Mopping up chemokines

Mopping up hospital infection.

Hospital cleaning is a neglected component of infection control. In the UK, financial constraints have forced managers to re-evaluate domestic services and general cleaning has been reduced to the bare minimum. Services have been contracted out in some hospitals, which has further lowered standards of hygiene. Control of infection personnel believe that cleaning is important in preventing hospi...

Chemokines.

Chemokines.

not been systematically examined. Similar clustering has C been observed among genes encoding chemokine receptors. HEMOKINES have recently become the focus of intense interest and discussion. This has occurred, in One exception to the CC/CXC rule is lymphotactin, a part, because of an enlarging view of what chemokines do. potent attractant for T lymphocytes, but not monocytes. As recently as 2 ...

Antimicrobial Chemokines

Chemokines are best known for their classic leukocyte chemotactic activity, which is critical for directing the immune response to sites of infection and injury. However, recent studies have suggested that at least some chemokines may also interfere with infectious agents directly. Antimicrobial chemokines tend to contain amphipathic alpha helical secondary structure, and broad-spectrum activit...

Arrest Chemokines

In most organs, leukocyte attachment to the endothelium of blood vessels requires capture and rolling before firm adhesion is initiated by integrin activation and/or redistribution, which can be initiated by immobilized chemokines binding their cognate receptors on rolling cells. Such arrest chemokines are present on the endothelial surface under physiologic or pathologic conditions, necessary,...