

It is well established that infection with respiratory viruses can cause acute local inflammation in humans and is a leading cause in the hospitalization of asthmatics. Less well recognized is the potential for viral infections to actually protect against the development of asthma, as are the cellular mechanisms which might ...

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are an at least 23 member family of calcium and zinc dependent enzymes implicated in many physiological and pathological processes. Asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and emphysema are diseases associated with an inflammation of the airways and lung parenchyma. In this review, we focus on the ...

Healthy individuals are continuously exposed to fungal biomass, which includes live and dead spores and fungal debris that is entrapped in the airways. In patients with asthma and/or atopy, exposure to fungal biomass might result in age-dependent sensitization and asthmatic reactions. Interaction with Toll-like receptors (TLRs) of the innate immune ...

During the last 15 years, it was largely shown that allergic inflammation was orchestrated by activated Th2 lymphocytes, leading to IgE production and eosinophil activation. Indeed, Th2 activation was shown to be necessary to induce allergic sensitization in animal models. In humans, a Th2 skewing was shown in atopic children ...