The study was conducted among 92 male workers, divided into two groups depending on workplace and level of inorganic dust containing free crystalline SiO2 in the work environment, and 43 healthy workers without exposure to dust aerosols. The measured inhalable and respirable dust concentrations, as well as the concentration of free crystalline silica (FCS) in the respirable fraction were different for the two groups, but the percentage of free crystalline silica in the respirable fraction was almost identical. Significantly higher neopterin levels were found in workers exposed to dust, compared to the control group: 12.72 nmol/L and 6.32 nmol/L respectively (p,0.05). No significant difference was found between serum neopterin levels in both groups of the exposed workers. Among the groups with different length of service, a statistically higher neopterin level was evident only in the workers with length of service less than 10 years (p,0.05). The correlation analysis did not find a significant ...

Cerebrospinal Fluid Neopterin in Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Infection Bruce J. Brew, MB, FRACP, Ravi B. Bhalla, PhD,? Morris Paul, PhD,* H. Gallardo, MS,* Justin C. McArthur, MBBS,S Morton K. Schwartz, PhD,t and &chard W. Price, MD We evaluated cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) concentrations of neopterin, a putative marker of activated macrophages, in 97 subjects infected with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 who had a spectrum of neurological complications. The highest CSF neopterin concentrations occurred in those with neurological opportunistic infections, primary central nervous systems lymphoma, and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)dementia complex. In general, the CSF concentration of neopterin was independent of CSF cell count and blood-brain barrier disruption to albumin. In the patients with AIDS dementia complex, CSF neopterin concentrations correlated with severity of disease and decreased in conjunction with clinical improvement following treatment with zidovudine. ...

Infection and septic complications in burn patients can be monitored by procalcitonin (PCT) and neopterin plasma values. The aim of the study was to investigate serum neopterin and PCT levels with WBC (white blood cell) and CRP (C-reactive protein) levels in patient group (PG) and healthy control group (HCG) and to investigate the relationship of these markers with burn wound infections (BWI). As the PG, 23 patients between 0-12 ages and up to 30% Total Body Surface Area (TBSA) burned and 15 HCG were included. PCT, neopterin, WBC, and CRP results on the first, the seventh, the fourteenth and the 21st day have been compared. During the follow-up period, 11 patients with BWI and 12 patients without BWI were classified as infected and non-infected patients, respectively. PCT and neopterin levels were detected higher in patients with BWI but no significant difference were present. Also, PCT and neopterin levels within the first 24 hours following the burn were detected higher in PG than HCG. CRP and ...

HIV-1 invades the central nervous system (CNS) in the context of acute infection, persists thereafter in the absence of treatment, and leads to chronic intrathecal immunoactivation that can be measured by the macrophage activation marker, neopterin, in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). In this review we describe our experience with CSF neopterin measurements in 382 untreated HIV-infected patients across the spectrum of immunosuppression and HIV-related neurological diseases, in 73 untreated AIDS patients with opportunistic CNS infections, and in 233 treated patients. In untreated patients, CSF neopterin concentrations are almost always elevated and increase progressively as immunosuppression worsens and blood CD4 cell counts fall. However, patients with HIV dementia exhibit particularly high CSF neopterin concentrations, above those of patients without neurological disease, though patients with CNS opportunistic infections, including CMV encephalitis and cryptococcal meningitis, also exhibit high levels of CSF

BACKGROUND: Increased serum neopterin had been described in older age two decades ago. Neopterin is a biomarker of systemic adaptive immune activation that could be potentially implicated in metabolic syndrome (MetS). Measurements of waist circumference, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLC), systolic and diastolic blood pressure, glycated hemoglobin as components of MetS definition, and plasma total neopterin concentrations were performed in 594 participants recruited in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). RESULTS: Higher total neopterin concentrations were associated with reduced HDLC (9.7 %, p | 0.01 for men and 9.2 %, p | 0.01 for women), whereas no association was observed with the rest of the MetS components as well as with MetS overall (per 10 nmol/L: OR = 1.42, 95 % CI = 0.85-2.39 for men and OR = 1.38, 95 % CI = 0.79-2.43). CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that high total neopterin concentrations are cross-sectionally associated with

According to recent investigations neopterin (a pyrazinopyrimidine derivative) is a biochemical marker that reflects the activity of the proinflammatory immunocellular system of the synovial tissue in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Interferon gamma, derived from antigen activated T lymphocytes, stimulates macrophages to synthesise and release neopterin into the culture supernatant in vitro. To extend this in vitro model to a clinical level a sensitive new radioimmunoassay technique was used to measure neopterin concentrations in the synovial fluid (SF) of 17 patients with active RA, nine with osteoarthritis, and six with acute gout, and in that of 12 controls undergoing meniscectomy. The SF neopterin concentrations were significantly higher in patients with RA than in the other groups of patients, particularly the controls. Multivariant analysis showed that SF neopterin concentrations correspond better with the systemic inflammatory activity of RA than with the local disease activity of the knee ...

Surrogate markers including CD4 T cell, viral load estimation and activated immune markers have been identified as having significance in the pathogenesis and prognosis of the HIV infection. But there is limited data on the utility of serum neopterin estimation in HIV infection. This study was aimed at evaluating serum neopterin levels as a marker of predicting the progression of HIV infection and to monitor patients response to antiretroviral therapy. In all one hundred and ninety two (192) HIV infected patients constituting one hundred and four highly active antiretroviral therapy patients (104) and eighty eight (88) highly active antiretroviral therapy naïve patients were recruited from the HIV clinic at the Bomso specialist hospital in the Kumasi metropolis. Venous blood samples were taken and assayed for haematological parameters (Haemoglobin, White blood cell, Red blood cell, Mean cell haemoglobin, Mean cell volume, Haematocrit and Mean cell haemoglobin concentration) , Biochemical ...

Title: Neopterin as a Marker for Immune System Activation. VOLUME: 3 ISSUE: 2. Author(s):C. Murr, B. Widner, B. Wirleitner and D. Fuchs. Affiliation:Institute of Medical Chemistry and Biochemistry, Fritz Pregl Str. 3, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria. Keywords:neopterin, Borrelia burgdorferi, Inflammatory disorders, Cardiovascular diseases, Organ transplantation, Aging, neurodegeneration. Abstract: Increased amounts of neopterin are produced by human monocytes / macrophages upon stimulation with the cytokine interferon-γ. Therefore, measurement of neopterin concentrations in body fluids like serum, cerebrospinal fluid or urine provides information about activation of T helper cell 1 derived cellular immune activation. Increased neopterin production is found in infections by viruses including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), infections by intracellular living bacteria and parasites, autoimmune diseases, malignant tumor diseases and in allograft rejection episodes. But also in neurological and in ...

Results Four patients died soon after the initial treatment because of the deterioration of RPILD. At onset of the disease, the levels of serum anti-MDA5 antibody and neopterin were extremely high (169.75±24.3 index and 27.6±24.1 nmol/l) in all patients. However serum IL-18 level was almost normal (479.3±301.4 pg/ml). Among the 9 surviving patients, it took about one year for anti-MDA5 antibody level to decrease to the normal range. On the other hand, neopterin level decreased quickly after the initial treatment. The level of anti-MDA5 antibody transitioned from 169.75±24.3 index to 93.1±50.1 index, and then to 44.8±45.4 index (P=0.003). Neopterin level transitioned from 27.6±24.1 nmol/l to 9.1±6.5 nmol/l, and then to 6.4±5.0 nmol/l (P=0.006). IL-18 level transitioned from 479.3±301.4 pg/ml to 246.0±175.8 pg/ml, and then to 233.3±180.1 pg/ml (P=0.02). The level of anti-MDA5 didnt correlate with the level of ferritin (r=0.28), neopterin (r=0.16), IL-18 (r=0.06) and soluble IL-2 ...

accuracy of markers was evaluated by the ROC curve analysis. Results: Mean serum neopterin levels were significantly higher in patients with unstable and stable angina pectoris in comparison to control subjects (p,0.05, for both patients groups). Serum NO2-/NO3- values were significantly elevated (p,0.01) in patients with unstable angina and acute myocardial infarction. Serum iNOS were significantly elevated in patients with unstable angina pectoris in comparison to control subjects (p,0.05). TNF- α was significantly elevated in patients with acute myocardial infarction in comparison to patients with stable angina pectoris (p,0.001) and the control group (p,0.01). Serum ADMA values were significantly elevated (p,0.001) in all patient groups. The highest concentration of hsCRP, fibrinogen and leukocytes were noted in patients with acute myocardial infarction, while ESR was significantly higher in patients with unstable angina pectoris. A strong correlation was found between LE and smoking ...

Sera and questionnaire data from a population-based random sample of healthy adults was used to evaluate factors influencing neopterin and beta 2-microglobulin (beta 2m) values. Both neopterin and beta 2m levels increased with age and were higher among white than blacks (mean values for whites and blacks: neopterin, 5.06 vs 4.49 nmol/L; beta 2m, 1.36 vs 1.28 mg/L). Gender

BackgroundInflammatory markers show significant associations with cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality after kidney transplantation. Neopterin, reflecting interferon--release, may better reflect the proinflammatory state of recipients than less specific markers. MethodsKidney transplant recipients in the Assessment of LEscol in Renal Transplant (ALERT) trial were examined and investigated for an association between serum neopterin and subsequent clinical events: graft loss, major cardiovascular events (MACE) and all-cause mortality. ResultsAfter adjustment for established and emerging risk factors neopterin expressed as neopterin-to-creatinine ratio was significantly associated with MACE (p=0.009) and all-cause mortality (p=0.002). Endpoints were more frequent with increasing quartiles of neopterin-to-creatinine ratio. The incidence rates of MACE and all-cause mortality were significantly increased in the upper quartiles compared with the first. ConclusionsThis long-term prospective ...

Introduction: IL2 soluble receptor (IL2Rs) and neopterin (NPT) are peripheral markers of T cell and monocyte activation investigated extensively in auto-immune disorders. We assessed these biomarkers in subjects with non ischemic cardiomyopathy of recent onset (ROCM) from the IMAC2 (Intervention in Myocarditis and Acute Cardiomyopathy) registry. We compared the degree of cellular activation in peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) with that evident in non-peripartum women and men with ROCM.. Methods: 130 subjects were investigated: 96 subjects with ROCM including 37 women with PPCM (group 3), 27 non-peripartum women (group 2) and 32 men (group 1), and 34 controls without cardiac disease (CTL). All subjects with ROCM had serum obtained at entry and an assessment of LVEF by transthoracic echocardiography. LVEF was reassessed 6 months after enrollment.. Results: The ROCM cohort (n=96, 64F/32M, mean age 30±6) had a mean LVEF at baseline of 0.24±0.08 which increased to 0.43±0.13 at 6 months. For ...

Background: Neopterin may be relevant for colorectal cancer (CRC) development, as a biomarker of cellular immune activity exerting pleiotropic effects on cellular ageing, oxidative stress, and inflammation. So far, the association between prediagnostic neopterin and colon and rectal cancer risk has not been evaluated in human populations. Methods: A nested ... read more case-control study was conducted within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition cohort using data on plasma concentrations of total neopterin (T-N, sum of neopterin and 7,8-dihydroneopterin) in 830 incident CRC case patients (561 colon and 269 rectal) matched within risk sets to 830 control participants. A subsequent replication study used data from the Hordaland Health Study, where 173 CRC case patients have been diagnosed among 6594 healthy participants over 12 years of follow-up. Results: After multivariable adjustment for a priori chosen CRC risk factors, a U-shaped association of T-N with CRC was ...

Low-grade immune activation is common in people living with HIV (PLHIV), despite long-term viral suppression by antiretroviral therapy (ART). The clinical significance of this activation remains unclear. The aim of this study was to examine residual intrathecal immune activation in relation to signs of neuronal injury and neurocognitive impairment in PLHIV who had been virally suppressed on ART > 10 years.Twenty neuroasymptomatic PLHIV on suppressive ART for a median of 13.2 years were retrospectively identified from the longitudinal prospective Gothenburg HIV cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) study. HIV-RNA, neopterin, and neurofilament light protein (NFL) levels were measured in paired plasma and CSF samples. Pre-treatment samples were available for 14 subjects. Cognitive function was assessed by CogState at follow-up.CSF neopterin decreased from a median (IQR) of 17.8 (10.6-29.7) to 6.1 (4.6-8.0) nmol/L during treatment (p < 0.001). In 11 out of 20 participants (55%), CSF neopterin levels were above ...

Infections and immunological processes are likely to be involved in the pathogenesis of Tourettes syndrome (TS). To determine possible common underlying immunological mechanisms, we focused on innate immunity and studied markers of inflammation, monocytes, and monocyte-derived cytokines. In a cross-sectional study, we used current methods to determine the number of monocytes and levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) in 46 children, adolescents, and adult patients suffering from TS and in 43 healthy controls matched for age and sex. Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin 6 (IL-6), soluble CD14 (sCD14), IL1-receptor antagonist (IL1-ra), and serum neopterin were detected by immunoassays. We found that CRP and neopterin levels and the number of monocytes were significantly higher in TS patients than in healthy controls. Serum concentrations of TNF-alpha, sIL1-ra, and sCD14 were significantly lower in TS patients. All measured values were within normal ranges and often close to detection limits.

During pregnancy, the mother allows the immunologically distinct feto-placental unit to develop and grow. Opinions are divided as to whether this represents a state of fetal specific tolerance or of a generalised suppression of the maternal immune system. We hypothesised that antigen-specific T cell responses are modulated by an inhibitory T cell phenotype and modified dendritic cell (DC) phenotype in a gestation dependent manner. We analysed changes in surface markers of peripheral blood T cells, ex vivo antigen specific T cell responses, indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) activity (kynurenine/tryptophan ratio KTR), plasma neopterin concentration and the in vitro expression of progesterone-induced blocking factor (PIBF) in response to PBMC cell culture with progesterone. We found that mid gestation is characterised by reduced antigen-specific T cell responses associated with 1) predominance of effector memory over other T cell subsets; 2) up-regulation of inhibitory markers (PD-L1); 3) heightened

The 26 people with HIV had a median age of 37 (interquartile range [IQR] 31 to 44) and had HIV infection for a median of 136 days (IQR 59.5 to 178.3). The HIV groups median CD4 count was significantly lower than that of the 20 HIV-negative controls, but four values were significantly higher in the HIV group: CD8 count, CSF WBC, CSF neopterin, and plasma neopterin. CSF protein and CSF/plasma albumin ratio were nonsignificantly higher in the HIV group ...

Our results confirm and expand previous observations by others11,12,37 that ACS is a pancoronary condition related to the presence of multiple vulnerable plaques. Inflammation and pancoronary plaque vulnerability appear to be directly related and the results of our study give further support to the importance of systemic and local inflammation in multiple atheromatous plaque disruption. Indeed, neutrophil count, neopterin concentration, and CRP concentration were higher in patients with multiple complex lesions than in those with fewer than three complex stenoses. Our findings provide a pathophysiological basis to recent reports by Goldstein et al,7 Rioufol et al,12 and Asakura et al,37 who observed multiple plaque fissuring in patients with ACS. Goldstein et al7 showed with coronary angiography the existence of additional unstable lesions other than the culprit lesions in 21% of patients with myocardial infarction. Using intravascular ultrasound, Rioufol et al12 found culprit lesion fissuring ...

On the other side, the most common postoperative complication of regenerative surgeries is the membrane exposure, in which case, the oral cavity microorganisms can be colonized on the membrane and jeopardize the success of treatment.[10] Certainly, it results in increased infection risk and poor bone repair. Thus, reinforcing the antimicrobial feature of membranes can contribute to the improvement of the treatment outcome. The SNPs are highly biocompatible and have favorable properties such as antimicrobial property.[11] Despite the several proposed theories, controversy exists regarding the mechanism of action of SNPs on microbes.[14] SNPs can adhere to the cell membrane of the bacteria and make it porous, which consequently changes the permeability of the cell membrane and causes cell death.[15] A number of studies claimed that the contact between the SNPs and bacteria forms free radicals which can damage the bacterial cell membrane and cause bacterial death through increasing the ...

Revised Classification System The revised classification system for HIV infection is based on the recommended clinical standard of monitoring CD4+ T- lymphocyte counts, since this parameter consistently correlates with HIV-related immune dysfunction and disease progression and provides information needed to guide medical management of persons infected with HIV (14-18, 22-28). The classification system also allows for use of the percentage of CD4+ T-cells instead of absolute CD4+ T-lymphocyte counts (Appendix A). Other markers of immune status -- such as serum neopterin, beta-2 microglobulin, HIV p24 antigen, soluble interleukin-2 receptors, immunoglobulin A, and delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) skin-test reactions -- may be useful in the evaluation of individual patients but are not as strongly predictive of disease progression or as specific for HIV-related immunosuppression as measures of CD4+ T-lymphocytes (14-21, 31). DTH skin-test reactions are often used in conjunction with the Mantoux ...

The purpose of the study is to evaluate whether the probiotic Visbiome Extra Strength reduces inflammation in HIV-infected men and women when compared to a placebo (inactive medication like a dummy pill). The study will evaluate whether taking Visbiome Extra Strength by mouth for 24 weeks is safe and well-tolerated for HIV-infected persons on antiretroviral therapy (ART). Probiotics are germs such as yeast or bacteria that are found in food and supplements that are used to improve the health of the digestive system. Many people refer to probiotics as helpful bacteria. These bacteria live in the body and help the body work normally. In some medical conditions, including HIV infection, helpful bacteria are replaced with bacteria that can change the normal intestinal function and increase inflammation. The investigaors will test whether giving a probiotic can restore normal intestinal function and decrease inflammation ...

Disease Markers is a peer-reviewed, Open Access journal that publishes original research articles, review articles, and clinical studies related to the identification of disease markers, the elucidation of their role and mechanism, as well as their application in the prognosis, diagnosis and treatment of diseases.

Specific Aim 1: Evaluate systemic immune activation as the etiology of PPCM. We will determine a) the degree of immune activation in PPCM and b) the relationship of autoimmunity to left ventricular dysfunction and time course of myocardial recovery, in 100 women enrolled at 30 centers. Subjects will have blood drawn for assessment of autoantibodies, and cellular immune activation at presentation, 2 month and 6 month postpartum, and will have assessment of LVEF by transthoracic echo at presentation, 2 months, 6 months and 12 months post partum. This aim will explore the hypothesis that more prolonged activation of the cellular and/or humoral immune system is associated with greater likelihood of persistent chronic cardiomyopathy.. In addition this aim will determine genetic and clinical predictors of LV recovery, and evaluate racial differences in presentation, remodeling and recovery. This study will evaluate the echo parameters of dysynchrony, diastolic function, LV size and volumes to ...

In this study, IFN-γ induced tumor HLA expression in approximately half the patients. Likewise, induction of the surrogate markers of monocyte activation (neopterin) and HLA class I up-regulation (β-2-microglobulin) was observed in most patients tested. These effects are consistent with the physiological properties of IFN-γ. The response rate in this study (13%) was low, but the 3 responses were durable and complete. Such durable and CR rates are reported for various immune therapies in a small proportion of patients with metastatic melanoma (21) . It is salient that all 3 of the responding patients had low volume disease, and responses were not observed in patients with visceral disease. Previous trials of higher-dose, more frequent IFN-γ schedules in metastatic melanoma have reported response rates of 0-12% (1, 2, 3) . Amalgamating responses from these previous trials, there were 7 PRs and 1 CR among 140 treated patients. Two of these responses were observed in patients (total 14 ...

Bilić, Ranko and Šimić, Petra and Jelić, Mislav and Štern-Padovan, Ranka and Dodig, Damir and Pompe van Meerdervoort, Hjalmar and Martinović, Snježana and Ivanković, Davor and Pećina, Marko and Vukičević, Slobodan (2006) Osteogenic protein-1 (BMP-7) accelerates healing of scaphoid non-union with proximal pole sclerosis. International Orthopaedics , 30 (2). pp. 128-134. ISSN 0341-2695 (Print) 1432-5195 (Electronic) Brkić, Kristina and Unić, Daniel and Sutlić, Željko and Biočina, Bojan and Rudež, Igor and Barić, Davor and Lukić, Ivan Krešimir (2006) Neopterin kinetics after cardiac surgery with or without cardiopulmonary bypass. Collegium antropologicum, 30 (2). pp. 395-400. ISSN 0350-6134 (Print) ...

Background. Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging (CMR) can identify myocardial damage due to embolization after percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI). Late Gadolinium Enhancement (LGE) can non-invasively detect myocardial fibrosis however the association of High sensitive C-reactive protein (HS-CRP) or Neopterin levels with myocardial damage in PCI is currently unknown.. Methods. Patients admitted with potential PCI were enrolled. LGE CMR scan was performed 24hours pre- and 24 hours post-PCI. Fourty five patients were enrolled, 61±12 yrs old, 33(73%) male. CMR performed pre PCI failed to show LGE in the area of the target vessel. TnI were not elevated at baseline. New LGE areas in the 2nd CMR scan were classified in distal (, 10 mm downstream from the stent) or adjacent (close to the stent). Troponin I was assessed at baseline and at 12 and 24 hours after PCI.. Results. In 35 out of 45 pts, baseline levels of HS-CRP and neopterin were measured.Troponin I elevation occurred in 26 (58%) ...

Although cytokines induce only a modest increase in PTPS expression compared with their effect on GTPCH expression, increased PTPS expression significantly contributes to the total amount of BH4 synthesized by HCAECs, and enhanced PTPS activity is required to maximize BH4 synthesis while minimizing accumulation of the intermediary GTPCH product 7,8-dihydroneopterin triphosphate (see Figure 3). This can be explained by the fact that PTPS becomes rate-limiting for BH4 synthesis on stimulation with a mixture of inflammatory cytokines, as evidenced by the significant accumulation of both biopterin and neopterin in supernatants of IFN-γ/TNF-α/IL-1β-treated cells, whereas no neopterin accumulated in unstimulated cells. Comparison of the pteridine profiles (ie, the biopterin-neopterin ratio) in supernatants suggests that individual cytokines importantly influence the degree to which products of GTPCH accumulate. In HCAECs, IFN-γ appeared as the single most important cytokine for total BH4 ...

To read the authors abstract of the article, click on the title of the article. Then, to read the full article, click on the full text icon. KEY WORDS: Amino acid, Anemia, Antidepressant, Bronchus cancer, Cancer, Coping, Depression, Fatigue, Hemoglobin, IDO, Immune activation markers, Immunity, Inflammation, Kynurenine, Kynurenic acid, Lung cancer, Neopterin, Neurotransmitter, Psychological test, […]. View Post ...

The aim of the presented study was to assess the effect of a single administration of Fe3+-dextran on immune cell counts and pterin biomolecule production as novel sensors of the piglets immune system activation, and to determine concentrations of cortisol, a traditional hormonal biosensor of the stress response. Pterins (neopterin and biopterin) in the piglets blood serum were analyzed by separation using reversed-phase HPLC. A single dose of Fe3+-dextran produced a special stress situation in the piglets organism which manifested itself by an increased production of neopterin (p | 0.05) and biopterin (p | 0.01) in the experimental piglets. Changes in cortisol concentrations and leukocyte counts were influenced by handling stress and were not specifically correlated to iron dextran application. Iron concentrations in the internal environment of the experimental piglets group were higher by an order of magnitude compared with the controls, and the highest serum concentrations of iron (p | 0.01) were

This article describes immunological HIV progression, mortality, and its predictors in 974 Zambian adults. During 3138 person-years of follow-up, 281 deaths occurred, and the overall mortality rate was 9.0 per 100 person-years. Thirty-six percent of patients were dead within 5 years of enrollment. The median survival in patients with baseline CD4 count ≥500 cells/mm³ was 5.62 years, with CD4 count between 200 and 499 cells/mm³ 5.46 years, and with CD4 count |200 cells/mm³ 3.89 years. The mortality rate increased significantly with older age (6.9 in patients |25 years, 9.3 in individuals aged 25-39 years, 10.2 in patients ≥40 years) and was higher in women (rate ratio 1.29). The median annual change of progression markers was -29.6 cells/mm³ for CD4 count, -3.0% for CD4 count percentage, 1.2 nmol/L for neopterin, -1.9 g/L for hemoglobin, and -70 cells/mm³ for total lymphocyte count. Hemoglobin and neopterin were as accurate as CD4 count to predict mortality.

Evidence and inferences from clinical research, clinical observation, and literature review support an etiologic paradigm for the pathophysiology of spinal cord injury (SCI). According to this paradigm, changes in immunoregulation and in the activation of cytokines or intercellular adhesion molecules (ICAMs) contribute to many of the comorbidities, metabolic changes, and pathophysiologic sequelae observed after traumatic SCI. Cytokines and ICAMs are endogenously secreted molecules that serve as intercellular signals and immunoregulators. They modulate the activity of cells and influence the organization and function of tissues or organs. These intercellular signals are posited as molecular links between the damaged, decentralized nervous system of SCI and the acquired autonomic failure, neuroendocrine-immunoregulatory dysfunction, diminished central nervous system (CNS) regenerative capacity, and broad spectrum of pathology, organ failure, and generalized impairment of homeostasis caused by trauma to

Taken together, these findings argue strongly for a renewed focus on unraveling the causes and consequences of immune activation and inflammation in HIV infection. The intimate correlation between viral load levels and immune activation markers and the precipitous decline in activation that occurs on ART are compelling evidence that HIV is driving the phenomenon. But exactly how this is occurring-particularly the extent to which HIV antigens are involved versus other potential sources of activation such as bacteria leaking across the gut mucosa-remains unresolved. Even the exact types of CD4 and CD8 T cell that are expressing high levels of CD38 in HIV is still uncertain; are they naïve T cells that have been activated, memory T cells that have been activated, or some mix of both? What antigens are these T cells specific for?. These questions are no longer solely of interest to academic immunologists, they are now increasingly recognized to have a vital relation to the transmission and ...

Work package 4 (WP4) aims at identifying an early test-of-cure and deals with pre- and post-treatment collection of specimens in ongoing therapeutic trials. Today, therapeutic trials provide the only working environment enabling the evaluation of new candidate tests-of-cure. The only organisation conducting therapeutic trials on HAT is DNDi. DiTECT-HAT therefore works in close collaboration with DNDi for this work package. Combination of WP4 with the clinical trial on SCYX-7158 allows evaluation of new treatment outcome assessment markers during follow-up without the need for additional lumbar or venipunctures. DNDi will provide biological specimens taken during and after a therapeutic trial to DiTECT-HAT. Reverse transcriptase real time PCR for spliced leader RNA detection in blood and cerebrospinal fluid and neopterin detection will be carried out in the reference laboratory in Kinshasa. For data analysis, Classification of patients as treatment failure or treatment success after 18 months, ...

Objectives -To review results on exercise induced changes in the immune system following strenuous and moderate exercise. Methods -A literature search over the past 15 years was conducted using Medline and selected papers. Results -After intense long term exercise, the immune system is characterised by concomitant impairment of the cellular immune system and increased inflammation. Thus low...

The increased angiogenic activity in AML bone marrow has provided the scientific rationale for the clinical evaluation of antiangiogenic agents in AML (8, 13-15). However, therapeutic outcomes of angiogenesis inhibitors in AML have been mostly disappointing so far (16, 17), stimulating the search for alternative strategies that take therapeutic advantage of angiogenic neovessels. Here, we report first-in-human experiences with the targeted delivery of IL2 to the leukemia-associated vasculature and stroma using the immunocytokine F16-IL2 in heavily pretreated AML patients. We have chosen the situation after allo-HSCT to allow for a graft-versus-leukemia (GVL) response of a transplanted cellular immune system to the immunocytokine, and because we had previously treated 2 patients with late-stage refractory AML without previous allo-HSCT and had not observed significant antileukemic activity (data not shown).. The therapeutic principle of allo-HSCT is based on an active donor immune system that ...

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is able to enter from the periphery to the central nervous system, triggering neurocognitive impairment which can be asymptomatic, mild cognitive and motor impairment or in a few cases severe dementia. With the availability and efficacy of antiretroviral therapy, HIV patients have a better quality of life. However, HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) still prevail in near 50% of the treated patients. In this study, we used ELISA to measure neurofilament light chain (NF-L) and neopterin, as markers of neuronal injury and immune activation, respectively. We used plasma and cerebrospinal (CSF) samples obtained from HIV-seropositive (HIV+) patients (n=35) at different stages of HAND, compared to HIV-seronegative controls (n=10). HIV+ patients were subjected to standard laboratory tests (including viral load and CD4+ cell count) and neuropsychological tests (eight domains). Statistical tests included Mann-Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis and Spearmans ...

E. Zvetkova, D. Fuchs, R. Denkova, K. Baleva, T. Timeva, V. Bourneva, E. Yaneva, I. Ilieva, E. Katzarova, B. Nikolov, J. Savov (2000). The Role of Neopterin in Regulating Human Ovarian Granulosa Cells Growth (Proliferation/Differen- tiation) and Steroidogenesis in vitro. Acta Morphologica Et Anthropologica, 7, 28-31 ...

Description : 25.9 C1-metabolism.dihydroneopterin aldolase Encodes an enzyme that can act as a aldolase or an epimerase for 7,8-dihydroneopterin and 7,8-dihydromonapterin in vitro. It is likely to act in tetrahydrofolate biosynthesis in vivo. FOLB1. Condition specificity: Pericarp, Barbera, berries beginning to touch (SPM: 0.23, entropy: 3.61, tau: 0.52) ...

Discovery of Potent Inhibitors of Dihydroneopterin Aldolase Using CrystaLEAD High-Throughput X-ray Crystallographic Screening and Structure-Directed Lead Optimization ...

The autosomal recessive form of GTPCH I deficiency causes no detectable enzyme activity5 6 Patients are normally detected on newborn screening for phenylketonuria but most already have symptoms of dopamine deficiency (personal observations).6 CSF concentrations of homovanillic acid (HVA), 5HIAA, neopterin, and BH4 are all markedly reduced (personal observations).5Heterozygotes do not manifest clinical symptoms and have 30% to 50% residual enzyme activity.5 By contrast, it has been suggested that in the dominant form of GTPCH I deficiency described here residual enzyme activities are 2% to 20% of normal (instead of the 50% expected) implying that the mutation causes dysfunction of the normal gene. In recessively inherited GTPCH I deficiency, heterozygotes have 30% to 46% activity and are normal.7 Biochemical abnormalities in CSF are also more subtle in the dominant form. The only consistent abnormality in the affected patients here is a modest reduction in CSF neopterin to 22% to 30% of mean ...

INTRODUCTION: Critical limb ischemia (CLI) is a severe peripheral arterial disease, characterized by rest pain, ulcers and gangrene in the legs. Gas6 is a vitamin K-dependent protein, which binds and activates the tyrosine kinase receptor Axl. Gas6-mediated Axl-signaling influences endothelial activation, neointima formation and immune regulation. Axl can be cleaved and soluble Axl (sAxl) is detectable in circulation. DESIGN AND METHODS: We quantified plasma concentrations of Gas6 and sAxl in 189 CLI patients and 204 controls. RESULTS: Gas6 and sAxl concentrations were increased in the CLI patients (p,0.0001) and correlated to C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor alpha and neopterin. Patients who died within three years of sampling (n=84) had increased concentrations of Gas6 and sAxl as compared to survivors (p=0.0009 and p=0.0011). CONCLUSIONS: Plasma concentrations of Gas6 and sAxl correlate to inflammation and predict survival. This indicates that Gas6 and sAxl have a role ...

In 1979, a fluorescent substance occurring in increased amounts in urinary specimens of patients suffering from viral infections or malignant diseases was characterized as D-erythro-neopterin...

A good method on how to boost the immune system is through the use of active hexose correlated compound (AHCC), an extract obtained from several kinds of mushroom. Mushroom extracts are known to have immunomodulation and antitumor effects. AHCC is very effective in strengthening and optimizing the capacity of the immune system.. The Oasis of Hope and other clinical organizations have conducted a study comparing patients taking chemotherapy combined with AHCC and another group taking chemotherapy alone. One of the nasty side effects of chemotherapy is that it can severely depress the immune system. We found that AHCC truly protected the immune system from the depressing effects of chemotherapy.. AHCC can reduce the side effects of radiotherapy as well. AHCC also improves patients quality of life by reducing nausea, increasing appetite, and decreasing anxiety. Furthermore, there are no side effects to taking AHCC as an immune -enhancing supplement.. Like melatonin, AHCC also stimulates the immune ...

We demonstrate ResBoosts control over the sensitivity/specificity trade-off using the enzyme 7,8-dihydroneopterin aldolase, a bacterial and plant enzyme needed

Mature dendritic cells (DC), activated lymphocytes, mononuclear cells and neutrophils express Compact disc83, a surface area protein apparently essential for effective DC-mediated activation of na?ve T-cells and T-helper cells, thymic T-cell maturation as well as the regulation of B-cell activation and homeostasis. mRNA-containing complexes; nonetheless it will regulate translation of Compact disc83 mRNA. Therefore, our data shed even more light on the complex process of post-transcriptional regulation Fosamprenavir Calcium Salt manufacture of CD83 expression. Interfering with this process may provide a novel strategy for inhibiting CD83, and thereby cellular immune activation. INTRODUCTION The Rabbit polyclonal to PAX9 transmembrane glycoprotein CD83 belongs to the Ig-superfamily and was shown to be highly expressed on mature dendritic cells (DC) (1C4), and moderately expressed on activated B and T lymphocytes (5C7), macrophages (8,9) and neutrophils (10). Thus, the CD83 Fosamprenavir Calcium ...

GTP cyclohydrolase I (encoded by gene folE) is the first Zn(2+)-dependent enzyme of the de novo tetrahydrofolate biosynthetic pathway. It presents in bacteria, fungi, and plants. It catalyzes the conversion of GTP to 7,8-dihydroneopterin triphosphate. The 2.1A resolution structure of GTP cyclohydrolase I from Yersinia pestis CO92 is a pentomer in the asymmetric unit. The structure contains, in the active site, five GTP molecules and Ca(2+) ions probably from crystallization in place of Zn(2+) determined by atomic distances and fluorescence spectrum ...

A major problem of postoperative care is the early identification of patients at risk of developing sepsis and multiple organ failure. By comparing different parameters on the first postoperative day in patients after cardiac surgery (plasma elastase and neopterin, hemodynamic data, scoring systems), we have found the best predictive value for several scoring systems (work in preparation). Among these, the APACHE II score was selected for its best practicability (routine bedside availability within 5 to 10 min using a microcomputer-based program). It is applicable for imminent sepsis risk stratification, discriminating on the first postoperative day between the large population of low-risk patients (score , 19) with mostly uneventful course and the small groups of patients at risk (19 to 23) and high risk ( , 24) who have an at least tenfold higher postsurgical mortality (Fig la). This approach yields several advantages: (1) early and standardized use of supplemental treatment; (2) specific use ...

TY - JOUR. T1 - Prenatal iron exposure and childhood type 1 diabetes. AU - Størdal, Ketil. AU - McArdle, Harry J.. AU - Hayes, Helen. AU - Tapia, German. AU - Viken, Marte K.. AU - Lund-Blix, Nicolai A.. AU - Haugen, Margaretha. AU - Joner, Geir. AU - Skrivarhaug, Torild. AU - Mårild, Karl. AU - Njølstad, Pål R.. AU - Eggesbø, Merete. AU - Mandal, Siddhartha. AU - Page, Christian M.. AU - London, Stephanie J.. AU - Lie, Benedicte A.. AU - Stene, Lars C.. N1 - Acknowledgements: We are grateful to all the participating families in Norway who take part in this on-going cohort study. We thank Dr. Maria Vistnes at Diakonhjemmet Hospital, Oslo, Norway for help with cytokine assays, PM Ueland and Ø Midttun at BEVITAL, Bergen, Norway, for neopterin and KTR assay, and Kathleen Gillespie at Bristol University, UK for confirmatory HLA genotyping. The Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study is supported by the Norwegian Ministry of Health and Care Services and the Ministry of Education and Research, ...

This chapter describes the major mechanisms of killing used by the macrophage, how innate killing mechanisms, immune-regulated killing mechanisms can be modulated by the host immune response, and how different bacteria have learned to deal with this potential nemesis. Macrophages are extremely degradative cells. One of their prime tasks while they migrate through body tissues is to recognize, internalize, and digest unwanted material. Activation of macrophages by cytokines such as gamma interferon and tumor necrosis factor alpha will up-regulate the killing capacity of the phagocyte. These cytokines have pleotropic effects, affecting the killing pathways of the macrophages themselves and enhancing the responsiveness of the hosts cellular immune system. The parasitophorous vacuole in which Coxiella resides is acidic, freely accessible to lysosomal tracers and is therefore likely to be actively hydrolytic. The cellular immune response is the product of the presentation of foreign antigens in the

Biopterin is a coenzyme thats used to make several important neurotransmitters in the body. Problems with biopterin levels can...

Three novel pteridines have been isolated from the urine of patients with a new variant of 6-(L-erythro-1,2-dihydroxypropyl)-5… Expand ...