Acute Gram-negative bacterial infections evoke characteristic pathophysiological responses, including changes in white blood cell counts, fever, haemodynamic disorders, and various coagulatory disturbances, which may result in respiratory distress syndrome, multiorgan failure and irreversible shock. It is generally accepted that endotoxins, the lipopolysaccharides (LPS) of Gramnegative bacteria...

Tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) by radio-immunoassay to evaluate TNF-alpha in nasal allergy. There was no significant difference either between the mean concentrations of TNF-alpha in nasal secretions from the patients with perennial nasal allergy and those of normal subjects, or between the TNF-alp...

Airway inflammation is a prominent feature of asthma. The pro-inflammatory cytokine Tumour Necrosis Factor shows constitutional variation in its level of secretion, which is linked to polymorphisms within the TNF gene complex and the surrounding MHC. In this study, 413 subjects in 88 nuclear families from a general population sample were examined for association with asthma and TNF polymorphism...

The actions of tumour necrosis factor (TNF) include resorption of bone and cartilage, suggesting a potential role in the pathogenesis of arthritis. TNF activity was looked for in synovial fluids from 137 patients with different rheumatic diseases. Unfractionated samples were tested in the L929 bioassay. Significant TNF activity that was neutralised by monoclonal antibody to TNF alpha occurred i...

The actions of tumour necrosis factor (TNF) include resorption of bone and cartilage, suggesting a potential role in the pathogenesis of arthritis. TNF activity was looked for in synovial fluids from 137 patients with different rheumatic diseases. Unfractionated samples were tested in the L929 bioassay. Significant TNF activity that was neutralised by monoclonal antibody to TNF alpha occurred i...

The production of several pro-inflammatory cytokines is increased in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Experimental models of IBD have further defined the importance of specific cytokines for the induction of mucosal inflammation, by using specific neutralising antibodies, or by silencing cytokine genes in mice by using homologous recombination (knockout mice).' 2 Several therapeutic strategie...