[Perioperative immunologic changes in colorectal cancer patients].

The aim of the study was to investigate the perioperative immunological profile in colon cancer patients and possible correlations with disease. To investigate the changes in immune mediators profile induced by tumor resection, we assessed the serum levels of cytokines (IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IFN-gamma, TNF-alpha), chemokines (MIP-1alpha, MCP-1, ENA-78) and growth factors (VEGF, bFGF) in colon cancer patients before, during and after surgery and compared the results with those measured for a group of healthy controls. We have used XMap profiling technology (Luminex) that allows simultaneous measurement of multiple parameters in small volumes of samples.

Influence of tumor cell culture supernatants on macrophage functional polarization: in vitro models of macrophage-tumor environment interaction.

Aims And Background: Macrophages are heterogeneous cells with extensive functional plasticity; they can change their functional profiles repeatedly in response to environmental changes anywhere between their extreme phenotypical programs (labeled as M1 and M2 polarization, respectively). In terms of antitumoral immune response, M1 macrophages are considered to be beneficial, while M2 macrophages supposedly promote tumor progression. Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) represent a major leukocyte population present in many tumors.

Serum perioperative profile of cytokines in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx.

Objective: Altered immune, inflammatory, and angiogenesis responses have been noticed in head and neck cancer, and many of these responses have been associated with a poor clinical outcome. The objective of this study was to evaluate several immune mediators in the sera of patients with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the larynx undergoing curative surgery in connection with clinicopathologic factors.

Methods: Multiplex analysis of cytokines (interleukin [IL]-6, IL-8, IL-10, tumour necrosis factor α [TNF-α], interferon-γ [IFN-γ]), chemokines (monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 [MCP-1], macrophage inflammatory protein 1α [MIP-1α], and epithelial neutrophil-activating protein 78 [ENA-78]), and growth factors (vascular endothelial growth factor and basic fibroblast growth factor) in the serum of patients with laryngeal cancer and healthy controls was performed using xMap technology.

Serum levels of adipokines resistin and leptin in patients with colon cancer.

Adipose tissue displays characteristics of an endocrine organ releasing a number of adipocyte-specific factors known as adipocytokines. It has been recently suggested that adipocytokines may play a role in pathogenesis and progression of certain cancers, in particular in colorectal cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between several blood adipocytokine levels and clinicopathological characteristics of colon cancer patients undergoing surgery.

Impact of smoking on the immunological profile of patients with laryngeal carcinoma.

Immunity plays an important role in the prognosis and the natural development of cancer. Previous studies have shown that the presence of tumor in the body could modify the immune response leading to immunosuppression. The aim of this study was to evaluate the immunological changes of patients with larynx squamous cell carcinoma undergoing potentially curative surgery.

Primary cell culture of human adenocarcinomas--practical considerations.

Cell culture is one of the major tools for oncology research, being an excellent system in which to study the biochemistry and molecular biology associated with individual cancer types and to understand cancer cell physiology. Progress in understanding the biology of any type of carcinoma has been impeded by the inability to culture adequately malignant cells from most epithelial tissues. The ultimate in vitro tumor model would completely reflect the in vivo tumor microenvironment in function and mechanism.

Effect of Candida albicans dsDNA in gastrointestinal Candida infection.

Neonates are highly sensitive to infections because they are biased to develop Th2 immune responses. When exposed to certain agents, such as DNA vaccines or CpG DNA motifs, neonates are capable to mount adult-like Th1 protective responses. This study investigates the capacity of Candida albicans (C.

Bacterial product cantastim derived from Pseudomonas aeruginosa induces migration and maturation of dendritic cells.

Dendritic cells (DCs) play a pivotal role in linking innate and adaptive immunity. Migration to the lymph nodes and maturation of DCs are crucial steps in the initiation of specific immune responses. The bacterial product CANTASTIM (CS) is a purified extract of Pseudomonas aeruginosa that induces non-specific protection against bacterial infection, enhances macrophage effector functions and modulates cytokines production.

[Involvement of soluble mediators of inflammation in the pathogenic agent interaction--immune system in acute bacterial meningitis].

Acute Bacterial Meningitis is a medical emergency, which warrants early diagnosis and aggressive therapy, which in most cases must be initiated as an "empirical" treatment. Such an approach needs permanent epidemiological surveillance due to the major variability of the etiological agents depending upon time, geographical areas and demographic characteristics of the population. A program for the surveillance of meningitis is in progress in Romania, but the available clinical inbformation is incomplete and not well documented by paraclinical data, poorly reflecting the real incidence of the disease.

Cytokine profiling by multiplex immunoassay as an effective approach to assess immunomodulatory activity of bacterial product CANTASTIM.

The bacterial product CANTASTIM (CS) is a purified extract of Pseudomonas aeruginosa that induces non-specific protection against bacterial infection, enhances macrophage effector functions and modulates production of cytokines. Most likely, it interacts with components of the innate immune response. Cytokine production can be used to assess the bioactivity of this product but these biomolecules operate in vivo in a complex regulatory network with reciprocal influences so there is a need for profiling an array of cytokines rather than an individual analysis.