Publications by authors named "Joyce M Villanueva"
Background: Anti-IL-5 might be a useful therapeutic agent for eosinophilic disorders, yet its immunologic consequences have not been well characterized.
Objective: We sought to characterize the hematologic and immunologic effects of anti-IL-5 in human subjects.
Methods: The effects of 3-month infusions of mepolizumab were assessed in 25 patients with a variety of eosinophilic syndromes.
Background: Pediatric eosinophilic esophagitis (EE) is a recently described disorder associated with atopy. Although studies of esophageal tissue suggest that Th2 cytokines and eotaxin-3 may be crucial in disease pathogenesis, little is known about the systemic immunological phenotypes of children with EE.
Objectives: To define the phenotypes of peripheral blood eosinophils and lymphocytes in EE and to examine for correlations between these parameters and tissue eosinophil numbers and disease severity.
Background: Eosinophilic esophagitis (EE) is characterized by high numbers of eosinophils in the esophagus and epithelial hyperplasia, and is being increasingly recognized. IL-5 promotes eosinophil trafficking to the esophagus, and positively regulates eosinophil growth, activation, survival, and tissue recruitment.
Objective: We hypothesized that the humanized monoclonal IgG(1) antibody against human IL-5 (mepolizumab) may be useful in the control of EE.
Background: IL-5 is a cytokine critically involved in regulating several aspects of eosinophils including their production, activation, and tissue recruitment. As such, IL-5 may be involved in the pathogenesis of hypereosinophilic syndromes, a group of poorly treated diverse disorders characterized by sustained peripheral blood and/or tissue eosinophilia.
Objective: We aimed to assess the safety and efficacy of a humanized blocking monoclonal antibody against IL-5 (mepolizumab) in patients with several forms of hyper-eosinophilic syndromes.