No association between tumor necrosis factor-alpha production and gene polymorphisms among inbred rat strains.

Differences in spontaneous allograft acceptance after liver transplantation among inbred rat strains might be explained by variation in the local production of TNF-alpha as a potent mediator of the inflammatory response. In this study, we hypothesize that nucleotide differences in the rat Tnf gene influence TNF-alpha protein expression. As such, polymorphisms in the Tnf gene may also provide a possible explanation for differences in survival of allogeneic liver grafts among inbred rat strains.

Strain-specific in vitro cytokine production profiles do not predict rat liver allograft survival.

The aim of this study was to assess whether differences in cytokine production between inbred rat strains could explain differences in liver allograft survival. Splenocytes from five different strains were cultured with Concanavalin A to determine in vitro cytokine production profiles. Strain-specific TNF-alpha, IFN-gamma, IL-6 and IL-10 responses in naive animals were not associated with survival after rat liver transplantation.

Colonization with cagA-positive Helicobacter pylori strains in intestinal metaplasia of the esophagus and the esophagogastric junction.

Objectives: Recent studies indicate that colonization with cagA-positive Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) strains may protect against gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and its complications, but the role of cagA in the etiology of Barrett's esophagus has so far been poorly investigated. The pathogenesis of intestinal metaplasia (IM) at an endoscopically normal esophagogastric junction (EGJ) is still unclear, and the role of the H.

Blockade of intragraft IL-2 receptor-alpha by basiliximab is insufficient to prevent activation of liver graft infiltrating cells.

Treatment with basiliximab, a CD25 (Interleukin-2 receptor-alpha; IL-2Ralpha)-blocking human-murine chimeric antibody, reduces the incidence of acute rejections after organ transplantation, but rejection is not completely prevented. We investigated whether rejections during basiliximab treatment were due to insufficient exposure to the antibody or to incomplete blockade of intragraft CD25, and whether CD25-blockade affected activation of liver transplant infiltrating cells. Twenty-seven basiliximab-treated liver transplant recipients and seven patients not treated with basiliximab, from which post-transplant liver biopsies were available, were retrospectively selected for this study.