T-helper cell type 2 (Th2) polarization of the infl ammatory response is an important component of the asthma paradigm. 5,6 A major effector axis resulting in this polarization is the recognition of allergen presented by dendritic cells in local lymph nodes to the CD4 1 T cell. The differentiation of naive T cells or reactivation of memory T cells is dependent upon costimulatory molecules, such...

A 68-year-old man with a history of ulcer disease and mild renal insuffi ciency comes to your offi ce complaining of severe pain in his right foot. You note swelling and redness around the base of the big toe and diagnose acute gout. Wishing to avoid nonsteroidal anti-infl ammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and colchicine because of the patient’s medical history, you wonder what you can safely prescribe f...

Synovial fi broblasts (RASF) are active drivers of joint destruction in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) through the production of cytokines that maintain the infl ammatory process. The Yersinia outer protein M (YopM) is an effector protein of pathogenic Yersinia and is able to enter host cells by membrane penetration and subsequent downregulation of infl ammatory responses. Here, we investigated whet...

Perspectives Open access, freely available online C hronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a global epidemic of major proportions that is predicted to become the third most common cause of death and fi fth most frequent cause of chronic disability by 2020. In developed countries it is mainly caused by cigarette smoking, but the reasons why only a proportion (10%–20%) of smokers develop ...

Irvine-Gass syndrome, is one of the most common causes of painless decrease in vision following even uneventful cataract surgery. It usually responds well to medical therapy, but, there are no widely acceptedconsensus on the effi cacy of various therapeutic options for the treatment of Irvine-Gass syndrome. The patient presenting in this case report, has systemic hypertension and chronic obstru...

Background Heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein A2 (hnRNP-A2) belongs to a heterogenous family of nuclear proteins, importantly involved in mRNA traffi cking, translational and transcriptional processes. Recent evidence let suggest that hnRNPs post-transcriptionally modulate expression of infl ammatory mediators such as cyclooxygenase-2, tumour necrosis factor α (TNFα), interleukin 1β (IL-1β...

I t is estimated that 207,090 women will be diagnosed with and 39,840 women will die of breast cancer in 2010 in the United States. Infl ammatory breast cancer (IBC) accounts for approximately 1% to 6% of all breast cancer cases in the US (1, 2). Th is rare and aggressive form of breast cancer is diagnosed clinically by the rapid onset of diff use erythema and edema (peau d’orange) of at least ...

Infl ammatory fi broid polyps (FIP) are rare mesenchymal tumors associated with mutations of the platelet-derived growth factor-α. Th ey derive from the submucosal layer and are mainly composed of loose connective tissue, vessels and an eosinophilic infl ammatory component. Th ey are found throughout the gastrointestinal tract, but most commonly in the gastric antrum and ileum. Macroscopically,...

For nearly half a century, parenteral iron has been considered dangerous and for use only in extreme situations and when oral iron was not tolerated. This proscription was based largely on poorly characterised and infrequent anaphylactoid reactions to the high-molecular-weight dextran preparation (Imferon) that for most of this time was the only product available. Moreover, when parenteral iron...