A. J. C. Crespo¹, M. Gómez-Gesteira¹, R. A. Dalrymple²

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.5, No.3, pp. 173-184, 2007, DOI:10.3970/cmc.2007.005.173

Abstract Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics is a purely Lagrangian method that can be applied to a wide variety of fields. The foundation and properties of the so called dynamic boundary particles (DBPs) are described in this paper. These boundary particles share the same equations of continuity and state as the moving particles placed inside the domain, although their positions and velocities remain unaltered in time or are externally prescribed. Theoretical and numerical calculations were carried out to study the collision between a moving particle and a boundary particle. The boundaries were observed to behave in an elastic More >

European Cytokine Network, Vol.17, Suppl.1, pp. 6-7, 2006

Abstract This article has no abstract. More >

Ewa Lech-Maranda^1,2, Jacques Bienvenu^1,4, Anne-Sophie Michallet³, Roch Houot³, Tadeusz Robak², Bertrand Coiffier^1,3, Gilles Salles^1,3

European Cytokine Network, Vol.17, No.1, pp. 60-66, 2006

Abstract The aim of the study was to confirm whether plasma levels of interleukin-10 (IL-10) correlate with the prognosis in diffuse, large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients. Plasma IL-10 levels were determined at the time of diagnosis in a group of 157 consecutively treated, DLBCL patients. Of those, 122 patients (78%) had IL-10 plasma levels below the detection limit (< 5 pg/mL) and 35 (22%) above this value. The median value for patients with detectable IL-10 levels was 35 pg/mL (range, 5 to 2480 pg/mL). Detectable plasma IL-10 levels were significantly associated with age > 60 years,… More >

Chantal A. A. Van der Graaf^1,2, Mihai G. Netea^1,2, Servaas A. Morré³, Martin Den Heijer⁴, Paul E. Verweij^2,5, Jos W. M. Van der Meer^1,2, Bart Jan Kullberg^1,2

European Cytokine Network, Vol.17, No.1, pp. 29-34, 2006

Abstract Toll-like receptor (TLR)-4 is an important pattern recognition receptor for Candida albicans, playing a role in innate host defense. We investigated whether there is an association between the TLR4 Asp299Gly or TLR4 Thr399Ile polymorphism, and the occurrence of Candida bloodstream infection. We performed a case-control study, involving 43 patients with a Candida bloodstream infection and 166 healthy individuals. TLR4 Asp299Gly and Thr399Ile polymorphisms were assessed, as well as cytokine production after stimulation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) with Candida albicans. We observed that the prevalence of TLR4 Asp299Gly polymorphism was found to be higher in patients with Candida… More >

Elena Westphal^1,*, Mona Herzberg^2,*, Ingo Neumann^1,**, Li Beibei¹, Claudia Pilowski¹, Chen Li¹, Karl Werdan¹, Harald Loppnow^1,2

European Cytokine Network, Vol.17, No.1, pp. 19-28, 2006

Abstract Inflammation contributes to the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Proinflammatory cytokines, including interleukin-1 (IL-1), may be involved in the local inflammation occurring in the vessel wall. Vascular smooth muscle cells express the unprocessed IL-1β precursor molecule. Invading leukocytes, such as monocytes or polymorphonuclear granulocytes (PMN) may activate the IL-1β precursor during atherogenesis. Thus, we investigated the capacity of PMN to process IL-1β and IL-18 precursors. Processing was analyzed using Western blot and bioassay for IL-1-activity was performed. As few as 80 to 400 PMN/mL detectably processed preIL-1β. PMN also cleaved the caspase-1 substrate preIL-18. The preIL-1β and… More >

Carita Eklund¹, Arja Nenonen^2,3,4, Katriina Kukkonen-Harjula³, Patrik Borg³, Mikael Fogelholm^3,5, Seppo Laine⁶, Heini Huhtala⁷, Terho Lehtimäki⁴, Mikko Hurme^1,8

European Cytokine Network, Vol.17, No.2, pp. 131-135, 2006

Abstract Elevated plasma concentration of C-reactive protein has emerged as an important predictor of future cardiovascular diseases and metabolic abnormalities in apparently healthy individuals. Obese individuals tend to have elevated C-reactive protein concentrations. Weight loss induces a change in this protein, and single nucleotide polymorphisms in regulating genes might affect this change, since C-reactive protein concentration is known to be approximately 40-50% heritable. Our aim was to study the association between the IL6 -174(G/C), IL1B +3954(C/T) and CRP +1059(G/C) single nucleotide polymorphisms, and CRP concentrations in obese men during a weight reduction program. We genotyped 72… More >

Carolina Figueroa¹, Alexis Peralta², Luisa Herrera³, Pedro Castro², Andrea Gutiérrez², Jorge Valenzuela^1,4, Juan C. Aguillón², Rodrigo Quera^1,4, Marcela A. Hermoso²

European Cytokine Network, Vol.17, No.2, pp. 125-130, 2006

Abstract Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) are multifactorial diseases with a genetic background. Genes related to the innate immune response have been observed to be involved. Polymorphisms of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and CARD15/NOD2 are thought to be involved in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). There is no information about the frequency of these polymorphisms in South American and Chilean populations. Aim. To investigate the distribution of CARD15/NOD2 (Arg702Trp, Gly908Arg and Leu1007fsinsC) and TLR4 (Asp299Gly) polymorphisms in Chilean patients with IBD. Methods. DNA was obtained from 22 CD, 22 UC patients and… More >

Ali Akbar Amirzargar¹, Nima Rezaei², Hossein Jabbari³, Abdol-Ali Danesh¹, Farideh Khosravi¹, Mahboubeh Hajabdolbaghi³, Alireza Yalda³, Behrouz Nikbin¹

European Cytokine Network, Vol.17, No.2, pp. 84-89, 2006

Abstract Background. Several genes coding for different cytokines may affect host susceptibility totuberculosis. Methods. In the present study, the allele and genotype frequencies of a number polymorphic genescoding for cytokines or cytokine receptors were investigated in Iranian patients with pulmonary tuberculosis(PTB). Results. From the IL-1 cluster, a positive, significant difference was found at position -889, where the T/Tgenotype was over represented in PTB patients (p = 0.01); a positive, significant increase was found in the IL1RPstI 1970 C/C genotype, where the C allele was over represented in the PTB patients (p = 0.01). A significantnegative association… More >

Gaelle Clavel^1,2,3, Chiara Valvason^1,2,4, Kunio Yamaoka^1,2,4, Delphine Lemeiter^1,2,4, Liliane Laroche^2,5, Marie-Christophe Boissier^1,2,4, Natacha Bessis^1,2,4

European Cytokine Network, Vol.17, No.3, pp. 202-210, 2006, DOI:10.1684/ecn.2006.0038

Abstract 1 INSERM, ERI-18, University of Paris 13 and Rheumatology Dpt, CHU Avicenne (AP-HP), 74 rue Marcel Cachin, 93017 Bobigny Cedex, France.
Fax: (+00 33) 1 48 38 88 93
2 Rheumatology Dpt, CHU Nord, Amiens, France
3 CHU Nord Amiens, Rheumatology dpt, 80000 Amiens, France
4 AP-HP, Avicenne hospital, Rheumatology department, Bobigny, France
5 AP-HP, Avicenne hospital, Dermatology department, Bobigny, France More >

Hubertus Himmerich^1,2, Stephany Fulda¹, Jakob Linseisen^3,4, Henrike Seiler³, Günther Wolfram⁵, Stephanie Himmerich⁶, Kurt Gedrich⁶, Thomas Pollmächer^1,7

European Cytokine Network, Vol.17, No.3, pp. 196-201, 2006, DOI:10.1684/ecn.2006.0037

Abstract The cytokines tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-α), soluble TNF receptors p55 and p75, and interleukin 6 (IL-6) are involved in host defense against several microbiological agents, in the process of inflammation and also in body weight regulation. In the present study, we sought to assess the influence of age, gender, smoking, and body mass index on plasma levels of TNF-α, TNF receptors, and IL-6 in more than 550 adult subjects randomly selected from the Bavarian population. None of the cytokine parameters had a normal distribution and all distributions were significantly skewed. The cytokine plasma levels investigated More >