dendritic cells (dcs) induce pathogen-specific t cell responses. we comprehensively studied the effects of addition of maturation stimulus, fibroblasts (fibroblast conditioned medium), pha activated t cells (t cell conditioned medium), and mixture of fibroblast & pha activated t cells (fcm-tccm) conditioned media on maturation of dcs. monocytes were cultured with gm-csf and il-4 for five da...

Obesity has been associated with increased incidence and mortality of oesophageal and colorectal adenocarcinoma. Excess central adiposity may drive this association through an altered inflammatory milieu. Utilising a unique adipose tissue bioresource we aimed to determine the pro-tumour properties of visceral adipose tissue. Comparing subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissue depots, we observed...

Tumor suppressors negatively regulate angiogenesis, an essential step in tumor progression. Together, HPV 16 E6 and E7 proteins, which target p53 and pRb family members, respectively, for degradation, increase the expression of two angiogenic inducers, VEGF and IL-8, in primary foreskin keratinocytes (HFKs). Conditioned media from such cells are sufficient to alter endothelial cell behavior. He...

In this report, conditioned media from LPS-stimulated monocytes increased rat hepatocyte production of fibronectin (Fn) in a dose-dependent manner. Preincubation of the conditioned media with anti-IL-6, but not with anti-IL-1 alpha, anti-IL-1 beta, or anti-TNF, completely neutralized the Fn-stimulating activity. 10-100 pg/ml of rIL-6 was sufficient to increase Fn production. Neither IL-1 nor TN...

We adapted one of the in-vitro immunization methods to induce antibody responses and confirmed the success of the immunization by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) without hybridization. We have previously reported several methods of in-vitro immunization using different conditioned media. Here we introduce another method of in-vitro immunization using a mixture of three types of supern...

Excessive mechanical loading or acute trauma to intervertebral discs (IVDs) is thought to contribute to degeneration and pain. However, the exact mechanisms by which mechanical injury initiates and promotes degeneration remain unclear. This study investigates biochemical changes and extracellular matrix disruption in whole-organ human IVD cultures following acute mechanical injury. Isolated hea...

The current study investigated the capacity for tumor factors secreted by head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cell lines, KB, KB16, and HEP, to induce the secretion of various cytokines from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). PBMCs were isolated from blood samples collected from six healthy volunteers and these cells were incubated for 6, 24, 48, or 72 hours in the presence o...

In several cardiac disease states, alterations in myocyte and extracellular matrix (ECM) structure occur with left ventricular (LV) remodeling and are associated with changes in matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity. Although nonmyocyte cell types have been implicated as sites for synthesis and expression of MMPs within the ECM, whether the LV myocyte itself expresses specific types and activ...

Alveolar macrophages produce neutrophil chemoattractants; this cellular cross-talk contributes to neutrophilic airway inflammation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We have investigated the chemotaxis cross-talk mechanisms between these cells using COPD alveolar macrophages. Using conditioned media from stimulated COPD alveolar macrophages, we investigated the relative contributi...