Allergy and Immunology Commons^™

Effect Of Budesonide On Fibroblast-Mediated Collagen Gel Contraction And Degradation, Qiuhong Fang, Nancy A. Schulte, Huijung Kim, Tetsu Kobayashi, Xingqi Wang, Anna Miller-Larsson, Elisabet Wieslander, Myron L. Toews, Xiangde Liu, Stephen I. Rennard

Journal Articles: Pulmonary & Critical Care Med

BACKGROUND: The balance between production and degradation of extracellular matrix is crucial in maintaining normal tissue structure. This study was designed to investigate the effect of budesonide on fibroblast-mediated tissue repair and remodeling.

METHODS: Using human fetal lung fibroblasts in a three-dimensional collagen gel culture system, we investigated the effect of budesonide (1-1000 nM) on collagen gel contraction and degradation in the presence or absence of Inflammatory cytokines (interleukin-1β and tumor necrosis factor α; 5 ng/mL each) and, in order to activate latent proteases, serine protease trypsin 0.25 μg/mL. The effects of budesonide on metalloproteinase production and activation were also …

Pge 2 Desensitizes Β -Agonist Effect On Human Lung Fibroblast-Mediated Collagen Gel Contraction Through Opregulating Pde4, Qiuhong Fang, Yingmin Ma, Jing Wang, Joel Michalski, Stephen I. Rennard, Xiangde Liu

Journal Articles: Pulmonary & Critical Care Med

In the current study, we investigated the effect of a long-acting β -agonist (salmeterol) and a phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4) inhibitor (cilomilast) on human lung fibroblast-mediated collagen gel contraction. Higher concentrations of salmeterol (10(-7) and 10(-6) M) inhibited fibroblast-mediated collagen gel contraction. No effect was observed with cilomilast alone (up to 10(-5) M). In the presence of 10(-8) M salmeterol, however, cilomilast could significantly inhibit fibroblast-mediated collagen gel contraction in a concentration-dependent manner (10(-7) ~10(-5) M). Blockade of endogenous PGE2 by indomethacin further potentiated the inhibitory effect of salmeterol on fibroblast-mediated collagen gel contraction, but it did not affect cilomilast's effect. …

Anti-Inflammatory Effects Of Budesonide In Human Lung Fibroblast Are Independent Of Histone Deacetylase 2, Xingqi Wang, Amy J. Nelson, Zachary M. Weiler, Amol Patil, Tadashi Sato, Nobuhiro Kanaji, Masanori Nakanishi, Joel Michalski, Maha Farid, Hesham Basma, Tricia D. Levan, Anna Miller-Larsson, Elisabet Wieslander, Kai-Christian Muller, Olaf Holz, Helgo Magnussen, Klaus F. Rabe, Xiangde Liu, Stephen I. Rennard

Journal Articles: Pulmonary & Critical Care Med

OBJECTIVE AND DESIGN: Reduced expression of histone deacetylase 2 (HDAC2) in alveolar macrophages and epithelial cells may account for reduced response of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients to glucocorticoids. HDAC2 expression and its role in mediating glucocorticoid effects on fibroblast functions, however, has not been fully studied. This study was designed to investigate whether HDAC2 mediates glucocorticoid effects on release of inflammatory cytokines and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) from human lung fibroblasts.

METHODS: Human lung fibroblasts (HFL-1 cells) were stimulated with interleukin (IL)-1 β plus tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α in the presence or absence of the glucocorticoid budesonide. Cytokines (IL-6 …

Is Noninhaled Intranasal Carbon Dioxide Gas A Safe And Effective Treatment For Improvement Of Nasal Symptoms Of Allergic Rhinitis?, Andrew R. Couchara

PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this selective EBM review is to determine whether or not noninhaled intranasal carbon dioxide (CO2) gas is a safe and effective treatment for improvement of nasal symptoms of allergic rhinitis.

STUDY DESIGN: Systematic review of three randomized controlled trials published in 2008, 2011, and 2011.

DATA SOURCES: Three randomized controlled trials published after 2007 were obtained using PubMed.

OUTCOMES MEASURED: Number of sneezes and severity of nasal symptoms (nasal congestion, rhinorrhea) were recorded by subjects using an ordinal scale to obtain a Total Nasal Symptom Score (TNSS). Scores recorded before and after treatment were compared to …

Digestibility And Ige-Binding Of Glycosylated Codfish Parvalbumin, Harmen H. J. De Jongh, Carlos López Robles, Eefjan Timmerman, Julie A. Nordlee, Poi-Wah Lee, Joseph L. Baumert, Robert G. Hamilton, Steve L. Taylor, Stef J. Koppelman

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Food-processing conditions may alter the allergenicity of food proteins by different means. In this study, the effect of the glycosylation as a result of thermal treatment on the digestibility and IgE-binding of codfish parvalbumin is investigated. Native and glycosylated parvalbumins were digested with pepsin at various conditions relevant for the gastrointestinal tract. Intact proteins and peptides were analysed for apparent molecular weight and IgE-binding. Glycosylation did not substantially affect the digestion. Although the peptides resulting from digestion were relatively large (3 and 4 kDa), the IgE-binding was strongly diminished. However, the glycosylated parvalbumin had a strong propensity to form dimers …

Severe Reactions To A Soy Containing Beverage In Peanut Allergic Individuals Not Avoiding Soy, Benjamin Remington, Julie A. Nordlee, John R. Bacon, Marc E. Dyer, Steve L. Taylor, Joe L. Baumert

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Rationale: Three peanut-allergic individuals experienced severe reactions to a nationally distributed high-protein beverage in the same month. The major protein sources in the beverage were soy-based ingredients and cows’ milk. These individuals did not avoid soy in their diet and previously consumed various soy products without adverse reactions. Peanut contamination of the beverage was not detected by specific ELISA, so attention shifted to the soy ingredients. The research objective was to elucidate differences between the soy milk and soy protein isolate used in the beverage and other forms of soy safely consumed by these individuals.

Methods: Specific IgE levels from …

The Effect Of Exogenous Leptin On Dendritic Cell Migration And Interactions With T Cells, Amanda L. Gonzales

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Obesity is a complex, chronic disease that has reached epidemic proportions in the United States and shows no indication of receding. It is a state of chronic low-grade inflammation that is initiated by morphological changes in large accumulations of adipose tissue. Leptin is a pleiotropic hormone secreted by adipose tissue, presenting a possible link between obesity and inflammation. In this study, we assessed the effect of leptin on bone marrow-derived (BM) dendritic cells (DC) (BM-DC) function, antigen presenting cells vital for the activation of naí¯ve T cells. Previous data produced in our laboratory established that the addition of leptin to …

Xiaoqinglong Granules As Add-On Therapy For Asthma: Latent Class Analysis Of Symptom Predictors Of Response., Qinglin Zha, Seqi Lin, Chi Zhang, Christopher Chang, Hanrong Xue, Cheng Lu, Miao Jiang, Yan Liu, Zuke Xiao, Weiyou Liu, Yunfei Shang, Jianjian Chen, Minyong Wen, Aiping Lu

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

Xiaoqinglong granules (XQLG) has been shown to be an effective therapy in asthma animal models. We reviewed the literature and conducted this study to assess the impact of XQLG as an add-on therapy to treatment with fluticasone/salmeterol (seretide) in adult patients with mild-to-moderate, persistent asthma. A total of 178 patients were randomly assigned to receive XQLG and seretide or seretide plus placebo for 90 days. Asthma control was assessed by asthma control test (ACT), symptoms scores, FEV(1), and PEF. Baseline patient-reported Chinese medicine (CM)-specific symptoms were analyzed to determine whether the symptoms may be possible indicators of treatment response by …

Measuring Parvalbumin Levels In Fish Muscle Tissue: Relevance Of Muscle Locations And Storage Conditions, Poi-Wah Lee, Julie A. Nordlee, Stef J. Koppelman, Joseph L. Baumert, Steve L. Taylor

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Fish is an allergenic food capable of provoking severe anaphylactic reactions. Parvalbumin is the major allergen identified in fish and frog muscles. Antibodies against fish and frog parvalbumin have been used to quantify parvalbumin levels from fish. However, these antibodies react variably with parvalbumin from different fish species. Several factors might be responsible for this variation including instability of parvalbumin in fish muscle as a result of frozen storage and differential parvalbumin expression in muscles from various locations within the whole fish. We aimed to investigate whether these factors contribute to the previously observed variable immunoreactivity of the anti-parvalbumin antibodies. …

A Case Of A Male With Fever And Fatigue, Steve Ting

The Medicine Forum

This is a case of a 78 year old Caucasian gentleman who presented to the hospital in the early summer with complaints of high fevers and progressive fatigue. The patient lives near Philadelphia and enjoys doing yard work. He reported finding a tick attached to the skin near his groin approximately 3 weeks prior to admission. The tick was removed; however the patient was unsure of the duration of the tick attachment. He also denied developing any significant rash in that area. He had no recent sick contacts and no recent history of travel. He began developing fever spikes up …

Parvalbumin In Fish Skin-Derived Gelatin: Is There A Risk For Fish Allergic Consumers?, S. J. Koppelman, Julie A. Nordlee, P.-W. Lee, R. P. Happe, M. Hessing, R. Norland, T. Manning, R. Deschene, G. A. H. De Jong, Steve L. Taylor

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

The major allergen parvalbumin was purified from cod muscle tissues, and polyclonal antibodies were raised toward it. The antibodies were tested for specificity, and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed using these antibodies. The ELISA was applied to measure parvalbumin in cod skin, the starting material for fish gelatin made from deep sea, wild fish. The ELISA was sufficiently sensitive (LLOQ = 0.8 ng ml^–1 in extracts, corresponding to 0.02 μg of parvalbumin per g of tissue) and did not cross-react with common food constituents. Fish gelatin, wine, and beer, matrices for the potential use of this ELISA, …

Alcohol Exposure Alters Mouse Lung Inflammation In Response To Inhaled Dust., Michael L. Mccaskill, Debra J. Romberger, Jane M. Devasure, Jessica Boten, Joseph H. Sisson, Kristina L. Bailey, Jill A. Poole, Todd A. Wyatt

Journal Articles: Pulmonary & Critical Care Med

Alcohol exposure is associated with increased lung infections and decreased mucociliary clearance. Occupational workers exposed to dusts from concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) are at risk for developing chronic inflammatory lung diseases. Agricultural worker co-exposure to alcohol and organic dust has been established, although little research has been conducted on the combination effects of alcohol and organic dusts on the lung. Previously, we have shown in a mouse model that exposure to hog dust extract (HDE) collected from a CAFO results in the activation of protein kinase C (PKC), elevated lavage fluid cytokines/chemokines including interleukin-6 (IL-6), and the development of …

Human Papillomavirus Among Gay And Bisexual Men: The Need For Education And Vaccination 2012, Anne Fernandez, Elsa Larson

Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Queer Center

In the United States, rates of anal cancer among MSM are higher than rates of cervical cancer among women. This presentation has a Ms Power point and PDF.

Non-Typeable Haemophilus Influenzae Decreases Cilia Beating Via Protein Kinase Cε., Kristina L. Bailey, Tricia D. Levan, Daniel A. Yanov, Jacqueline A. Pavlik, Jane M. Devasure, Joseph H. Sisson, Todd A. Wyatt

Journal Articles: Pulmonary & Critical Care Med

BACKGROUND: Haemophilus influenzae infection of the nasal epithelium has long been associated with observations of decreased nasal ciliary beat frequency (CBF) and injury to the ciliated epithelium. Previously, we have reported that several agents that slow CBF also have the effect of activating protein kinase C epsilon (PKCε) activity in bronchial epithelial cells. The subsequent auto-downregulation of PKCε or the direct inhibition of PKCε leads to the specific detachment of the ciliated cells.

METHODS: Primary cultures of ciliated bovine bronchial epithelial cells were exposed to filtered conditioned media supernatants from non-typeable H. influenzae (NTHi) cultures. CBF and motile points were …

Sick With Fear: Popular Challenges To Scientific Authority In The Vaccine Controversies Of The 21st Century, Ellen Watkins

Annual Undergraduate Conference on Health and Society

In the 20th century, vaccines were heralded as one of the greatest medical inventions in history. In the late 1990’s, however, the myth of vaccine-caused autism caught fire. Despite mountains of evidence disproving the link, panicking Americans eschewed vaccines and turned against their physicians. Why did Americans turn their backs on doctors, scientists, and the health industry? This paper follows the vaccine controversy of the last thirty years, looking in particular at the relationship between science and the media. This paper analyzes the contrast between discussion of the hypothesized link in scientific circles and in popular news sources, seeking to …

Anthropogenic Climate Change And Allergic Diseases, James Blando, Leonard Bielory, Viann Nguyen, Rafael Diaz, Hueiwang Anna Jeng

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Climate change is expected to have an impact on various aspects of health, including mucosal areas involved in allergic inflammatory disorders that include asthma, allergic rhinitis, allergic conjunctivitis and anaphylaxis. The evidence that links climate change to the exacerbation and the development of allergic disease is increasing and appears to be linked to changes in pollen seasons (duration, onset and intensity) and changes in allergen content of plants and their pollen as it relates to increased sensitization, allergenicity and exacerbations of allergic airway disease. This has significant implications for air quality and for the global food supply.

Identification And Analysis Of The Ige Binding By Parvalbumin And Other Potential Allergens In Different Fish And Frog Species, P. Lee, J. A. Nordlee, S. J. Koppelman, J. L. Baumert, Steve L. Taylor

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Rationale: Serological cross-reactivity to different fish and frog species is common among fish-allergic individuals.We examined the intra- and inter-individual diversity in IgE responses of fish-allergic subjects to various fish and frog species and identified novel allergens besides parvalbumin.

Methods: Sera from 38 subjects with a clinical history of fish allergy were analyzed for IgE-binding profiles to crude extracts of 26 raw fish and frog species, and purified cod and carp parvalbumin using IgE-immunoblotting. Sera of 7 subjects showing similar IgE-binding profiles in the IgEimmmunoblotting were pooled to identify potential allergens in pilchard, herring, cod, cusk, and rainbow trout using two-dimensional …

Examining Fatigue In Copd: Development, Validity And Reliability Of A Modified Version Of Facit-F Scale, Khaled Al-Shair, Hana Muellerova, Janelle Yorke, Stephen I. Rennard, Emiel F.M. Wouters, Nicola A. Hanania, Amir Sharafkhaneh, Jørgen Vestbo, Eclipse Investigators

Journal Articles: Pulmonary & Critical Care Med

INTRODUCTION: Fatigue is a disruptive symptom that inhibits normal functional performance of COPD patients in daily activities. The availability of a short, simple, reliable and valid scale would improve assessment of the characteristics and influence of fatigue in COPD.

METHODS: At baseline, 2107 COPD patients from the ECLIPSE cohort completed the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy Fatigue (FACIT-F) scale. We used well-structured classic method, the principal components analysis (PCA) and Rasch analysis for structurally examining the 13-item FACIT-F.

RESULTS: Four items were less able to capture fatigue characteristics in COPD and were deleted. PCA was applied to the remaining …

Effects Of Inhaled Corticosteroids On Airway Inflammation In Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Rachel Jen, Stephen I. Rennard, Don D. Sin

Journal Articles: Pulmonary & Critical Care Med

BACKGROUND: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by chronic inflammation in the small airways. The effect of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) on lung inflammation in COPD remains uncertain. We sought to determine the effects of ICS on inflammatory indices in bronchial biopsies and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of patients with COPD.

METHODS: We searched Medline, Embase, Cinahl, and the Cochrane database for randomized, controlled clinical trials that used bronchial biopsies and bronchoalveolar lavage to evaluate the effects of ICS in stable COPD. For each chosen study, we calculated the mean differences in the concentrations of inflammatory cells before and after treatment …

A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial Of Varenicline For Smoking Cessation Allowing Flexible Quit Dates, Stephen I. Rennard, John Hughes, Paul M. Cinciripini, Eva Kralikova, Tobias Raupach, Carmen Arteaga, Lisa B. St Aubin, Cristina Russ, The Flexible Quit Date Study Group

Journal Articles: Pulmonary & Critical Care Med

INTRODUCTION: Current smoking cessation guidelines recommend setting a quit date prior to starting pharmacotherapy. However, providing flexibility in the date of quitting may be more acceptable to some smokers. The objective of this study was to compare varenicline 1 mg twice daily (b.i.d.) with placebo in subjects using a flexible quit date paradigm after starting medication.

METHODS: In this double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled international study, smokers of ≥10 cigarettes/day, aged 18-75 years, and who were motivated to quit were randomized (3:1) to receive varenicline 1 mg b.i.d. or placebo for 12 weeks. Subjects were followed up through Week 24. Subjects were …