Beneficial Effects of Reconstituted High-Density Lipoprotein (rHDL) on Circulating CD34+ Cells in Patients after an Acute Coronary Syndrome.

Background: High-density lipoproteins (HDL) favorably affect endothelial progenitor cells (EPC). Circulating progenitor cell level and function are impaired in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). This study investigates the short-term effects of reconstituted HDL (rHDL) on circulating progenitor cells in patients with ACS.

The interleukin-1β modulator gevokizumab reduces neointimal proliferation and improves reendothelialization in a rat carotid denudation model.

Objective: Excessive neointima formation often occurs after arterial injury. Interleukin-1β (IL-1β) is a potent pleiotropic cytokine that has been shown to regulate neointimal proliferation. We investigated the effects of the IL-1β modulator gevokizumab in a rat carotid denudation model.

Evaluation of links between high-density lipoprotein genetics, functionality, and aortic valve stenosis risk in humans.

Objective: Studies have shown that high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-raising compounds induce regression of aortic valve stenosis (AVS) in animal models. However, whether patients with AVS have an impaired HDL metabolism is unknown.

Approach And Results: A total of 1435 single nucleotide polymorphisms in genes associated with HDL cholesterol levels (in or around GALNT2, LPL, ABCA1, APOA5, SCARB1, LIPC, CETP, LCAT, LIPG, APOC4, and PLTP) were genotyped in 382 patients with echocardiography-confirmed AVS (aortic jet velocity ≥2.

Autologous HIV-1 clade-B Nef peptides elicit increased frequency, breadth and function of CD8+ T-cells compared to consensus peptides.

Objective: To determine the function and phenotype of CD8(+) T-cells targeting consensus and autologous sequences of entire HIV-1 Nef protein.

Methods: Multiparameter flow cytometry-based analysis was used to evaluate the responses of two treatment naïve HIV-infected individuals, during primary and the chronic phases of infection.

Results: A greater breadth and magnitude of CD8 IFN-γ responses to autologous compared to clade-B consensus peptides was observed in both subjects.

Functional effects of adiponectin on endothelial progenitor cells.

Adiponectin is an adipokine whose plasma levels are inversely correlated to metabolic syndrome components. Adiponectin protects against atherosclerosis and decreases risks in myocardial infarction. Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are a heterogeneous population of circulating cells involved in vascular repair and neovascularization.

The duration of exposure to HIV modulates the breadth and the magnitude of HIV-specific memory CD4+ T cells.

The impact of exposure to Ag on the development and maintenance of human CD4(+) memory T cells in general and HIV infection in particular is partially understood. In this study, we measured HIV-specific CD4(+) T cell proliferative responses against HIV proteins and derived peptides one year after highly active antiretroviral therapy initiation in 39 HIV-infected patients who initiated therapy at different times following infection. We show that a brief exposure to HIV of <1 month does not allow the generation of significant detectable frequencies of HIV-specific CD4(+) memory T cells.

Delayed expansion of a restricted T cell repertoire by low-density TCR ligands.

The role of TCR ligand density (i.e. the number of antigen-MHC complexes) in modulating the diversity of a T cell response selected from a pool of naive precursors remains largely undefined.