Bone marrow biopsy superiority over PET/CT in predicting progression-free survival in a homogeneously-treated cohort of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

Several studies have reported uneven results when evaluating the prognostic value of bone marrow biopsy (BMB) and PET/CT as part of the staging of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). The heterogeneity of the inclusion criteria and not taking into account selection and collinearity biases in the analysis models might explain part of these discrepancies. To address this issue we have carried a retrospective multicenter study including 268 DLBCL patients with a BMB and a PET/CT available at diagnosis where we estimated both the prognosis impact and the diagnostic accuracy of each technique.

A risk-adapted approach to treating respiratory syncytial virus and human parainfluenza virus in allogeneic stem cell transplantation recipients with oral ribavirin therapy: A pilot study.

Here we report the applicability of a protocol based on clinical conditions and risk factors (RFs) for managing 35 allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) recipients who developed a total of 52 episodes of respiratory viral infections (RVIs) caused by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV; n=19), human parainfluenza virus (HPIV; n=29), or both (n=4) over a 2-year study period. Risk categories were classified as high risk (cat-1) when the immunodeficiency scoring index was ≥3 and/or ≥3 RFs and/or ≥1 co-infective virus(es) were present; the remaining cases were classified as low risk (cat-0). The presence of two or more signs or symptoms including fever (T>38 °C), sinusitis, otitis, sore throat, tonsillitis, or baseline C-reactive protein increased by >2-fold at the time of the RVI, was considered a clinically-intense episode (CIE).

Control of NOD2 and Rip2-dependent innate immune activation by GEF-H1.

Background: Genetic variants of nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain 2 (NOD2) lead to aberrant microbial recognition and can cause chronic inflammatory diseases in patients with Crohn's disease (CD).

Methods: We utilized gene-specific siRNA mediated knockdown and expression of guanine nucleotide exchange factor H1 (GEF-H1) in wildtype, Rip2-, and Nod2-deficient macrophages, HCT-116 and HEK 293 cells to determine the role of GEF-H1 in NOD2 and Rip2-mediated NF-κB-dependent induction of proinflammatory cytokine expression. Confocal microscopy was used to determine subcellular distribution of GEF-H1, Rip2, and NOD2.

[Factors associated with household transmission of influenza (H1N1) 2009].

Background: A good part of the transmission of influenza occurs in the household context. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the factors associated with the index cases generating secondary cases in household.

Methods: We designed an observational, retrospective, multicenter through the implementation of a telephone survey in three regions of Spain.

LRRK2 is involved in the IFN-gamma response and host response to pathogens.

LRRK2 was previously identified as a defective gene in Parkinson's disease, and it is also located in a risk region for Crohn's disease. In this study, we aim to determine whether LRRK2 could be involved in immune responses. We show that LRRK2 expression is enriched in human immune cells.

Tissue-nonspecific alkaline phosphatase is activated in enterocytes by oxidative stress via changes in glycosylation.

Background: Intestinal inflammation produces an induction of alkaline phosphatase (AP) activity that is attributable in part to augmented expression, accompanied by a change in isoform, in epithelial cells.

Methods: This study focuses on induction of AP in intestinal epithelial cells in vitro.

Results: Treatment with the oxidants H2O2, monochloramine, or tButOOH increases AP activity in vitro in Caco-2, HT29, and IEC18 cells.

Shoe contact dermatitis from dimethyl fumarate: clinical manifestations, patch test results, chemical analysis, and source of exposure.

Background: The methyl ester form of fumaric acid named dimethyl fumarate (DMF) is an effective mould-growth inhibitor. Its irritating and sensitizing properties were demonstrated in animal models. Recently, DMF has been identified as responsible for furniture contact dermatitis in Europe.

Effect of flavonoids on rat splenocytes, a structure-activity relationship study.

Flavonoids are polyphenols frequently consumed in the diet which have been suggested to exert a number of beneficial actions on human health, including intestinal anti-inflammatory activity. Their properties have been studied in numerous cell types, but little is known about their effect on leukocyte biology. We have selected 9 flavonoids (extended to 14 flavonoids plus the related polyphenol resveratrol in some cases) with different structural features to characterize their effects on leukocyte viability, proliferation, and expression of cyclooxygenase 2 (EC 1.

Inhibition of pro-inflammatory markers in primary bone marrow-derived mouse macrophages by naturally occurring flavonoids: analysis of the structure-activity relationship.

Flavonoids possess several biological/pharmacological activities including anticancer, antimicrobial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory and antioxidant. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of flavonoids on macrophage physiology. For this purpose we selected some flavonoids belonging to the most common and abundant groups (flavonols--quercetin and kaempferol; flavones--diosmetin, apigenin, chrysin and luteolin; isoflavones--genistein and daidzein and flavanones--hesperetin).

Monochloramine induces acute and protracted colitis in the rat: response to pharmacological treatment.

Monochloramine is a powerful oxidative molecule that is produced in inflammatory sites. We investigated the effect of intrarectally administered monochloramine (3.2 mg) in the rat.

Disturbances in epithelial ionic secretion in different experimental models of colitis.

This paper studies the disturbances in ionic secretion in the colon of rats with different models of acute and chronic colitis measured as changes in short-circuit current. The aim was to verify whether the reported inhibition of basal and stimulated secretion in the trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid and mytomicin C models are applicable to experimental colitis as such. All models showed remarkable similarity in ion transport as determined in Ussing chambers, with downregulated basal as well as carbachol evoked secretion.

In vivo quercitrin anti-inflammatory effect involves release of quercetin, which inhibits inflammation through down-regulation of the NF-kappaB pathway.

Quercetin is a common antioxidant flavonoid found in vegetables, which is usually present in glycosylated forms, such as quercitrin (3-rhamnosylquercetin). Previous in vitro experiments have shown that quercetin exerts a bigger effect than quercitrin in the down-regulation of the inflammatory response. However, such results have not been reproduced in in vivo experimental models of intestinal inflammation, in which quercetin did not show beneficial effects while its glycosides, quercitrin or rutin, have demonstrated their effectiveness.

Induction of alkaline phosphatase in the inflamed intestine: a novel pharmacological target for inflammatory bowel disease.

This study demonstrates the upregulation of alkaline phosphatase and the mechanisms involved in experimental colitis. All models of ileal and colonic inflammation examined, which were characterized by significant oxidative stress and neutrophil infiltration, resulted in an increase in alkaline phosphatase activity which was attributable to both epithelial cells and cells of the lamina propria, mainly leukocytes. The increase in alkaline phosphatase sensitivity to the inhibitors levamisole and homoarginine, together with changes in the apparent molecular size and in the sialization of the enzyme, indicated a change in the isoform expressed.

Bone morphogenetic protein 2 is expressed by, and acts upon, mature epithelial cells in the colon.

Background And Aims: The recent findings of bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) receptor Ia mutations in juvenile polyposis and frequent Smad4 mutations in colon cancer suggest a role for BMPs in the colonic epithelium and colon cancer. We investigated the role of BMP2 in the colon.

Methods: We assessed BMP receptor expression in cell lines using the reverse-transcribed polymerase chain reaction and immunoblotting.