To analyze the association of the eosinophil granulocyte with pleural effusions, we measured the concentrations of two eosinophil proteins, eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) and eosinophil protein X (EPX), in pleural fluid and serum of 92 patients with pleural effusions of various causes. We observed significantly higher ECP and EPX concentrations in eosinophilic than in noneosinophilic pleural...

Eosinophils interact with nerve cells, leading to changes in neurotransmitter release, altered nerve growth, and protection from cytokine-induced apoptosis. In part, these interactions occur as a result of activation of neural nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB, which is activated by adhesion of eosinophils to neural intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1). The mechanism and consequence of signaling...

Eosinophil migration into the gut and the release of granular mediators plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel diseases, including ulcerative colitis. We recently demonstrated that eosinophil migration into the lung requires cell surface expression of the sialomucin CD34 on mast cells and eosinophils in an asthma model. Based on these findings, we investigated a similar...

Digestive tract damage during graft-versus-host reaction (GVHR) causes high morbidity and mortality. Diagnosis is often late because biopsies are performed when clinical signs are severe and pathologic markers of early inflammatory lesions are lacking. Eosinophils are inflammatory cells, cytotoxic in vitro to digestive epithelium; they are found in biopsy specimens taken during acute flare-ups ...

The EOS47 antigen is an early and specific marker of eosinophil differentiation in the chicken haematopoietic system. To elucidate the transciptional events controlling commitment to the eosinophil lineage, we studied the regulation of the eosinophil-specific EOS47 promoter. This promoter is TATA-less, and binds trancription factors of the Ets, C/EBP, GATA and Myb families. These sites are cont...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Elevated levels of serum total immunoglobulin E (IgE), serum allergen-specific IgE, serum eosinophil cationic protein (ECP), blood eosinophil count and nasal eosinophil count are considered to be associated with allergic rhinitis (AR), but the relationships between these allergic inflammatory markers and the clinical severity of AR remain controversial. This study aimed t...

To clarify the role and regulation of eosinophils, we subjected several key eosinophil-related genetically engineered mice to a chronic model of allergic airway inflammation aiming to identify results that were independent of the genetic targeting strategy. In particular, mice with defects in eosinophil development (Deltadbl-GATA) and eosinophil recruitment [mice deficient in CCR3 (CCR3 knockou...

Despite marked advances in the understanding of allergic responses, the mechanisms regulating gastrointestinal allergy are not very well understood. We have developed a model of antigen-induced eosinophil-associated gastrointestinal allergy and characterized the role of eotaxin and IL-5. Challenge of allergen-sensitized mice with oral allergen, in the form of enteric-coated beads, resulted in m...

Eosinophil peroxidase has been implicated in promoting oxidative tissue damage in a variety of inflammatory conditions, including asthma. It uses H(2)O(2) to oxidize chloride, bromide and thiocyanate to their respective hypohalous acids. The aim of this study was to establish which oxidants eosinophil peroxidase produces under physiological conditions. By measuring rates of H(2)O(2) utilization...