PURPOSE OF REVIEW To determine the advances made in the genetics of scleroderma in candidate gene association studies. RECENT FINDINGS Over the past 18 months, a number of candidate gene studies using large case-control series in scleroderma have been reported. The studies have identified multiple genes involved in immune regulation including BANK1, C8orf13-BLK, IL-23R, IRF5, STAT4, TBX21, an...

OBJECTIVE Immune cells contribute to angiotensin II (ATII)-induced vascular dysfunction and inflammation. Interferon-γ (IFN-γ), an inflammatory cytokine exclusively produced by immune cells, seems to be involved in ATII-driven cardiovascular injury, but the actions and cellular source of IFN-γ remain incompletely understood. APPROACH AND RESULTS IFN-γ(-/-) and Tbx21(-/-) mice were partially p...

Acquired aplastic anemia (AA) is a potentially fatal bone marrow (BM) failure syndrome. IFN-γ-producing Th1 CD4(+) T cells mediate the immune destruction of hematopoietic cells, and they are central to the pathogenesis. However, the molecular events that control the development of BM-destructive Th1 cells remain largely unknown. Ezh2 is a chromatin-modifying enzyme that regulates multiple cellu...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) are widely used as maintenance regimens for asthma patients. However, response to ICS shows marked inter-individual variability. Genetic factors have been shown to be potential predictors of responsiveness to ICS. We aimed to evaluate those pharmacogenetic effects on asthma control in further detail. METHODS Fifty-three mild-to-moderate a...

GTS-21 (also known as DMBX-anabaseine), a selective α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7nAChR) agonist, has previously been found to inhibit the inflammation associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). RA is an autoimmune disease, where an abnormal immune system plays a critical role in the occurrence and development of synovium inflammation and bone damage. However, prior to this study, the ...

Organic dyes generally suffer from small Stokes shift that usually leads to self-quenching and -gaining errors during the fluorescent imaging process. Here, a through-bond energy transfer (TBET) cassette is developed with large Stokes shift to pursue precise cell imaging. The TBET is constructed by covalently conjugated tetraphenylethene (acts as donor) and rhodamine (acceptor) through an acety...

This study used selected lambs that varied in their resistance to the gastrointestinal parasite Teladorsagia circumcincta. Infection over 12 weeks identified susceptible (high adult worm count, AWC; high fecal egg count, FEC; low body weight, BW; low IgA) and resistant sheep (no/low AWC and FEC, high BW and high IgA). Resistance is mediated largely by a Th2 response and IgA and IgE antibodies, ...

The pathogenesis of experimental cerebral malaria (ECM) is an immunologic process, mediated in part by Th1 CD4(+) T cells. However, the role of the Th1 CD4(+) T cell differentiation program on the ability to control parasitemia and susceptibility to ECM disease during blood stage malaria has never been assessed directly. Using the Plasmodium berghei ANKA murine model of ECM and mice deficient f...

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is a severe cardiovascular disease that is a serious threat to human life. However, the specific diagnostic biomarkers have not been fully clarified and candidate regulatory targets for AMI have not been identified. In order to explore the potential diagnostic biomarkers and possible regulatory targets of AMI, we used a network analysis-based approach to analyz...