Innate immunity in systemic sclerosis

Cellular immunity in progressive systemic sclerosis (scleroderma).

Progressive systemic sclerosis (PSS) or scleroderma is a multisystem disease which is usually grouped with other systemic rheumatic or connective tissue disorders. As a class these conditions are believed to result, at least in part, from aberrant immunity (Rodnan, 1971). Previous studies have demonstrated that a significant percentage of affected patients develop a spectrum of autoantibodies, ...

Myeloid Dendritic Cells in Secondary Innate Immunity in Multiple Sclerosis:

Innate immunity in systemic lupus erythematosus: sensing endogenous nucleic acids.

Historically, the involvement of complement - an integral part of the innate immune response- in the pathogenesis of lupus was recognized early. Emphasis shifted quickly however to the specific immunity with scientists concentrating on the adaptive immune response (autoantigens, autoreactive T cells and autoantibodies). Similarly, the detection of interferon alpha (IFNα), another key mediator o...

Hygiene hypothesis: innate immunity, malaria and multiple sclerosis.

The establishment of new hygienic conditions plays a role in the appearance of autoimmunity in "westernalised" countries. Consistently, but still unconvincingly, several epidemiological and immunogenetic evidences link the disappearance of malaria with the increase of multiple sclerosis (MS) in Sardinia, insular Italy. To this purpose, we have made an attempt to build a relationship between mal...

Microbial Programming of Systemic Innate Immunity and Resistance to Infection

A multicellular organism is subject to constant microbial exposure throughout its life. These interactions can be transient or permanent, with microbes ranging from those considered commensal to pathogenic [1]. The initial host response to these myriad microbes relies upon the innate immune system. This highly conserved and ancient arm of host defense has generally been thought of as hardwired ...