Publications by authors named "Kevin Pavelko"

Purpose: Experimental sleep disruption in healthy adults is more deleterious to immune function in females relative to males; however, it remains unknown if this translates to patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Thus, this study explored sex differences in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from patients with untreated OSA.

Methods: Participants completed sleep studies to identify the presence of OSA via the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI).

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Background & Aims: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) is characterized by excessive circulating toxic lipids, hepatic steatosis, and liver inflammation. Monocyte adhesion to liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs) and transendothelial migration (TEM) are crucial in the inflammatory process. Under lipotoxic stress, LSECs develop a proinflammatory phenotype known as endotheliopathy.

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Ductular reactive (DR) cells exacerbate cholestatic liver injury and fibrosis. Herein, we posit that tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) emanates from recruited macrophages and restrains DR cell expansion, thereby limiting cholestatic liver injury. Wild type (WT), Trail and myeloid-specific Trail deleted (Trail) C57BL/6 mice were exposed to DDC diet-induced cholestatic liver injury, which induced hepatomegaly and liver injury as compared to control diet-fed mice.

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Intrahepatic macrophages in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) are heterogenous and include proinflammatory recruited monocyte-derived macrophages. The receptor for advanced glycation endproducts (RAGE) is expressed on macrophages and can be activated by damage associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) upregulated in NASH, yet the role of macrophage-specific RAGE signaling in NASH is unclear. Therefore, we hypothesized that RAGE-expressing macrophages are proinflammatory and mediate liver inflammation in NASH.

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Kidney allograft inflammation, mostly attributed to rejection and infection, is an important cause of graft injury and loss. Standard histopathological assessment of allograft inflammation provides limited insights into biological processes and the immune landscape. Here, using imaging mass cytometry with a panel of 28 validated biomarkers, we explored the single-cell landscape of kidney allograft inflammation in 32 kidney transplant biopsies and 247 high-dimensional histopathology images of various phenotypes of allograft inflammation (antibody-mediated rejection, T cell-mediated rejection, BK nephropathy, and chronic pyelonephritis).

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Article Synopsis
  • Upfront autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) is the standard treatment for newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (MM) patients, but relapse and therapy-related myeloid neoplasms (t-MN) are common and typically lead to poor outcomes.
  • A study involving 54 MM patients undergoing ASCT found that abnormal myeloid progenitors and immune effector cell (IEC) profiles in their peripheral blood stem cells (PBSCs) were linked to a higher risk of relapse and worse survival rates.
  • The results indicate that these abnormal cell characteristics were present before ASCT, suggesting that early detection could help in tailoring future treatment strategies to improve patient outcomes.
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T-lymphocytes are prevalent in the tumor microenvironment of follicular lymphoma (FL). However, the phenotype of T-cells may vary, and the prevalence of certain T-cell subsets may influence tumor biology and patient survival. We therefore analyzed a cohort of 82 FL patients using CyTOF to determine whether specific T-cell phenotypes were associated with distinct tumor microenvironments and patient outcome.

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  • Researchers used advanced mass cytometry to study senescent cells, which are crucial in understanding aging, at a detailed level.
  • They identified specific types of senescent cells in bone tissue that show markers of aging and are linked to osteoblasts and osteocytes.
  • The study also demonstrated that certain therapies can effectively eliminate these senescent cells in older mice, highlighting potential targets for treatments to combat aging-related issues.
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  • - NASH (Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis) is a severe form of NAFLD (Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease) linked to liver damage, inflammation, and fibrosis, with ROCK1 protein being implicated in liver injury responses to high-fat diets.
  • - Research showed elevated ROCK1 levels in patients and mice with NASH; knocking out ROCK1 in liver cells reduced liver damage and inflammation, indicating its critical role in NASH progression.
  • - Administering a new ROCK inhibitor (ROCKi) improved liver health in mice with established NASH, suggesting that targeting ROCK1 may lead to effective treatments for human NASH.
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The intrinsic and acquired resistance to PD-1/PD-L1 immune checkpoint blockade is an important challenge for patients and clinicians because no reliable tool has been developed to predict individualized response to immunotherapy. In this study, we demonstrate the translational relevance of an ex vivo functional assay that measures the tumor cell killing ability of patient-derived CD8 T and NK cells (referred to as "cytotoxic lymphocytes," or CLs) isolated from the peripheral blood of patients with renal cell carcinoma. Patient-derived PBMCs were isolated before and after nephrectomy from patients with renal cell carcinoma.

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Total joint arthroplasty (TJA) implants are composed of metal components. Although they are regarded safe, the long-term immunological effects of chronic exposure to the specific implant materials are unknown. We recruited 115 hip and/or knee TJA patients (mean age 68 years) who provided a blood draw for measurement of chromium, cobalt, titanium concentrations, inflammatory markers and systemic distribution of immune cells.

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Introduction: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) induce impressive antitumor responses but may lead to acute kidney injury (AKI) associated with ICI therapy (AKI-ICI). Biomarkers distinguishing AKI-ICI from AKI because of other causes (AKI-other) are currently lacking. Because ICIs block immunoregulatory pathways, we hypothesized that biomarkers related to immune cell dysregulation, including tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and other markers of B and T cell activation in the systemic circulation and kidney tissue, may aid with the diagnosis of AKI-ICI.

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Senescence drives organismal aging, yet the deep characterization of senescent cells remains incomplete. Here, we applied mass cytometry by time-of-flight (CyTOF) using carefully validated antibodies to analyze senescent cells at single-cell resolution. We used multiple criteria to identify senescent mesenchymal cells that were growth arrested and resistant to apoptosis (p16+/Ki67-/BCL-2+; "p16KB" cells).

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Seven different anti-PD-1 and PD-L1 mAbs are now widely used in the United States to treat a variety of cancer types, but no clinical trials have compared them directly. Furthermore, because many of these Abs do not cross-react between mouse and human proteins, no preclinical models exist in which to consider these types of questions. Thus, we produced humanized PD-1 and PD-L1 mice in which the extracellular domains of both mouse PD-1 and PD-L1 were replaced with the corresponding human sequences.

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Cellular senescence is a plausible mediator of inflammation-related tissue dysfunction. In the aged brain, senescent cell identities and the mechanisms by which they exert adverse influence are unclear. Here we used high-dimensional molecular profiling, coupled with mechanistic experiments, to study the properties of senescent cells in the aged mouse brain.

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Neurotropic viruses target the brain and contribute to neurologic diseases. C-type lectin receptors (CLRs) are pattern recognition receptors that recognize carbohydrate structures on endogenous molecules and pathogens. The myeloid CLR dendritic cell immunoreceptor (DCIR) is expressed by antigen presenting cells and mediates inhibitory intracellular signalling.

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Objective: To compare coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) acute kidney injury (AKI) to sepsis-AKI (S-AKI). The morphology and transcriptomic and proteomic characteristics of autopsy kidneys were analyzed.

Patients And Methods: Individuals 18 years of age and older who died from COVID-19 and had an autopsy performed at Mayo Clinic between April 2020 to October 2020 were included.

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The transcription factor TCF-1 is essential for the development and function of regulatory T (T) cells; however, its function is poorly understood. Here, we show that TCF-1 primarily suppresses transcription of genes that are co-bound by Foxp3. Single-cell RNA-sequencing analysis identified effector memory T cells and central memory T cells with differential expression of Klf2 and memory and activation markers.

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Neurotropic viruses target the brain and contribute to neurologic diseases. Caspase recruitment domain containing family member 9 (CARD9) controls protective immunity in a variety of infectious disorders. To investigate the effect of CARD9 in neurotropic virus infection, CARD9 and corresponding C57BL/6 wild-type control mice were infected with Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus (TMEV).

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Cellular senescence is characterized by an irreversible cell cycle arrest as well as a pro-inflammatory phenotype, thought to contribute to aging and age-related diseases. Neutrophils have essential roles in inflammatory responses; however, in certain contexts their abundance is associated with a number of age-related diseases, including liver disease. The relationship between neutrophils and cellular senescence is not well understood.

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Article Synopsis
  • - Monocyte adhesion to liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs) plays a critical role in the development of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), with VCAM-1 being a key adhesion molecule involved in this process.
  • - Research indicates that VCAM-1 is significantly upregulated in NASH mouse livers, and this increase is also observed in human NASH, with factors like palmitate treatment promoting its expression through the MLK3 signaling pathway.
  • - Inhibiting VCAM-1, either through neutralizing antibodies or genetic knockout, reduces inflammation and improves NASH outcomes in mice, suggesting VCAM-1 could be a promising target for treating NASH in humans.
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In ovarian cancer (OC), IL-17-producing T cells (Th17s) predict improved survival, whereas regulatory T cells predict poorer survival. We previously developed a vaccine whereby patient-derived dendritic cells (DCs) are programmed to induce Th17 responses to the OC antigen folate receptor alpha (FRα). Here we report the results of a single-arm open-label phase I clinical trial designed to determine vaccine safety and tolerability (primary outcomes) and recurrence-free survival (secondary outcome).

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Importance: Recognizing the presenting and immunopathological features of Kelch-like protein-11 immunoglobulin G seropositive (KLHL11 IgG+) patients may aid in early diagnosis and management.

Objective: To describe expanding neurologic phenotype, cancer associations, outcomes, and immunopathologic features of KLHL11 encephalitis.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This retrospective tertiary care center study, conducted from October 15, 1998, to November 1, 2019, prospectively identified 31 KLHL11 IgG+ cases in the neuroimmunology laboratory.

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