F. Hérodin, P. Thullier, D. Garin, M. Drouet

European Cytokine Network, Vol.16, No.2, pp. 104-116, 2005

Abstract Nonhuman primates have been used for biomedical research for several decades. They have proved to be models that are relevant to humans because of the high level of gene homology which underlies physiological and biochemical similarities. The similarity of monkeys to humans has been used to investigate pathophysiological mechanisms in hematology, immunology and virology. New therapeutic procedures can be assessed in primates by using materials, in particular pharmacological reagents, and methods designed for humans. The relevance of these models also relies on the use of species-specific pathogens and the availability of recombinant, homologous cytokines. The… More >

Robert P. Numerof^a, Charles A. Dinarello^b, Khusru Asadullah^c

European Cytokine Network, Vol.16, No.2, pp. 101-103, 2005

Abstract A network of pro-inflammatory cytokines is a central feature in the pathophysiology of cutaneous inflammatory diseases. Thus, the delineation of precise roles for particular cytokines and the development of cytokine-directed therapeutics have become areas of intense investigation. While anti-TNF therapeutics have proven to be effective for the treatment of psoriasis, clinical investigations have now begun with other cytokine-directed therapies, such as those targeting IFN-g, IL-12p40, and IL-18. In addition to therapeutics that target cytokines directly, strategies that target cytokine signaling pathways are in development too. In this short review, we summarize key findings from a More >

Cyril O. Enwonwu^1,2, Reshma S. Phillips¹, Kofo O. Savage³

European Cytokine Network, Vol.16, No.3, pp. 240-248, 2005

Abstract Necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis (NUG), a periodontal disease traditionally associated with stressful lifestyles in young adults in developed countries, is very prevalent in socioeconomically deprived Nigerian children. Random incident cases (153) of NUG, along with their neighborhood village counterparts of comparable age and without NUG, as control, were recruited for this study. Anthropometric evaluation revealed widespread malnutrition and poor health in both groups of children, with more severe stunting in NUG cases. The poor nutritional status of the village children, with and without NUG, was also confirmed by markedly reduced levels of circulating micronutrients. Compared with… More >

Ettore Capoluongo^1,4, Giovanni Vento², Concetta Santonocito¹, Piero Giuseppe Matassa², Cinzia Vaccarella³, Bruno Giardina¹, Costantino Romagnoli², Cecilia Zuppi^1,4, Franco Ameglio^1,3

European Cytokine Network, Vol.16, No.3, pp. 199-205, 2005

Abstract Objective. The severity of pulmonary dysfunction and subsequent development of chronic lung disease (CLD) in preterm neonates depends on several factors, among them oxygen administration. The aim of this report is to compare the effects of high-frequency, oscillatory ventilation (HFOV) versus synchronized, intermittent, mandatory ventilation (sIMV) on serum cytokine levels (IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, MCP-1, PDGF-BB, VEGF and TGF-beta1) and ventilator indices during the first week of life. Moreover, CLD development and several other outcomes were compared between the two groups. Design. Randomized clinical trial. Setting. Third level NICU. Patients. 40 preterm neonates with a gestational… More >

Nachum Vaisman¹, Yahalomit Zaruk¹, Idit Shirazi¹, Nechemia Kaysar², Vivian Barak³

European Cytokine Network, Vol.16, No.3, pp. 194-198, 2005

Abstract The ex vivo production of inflammatory cytokines during fish oil supplementation (n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, n-3 PUFA) is a matter of considerable controversy. Studies on human subjects have generally reported decreased lymphocyte proliferation and decreased production of IL-2, interferon-γ, IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α, but other studies showed no effect or even increased production. There are no published reports on ex vivo cytokine production in children on long-term, n-3 PUFA supplementation. The current double-blind study explored cytokine production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), with and without lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation in children on 12 weeks’ supplementation with 300… More >

Katia Boniface¹, Jean-Claude Lecron¹, François-Xavier Bernard², Guy Dagregorio³, Gérard Guillet⁴, François Nau¹, Franck Morel¹

European Cytokine Network, Vol.16, No.4, pp. 309-319, 2005

Abstract Cytokines are key factors in the cross talk between the immune system and other systems including hepatic, nervous, cardiac and cutaneous systems, leading to an adaptive and integrated response of the organism to stress. They are also involved in the regulation of many processes, including hematopoiesis, the immune response and inflammation. IL-10 is one of the most important anti-inflammatory cytokines. Five cytokines structurally related to IL-10 have been described and presently form this family of cytokines: IL-19, IL-20, IL-22, IL-24 and IL-26. In contrast to IL-10, these cytokines display pro-inflammatory activities in different tissues, including More >

Florian Hoffmann^1,*, Michael H. Albert^1,*, Stephan Arenz³, Christoph Bidlingmaier¹, Nadine Berkowicz¹, Sabine Sedlaczek¹, Holger Till², Ingo Pawlita¹, Ellen D. Renner¹, Michael Weiss⁴, Bernd H. Belohradsky¹

European Cytokine Network, Vol.16, No.4, pp. 283-288, 2005

Abstract Intracellular detection of cytokines via fluorescent antibody staining and flow cytometry has quickly become a standard method in experimental immunology. However, in pediatrics most studies have been hampered by the exclusion of healthy control individuals or have been skewed by neglecting to observe age-dependent differences in cytokine production. We therefore intended to establish normal values for different age groups and to describe the age-dependent development of cytokine profiles. Whole blood from 46 healthy children and 33 adults was analyzed by flow cytometry after stimulation with PMA, ionomycin and Mmonensin, and staining with anti-cytokine and surface… More >

Kaouther Snoussi¹, A. Donny Strosberg², Noureddine Bouaouina^1,3, Slim Ben Ahmed⁴, Lotfi Chouchane¹

European Cytokine Network, Vol.16, No.4, pp. 253-260, 2005

Abstract Objectives. Interleukin-1 (IL-1) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) are determining factors in the immune and inflammatory responses to tumors cells. Experimental data suggest that interleukin-1 and interleukin-6 play important roles in the development and progression of breast cancer. We designed a broad study to investigate the susceptibility and prognostic implications of the genetic variation in IL-1α, IL-1β and IL-6 in breast carcinoma. Experimental design. We used the polymerase chain reaction and restriction enzyme digestion to characterize the genetic variation of IL-1α, IL-1β and IL-6 in 305, unrelated Tunisian patients with breast carcinoma and 200 healthy control subjects.… More >

NILTON CESAR PIRES BIONE¹, MARIA SUELY PAGLIARINI², LEONES ALVES DE ALMEIDA³

BIOCELL, Vol.29, No.2, pp. 177-181, 2005, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2005.29.177

Abstract A spontaneous male-sterile, female-fertile mutation affecting bivalent arrangement at the metaphase plate and cytokinesis was detected in line BR98-197 of the soybean breeding program developed by Embrapa – National Soybean Research Centre. Untill diakinesis, meiosis was normal with chromosome pairing as bivalents. From this phase, in several meiocytes, bivalents were not able to organize a single metaphase plate and remained scattered in the cytoplasm in a few or several groups. In these meiocytes, chromosomes segregated in both divisions giving rise to several micronuclei. However, the main cause of male sterility was the absence of cytokinesis More >

Krisztina Buzás¹, Klára Megyeri¹, Márta Hõgye², Miklós Csanády², Gábor Bogáts², Yvette Mándi¹

European Cytokine Network, Vol.15, No.1, pp. 53-59, 2004

Abstract Aims. In order to gain more insight into the pathogenesis of dilated and hypertrophic cardiomyo-pathies (DCM and HCM, respectively), we investigated the roles of certain cytokines that regulate apoptosis. Methods and results. ELISA tests, performed to determine the plasma concentrations of tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), the soluble Fas (sFas), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and the soluble IL-6 receptor (sIL-6R), revealed that DCM patients exhibit elevated concentrations of TNF-α, sFas, IL-6 and sIL-6R, while HCM patients have only high IL-6 and sIL-6R levels as compared with healthy individuals. Western blot analysis of the levels of TNF-α, IL-6, Bcl-2… More >