OBJECTIVE The measurement of cytokine production of activated lymphocytes and monocytes in the whole blood cell (WBC) culture system may provide a sensitive tool for evaluating the actual ongoing immune response of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) up to 250 pg/ml was used for the stimulation of monocytes for measuring the production of tumour necrosis ...

Biologic therapies improved dramatically the outcome of psoriatic arthritis and moderate to severe chronic plaque psoriasis. Anti-TNF agents were developed approximately one decade ago by rheumatologists and today represent one of the most effective classes of drugs in severe psoriasis resistant to 2 out of 3 "classic" systemic therapies (methotrexate, cyclosporine, and PUVA). Recent studies on...

glioblastoma multiforme and other malignant gliomas continue to be associated with a dismal prognosis despite advances in diagnosis and therapy.1,2 Mean survival from the time of diagnosis is less than one year in most cases. This has spurred investigation of new treatment modalities such as immunogene ABSTRACT: Background: Cancer immunogene therapy is based on vaccination with radiated, autolo...

Cell-based gene therapy after cytokine gene transfer is being investigated for autologous and allogeneic vaccination in cancer therapy. Here we show that mice vaccinated with 3-5 x 10(6) interleukin 12 (IL-12) gene-transduced CT26 colon cancer cells developed a long-lasting antitumor immune memory able to reject not only parental cells but also syngeneic, LM3 mammary, and MCE fibrosarcoma tumor...

Innate and type 1 cell-mediated cytotoxic immunity function as important extracellular control mechanisms that maintain cellular homeostasis. Interleukin-12 (IL12) is an important cytokine that links innate immunity with type 1 cell-mediated cytotoxic immunity. We recently observed in vitro that tumor-derived Wnt-inducible signaling protein-1 (WISP1) exerts paracrine action to suppress IL12 sig...