Publications by authors named "Christopher Platen"

Article Synopsis
  • Amphiregulin (AREG) is a key ligand for the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) that affects monocyte-induced cell death and T-cell responses in peripheral blood.
  • The study found that AREG reduces T-cell proliferation during stimulation and down-regulates costimulatory molecules on monocytes, indicating its role in modulating immune responses.
  • Additionally, AREG influences T-cell polarization, leading to an increase in IL-17-producing T cells, while maintaining the regulatory T cell proportion.
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Article Synopsis
  • Magnetic induction measurement (MIM) is a noninvasive technique used to monitor breathing in newborn piglets by placing measurement coils in their incubators, which helps in identifying acute pulmonary issues that might affect neurological development in preterm infants.
  • In a study involving 11 piglets, MIM successfully detected most ventilation disorders like apnea and pneumothorax, showing significant changes in magnetic induction, whereas aspiration was not detected.
  • The findings suggest that MIM could be beneficial for early detection of respiratory problems in newborns, potentially leading to timely therapeutic interventions, but the effectiveness is influenced by the placement of the measurement coils.
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Neonates are extremely susceptible to bacterial infections, and evidences suggest that phagocytosis-induced cell death (PICD) is less frequently triggered in neonatal monocytes than in monocytes from adult donors. An insufficient termination of the inflammatory response, leading to a prolonged survival of neonatal monocytes with ongoing proinflammatory cytokine release, could be associated with the progression of various inflammatory diseases in neonates. Our previous data indicate that amphiregulin (AREG) is increasingly expressed on the cell surface of neonatal monocytes, resulting in remarkably higher soluble AREG levels after proteolytic shedding.

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Cleaving ligands and receptors of the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) superfamily can critically regulate the induction of apoptosis. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) such as MMP-9 and tumor necrosis factor-α-converting enzyme (TACE) have been shown to cleave CD95-Ligand (CD95L) and TNF/(TNF receptor-1) TNFR1 which induce phagocytosis induced cell death (PICD) in adult monocytes. This process is reduced in neonatal monocytes.

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Neonates are highly susceptible to microbial infections which is partially attributable to fundamental phenotypic and functional differences between effector cells of the adult and neonatal immune system. The resolution of the inflammation is essential to return to tissue homeostasis, but given that various neonatal diseases, such as periventricular leukomalacia, necrotizing enterocolitis, or bronchopulmonary dysplasia, are characterized by sustained inflammation, newborns seem predisposed to a dysregulation of the inflammatory response. Targeted apoptosis of effector cells is generally known to control the length and extent of the inflammation, and previous studies have demonstrated that phagocytosis-induced cell death (PICD), a special type of apoptosis in phagocytic immune cells, is less frequently triggered in neonatal monocytes than in adult monocytes.

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Phagocytosis-induced cell death (PICD) is diminished in cord blood monocytes (CBMO) as compared to cells from adults (PBMO) due to differences in the CD95-pathway. This may support a prolonged pro-inflammatory response with sequels of sustained inflammation as seen in neonatal sepsis. Here we hypothesized that TNF-α mediated induction of apoptosis is impaired in CBMO due to differences in the TNFR1-dependent internalization.

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Background: Invasive fungal infections with Candida albicans (C. albicans) occur frequently in extremely low birthweight (ELBW) infants and are associated with poor outcome. Phagocytosis of C.

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Mechanical ventilation (MV) elicits complex and clinically relevant cellular responses in the lungs. The current study was designed to define the role of the transcription factor nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), a major regulator of the cellular antioxidant defense system, in the pulmonary response to MV. Nrf2 activity was quantified in ventilated isolated perfused mouse lungs (IPL).

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