Distinct metabolic responses to heme in inflammatory human and mouse macrophages - Role of nitric oxide.

Activation of inflammation is tightly associated with metabolic reprogramming in macrophages. The iron-containing tetrapyrrole heme can induce pro-oxidant and pro-inflammatory effects in murine macrophages, but has been associated with polarization towards an anti-inflammatory phenotype in human macrophages. In the current study, we compared the regulatory responses to heme and the prototypical Toll-like receptor (TLR)4 ligand lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in human and mouse macrophages with a particular focus on alterations of cellular bioenergetics.

Diagnostic and therapeutic value of human serpin family proteins.

SERPIN (serine proteinase inhibitors) is an acronym for the superfamily of structurally similar proteins found in animals, plants, bacteria, viruses, and archaea. Over 1500 SERPINs are known in nature, while only 37 SERPINs are found in humans, which participate in inflammation, coagulation, angiogenesis, cell viability, and other pathophysiological processes. Both qualitative or quantitative deficiencies or overexpression and/or abnormal accumulation of SERPIN can lead to diseases commonly referred to as "serpinopathies".

Beneficial effects of alpha-1 antitrypsin therapy in a mouse model of colitis-associated colon cancer.

Background: It is widely accepted that chronic inflammatory bowel diseases significantly higher a risk for colorectal cancer development. Among different types of treatments for patients with colon cancer, novel protein-based therapeutic strategies are considered.

Aim: To explore the effect of human plasma alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) protein in the chemically induced mouse model of colorectal cancer.

Mice inflammatory responses to inhaled aerosolized LPS: effects of various forms of human alpha1-antitrypsin.

Rodent models of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced pulmonary inflammation are used for anti-inflammatory drug testing. We aimed to characterize mice responses to aerosolized LPS alone or with intraperitoneal (i.p.

Plasma markers of COVID-19 severity: a pilot study.

Background: SARS-CoV-2 infected patients show heterogeneous clinical presentations ranging from mild symptoms to severe respiratory failure and death. Consequently, various markers reflect this wide spectrum of disease presentations.

Methods: Our pilot cohort included moderate (n = 10) and severe (n = 10) COVID-19 patients, and 10 healthy controls.

A dual center and dual vendor comparison study of automated perfusion-weighted phase-resolved functional lung magnetic resonance imaging with dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging in patients with cystic fibrosis.

For sensitive diagnosis and monitoring of pulmonary disease, ionizing radiation-free imaging methods are of great importance. A noncontrast and free-breathing proton magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique for assessment of pulmonary perfusion is phase-resolved functional lung (PREFUL) MRI. Since there is no validation of PREFUL MRI across different centers and scanners, the purpose of this study was to compare perfusion-weighted PREFUL MRI with the well-established dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI across two centers on scanners from two different vendors.

Allergen extract- and component-based diagnostics in children of the ALLIANCE asthma cohort.

Background: Current in vitro allergen-specific IgE (sIgE) detection assays measure IgE against allergen extracts or molecules in a single- or multiplex approach. Direct comparisons of the performance of such assays among young children with common presentations of allergic diseases regardless of sensitization status are largely missing.

Objectives: The aim of this study was a comparison of the analytical and diagnostic performance for common clinical questions of three commonly used technologies which rely upon different laboratory methodologies among children of the All Age Asthma (ALLIANCE) cohort (clinicaltrials.

Plasma Acute Phase Proteins as Predictors of Chronic Lung Allograft Dysfunction in Lung Transplant Recipients.

Cumulating reports suggest that acute phase proteins (APPs) have diagnostic and prognostic value in different clinical conditions. Among others, APPs are proposed to serve as markers that help to control the outcome of transplant recipients. Here, we questioned whether plasma concentrations of APPs mirror the development of chronic lung allograft dysfunction (CLAD).