Effects of a cytokine inhibitor, JTE-607, on the response to endotoxin in healthy human volunteers.

It is generally regarded that the excessive production of cytokines plays an important role in the pathology of autoimmune diseases and septic shock. We have investigated the ability of JTE-607, a novel inhibitor of cytokine production, to modulate the inflammatory response to endotoxin in healthy human volunteers. Three cohorts of healthy male volunteers were recruited for a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study.

The role of cytokines as biomarkers in systemic lupus erythematosus and lupus nephritis.

Cytokines play an important role in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and lupus nephritis. This is currently a very active area of research. Of particular interest is the use of cytokines as biomarkers of disease activity in SLE and lupus nephritis.

Changes in HLA-DR expression, cytokine production and coagulation following endotoxin infusion in healthy human volunteers.

The infusion of a low dose of endotoxin into healthy subjects triggers a complex inflammatory response but the intricacies of which, despite extensive research, are still being unraveled. Nine healthy male volunteers received a dose of 30 Units endotoxin/kg bodyweight as an intravenous bolus. Following endotoxin infusion the concentration of TNF-alpha in their serum rapidly increased within 30 min, peaked after 1-2 h and returned to baseline by 4 h.

Use of proteomics to discover novel markers of cardiac allograft rejection.

Endomyocardial biopsy remains the most reliable method of detecting rejection following cardiac transplantation. Despite numerous attempts to detect rejection using a blood assay, none have proved reliable enough to replace the biopsy. Here, we have investigated the hypothesis that proteomics has the potential to reveal many molecules which are upregulated in the heart during rejection, some of which may serve as novel blood markers of rejection.