Circulating concentrations of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF), interleukin (IL)-1 beta, IL-6, IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra), and soluble TNF receptors p55 (sTNFr-55) and p75 (sTNFr-75) and ex vivo production of TNF, IL-1, IL-6, and IL-1ra using a whole blood culture system were measured during the acute and convalescent stages of meningococcal infection. Circulating TNF and IL-1 were belo...

Interleukin-1 (IL-1) plays an important role in the pathophysiology of osteoarthritis (OA), and gene transfer of IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) holds promise for OA treatment. A preclinical safety and biodistribution study evaluated a self-complementary adeno-associated viral vector carrying rat IL-1Ra transgene (sc-rAAV2.5rIL-1Ra) at 5 × 10(8), 5 × 10(9), or 5 × 10(10) vg/knee, or human IL-...

This study was undertaken to determine whether acute phase proteins (APP) induce the synthesis of interleukin 1 beta (IL-1 beta) and its specific antagonist, IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra), in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). PBMC from healthy volunteers were incubated with C-reactive protein (CRP), alpha 1-antitrypsin (alpha 1-AT), or alpha 1-acid glycoprotein (AGP), and the...

Evidence suggests that individuals who are more obese may be more responsive to stress. Stress activates the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and the adipose-tissue cytokine leptin stimulates SNS activity in animals. We examined the relationship between adiposity, leptin and physiological responses to acute laboratory stress in 67 women. We predicted that individuals with greater adiposity and/...

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is an X-linked muscle disease caused by mutations in the dystrophin gene. The pathology of DMD manifests in patients with progressive muscle weakness, loss of ambulation and ultimately death. One of the characteristics of DMD is muscle inflammation, and dystrophin-deficient skeletal muscles produce higher levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin 1β (...

Interleukin-1 (IL-1) is spontaneously produced by acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML) cells. IL-1 also induces synthesis of colony-stimulating factors (CSFs) and sustains leukemic growth. An IL-1-specific inhibitor has been recently purified and cloned; this molecule binds to IL-1 receptors but has no IL-1 activity, fulfilling the characteristics of an IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra). Because h...

Interleukin (IL)-1 is a proinflammatory cytokine that plays important roles in inflammation, host defense, and the neuro-immuno-endocrine network. IL-1 receptor antagonist (ra) is an endogenous inhibitor of IL-1 and is supposed to regulate IL-1 activity. However, its pathophysiological roles in a body remain largely unknown. To elucidate the roles of IL-1ra, IL-1ra-deficient mice were produced ...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Brain dopamine has been implicated as a mediator of brain neuronal damage resulting from ischemic injury. Augmented interleukin-1 production and cerebral ischemia occurred during onset of heatstroke. This study has attempted to ascertain whether heatstroke resulting from hyperthermia causes an increase in hypothalamic dopamine release and to assess whether the administrat...

UNLABELLED We examined the effects of two perioperative pain management techniques on recovery after laparotomy, as assessed by body weight (BW) and food consumption (FC). All rats received a preoperative intrathecal mixture of morphine plus bupivacaine combined with one of two treatments: (a) injection of slow-release morphine at the end of the surgery or (b) an antiinflammatory drug, interleu...

Interleukin 1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) levels are elevated in the blood of patients with a variety of infectious, immune, or traumatic conditions. To examine whether IL1Ra is produced by liver cells with characteristics resembling an acute-phase protein, human primary hepatocytes isolated from liver biopsies and HepG2 hepatoma cells were stimulated with IL-1beta, IL-6, and TNFalpha. IL-1Ra ...