Despite the fact that extensive degranulation is a likely prerequisite for a pathogenic role of eosinophils, little is known about the degranulation status of these cells in eosinophilic conditions. The present study of the ultrastructure of tissue eosinophils explores eosinophil degranulation in allergic rhinitis before and during seasonal allergen exposure. A total of 23 patients scored sympt...

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UNLABELLED IL-5 is the primary cytokine that stimulates the production and survival of eosinophils and basophils from progenitor cells. The inhaled glucocorticoid, budesonide, has been shown to exert a therapeutic effect via suppression of eosinophil/basophil progenitors in vivo. Since various steroids have exhibited the ability to enhance eosinophil/basophil progenitor differentiation, we exam...

Treatment of patients with patent Wuchereria bancrofti infection results in an acute clinical reaction and peripheral eosinophilia. To investigate the dynamics of the eosinophil response, changes in eosinophil activation and degranulation and plasma levels of eosinophil-active chemokines and cytokines were studied in 15 microfilaremic individuals in south India by sequential blood sampling befo...

We have analysed the relationship of blood eosinophil count and serum eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) levels in patients with acute and chronic idiopathic urticaria. The ECP levels and eosinophil counts were measured in the peripheral blood of 15 patients with acute urticaria, 25 with chronic idiopathic urticaria and 10 normal healthy subjects. Blood eosinophil counts and serum ECP levels inc...

Although some studies have shown that long-term treatment of asthmatics with nedocromil sodium can reduce airway hyperresponsiveness and improve symptoms and lung function, the mechanisms underlying its effects are not well understood. We have investigated the effect of nedocromil sodium on eosinophil chemotaxis, eosinophil adherence to human endothelial cells and release of soluble intercellul...

Staphylococcus aureus, a major human pathogen, exacerbates allergic disorders, including atopic dermatitis, nasal polyps and asthma, which are characterized by tissue eosinophilia. Eosinophils, via their destructive granule contents, can cause significant tissue damage, resulting in inflammation and further recruitment of inflammatory cells. We hypothesised that the relationship between S. aure...

Selective eosinophil recruitment is the result of orchestrated events involving cell adhesion molecules, chemokines, and their receptors. The mechanisms by which chemokines regulate eosinophil adhesion and migration via integrins are not fully understood. In our study, we examined the effect of CCR3-active chemokines on eosinophil adhesion to VCAM-1 and BSA under both static and flow conditions...

We examined the role of p38, p42, and p44 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) isoforms and cytosolic phospholipase A(2) (cPLA(2)) activation in human eosinophil adhesion to plate-coated fibronectin (FN). In the control state, eosinophil adhesion was maximal, with 10 microg/ml FN at 30 min, and decreased after 60-90 min. Western blot analysis demonstrated that p44/42 MAPK (extracellular sign...

The apoptosis and subsequent clearance of eosinophils without histotoxic mediator release is thought to be crucial in the resolution of airway inflammation in asthma. Interleukin-5 (IL-5) is a potent suppressor of eosinophil apoptosis. The mechanism by which IL-5 inhibits spontaneous eosinophil apoptosis was investigated. Freshly isolated eosinophils constitutively expressed the conformationall...