American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine
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Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. · Dec 2016
Polysaccharide-specific Memory B-cells Predict Protection Against Experimental Human Pneumococcal Carriage.
We have previously demonstrated that experimental pneumococcal carriage enhances immunity and protects healthy adults against carriage reacquisition after rechallenge with a homologous strain. ⋯ Our data indicate that naturally acquired PS-specific memory B cells, but not levels of circulating IgG at time of pneumococcal exposure, are associated with protection against carriage acquisition.
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Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. · Dec 2016
Detection and Quantification of Differentially Culturable Tubercle Bacteria in Sputum from Tuberculosis Patients.
Recent studies suggest that baseline tuberculous sputum comprises a mixture of routinely culturable and differentially culturable tubercle bacteria (DCTB). The latter seems to be drug tolerant and dependent on resuscitation-promoting factors (Rpfs). ⋯ These observations demonstrate a novel Rpf-independent DCTB population in sputum and reveal that reduced host immunity is associated with lower prevalence of CF-responsive bacteria. Quantification of DCTB in standard TB diagnosis would be beneficial because these organisms provide a putative biomarker to monitor treatment response and risk of disease recurrence.
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Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. · Dec 2016
Early Life Exposure to the Great Smog of 1952 and the Development of Asthma.
Little is known about the long-term effects of air pollution exposure and the root causes of asthma. We use exposure to intense air pollution from the 1952 Great Smog of London as a natural experiment to examine both issues. ⋯ These results are the first to link early-life pollution exposure to later development of asthma using a natural experiment, suggesting the legacy of the Great Smog is ongoing.
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Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. · Dec 2016
Therapeutic Targeting of the IL-6 Trans-signalling/mTORC1 Axis in Pulmonary Emphysema.
The potent immunomodulatory cytokine IL-6 is consistently up-regulated in human lungs with emphysema and in mouse emphysema models; however, the mechanisms by which IL-6 promotes emphysema remain obscure. IL-6 signals using two distinct modes: classical signaling via its membrane-bound IL-6 receptor (IL-6R), and trans-signaling via a naturally occurring soluble IL-6R. ⋯ Collectively, our data reveal that specific targeting of IL-6 trans-signaling may represent a novel treatment strategy for emphysema.