Immune response markers

The cells are cultured and in vitro restimulated with antigen (here PT) for 12 h to mimic the encounter with the specific antigen in the body. Earlier studies have shown that an in vitro restimulation of mouse spleen lymphocytes with antigen for 4 and 24 h, can be used to study immune response as well as other cellular processes, such as apoptosis, inflammation, and so on (see Chapter 16). Our experiments, however, showed that immune response markers are expressed at later time-points as compared to mouse, and that 12 h of in vitro restimulation is the ideal time-point for the assessment of immune response genes (see Table 17.1) (see Note 1). 

Finally, in another study related to nutrition and the immune response in the aged, old mice were given oral doses of two amino acids (qv), lysine and arginine. The treated mice showed evidences of recovered mitogenic responsiveness, expression of T-ceU markers, and production of thymic semm factor (thymulin). The effect of the amino acid combination, sold commercially as Neoiodarsolo, seems to consist mainly of the reactivation of the... 

Finally, in addition to the issues of costs and secondary events, treatment is also lacking for many more at-risk patients who cannot undergo successful angioplasty. These patients, who may have either diffuse, nonstentable, bifurcated lesions, or multivessel disease (i.e., diabetics), are not benefiting as much from DES, and improved treatments here also remain a clear clinical need. Often there is a systemic and local activation of the immune response, followed by a consequent local vascular incident. The role of the systemic immune response in these individuals, as well as in cardiovascular patients in general, is evidenced by the numerous reports of correlation of disease with increases in plasma markers such as CRB tumor necrosis factor, and even circulating white cell counts (87-89). 

Nagy, A., Barath, A., Halasz, A., and Gelencser, E. 2005a. Modulating of the immune responses to a co-administered marker antigen by selected Lactobacillus strains used as oral adjuvant. Inform All Plenary Meeting 6, Athens, Greece, October 24-26, 2005. 

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