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Tropical Medicine and Health 2020() is a facultative protozoan parasite implicated in amoebic liver abscesses (ALA), the most common extraintestinal manifestation of this infection. is endemic to... (Review)
Review
() is a facultative protozoan parasite implicated in amoebic liver abscesses (ALA), the most common extraintestinal manifestation of this infection. is endemic to sub-tropical and tropical countries and has been a major public health concern in northern Sri Lanka (SLK) for the last three decades. This has been attributed to a multitude of factors such as poor sanitation, hygiene, male sex, middle age, overcrowding, unsanitary practices in the production of indigenous alcoholic beverages, and alcohol consumption. Additionally, while rates of have declined substantially throughout the rest of the island, largely due to better infrastructure, it remains pervasive in the northern peninsula, which is generally less developed. Infection arises primarily from fecal-oral transmission through the consumption of contaminated drinking water containing cysts. Upon ingestion, cysts multiply into trophozoites and colonize the host colonic mucosa using lectin and cysteine proteases as virulence factors, leading to host invasion. Symptoms occur along a spectrum, from asymptomatology, to pyrexia, abdominal cramping, and amoebic dysentery. Colonization of the colon results in the formation of distinct flask-shaped ulcers along the epithelium, and eventual penetration of the lamina propria via the production of matrix metalloproteinases. ALA then develops through trophozoite migration via the mesenteric hepatic portal circulation, where microabscesses coalesce to form a single, large right-lobe abscess, commonly on the posterior aspect. The progression of infection to invasive disease is contingent on the unique interplay between host and pathogen factors, such as the strength of host-immunity to overcome infection and inherent pathogenicity of the species. As a preventable illness, complications such as ALA impose a significant burden on the healthcare system. This mini-review highlights epidemiological trends, risk factors, diagnostic modalities, treatment approaches, and opportunities for prevention of -induced ALA, to help address this endemic problem on the island of SLK.
PubMed: 31992948
DOI: 10.1186/s41182-020-0193-2 -
Frontiers in Immunology 2019TLR2 signaling plays a critical protective role against acute (Lm) infection by up-regulating inflammatory cytokines and promoting macrophage antimicrobial...
TLR2 signaling plays a critical protective role against acute (Lm) infection by up-regulating inflammatory cytokines and promoting macrophage antimicrobial capabilities. However, the underlying mechanism by which TLR2 regulates hepatic macrophage-mediated anti-Lm immune responses remains poorly understood. In this study, we found that both the absolute number and proportion of monocyte/macrophage (Mo/MΦ) in the liver and spleen of mice were significantly lower compared to wild type mice. Changes in TLR2 signaling in both hepatocytes and Mo/MΦs were associated with the infiltration of Mo/MΦs in response to Lm-infection. Analyses by proteome profiler array and ELISA revealed that hepatocytes recruited Mo/MΦs via TLR2-dependent secretion of CCL2 and CXCL1, which was confirmed by receptor blocking and exogenous chemokine administration. Importantly, we found that TLR2 contributed to macrophage mobility in the liver through a TLR2/NO/F-actin pathway, facilitating the formation of macrophage-associated hepatic microabscesses. Moreover, TLR2 activation induced the expression of several PRRs on hepatic macrophages associated with the recognition of Lm and augmented macrophage bacterial clearance activity. Our findings provide insight into the intrinsic mechanisms of TLR2-induced Mo/MΦ migration and mobility, as well as the interaction between macrophages and hepatocytes in resistance to Lm infection.
Topics: Animals; Listeria monocytogenes; Listeriosis; Liver; Liver Abscess; Macrophages; Mice; Mice, Knockout; Monocytes; Toll-Like Receptor 2
PubMed: 31297109
DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.01388 -
Dermatopathology (Basel, Switzerland) May 2022Pemphigus is a chronic blistering disorder caused by autoantibodies that target desmosomal proteins in the epidermis. Acantholysis may be absent, and pemphigus may...
Pemphigus is a chronic blistering disorder caused by autoantibodies that target desmosomal proteins in the epidermis. Acantholysis may be absent, and pemphigus may present only with spongiosis and vesiculation, thereby leading to a misdiagnosis of eczema. Herein, we conducted a retrospective, observational, single-center study to establish a pattern of spongiosis in cases of pemphigus confirmed by direct immunofluorescence. Immunopathologically diagnosed pemphigus specimens from 2001 to 2020 were retrieved, and specimens with spongiosis were analyzed for the following features: vesiculation, acantholysis, spongiosis, inflammatory cells in the epidermis, and inflammation in the dermis. Cases of spongiotic dermatitis were used as control. Out of 99 immunopathologically diagnosed pemphigus specimens, 41 samples with spongiosis were identified. About one quarter of the specimens did not have acantholysis. Spongiosis in the middle to lower thirds of the perilesional epidermis (p = 0.030), exocytosis with either neutrophils or eosinophils (p = 0.016), dermal infiltrates composed of lymphocytes, eosinophils, and neutrophils (p = 0.012), and absence of Langerhans cell microabscesses (p < 0.001) were more common in pemphigus than control. Spongiosis in pemphigus may mimic eczema in patients without acantholysis. The subtle histological findings in this study provide diagnostic clues and suggest that further immunofluorescence should be performed to confirm pemphigus diagnosis.
PubMed: 35645233
DOI: 10.3390/dermatopathology9020022 -
Journal of Education & Teaching in... Jan 2023Small bowel diverticulitis is an uncommon subset of acute diverticulitis and can mimic many other intra-abdominal processes. As a result, imaging modalities such as...
UNLABELLED
Small bowel diverticulitis is an uncommon subset of acute diverticulitis and can mimic many other intra-abdominal processes. As a result, imaging modalities such as ultrasound and computed tomography (CT) scan are especially important for timely recognition of diverticulitis and can expedite diagnosis and treatment and reduce complications. In the case described in this report, an 81-year-old male with history of esophageal cancer and recurrent diverticulitis with history of multiple bowel resections presented to the emergency department (ED) with right lower quadrant abdominal pain and constipation. Findings on ultrasound were suggestive of diverticulitis, and findings on CT of the abdomen and pelvis showed ileitis with phlegmon and micro-abscess suspicious for small bowel diverticulitis. ED providers should familiarize themselves with ultrasound findings of diverticulitis and be aware that diverticulitis can also present in the small bowel. Treatment of small bowel diverticulitis is similar to colonic diverticulitis.
TOPICS
Ileitis, small bowel diverticulitis, abdominal ultrasound.
PubMed: 37465035
DOI: 10.21980/J8F078 -
The Korean Journal of Internal Medicine May 2022
Topics: Diabetes Mellitus; Humans; Kidney; Necrosis
PubMed: 35417650
DOI: 10.3904/kjim.2021.411 -
Oncology Letters Jan 2020Granulomatous lobular mastitis (GLM) and mammary duct ectasia (MDE) are inflammatory diseases. However, only a limited number of studies have focused on characterizing...
Granulomatous lobular mastitis (GLM) and mammary duct ectasia (MDE) are inflammatory diseases. However, only a limited number of studies have focused on characterizing their clinicopathological features. The aim of the present study was to investigate the etiology, clinicopathological characteristics and diagnosis of GLM and MDE. The clinical information and treatment of 118 female patients with pathologically-proven GLM or MDE were retrospectively analyzed in the present study. A total of 29 cases had GLM, 77 had MDE and 12 had GLM accompanied by MDE. GLM tends to occur in patients who have had their last birth within 5 years and are usually <40 years of age. GLM masses were usually larger than MDE masses and suppurated or ulcerated more easily. Histopathologically, GLM was characterized by a significant granulomatous inflammatory reaction centered on lobules. Compared with MDE, GLM had a higher incidence of granuloma and microabscess formation within the lobules and surrounding tissue. More multinucleated giant cells within granuloma were observed in patients with GLM than in those with MDE, while MDE was characterized by significant dilatation of the duct terminals and inflammatory changes in the duct wall and periductal tissues. When compared with patients with GLM, foam cells within the duct epithelium or surrounding stroma were more common in patients with MDE. The present study demonstrated that GLM and MDE had distinct clinicopathological characteristics. Further research is required in order to identify more appropriate treatment strategies for these specific types of breast inflammation.
PubMed: 31885718
DOI: 10.3892/ol.2019.11156 -
Biomedicines Dec 2022Mastitis is the most devastating economic disease in dairy cattle. Mastitis in dairy cattle frequently occurs during the dry period or during early lactation. () and...
Mastitis is the most devastating economic disease in dairy cattle. Mastitis in dairy cattle frequently occurs during the dry period or during early lactation. () and ()are the main causative agents of mastitis in India. can form microabscesses in the udder and develop a subclinical form of mastitis. This bacterial property hinders an effective cure during the lactation period. Antimicrobials used for treatments have a short half-life at the site of action because of frequent milking; thereforethey are unable to maintain the desired drug concentration for effective clearance of bacteria. We demonstrated the potential of ciprofloxacin-encapsulated nanocarriersthat can improve the availability of drugs and provide an effective means for mastitis treatment. These drug-loaded nanoparticles show low toxicity and slow clearance from the site of action. Antimicrobial activity against clinical strains of and showed that the zone of inhibition depended on the dose (0.5 mg to 2 mg/mL nanoparticle solution from 11.6 to 14.5 mm and 15 to 18 mm). These nanoparticles showed good antimicrobial activity in broth culture and agar diffusion assay against bacteria.
PubMed: 36552038
DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines10123282 -
Cytotherapy Aug 2023The most clinically trialed cells, mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs), are now known to mainly exert their therapeutic activity through paracrine secretions, which include...
The most clinically trialed cells, mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs), are now known to mainly exert their therapeutic activity through paracrine secretions, which include exosomes. To mitigate potential regulatory concerns on the scalability and reproducibility in the preparations of MSC exosomes, MSC exosomes were produced using a highly characterized MYC-immortalized monoclonal cell line. These cells do not form tumors in athymic nude mice or exhibit anchorage-independent growth, and their exosomes do not carry MYC protein or promote tumor growth. Unlike intra-peritoneal injections, topical applications of MSC exosomes in a mouse model of IMQ-induced psoriasis alleviate interleukin (IL)-17, IL-23 and terminal complement complex, C5b9 in psoriatic skin. When applied on human skin explants, fluorescence from covalently labeled fluorescent MSC exosomes permeated and persisted in the stratum corneum for about 24 hours with negligible exit out of the stratum corneum into the underlying epidermis. As psoriatic stratum corneums are uniquely characterized by activated complements and Munro microabscesses, we postulated that topically applied exosomes permeate the psoriatic stratum corneum to inhibit C5b9 complement complex through CD59, and this inhibition attenuated neutrophil secretion of IL-17. Consistent with this, we demonstrated that assembly of C5b9 on purified human neutrophils induced IL-17 secretion and this induction was abrogated by MSC exosomes, which was in turn abrogated by a neutralizing anti-CD 59 antibody. We thus established the mechanism of action for the alleviation of psoriatic IL-17 by topically applied exosomes.
Topics: Animals; Mice; Humans; Exosomes; Interleukin-17; Mice, Nude; Reproducibility of Results; Psoriasis; Mesenchymal Stem Cells
PubMed: 37115163
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcyt.2023.03.015 -
The American Journal of Pathology Jan 2005Alcohol consumption is a risk factor for chronic pancreatitis (CP), but the mechanism in humans remains obscure because prolonged alcohol consumption in most humans and...
Alcohol consumption is a risk factor for chronic pancreatitis (CP), but the mechanism in humans remains obscure because prolonged alcohol consumption in most humans and animal models fails to produce alcoholic chronic pancreatitis (ACP). We hypothesize that the process leading to ACP is triggered by a sentinel acute pancreatitis (AP) event; this event causes recruitment of inflammatory cells, which initiates fibrosis driven by the anti-inflammatory response to recurrent AP and/or chronic oxidative stress. The aim was to determine whether chronic alcohol consumption accelerates fibrosis in response to cerulein-induced pancreatitis in the rat. Wistar male rats were pair-fed control (C) or 5% ethanol (E) Lieber-DeCarli liquid diets. Animals were studied without pancreatitis (P0), with cerulein pancreatitis induced once (P1), or with cerulein-induced pancreatitis weekly for 3 weeks (P3). AP markers, inflammation, and fibrosis were measured histologically, by gene expression profiling and protein expression. Macrophage infiltration was reduced in EP0 versus CP0 rats, but the pattern was reversed after AP. Microabscess, severe necrosis, and early calcification were only induced in the EP3 rats. Fibrosis was significantly induced in the EP3 rats versus EP1, CP1, and CP3 by histology, hydroxyproline content, and mRNA expression for collagen alpha1(1) and procollagen alpha2(1). Proinflammatory cytokine mRNAs were up-regulated shortly after induction of AP, while the anti-inflammatory cytokines (interleukin-10 and transforming growth factor-beta) were strongly up-regulated later and in parallel with fibrogenesis, especially in the EP3 rats. Pancreatic fibrosis develops after repeated episodes of AP and is potentiated by alcohol. Expression of fibrosis-associated genes was associated with expression of anti-inflammatory cytokines in alcohol-fed rats.
Topics: Alcohol Drinking; Alcoholism; Animals; Ceruletide; Chronic Disease; DNA Primers; Disease Models, Animal; Fibrosis; Gene Expression Regulation; Male; Pancreatitis; Polymerase Chain Reaction; RNA, Messenger; Rats; Rats, Wistar
PubMed: 15632003
DOI: 10.1016/S0002-9440(10)62235-3 -
Clinical Epigenetics Mar 2022Psoriasis is a chronic and hyperproliferative skin disease featured by hyperkeratosis with parakeratosis, Munro micro-abscess, elongation of rete pegs, granulosa...
BACKGROUND
Psoriasis is a chronic and hyperproliferative skin disease featured by hyperkeratosis with parakeratosis, Munro micro-abscess, elongation of rete pegs, granulosa thinning, and lymphocyte infiltration. We previously profiled gene expression and chromatin accessibility of psoriatic skins by transcriptome sequencing and ATAC-seq. However, integrating both of these datasets to unravel gene expression regulation is lacking. Here, we integrated transcriptome and ATAC-seq of the same psoriatic and normal skin tissues, trying to leverage the potential role of chromatin accessibility and their function in histopathology features.
RESULTS
By inducing binding and expression target analysis (BETA) algorithms, we explored the target prediction of transcription factors binding in 15 psoriatic and 19 control skins. BETA identified 408 upregulated genes (rank product < 0.01) and 133 downregulated genes linked with chromatin accessibility. We noticed that cumulative fraction of genes in upregulation group was statistically higher than background, while that of genes in downregulation group was not significant. KEGG pathway analysis showed that the upregulated 408 genes were enriched in TNF, NOD, and IL-17 signaling pathways. In addition, the motif module in BETA suggested the 57 upregulated genes are targeted by transcription factor AP-1, indicating that increased chromatin accessibility facilitated the binding of AP-1 to the target regions and further induced expression of relevant genes. Among these genes, SQLE, STRN, EIF4, and MYO1B expression was increased in patients with hyperkeratosis, parakeratosis, and acanthosis thickening.
CONCLUSIONS
In summary, with the advantage of BETA, we identified a series of genes that contribute to the disease pathogenesis, especially in modulating histopathology features, providing us with new clues in treating psoriasis.
Topics: Chromatin; DNA Methylation; Humans; Parakeratosis; Psoriasis; Transcription Factor AP-1; Transcriptome
PubMed: 35277199
DOI: 10.1186/s13148-022-01250-6