Blood-Brain Barrier Cellular Responses Toward Organophosphates: Natural Compensatory Processes and Exogenous Interventions to Rescue Barrier Properties.

Organophosphorus compounds (OPs) are highly toxic chemicals widely used as pesticides (e.g., paraoxon (PX)- the active metabolite of the insecticide parathion) and as chemical warfare nerve agents.

High-fat diet protects the blood-brain barrier in an Alzheimer's disease mouse model.

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is associated with increased risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD). There is evidence for impaired blood-brain barrier (BBB) in both diseases, but its role in the interplay between them is not clear. Here, we investigated the effects of high-fat diet (HFD), a model for T2D, on the Tg2576 mouse model of AD, in regard to BBB function.

Natural Killer Receptor 1 Dampens the Development of Allergic Eosinophilic Airway Inflammation.

The function of NCR1 was studied in a model of experimental asthma, classified as a type 1 hypersensitivity reaction, in mice. IgE levels were significantly increased in the serum of OVA immunized NCR1 deficient (NCR1gfp/gfp) mice in comparison to OVA immunized wild type (NCR1+/+) and adjuvant immunized mice. Histological analysis of OVA immunized NCR1gfp/gfp mice revealed no preservation of the lung structure and overwhelming peribronchial and perivascular granulocytes together with mononuclear cells infiltration.

Streptococcus pneumoniae fructose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase, a protein vaccine candidate, elicits Th1/Th2/Th17-type cytokine responses in mice.

Streptococcus pneumoniae (S. pneumoniae) is a major pathogen worldwide. The currently available polysaccharide-based vaccines significantly reduce morbidity and mortality.

Combined local blood-brain barrier opening and systemic methotrexate for the treatment of brain tumors.

Despite aggressive therapy, existing treatments offer poor prognosis for glioblastoma multiforme patients, in part due to poor penetration of most drugs across the blood-brain barrier (BBB). We propose a minimal-invasive combined treatment approach consisting of local BBB disruption in the tumor in parallel to systemic drug administration. Local BBB disruption is obtained by convection-enhanced delivery of a novel BBB disruption agent, enabling efficient/targeted delivery of the systemically administered drug by the tumors own vasculature.

The natural cytotoxicity receptor 1 contribution to early clearance of Streptococcus pneumoniae and to natural killer-macrophage cross talk.

Natural killer (NK) cells serve as a crucial first line of defense against tumors, viral and bacterial infections. We studied the involvement of a principal activating natural killer cell receptor, natural cytotoxicity receptor 1 (NCR1), in the innate immune response to S. pneumoniae infection.