Infliximab induces downregulation of the IL-12/IL-23 axis in 6-sulfo-LacNac (slan)+ dendritic cells and macrophages.

Background: The spectrum of TNF-α-producing cells in patients with psoriasis, as well as their fate during treatment with TNF-α antagonists, is not clearly defined.

Objective: We sought to analyze the effects of anti-TNF-α treatment on TNF-α(+) cells in the skin and blood of patients with psoriasis.

Methods: Lesional psoriatic skin was analyzed by means of immunohistologic staining and quantitative RT-PCR, and peripheral blood cells were phenotypically characterized by means of multicolor immunofluorescence labeling.

TRAIL(+) human plasmacytoid dendritic cells kill tumor cells in vitro: mechanisms of imiquimod- and IFN-α-mediated antitumor reactivity.

Dendritic cells (DCs) not only exhibit the unique capacity to evoke primary immune responses, but may also acquire TLR-triggered cytotoxic activity. We and others have previously shown that TLR7/8- and TLR9-stimulated plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs) isolated from human peripheral blood express the effector molecule TRAIL. The exact mechanisms through which pDCs acquire and elicit their cytotoxic activity are still not clear.

The effect of ex vivo anticoagulants on whole blood platelet aggregation.

Pre- and intraoperative platelet function monitoring is increasingly recommended in order to detect risk factors for bleeding and to target coagulation management. The ideal anticoagulant for accurate platelet aggregometry remains controversial. The aim of this experimental trial was to compare platelet aggregability in whole blood stored in citrate, heparin and direct thrombin inhibitors.

Garlic at dietary doses does not impair platelet function.

Background: In vitro studies suggest that various bioactive constituents of Allium sativum (garlic) inhibit platelet function. The extent, however, to which dietary doses of garlic influence platelet function remains unknown. Therefore, we tested the effect of raw garlic on platelet function using point-of-care monitoring devices sensitive for cyclooxygenase I-inhibition and platelet adhesion.