Allergy and Immunology Commons^™

Sputum Neutrophils As A Biomarker In Copd: Findings From The Eclipse Study, Dave Singh, Lisa Edwards, Ruth Tal-Singer, Stephen I. Rennard

Journal Articles: Pulmonary & Critical Care Med

INTRODUCTION: The percentage of neutrophils in sputum are increased in COPD patients, and may therefore be a biomarker of airway inflammation. We studied the relationships between sputum neutrophils and FEV1, health status, exacerbation rates, systemic inflammation and emphysema, and long term variability at 1 year.

METHODS: Sputum samples were obtained from 488 COPD patients within the ECLIPSE cohort. 359 samples were obtained at baseline, and 297 after 1 year. 168 subjects provided samples at both visits. Serum interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-8, surfactant protein D and C-reactive protein levels were measured by immunoassays. Low-dose CT scans evaluated emphysema.

RESULTS: Sputum neutrophil % …

The Peanut Allergy Epidemic, Rivky Sachs

The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences

Peanut allergy is one of the most predominant food allergies. It accounts for majority of the highly severe and fatal allergic reactions to food. Peanut allergy is generally detected early in life and is commonly associated with other atopic disorders such as asthma, eczema, and rhinitis. The prevalence and pervasiveness of peanut allergies is increasing worldwide, and most peanut allergic patients have lifelong sensitivities to peanuts (de Leon et al, 2008). Patients with severe allergies must stringently avoid any contact with peanuts and depend on intramuscular epinephrine (EpiPen) to counteract the reaction caused by intake of peanuts. Much research is …

Characterisation Of Copd Heterogeneity In The Eclipse Cohort, Alvar Agusti, Peter M.A. Calverley, Bartolome Celli, Harvey O. Coxson, Lisa D. Edwards, David A. Lomas, William Macnee, Bruce E. Miller, Steve I. Rennard, Edwin K. Silverman, Ruth Tal-Singer, Emiel Wouters, Julie C. Yates, Jørgen Vestbo, The Evaluation Of Copd Longitudinally To Identify Predictive Surrogate Endpoints (Eclipse) Investigators

Journal Articles: Pulmonary & Critical Care Med

BACKGROUND: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a complex condition with pulmonary and extra-pulmonary manifestations. This study describes the heterogeneity of COPD in a large and well characterised and controlled COPD cohort (ECLIPSE).

METHODS: We studied 2164 clinically stable COPD patients, 337 smokers with normal lung function and 245 never smokers. In these individuals, we measured clinical parameters, nutritional status, spirometry, exercise tolerance, and amount of emphysema by computed tomography.

RESULTS: COPD patients were slightly older than controls and had more pack years of smoking than smokers with normal lung function. Co-morbidities were more prevalent in COPD patients than in …

Purification Of Parvalbumin From Carp: A Protocol That Avoids Heat Treatment, Stef J. Koppelman, Roland A. Romijn, Harmen H. J. De Jongh, Julie A. Nordlee, Sander Piersma, Martin Hessing, Steve L. Taylor

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Parvalbumin from carp, a major allergen,was purified to homogeneity using ion exchange chromatography and size exclusion chromatography (estimated purity > 95% to 98% based on SDS-PAGE and native PAGE) with a yield of 318 mg, and a number of basic biochemical characteristics were determined. The identity was confirmed by peptide-mass fingerprinting, and IgE-binding was demonstrated. The UV/Vis absorbance spectra were explained using the previously published amino acid sequences. Far UV-CD spectroscopy was used to confirm the folding character of parvalbumin. We conclude that parvalbumin from carp can be purified on a comparatively large (hundreds of milligrams) scale using a purification protocol …

Identification Of A Novel Cytokine Inducible Stat5 Phosphoserine Site (Ps193) That Positively Regulates Its Transcriptional Activity And Is Found Constitutively Activated In Certain Hematopoietic Cancers, Abhisek Mitra

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Hematological malignancies such as leukemia and lymphoma, can develop from aberrant changes in the cell signaling molecules to drive their uncontrolled cellular proliferation and differentiation. Activation, maturation, expansion and differentiation of T cells are critically regulated by the dynamics of various transcription factors activated by a variety of cytokines. Additionally, multiple effector molecules that mediate these T cells dependent signals include the JAK (Janus Kinase)-STAT (Signal transducer and activator of transcription) cascade. These signaling proteins are activated in response to a broad array of cytokines. Constitutively activated JAKs and STATs have been described in several T cell malignancies. A growing …