Heterogeneity of Diabetes: β-Cells, Phenotypes, and Precision Medicine: Proceedings of an International Symposium of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research's Institute of Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes and the U.S. National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

One hundred years have passed since the discovery of insulin-an achievement that transformed diabetes from a fatal illness into a manageable chronic condition. The decades since that momentous achievement have brought ever more rapid innovation and advancement in diabetes research and clinical care. To celebrate the important work of the past century and help to chart a course for its continuation into the next, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research's Institute of Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes and the U.

Measurement of proliferative responses of cultured lymphocytes.

Measurement of proliferative responses of human lymphocytes is a fundamental technique for the assessment of their biological responses to various stimuli. Most simply, this involves measurement of the number of cells present in a culture before and after the addition of a stimulating agent. This unit contains several different prototype protocols to induce proliferation in lymphocytes following exposure to mitogens, antigens, allogeneic or autologous cells, or soluble factors.

Measurement of proliferative responses of cultured lymphocytes.

Measurement of proliferative responses of human lymphocytes is a fundamental technique for the assessment of their biological responses to various stimuli. Most simply, this involves measurement of the number of cells present in a culture before and after the addition of a stimulating agent. This unit contains several different prototype protocols to measure the proliferative response of lymphocytes following exposure to mitogens, antigens, allogeneic or autologous cells, or soluble factors.

Measurement of proliferative responses of cultured lymphocytes.

Measurement of proliferative responses of human lymphocytes is a fundamental technique for the assessment of their biological responses to various stimuli. Most simply, this involves measurement of the number of cells present in a culture before and after the addition of a stimulating agent. This unit contains several different prototype protocols to measure the proliferation response of lymphocytes following exposure to mitogens, antigens, allogeneic or autologous cells, or soluble factors.

Detection of cytokine mRNA expression by PCR.

Assessment of cytokine expression during an immune response is a critical requirement for studies of basic immune mechanisms and the pathogenesis of disease. As an alternative to measuring cytokine protein levels, analysis of cytokine mRNA may be appropriate, because production of many cytokines is primarily transcriptionally regulated. Therefore, the level of cytokine mRNA present in a sample may serve as a good estimate of the level of cytokine protein present.

Primary sclerosing cholangitis: summary of a workshop.

Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a rare but important liver disease that leads to cirrhosis and need for liver transplantation in a high proportion of cases. The disease occurs in approximately 1 per 100,000 population per year, usually presents in adulthood, and affects men more often than women. Typical serum biochemical results, autoantibodies and liver biopsy are suggestive but not diagnostic of PSC, the diagnosis requiring cholangiographic demonstration of stricturing and dilatation of the intra- and/or extra-hepatic bile ducts.

Prototypic disorders of gastrointestinal mucosal immune function: Celiac disease and Crohn's disease.

Celiac disease is a disorder of the small intestine characterized by chronic inflammation of the mucosa and protean clinical manifestations caused by loss of tolerance to dietary antigens. Two strongly associated cofactors have been identified: the presence of HLA-DQ2 or HLA-DQ8 in the host and specific antigenic peptides in the diet that are present in wheat, rye, and barley. Most patients have complete remission after dietary elimination of these foods.

Cutting edge: cyclooxygenase-2 activation suppresses Th1 polarization in response to Helicobacter pylori.

Helicobacter pylori infection causes a Th1-driven mucosal immune response. Cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 is up-regulated in lamina propria mononuclear cells in H. pylori gastritis.

19. Immunologic, gastroenterologic, and hepatobiliary disorders.

A number of gastrointestinal and hepatobiliary disorders are thought to have an immunologic basis; however, the level of understanding of immunopathogenesis varies widely in these disparate conditions. For some, such as celiac disease, both important genetic and environmental determinants have been identified as well as a specific treatment. For others, such as pernicious anemia and inflammatory bowel disease, animal models have provided important research advances.