A classic temporal optic disc pit showing progression in the corresponding optic nerve fiber and visual field defects.

Purpose: We report a rare case with a classic temporal optic disc pit (ODP) showing the progression of an associated nerve fiber layer defect (NFLD) with the corresponding visual field defect (VFD).

Methods: We describe the patient's medical records and review the pertinent literature.

Results: A 54-year-old woman had a temporal ODP, which was considered to be congenital, associated with both NFLD expanded to both the upper and lower sides of the horizontal line and corresponding VFD and a small ODP-like excavation at the 6.

Plasmacytoid dendritic cells have a cytokine-producing capacity to enhance ICOS ligand-mediated IL-10 production during T-cell priming.

Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) have the potential to prime CD4(+) T-cells to differentiate into IL-10-producing T regulatory cells through preferential expression of inducible co-stimulatory ligand (ICOS-L). Although pDCs produce cytokines such as type-I IFNs, TNF-α, or IL-6 accompanying up-regulation of ICOS-L expression during activation in response to toll-like receptor (TLR)-ligands or IL-3, the roles of the pDC-derived cytokines in T-cell priming remain largely elusive. Therefore, we investigated the functional involvement of these cytokines in generating IL-10-producing T regulatory cells.

A case of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura induced by acute pancreatitis.

Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is a multisystemic microvascular disorder that may be caused by an imbalance between unusually large von Willebrand factor multimers and the cleaving protease ADAMTS13. In acquired TTP, especially in secondary TTP with various underlying diseases, the diagnosis is difficult because there are many cases that do not exhibit severe deficiency of ADAMTS13 or raised levels of ADAMST13 inhibitors. It is well known that collagen disease, malignancy, and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation can be underlying conditions that induce TTP.

Transcriptional regulation of activating transcription factor 4 under oxidative stress in retinal pigment epithelial ARPE-19/HPV-16 cells.

Purpose: Oxidative stress plays an important role in the pathogenesis of various ocular diseases such as retinopathy, glaucoma, and age-related macular degeneration. Activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4) is induced by various stressors, including endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and oxidative stress, and ATF4 expression is regulated translationally through the PERK pathway of eIF2α phosphorylation. Transcriptional regulation of the ATF4 gene under oxidative stress was investigated in human papillomavirus 16 (HPV-16)-transformed retinal pigment epithelial ARPE-19/HPV-16 cells.

Quercetin induces the expression of peroxiredoxins 3 and 5 via the Nrf2/NRF1 transcription pathway.

Purpose: The flavonoids have potent antioxidant and free-radical scavenging properties and are beneficial in the prevention and treatment of ocular diseases including glaucoma. The authors have previously reported that antiglaucoma agents could transcriptionally activate the antioxidant protein peroxiredoxin (PRDX)2. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether quercetin can activate transcription factors and induce the expression of the PRDX family.

Interferon-α and interleukin-12 are induced, respectively, by double-stranded DNA and single-stranded RNA in human myeloid dendritic cells.

Dendritic cells (DCs) are initiators of innate immunity and acquired immunity as cells linking these two bio-defence systems through the production of cytokines such as interferon-α (IFN-α) and interleukin-12 (IL-12). Nucleic acids such as DNA from damaged cells or pathogens are important activators not only for anti-microbial innate immune responses but also in the pathogenesis of IFN-related autoimmune diseases. Plasmacytoid DCs are regarded as the main effectors for the DNA-mediated innate immunity by possessing DNA-sensing toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9).

Conservation of a chemokine system, XCR1 and its ligand, XCL1, between human and mice.

Understanding dendritic cell (DC) subset functions should lead to the development of novel types of vaccine. Here we characterized expression of XC chemokine receptor 1 (XCR1) and its ligand, XCL1. Murine XCR1 was the only chemokine receptor selectively expressed in CD8alpha(+) conventional DCs.

Statins, inhibitors of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase, function as inhibitors of cellular and molecular components involved in type I interferon production.

Objective: Statins, which are used as cholesterol-lowering agents, have pleiotropic immunomodulatory properties. Although beneficial effects of statins have been reported in autoimmune diseases, the mechanisms of these immunomodulatory effects are still poorly understood. Type I interferons (IFNs) and plasmacytoid dendritic cells (PDCs) represent key molecular and cellular pathogenic components in autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Thymic stromal lymphopoietin plays an adjuvant role in BCG-mediated CD8(+) cytotoxic T cell responses through dendritic cell activation.

Although Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) has historically emerged as a potent adjuvant in cancer immunization through dendritic cell (DC) activation, the efficacy of its antitumor effect has been limited. Therefore, the strategy of adjuvant therapy using BCG needs to be improved by adding enhancers. Here we found that thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) acts as an enhancer for the BCG-mediated antitumor effect.

Inhibitor of IkappaB kinase activity, BAY 11-7082, interferes with interferon regulatory factor 7 nuclear translocation and type I interferon production by plasmacytoid dendritic cells.

Introduction: Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) play not only a central role in the antiviral immune response in innate host defense, but also a pathogenic role in the development of the autoimmune process by their ability to produce robust amounts of type I interferons (IFNs), through sensing nucleic acids by toll-like receptor (TLR) 7 and 9. Thus, control of dysregulated pDC activation and type I IFN production provide an alternative treatment strategy for autoimmune diseases in which type I IFNs are elevated, such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Here we focused on IkappaB kinase inhibitor BAY 11-7082 (BAY11) and investigated its immunomodulatory effects in targeting the IFN response on pDCs.

Nipradilol and timolol induce Foxo3a and peroxiredoxin 2 expression and protect trabecular meshwork cells from oxidative stress.

Purpose: Oxidative stress plays an important role in pathogenesis of glaucoma. The purpose of this study is to investigate the novel effect of antiglaucoma drugs on the expression of antioxidant peroxiredoxins of trabecular meshwork (TM) cells.

Methods: The expression of the peroxiredoxin family was investigated using immortalized TM cell lines.

Horseradish peroxidase degrades lipid hydroperoxides and suppresses lipid peroxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids in the presence of phenolic antioxidants.

Linoleic acid hydroperoxide (LAOOH) was effectively degraded by horseradish peroxidase (HRP) in the presence of quercetin. Several natural phenolic antioxidants, such as quercetin, capsaicin, and alpha-tocopherol, acted as good hydrogen donors in the peroxidase reaction that occurs during lipid hydroperoxide degradation. However, glutathione, which is a non-phenolic antioxidant that acts as a hydrogen donor for glutathione peroxidase, could not suppress lipid peroxidation in the presence of HRP.

Substance P activates p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase to promote IL-6 induction in human dental pulp fibroblasts.

Substance P (SP) induces the expression of proinflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin (IL)-6, which are implicated in pulp inflammation. To determine the signal pathway of SP-induced IL-6, we examined the activities of the mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) in human dental pulp cell (PF-10) cultures. SP induced the phosphorylation of p38 MAPK within 5 min; this activation persisted for up to 40 min and was independent of the activation of extracellular signal-related kinases (ERK-1 and ERK-2) that were induced after SP stimulation of PF-10 cells.

Expression and characterization of vanilloid receptor subtype 1 in human dental pulp cell cultures.

The expression of the vanilloid receptor subtype 1 (VR1, TRPV1) was detected in human dental pulp fibroblasts (PF-10) using RT-PCR, Western blotting, and immunocytochemical analysis. As revealed by ELISA, capsaicin induced IL-6 expression in PF-10 cells, and the VR1 antagonist capsazepine dose-dependently inhibited capsaicin-induced IL-6 production, indicating that capsaicin-induced IL-6 expression is related to VR1 activation. The interaction between capsaicin and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) was investigated.

Substance P enhances expression of lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammatory factors in dental pulp cells.

To examine how substance P (SP) is related with dental pulp inflammation, we examined the effects of SP on expression of genes for inflammatory factors in human dental pulp cell cultures. Using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction, we found that Prevotella intermedia lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced expression of SP and SP-receptor mRNAs, and that somatostatin inhibited the LPS-induced expression of SP mRNA. We also found that SP enhanced LPS-induced stimulation of NF-kappaB binding activity.