Publications by authors named "Xavier-Elsas P"

Introduction: The spectrum of eosinophil functions has expanded from fighting helminths to multiple novel roles in malignancy, infection, cancer, and metabolism. In asthma, glucocorticoids, prostaglandins (PG), and cysteinyl-leukotrienes (LT) regulate eosinophil biology through separate signaling pathways. Here we've evaluated the complex interplay between Dexa, PGE2, and CysLTs in eosinopoiesis and eosinophil biology in an allergic asthma model.

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Objective: The oral cavity undergoes frequent stress caused by repeated mechanical trauma, and the constant contact of the injured oral mucosa with bacteria leads to the production of various pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. Neutrophils play essential roles in the acute inflammation against the invasive microbiota, and compromised neutrophil recruitment hinders the bacterial clearance and worsens periodontitis. In this study, we aimed to explore whether wounding at the oral cavity would have an impact on the neutrophil lineage, and, if so, whether microbial contamination of the wounded surface plays significant roles.

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Background: Subcutaneous implants of heat-coagulated egg white (egg white implants, EWI) induce intense local eosinophilia and prime for hyperreactivity following airway ovalbumin challenge. The roles of allergen sensitization, surgical trauma-induced glucocorticoids, and the 5-lipoxygenase (5-LO) pathway were hitherto unexplored in this model, in which quantitative recovery and large-scale purification of the eosinophils from the inflammatory site for functional and immunopharmacological studies are difficult to achieve.

Methods: We overcame this limitation by shifting the implantation site to the peritoneal cavity (EWIp), thereby enabling quantitative leukocyte retrieval.

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In nonallergic (naive) mice, type I cysteinyl-leukotriene receptors (CysLTR) mediate the stimulatory effects of cytokines (eotaxin/CCL11, interleukin[IL] - 13), and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID; indomethacin, aspirin) on eosinophil production by IL-5-stimulated bone-marrow. In ovalbumin (OVA)-sensitized mice, airway challenge-induced bone-marrow eosinophilia and eosinopoiesis are prevented by pretreatment with blockers of adrenal glucocorticoid signaling (RU486, metyrapone) or cysteinyl-leukotriene (CysLT) signaling (montelukast). To define whether allergen challenge modifies subsequent bone-marrow responses to CysLT, NSAID, and cytokines which act through type 1 CysLT receptor (CysLTR).

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We describe the potent effect of myriadenolide (Myr), a naturally occurring labdane diterpene, in promoting the production of eosinophils in cultured bone-marrow from several inbred mouse strains. This enhancing effect is lineage-selective and requires the eosinophil growth factors, Interleukin(IL)-5 or GM-CSF. Myr acts over a very low concentration range (10-10 M), if added at the beginning of the cell cultivation.

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Vitamin A and its derivatives (retinoids) act as potent regulators in many aspects of mammalian reproduction, development, repair, and maintenance of differentiated tissue functioning. Unlike other vitamins, Vitamin A and retinoids, which have hormonal actions, present significant toxicity, which plays roles in clinically relevant situations, such as hypervitaminosis A and retinoic acid ("differentiation") syndrome. Although clinical presentation is conspicuous in states of insufficient or excessive Vitamin A and retinoid concentration, equally relevant effects on host resistance to specific infectious agents, and in the general maintenance of immune homeostasis, may go unnoticed, because their expression requires either pathogen exposure or the presence of inflammatory co-morbidities.

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Bone marrow, the vital organ which maintains lifelong hemopoiesis, currently receives considerable attention, as a source of multiple cell types which may play important roles in repair at distant sites. This emerging function, distinct from, but closely related to, bone marrow roles in innate immunity and inflammation, has been characterized through a number of strategies. However, the use of surgical models in this endeavour has hitherto been limited.

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Granulopoiesis in murine bone-marrow is regulated by both intrinsic and extrinsic factors (including hormones, drugs, inflammatory mediators and cytokines). Eosinophils, a minor subpopulation of circulating leukocytes, which remains better understood in its contributions to tissue injury in allergic disease than in its presumably beneficial actions in host defense, provide a striking example of joint regulation of granulopoiesis within murine bone-marrow by all of these classes of extrinsic factors. We first described the upregulation of eosinopoiesis in bone-marrow of allergen-sensitized mice following airway allergen challenge.

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Despite the close relationship of eosinophils and neutrophils, these granulocyte lineages respond to distinct cytokines and play unique roles in immune responses. They nevertheless respond to shared physiological/pharmacological regulators, including glucocorticoids and retinoids, and to ubiquitous mediators, including NO. Others showed that, in humans, all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) suppresses eosinophil differentiation, but promotes neutrophil differentiation.

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Aim: To determine whether online diffusion of the "Ten Warning Signs of Primary Immunodeficiency Diseases (PID)'' adheres to accepted scientific standards.

Methods: We analyzed how reproducible is online diffusion of a unique instrument, the "Ten Warning Signs of PID", created by the Jeffrey Modell Foundation (JMF), by Google-assisted searches among highly visited sites from professional, academic and scientific organizations; governmental agencies; and patient support/advocacy organizations. We examined the diffusion, consistency of use and adequate referencing of this instrument.

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Interleukin- (IL-) 17A, a pleiotropic mediator of inflammation and autoimmunity, potently stimulates bone-marrow neutrophil production. To explore IL-17A effects on eosinopoiesis, we cultured bone-marrow from wild-type mice, or mutants lacking inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS-/-), CD95 (lpr), IL-17RA, or IL-4, with IL-5, alone or associated with IL-17A. Synergisms between IL-17A-activated, NO-dependent, and NO-independent mechanisms and antagonisms between IL-17A and proallergic factors were further examined.

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Exogenously administered glucocorticoids enhance eosinophil and neutrophil granulocyte production from murine bone-marrow. A hematological response dependent on endogenous glucocorticoids underlies bone-marrow eosinophilia induced by trauma or allergic sensitization/challenge. We detected a defect in granulopoiesis in nonsensitized, perforin-deficient mice.

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Background And Purpose: α-Galactosylceramide (α-GalCer), a pleiotropic immunomodulator with therapeutic potential in neoplastic, autoimmune and allergic diseases, activates invariant natural killer T-cells throughCD1-restricted receptors for α-GalCer on antigen-presenting cells, inducing cytokine secretion. However the haemopoietic effects of α-GalCer remain little explored.

Experimental Approach: α-GalCer-induced modulation of eosinophil production in IL-5-stimulated bone marrow cultures was examined in wild-type (BALB/c, C57BL/6) mice and their mutants lacking CD1, inducible NOS (iNOS), CD95 and IFN-γ, along with the effects of lymphocytes; IFN-γ; caspase and iNOS inhibitors; non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and LTD4 ; and dexamethasone.

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Diethylcarbamazine (DEC), which blocks leukotriene production, abolishes the challenge-induced increase in eosinopoiesis in bone-marrow from ovalbumin- (OVA-) sensitized mice, suggesting that 5-lipoxygenase (5-LO) products contribute to the hematological responses in experimental asthma models. We explored the relationship between 5-LO, central and peripheral eosinophilia, and effectiveness of DEC, using PAS or BALB/c mice and 5-LO-deficient mutants. We quantified eosinophil numbers in freshly harvested or cultured bone-marrow, peritoneal lavage fluid, and spleen, with or without administration of leukotriene generation inhibitors (DEC and MK886) and cisteinyl-leukotriene type I receptor antagonist (montelukast).

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The roles of eosinophils in antimicrobial defense remain incompletely understood. In ovalbumin-sensitized mice, eosinophils are selectively recruited to the peritoneal cavity by antigen, eotaxin, or leukotriene(LT)B4, a 5-lipoxygenase (5-LO) metabolite. 5-LO blockade prevents responses to both antigen and eotaxin.

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Up- and downregulation of eosinopoiesis control pulmonary eosinophilia in human asthma. In mice, eosinopoiesis is suppressed in vitro by prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and in vivo by diethylcarbamazine, through a proapoptotic mechanism sequentially requiring inducible NO synthase (iNOS) and the ligand for death receptor CD95 (CD95L). We examined the roles of iNOS, cAMP-mediated signaling, caspases, and CD95L/CD95 in suppression of eosinopoiesis by PGE2 and other agents signaling through cAMP.

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Context And Objective: Neonatal sepsis is associated with premature birth and maternal infection. Large-scale studies seek to define markers that identify neonates at risk of developing sepsis. Here, we examine whether the scientific evidence supports systematic use of polymorphism genotyping in cytokine and innate immunity genes, to identify neonates at increased risk of sepsis.

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Aims: Stress mechanisms paradoxically contribute to allergic episodes in humans and mice. Glucocorticoids (GC) and interleukin (IL)-5 synergically upregulate murine bone-marrow eosinophil production. Here we explored the role of endogenous GC in allergen-stimulated bone-marrow eosinophil production in ovalbumin-sensitized/challenged mice.

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Allergic airway inflammation is attenuated by oral tolerization (oral exposure to allergen, followed by conventional sensitization and challenge with homologous antigen), which decreases airway allergen challenge-induced eosinophilic infiltration of the lungs and bone marrow eosinophilia. We examined its effects on bone marrow eosinophil and neutrophil production. Mice of wild type (BP-2, BALB/c, and C57BL/6) and mutant strains (lacking iNOS or CD95L) were given ovalbumin (OVA) or water (vehicle) orally and subsequently sensitized and challenged with OVA (OVA/OVA/OVA and H2O/OVA/OVA groups, resp.

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Accumulating evidence indicates that genetic background influences the outcome of sepsis, which despite medical advances continues to be a major cause of morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of SNPs LTA +252A>G, TNF-863C>A and TNF-308G>A on susceptibility to sepsis, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), septic shock and sepsis mortality. A prospective case-control study was carried out in a Brazilian pediatric intensive care unit and included 490 septic pediatric patients submitted to mechanical ventilation and 610 healthy children.

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Aims: Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor (G-CSF), which mobilizes hemopoietic stem cells (HSC), is believed to protect HSC graft recipients from graft-versus-host disease by enhancing Th2 cytokine secretion. Accordingly, G-CSF should aggravate Th2-dependent allergic pulmonary inflammation and the associated eosinophilia. We evaluated the effects of G-CSF in a model of allergic pulmonary inflammation.

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IL-13 and eotaxin play important, inter-related roles in asthma models. In the lungs, CysLT, produced by the 5-LO-LTC4S pathway, mediate some local responses to IL-13 and eotaxin; in bone marrow, CysLT enhance IL-5-dependent eosinophil differentiation. We examined the effects of IL-13 and eotaxin on eosinophil differentiation.

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Rationale: The mechanism of action of diethylcarbamazine (DEC), an antifilarial drug effective against tropical pulmonary eosinophilia, remains controversial. DEC effects on microfilariae depend on inducible NO synthase (iNOS). In eosinophilic pulmonary inflammation, its therapeutic mechanism has not been established.

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Background: Although eosinophils co-express multiple integrin receptors, the contributions of integrins to eosinophil development have not been explored. We previously described extensive aggregation and cytological immaturity in eosinophils developing in bone-marrow (BM) cultures exposed to dexamethasone. Here we examined the relationship of alpha 4 integrins with these effects of dexamethasone.

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