We have previously shown that cytomegalovirus (CMV) can reactivate in lungs of nonimmunosuppressed patients during critical illness. Our recent work has shown that polymicrobial bacterial sepsis can trigger reactivation of latent murine CMV (MCMV). We hypothesize that MCMV reactivation following bacterial sepsis may be caused by inflammatory mediators. To test this hypothesis, BALB/c mice laten...

Introduction Sepsis is a common but serious disease in intensive care units, which may induce multiple organ dysfunctions such as liver injury. Previous studies have demonstrated that gamma delta (γδ) T cells play protective role sepsis. However, the function and mechanism of γδ sepsis-induced injury not been fully elucidated. IL-17A-producing are newly identified cell subtype. Methods We utili...

Circadian rhythms refer to biologic processes that oscillate with a period of ~24 hr. These rhythms are sustained by a molecular clock and provide a temporal matrix that ensures the coordination of homeostatic processes with the periodicity of environmental challenges. We demonstrate the circadian molecular clock controls the expression and function of Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9). In a vaccinat...

We have previously reported that Smad6, one of the inhibitory Smads of transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β)/bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling, inhibits Toll-like receptor (TLR) 4 signaling by disrupting the Pellino-1-mediated TLR4 signaling complex. Here, we developed Smaducin-6, a novel membrane-tethered palmitic acid-conjugated Smad6-derived peptide composed of amino acids 422-441 of...

Background.  Sepsis is a serious and common condition with high mortality and morbidity. The public awareness, knowledge, and perception of sepsis in Sweden are unknown. Methods.  A survey was performed using an online interview distributed to adults, aged 18-74, between March 6 and 9, 2015. Results.  A total of 1001 people responded to the survey. Twenty-one percent of participants had heard o...

Despite the advances in neonatal care early onset neonatal sepsis remains a serious and potentially life-threatening disease with a mortality rate ranging from 1.5% in term to almost 40% in very low birth weight infants. [1,2] The signs and symptoms of neonatal sepsis may be subtle and nonspecific being clinically indistinguishable from various noninfectious conditions such as respiratory distr...

BACKGROUND Melioidosis is a life threatening infectious disease caused by the gram-negative bacillus Burkholderia pseudomallei predominantly found in southeast Asia and northern Australia. Studying the host transcription profiles in response to infection is crucial for understanding disease pathogenesis and correlates of disease severity, which may help improve therapeutic intervention and surv...

BACKGROUND The epidemiology of human parechovirus (HPeV) in Asia remains obscure. We elucidated the prevalence, seasonality, type distribution and clinical presentation of HPeV among children in Hong Kong. METHODS A 24-month prospective study to detect HPeV in children ≤36 months hospitalized for acute viral illnesses. RESULTS 2.3% of the 3911 children examined had HPeV infection, with most...

The respiratory mucosa is a major site for pathogen invasion and, hence, a site requiring constant immune surveillance. The type I, semi-invariant natural killer T (NKT) cells are enriched within the lung vasculature. Despite optimal positioning, the role of NKT cells in respiratory infectious diseases remains poorly understood. Hence, we assessed their function in a murine model of pulmonary t...

The energy expenditure (24h total energy expenditure, TEE) of a healthy individual or a patient is a vital reference point for nutritional therapy to maintain body mass. TEE is usually determined by measuring resting energy expenditure (REE) by indirect calorimetry or by estimation with the help of formulae like the formula of Harris and Benedict with an accuracy of +/-20%. Further components o...