The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential role of LTB(4) and cysteinyl leukotrienes in Lyme disease (LD). Therefore, a total number of 34 patients divided into four groups was studied. The patients were classified as having Lyme arthritis (n = 7) or Lyme meningitis (n = 10), and as control groups patients with a noninflammatory arthropathy (NIA) (n = 7) and healthy subjects (n = 1...

Exaggerated levels of the leukotriene B₄ (LTB₄) frequently coexist at sites of inflammation and tissue remodeling. Therefore, we hypothesize that the LTB₄ pathway plays an important role in the pathogenesis of neutrophilic inflammation that contributes to pulmonary emphysema. In this study, significant levels of LTB₄ were detected in human lung tissues with emphysema compared with lungs without...

The B monomer of the Escherichia coli heat-labile toxin (LTB) was expressed on the surface of the human oral commensal bacterium Streptococcus gordonii. Recombinant bacteria expressing LTB were used to immunize BALB/c mice subcutaneously and intragastrically. The LTB monomer expressed on the streptococcal surface proved to be highly immunogenic, as LTB-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) serum tite...

Cytochrome P450 (CYP) 4F mediated leukotriene B(4) (LTB(4)) metabolism modulates inflammation during injury and infection. Here we show that in addition to LTB(4), the recombinant rat CYP4Fs catalyze omega-hydroxylations of lipoxin A(4), and hydroxyeicosatetraeonic acids. CYP4F gene regulation studies in primary hepatocytes reveal that pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL) -1beta, IL-6 an...

Mast cells are tissue-resident cells with important functions in allergy and inflammation. Pluripotential hematopoietic stem cells in the bone marrow give rise to committed mast cell progenitors that transit via the blood to tissues throughout the body, where they mature. Knowledge is limited about the factors that release mast cell progenitors from the bone marrow or recruit them to remote tis...

Recent findings implicate the central lateral amygdala (CeL) in conditioned fear. Indeed, CeL contains neurons exhibiting positive (CeL-On) or negative (CeL-Off) responses to fear-inducing conditioned stimuli (CSs). In mice, these cells differ in their expression of protein kinase Cδ (PKCδ) and physiological properties. CeL-Off cells are PKCδ(+) and late firing (LF), whereas CeL-On cells are PK...

Lipoxins and 15-epi-lipoxins are counter-regulatory lipid mediators that modulate leukocyte trafficking and promote the resolution of inflammation. To assess the potential of lipoxins as novel anti-inflammatory agents, a stable 15-epi-lipoxin A(4) analog, 15-epi-16-p-fluorophenoxy-lipoxin A(4) methyl ester (ATLa), was synthesized by total organic synthesis and examined for efficacy relative to ...

The aim of this study was to investigate the interaction of a series of novel compounds with leukotriene B(4) receptors (BLT) and vanilloid receptor (TRPV1). First, we characterized leukotriene B(4) (LTB(4)) ethanolamide. In guinea pig isolated lung parenchyma, LTB(4) ethanolamide antagonized the contractile action of LTB(4) with an apparent K(B) value of 7.28 nM. Using a Boyden chamber assay, ...

In this article we analyze the electrodynamics in curved space-time in the Lemaître–Tolman–Bondi metric. We calculate the most general scale factor in this inhomogeneous Universe. We also study the presence of electromagnetic field bubbles in the Universe.

Transgenic plants represent an innovative platform for the cost-effective large-scale production of various pharmaceutical proteins. The eventual open-field production of plant-made pharmaceuticals (PMPs) requires risk assessment to determine the potential for harm to the surrounding ecosystem. In the present study, the environmental persistence of a transgenic maize-expressed antigen, Escheric...