Eosinophils in the pathogenesis of allergic airways disease

Eosinophils are traditionally thought to form part of the innate immune response against parasitic helminths acting through the release of cytotoxic granule proteins. However, they are also a central feature in asthma. From their development in the bone marrow to their recruitment to the lung via chemokines and cytokines, they form an important component of the inflammatory milieu observed in the asthmatic lung following allergen challenge. A wealth of studies has been performed in both patients with asthma and in mouse models of allergic pulmonary inflammation to delineate the role of eosinophils in the allergic response. Although the long-standing association between eosinophils and the induction of airway hyper-responsiveness remains controversial, recent studies have shown that eosinophils may also promote airway remodelling. In addition, emerging evidence suggests that the eosinophil may also serve to modulate the immune response. Here we review the highly co-ordinated nature of eosinophil development and trafficking and the evolution of the eosinophil as a multi-factoral leukocyte with diverse functions in asthma. Received 6 December 2006; received after revision 11 January 2007; accepted 15 February 2007     

The role of platelets in the pathogenesis of cerebral malaria

Malaria is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the developing world and cerebral malaria is responsible for the majority of malaria-associated deaths. There is a strong association between thrombocytopenia and outcome in malaria, suggesting a role for platelets in the pathogenesis of malaria. This thrombocytopenia is likely due to platelet activation possibly through an interaction between PfEMP1 on plasmodium and CD36 on platelets. Platelet activation by plasmodium has two potential consequences. It can lead to the formation of micro-aggregates of infected red blood cells and platelets which can occlude blood vessels and it also leads to binding to and activation of the endothelium.     

Lymphocyte-fibroblast interaction in the pathogenesis of inflammatory gingival disease

Zusammenfassung Eine morphometrische Analyse menschlicher, entzündeter Gingiva ergab im Vergleich zu normalem Bindegewebe 70% weniger Kollagenfasern, dreifach vergrösserte und pathologisch veränderte Fibroblasten und eine kleine Population charakteristischer Immunoblasten mit einer Zellansammlung, die zu 76% aus Zellen der Lymphozytenserie bestand. Die Grösse der Fibroblasten war positiv mit der steigenden Zahl der Lymphozyten korreliert. Diese Befunde weisen auf eine Immunreaktion mit zytotoxischen Auswirkungen auf Fibroblasten des gingivalen Bindegewebes hin.     

On the pathogenesis of the renoprival hypertension in dogs

Riassunto L'ipertensione arteriosa non compare nel cane nefrectomizzato bilateralmente, se non si associa la iperidratazione. La iperidratazione, peraltro, non produce ipertensione nel cane con ureteri legati. Solo nei cani renoprivi e iperidratati si ha un aumento del volume del sangue.      

Molecular aspects of pathogenesis in osteoarthritis: the role of inflammation

Arthritic diseases cause enormous burdens in terms of pain, crippling, and disability. Osteoarthritis (OA), the most common form of arthritis, is characterized by a slow progressive degeneration of articular cartilage. The exact etiology of OA is not known, but the degradation of cartilage matrix components is generally agreed to be due to an increased synthesis and activation of extracellular proteinases, mainly matrix metalloproteinases. Insufficient synthesis of new matrix macromolecules is also thought to be involved, possibly as a consequence of deficient stimulation by growth factors. Although OA is defined as a noninflammatory arthropathy, proinflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-1 have been implicated as important mediators in the disease. In response to interleukin-1, chondrocytes upregulate the production of nitric oxide and prostaglandin E₂, two factors that have been shown to induce a number of the cellular changes associated with OA. The generation of these key signal molecules depends on inducible enzymes and can be suppressed by pharmacological inhibitors.     

Investigations on the role of low density lipoproteins in the pathogenesis of the essential carbohydrate-induced hypertriglyceridemia

Zusammenfassung Die mit physikochemischen Untersuchungen nachweisbaren LDL-Anomalien bei der essentiellen Hypertriglyceridämie lassen den Schluss zu, dass Störungen der LDL-Kinetik bei der Pathogenese dieser Krankheit eine wichtige Rolle spielen.     

Pathogen,host and environmental factors contributing to the pathogenesis of listeriosis

Listeriosis is a severe human and animal disease caused by two species of pathogenic bacteria from the genus Listeria, L. monocytogenes and L. ivanovii. In humans, listeriosis is overwhelmingly a foodborne disease, yet much remains to be learned regarding the transmission dynamics of pathogenic Listeria from the environment, through food, to humans. Similarly, our understanding of the various host, pathogen and environmental factors that impact the pathogenesis of listeriosis at the cellular and molecular level is incomplete. This review will summarize what is currently known about animal and human listeriosis, detail the pathogen, host and environmental factors that contribute to pathogenesis and, finally, examine the interactions among those factors that influence the occurrence of human infection.