• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.62 no.3
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• pp.108-112
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• 2019

Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) is a rare, progressive, and fatal central nervous system disorder resulting from persistent measles virus infection. Long-term data are scarce, with a maximum follow-up period of 10 years. Interferon-alpha ($IFN-{\alpha}$) is a protein that exerts its antiviral activity via enhancement of cellular immune response and is reported to be an effective drug for the treatment of SSPE. However, there is currently no consensus regarding the optimal duration of $IFN-{\alpha}$ therapy. Here, we present a case report of a patient with SSPE treated with long-term intraventricular $IFN-{\alpha}$ therapy, which facilitated clinical improvement and neurological stabilization without causing serious adverse effects. To the best of our knowledge, this is one of the longest follow-up studies investigating a patient with SSPE receiving intraventricular $IFN-{\alpha}$ treatment. Further studies are necessary to validate the benefits and safety of long-term intraventricular $IFN-{\alpha}$ treatment in patients with SSPE.

• Journal of Neurocritical Care
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.71-80
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• 2018

Nutritional assessment and support are often overlooked in the critically ill due to other urgent priorities. Unlike oxygenation, organ dysfunction, infection, or consciousness, there is no consensus of indicators. Making it difficult to evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention. Nevertheless, appropriate nutritional support in the critically ill has been associated with less morbidity and lower mortality. But, nutritional support has been considered an adjunct, for body weight maintenance and to help patients during the inflammatory phase of illness. Thus, it has been assigned a lower priority, compared to mechanical ventilation or hemodynamic stability. Recent findings have shown that nutritional support may prevent cellular injury due to oxidative stress and help strengthen the immune response. Large-scale randomized trials and clinical guidelines have shown a shift from nutritional support to nutritional therapy, with an emphasis on the importance of protein, minerals, vitamins, and trace elements. Nutrition is also important in neurocritically ill patients. Since there are few studies or recommendations with regard to the neurocritical population, the general recommendations for nutritional support should be applied.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.46 no.11
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• pp.710-724
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• 2023

The plant defense responses to microbial infection are tightly regulated and integrated with the developmental program for optimal resources allocation. Notably, the defense-associated hormone salicylic acid (SA) acts as a promoter of flowering while several plant pathogens actively target the flowering signaling pathway to promote their virulence or dissemination. Ralstonia pseudosolanacearum inject tens of effectors in the host cells that collectively promote bacterial proliferation in plant tissues. Here, we characterized the function of the broadly conserved R. pseudosolanacearum effector RipL, through heterologous expression in Arabidopsis thaliana. RipL-expressing transgenic lines presented a delayed flowering, which correlated with a low expression of flowering regulator genes. Delayed flowering was also observed in Nicotiana benthamiana plants transiently expressing RipL. In parallel, RipL promoted plant susceptibility to virulent strains of Pseudomonas syringae in the effector-expressing lines or when delivered by the type III secretion system. Unexpectedly, SA accumulation and SA-dependent immune signaling were not significantly affected by RipL expression. Rather, the RNA-seq analysis of infected RipL-expressing lines revealed that the overall amplitude of the transcriptional response was dampened, suggesting that RipL could promote plant susceptibility in an SA-independent manner. Further elucidation of the molecular mechanisms underpinning RipL effect on flowering and immunity may reveal novel effector functions in host cells.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.20 no.9
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• pp.1453-1461
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• 2007

This study was conducted to test the hypothesis that dietary supplementation with an herbal extract of Acanthopanax senticosus (AS) enhances the immune response in weaned piglets. Sixty piglets weaned at 21 days of age were randomly assigned to 3 treatment groups representing the addition of 0 or 1 g/kg of the AS extract or 0.2 g/kg of colistin (an antibiotic) to maize- and soybean meal-based diets (n = 20 per group). On days 7, 14 and 28 after initiation of the addition, total and differential counts of leucocytes, proliferating activity of peripheral lymphocytes, serum levels of immunoglobulins (Ig) and cytokines and the spleen index were determined. The AS extract decreased (p<0.05) the number of neutrophils on days 7 and 28 in comparison with the control group and reduced (p<0.05) serum interleukin-$1{\beta}$ level on day 28 compared with the other 2 groups. Dietary supplementation with the AS extract increased (p<0.05) the lymphocyte/leukocyte ratio on day 28 compared with the control group and increased the proliferating activity of lymphocytes on days 14 and 28 compared with the other 2 groups. The AS extract increased (p<0.05) the serum content of IgG on day 7 and of IgG and IgM on day 28 compared with the other 2 groups, as well as increasing the serum content of tumor necrosis factor on day 7 and spleen index on days 7 and 28 compared with the control group. Collectively, these findings suggest that the AS extract as a dietary additive enhances the cellular and humoral immune responses of weaned piglets by modulating the production of immunocytes, cytokines and antibodies.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.63-67
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• 2006

Suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS) is known to playa key role as a negative feedback regulator in JAK/STAT signaling cascade in innate immunity. Our laboratory has recently been interested in elucidating the interactions between Spodoptera exigua (Se) and SeNPV. This context leads us to clone and characterize SeSOCS that may have important functions in response to SeNPV infection. Using the RT-PCR and TA cloning approach, we found a partial fragment (416 bp) of SeSOCS. Blast search and multiple alignment data showed that it has a homology to various insects such as Anopheles gambiae (78%), Aedes aegypti (75%), Drosophila melanogastar (77%), Mus musculus (69%), and Homo sapiens (69%). Temporal induction patterns of SeSOCS were analysed after being immune-challenged with either NPV or laminarin. It showed that the level of SeSOCS mRNA was strongly induced in a biphasic manner in response to SeNPV and laminarin, respectively. It seems that SOCS, a negative regulator of JAK/STAT signaling system is also present in S. exigua and may playa role in innate immunity albeit its precise role should be further elucidated at the molecular and cellular level in the early phase of SeNPV infection in larvae.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.150-157
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• 2009

This research was performed in order to investigate the anti-inflammatory effects of Bupleuri Radix(BR) on the Immune response in vitro. Cellular proliferation and cytokine production were measured in mast cells or mouse B cells or CD4 Th cells. BR water extract inhibited the secretions of TNF-$\alpha$ and IL-6 in PMA/A23187 stimulated HMC-1 cells. It increased proliferation but did not affect the expressions of CD69 or CD23 in rIL-4/anti-CD40 activated S cells. BR reduced surface IgE expression and secreted IgE but increased the production of IL-4, IFN-$\gamma$ and IgG1 in the same cells. BR caused an increase in proliferation in anti-CD3/anti-CD28 stimulated CD4 Th cells but it did not affect the differentiation of Th1 or Th2 cells. However, IL-2 was increased in BR treated Th2 cells. Considering the above-mentioned results, BR can be applied to a broad range of anti-inflammatory reactions, but our data suggest that it will not be likely to exert any effects on type 1 allergic response.

• Molecular & Cellular Toxicology
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• v.2 no.4
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• pp.273-278
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• 2006

95 squamous cell lung carcinoma samples (normal tissue: 40 samples, tumor: 55 samples) were analyzed with 8 K cDNA microarray. 1-way ANOVA test was employed to select differentially expressed genes in tumor with FDR<0.01. Among the selected 1,655 genes, final 212 genes were chosen according to the expression fold change and used for following analysis. The expression of up-regulated 64 genes was verified with Reverse Transcription PCR and 10 genes were identified as candidates for SCC markers. In our opinion, those candidates can be exploited as diagnostic or therapeutic purposes. Gene Ontology (GO) based analysis was performed using those 212 genes, and following categories were revealed as significant biological processes: Immune response (GO: 0006955), antigen processing (GO: 0030333), inflammatory response (GO: 0006954), Cell adhesion (GO: 0007155), and Epidermis differentiation (GO: 0008544). Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) also carried out on overall gene expression profile with 522 functional gene sets. Glycolysis, cell cycle, K-ras and amino acid biosynthesis related gene sets were most distinguished. These results are consistent with the known characteristics of SCC and may be interconnected to rapid cell proliferation. However, the unexpected results from ERK activation in squamous cell carcinoma gripped our attention, and further studies are under progress.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.38 no.5
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• pp.441-451
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• 2015

Recognition of cytosolic DNA initiates a series of innate immune responses by inducing IFN-I production and subsequent triggering JAK1-STAT1 signaling which plays critical roles in the pathogenesis of infection, inflammation and autoimmune diseases through promoting B cell activation and antibody responses. The stimulator of interferon genes protein (STING) has been demonstrated to be a critical hub of type I IFN induction in cytosolic DNA-sensing pathways. However, it still remains unknown whether cytosolic DNA can directly activate the JAK1-STAT1 signaling or not. And the role of STING is also unclear in this response. In the present study, we found that dsDNA directly triggered the JAK1-STAT1 signaling by inducing phosphorylation of the Lyn kinase. Moreover, this response is not dependent on type I IFN receptors. Interestingly, STING could inhibit dsDNA-triggered activation of JAK1-STAT1 signaling by inducing SHP-1 and SHP-2 phosphorylation. In addition, compared with normal B cells, the expression of STING was significantly lower and the phosphorylation level of JAK1 was significantly higher in B cells from MRL/lpr lupus-prone mice, highlighting the close association between STING low-expression and JAK1-STAT1 signaling activation in B cells in autoimmune diseases. Our data provide a molecular insight into the novel role of STING in dsDNA-mediated inflammatory disorders.

• Journal of Animal Reproduction and Biotechnology
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.246-254
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• 2022

Current studies have revealed the capacity of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in term of immunomodulatory properties, and this distinct potential is downgraded according to the disease duration of patients-derived MSCs. In order to enhance the immunomodulatory and anti-tumorigenic properties of the rheumatoid arthritis (RA) joints-derived MSCs, we aggregate synovial fluid-derived MSCs from RA joints (RA-hMSCs) into 3D-spheroids by the use of hanging drop culture method. Cells were isolated from synovial fluids of RA joints with longstanding active status over 13 years. For aggregation of RA-hMSCs into 3D-spheroids, cells were plated in hanging drops in 30 μL of advanced DMEM (ADMEM) containing 25,000-30,000 cells/drop and cultured for 48 h. To analyze the comparative immunomodulatory effects of 3D-spheroid and 2D monolayer cultured RA-hMSCs and then cells were cultured in ADMEM supplemented with 20% of synovial fluids of RA patients for 48 h and were evaluated by qRT-PCR for their expression of mRNA levels of inflammatory and anti-inflammatory markers. Cellular aggregation of RA-hMSCs was observed and cells were aggregate into a single sphere. Following treatment of RA patient's synovial fluids into the RA-hMSCs, spheroids formed RA-hMSCs showed significantly (p < 0.05) higher expression of TNFα stimulated gene/protein 6 (TSG-6) than the monolayer cultured RA-hMSCs. Therefore, the 3D-spheroid culture methods of RA-hMSCs were more effective than 2D monolayer cultures in suppressing inflammatory response treated with 20% of RA-synovial fluids by expression of TNFα (TSG-6) according to the immune response and enhanced secretion of inflammatory factors.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.43-48
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• 1992

Paragonimus westermani is a common fluke in Uorea. The present study aimed to observe the cell mediated immune response in experimental paragonimiasis of mice. The mouse (BALB/c) was orally inoculated with 40 metacercariae of P. westermani from Cambaroides similis. During the infection (1, 2, 4, 6 weeks) of mouse, blastogenic response of splenic Iymphocytes to P. westermani adult antigen, metacercaria antigen, and PHA were observed. Sera from infected and noninfected mice added to normal mouse splenic Lymphocytes with or without PHA. The blastogenic response of splenic Lymphocytes to PHA was reduced after 1 week of infection. However after 6 weeks of infection, the response was restored to the control level. The blastogenic response of splenic Iymphocytes to P. westermani adult or metacercaria antigen increased significantly on 1 week after infection, and maintained up to 6 weeks after infection. The response of non-infected mice was suppressed by addition of the infected mouse serum. The present results suggested that cellular immunity was involved in P. westermani infected mice and that P. westermani anti.serum inhibited proliferation of T Iymphocytes.