Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease characterised by multiple defects of immune cells which allow the expansion of pathogenic β cell-specific T effector cells and subsequent T1D development. We performed immunomonitoring assays on blood immune cells in T1D children, their siblings and controls with the supposition that the results would elucidate the sequence of abnormalities in peri...

AIMS Levels of circulating CD14(high)CD16(+) monocytes increase in atherosclerotic patients and are predictive of future cardiovascular events. Platelet activation has been identified as a crucial determinant in the acquisition of a CD16(+) phenotype by classical CD14(high)CD16(-) cells. We tested the hypothesis that anti-platelet drugs modulate the phenotype of circulating monocytes. METHODS...

BACKGROUND Protease-Activated Receptor-2 (PAR-2), a G protein coupled receptor activated by serine proteases, is widely expressed in humans and is involved in inflammation. PAR-2 activation in the airways plays an important role in the development of allergic airway inflammation. PAR-2 expression is known to be upregulated in the epithelium of asthmatic subjects, but its expression on immune an...

BACKGROUND There are a million ragpickers in India who gather and trade recyclable municipal solid wastes materials for a living. The objective of this study was to examine whether their occupation adversely affects their immunity. METHODS Seventy-four women ragpickers (median age, 30 years) and 65 age-matched control housemaids were enrolled. Flow cytometry was used to measure leukocyte subs...

Genetic variants of Leucine-Rich Repeat Kinase 2 (LRRK2) are associated with a significantly enhanced risk for Parkinson disease, the second most common human neurodegenerative disorder. Despite major efforts, our understanding of LRRK2 biological function and regulation remains rudimentary. In the present study we analyze LRRK2 mRNA and protein expression in sub-populations of human peripheral...

OBJECTIVE Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) display impaired cholesterol efflux capacity and elevated CD14(++)CD16(+) monocyte counts. In mice, dysfunctional cholesterol efflux causes monocytosis. It is unknown whether cholesterol efflux capacity and monocyte subsets are associated in CKD. APPROACH AND RESULTS In 438 patients with CKD, mediators of cholesterol efflux capacity (high-d...

Human monocytes can be divided into two major subpopulations, CD14(++) CD16(-) and CD14(+) CD16(+) cells, which are suggested to play different roles in antimicrobial responses. In neonates, characteristics and functional responses of monocyte subsets have not previously been explored, and might contribute to the qualitative difference between neonatal and adult cytokine profiles. We report tha...

Cytotoxic lymphocytes kill target cells through polarized release of the content of lytic granules at the immunological synapse. In human NK cells, signals for granule polarization and for degranulation can be uncoupled: Binding of β(2) integrin LFA-1 to ICAM is sufficient to induce polarization but not degranulation, whereas CD16 binding to IgG triggers unpolarized degranulation. In this study...