PubMed Health⌕ Search

SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “Systemic inflammation”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 289 records · Page 16Linked to original sources

Systemic inflammation in cardiovascular and periodontal disease: comparative study.

Epidemiological studies have implicated periodontal disease (PD) as a risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). These studies addressed the premise that local infection may perturb the levels of systemic inflammatory mediators, thereby promoting mechanisms of atherosclerosis. Levels of inflammatory mediators in the sera of subjects with only PD, only CVD, both diseases, or neither condition were compared. Subjects were assessed for levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), serum amyloid A (SAA), ceruloplasmin, alpha(1)-acid-glycoprotein (AAG), alpha(1)-antichymotrypsin (ACT), and the soluble cellular adhesion molecules sICAM-1 and sVCAM by enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent and/or radial immunodiffusion assays. CRP levels in subjects with either condition alone were elevated twofold above subjects with neither disease, whereas a threefold increase was noted in subjects with both diseases (P = 0.0389). Statistically significant increases in SAA and ACT were noted in subjects with both conditions compared to those with one or neither condition (P = 0.0162 and 0.0408, respectively). Ceruloplasmin levels were increased in subjects with only CVD (P = 0.0001). Increases in sVCAM levels were noted in all subjects with CVD (P = 0.0054). No differences in sICAM levels were noted among subject groups. A trend toward higher levels of AAG was noted in subjects with both conditions and for ACT in subjects with only PD. Immunohistochemical examination of endarterectomy specimens of carotid arteries from subjects with atherosclerosis documented SAA and CRP deposition in association with atheromatous lesions. The data support the hypothesis that localized persistent infection may influence systemic levels of inflammatory mediators. Changes in inflammatory mediator levels potentially impact inflammation-associated atherosclerotic processes.

Acute-Phase Reaction↗

Systemic inflammation in COPD: is genetic susceptibility a key factor?

COPD is a multicomponent disease characterized by abnormal inflammatory response of the lungs to noxious particles that is accompanied by systemic effects like weight loss, muscle wasting, reduced functional capacity and impaired health status. A persistent low-grade systemic inflammatory response reflected by enhanced levels of acute phase proteins like C-reactive protein (CRP) and pro-inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, is present in part of the COPD population. The production of inflammatory proteins is partly genetically determined. Several studies have shown that polymorphisms within genes coding for these inflammatory mediators may modulate systemic inflammatory responses. Among all of these genes, the TNF family (TNF-alpha, lymphotoxin (LT)-alph and their receptors TNF-R55 and TNF-R75), interleukin (IL)-6 and CRP gene polymorphisms are the most prominent candidates. However, large carefully designed studies in well-characterized COPD cohorts are required to unravel the exact role of genetic background in the systemic component of this disease.

C-Reactive Protein↗

Concurrent depression of tumor macrophage infiltration and systemic inflammation by progressive cancer growth.

Macrophage accumulation during the growth of a peritoneal ascites and three s.c. tumors in two animal species was analyzed and correlated with the capacity of the same tumor-bearing host to respond to inflammatory stimuli at sites distant to the tumor. Two of the three s.c. tumors induced systemic defects in macrophage accumulation; the tumor that did not (P-815 mastocytoma) did depress inflammation when transplanted to the peritoneal site. Macrophage accumulation within different tumors varied but, for a given tumor, it occurred in proportion to tumor growth when systemic inflammatory reactions were normal. However, the tumor to macrophage ratio increased dramatically and concurrently with onset of the generalized defect in macrophage inflammatory responsiveness. Accordingly, we concluded that macrophage mobility tested at remote sites is indicative of inflammatory events within the tumor. However, the antiinflammatory effect directed against macrophages is probably not a significant factor in tumor emergence since the required number of tumor cells was large and variable between not only tumors but also sites of transplantation.

Animals↗

Urinary trypsin inhibitor protects against systemic inflammation induced by lipopolysaccharide.

Urinary trypsin inhibitor (UTI), a serine protease inhibitor, has been widely used as a drug for patients with acute inflammatory disorders such as disseminated intravascular coagulation, shock, and pancreatitis in Japan. Recent studies have demonstrated that serine protease inhibitors may play an anti-inflammatory role beyond merely an inhibitory action on neutrophil elastase at the site of inflammation at least in vitro. To clarify the direct contributions of UTI to inflammatory condition in vivo, we analyzed its roles in experimental systemic inflammatory response induced by intraperitoneal administration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) using UTI deficient (-/-) mice and corresponding wild-type (WT) mice. After LPS (1 mg/kg) challenge, UTI (-/-) mice revealed a significant elevation of plasma fibrinogen and fibrinogen/fibrin degradation products and a decrease in white blood cell counts compared with WT mice. LPS treatment induced more severe neutrophilic inflammation in the lung and the kidney obtained from UTI (-/-) mice than in those from WT mice, which was confirmed by histological examination. The protein levels of proinflammatory mediators, such as macrophage chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1 in the lungs, MCP-1 and keratinocyte chemoattractant (KC) in the kidneys, and interleukin-1beta, macrophage inflammatory protein-2, MCP-1, and KC in the liver, were significantly greater in UTI (-/-) mice than in WT mice after LPS challenge. Our results suggest that UTI protects against systemic inflammatory response and subsequent organ injury induced by bacterial endotoxin, at least partly through the inhibition of the enhanced expression of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines.

Animals↗

Severity and extent of osteoarthritis and low grade systemic inflammation as assessed by high sensitivity C reactive protein.

BACKGROUND: Although osteoarthritis (OA) is thought to derive from defective chondrocyte metabolism and thus inherently lack the large scale systemic response of rheumatoid arthritis, there is increasing interest in the acute phase proteins in OA. OBJECTIVE: To assess the association between high sensitivity C reactive protein (hsCRP) and severity and extent of OA in patients with advanced hip and knee OA. METHODS: Preoperative hsCRP was measured in frozen serum samples from 770 consecutive patients with hip or knee joint replacement due to advanced OA recruited between 1995 and 1996. Pain was measured by a visual analogue scale and the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities OA index (WOMAC). The extent of OA in different joints was assessed clinically and radiographically. RESULTS: The (geometric) mean hsCRP was 2.5 mg/l among all patients. Severity of pain was associated with mean hsCRP (adjusted elevation highest v lowest quintile = 35%, p = 0.01) after controlling for known or suspected predictors of hsCRP, including age, smoking, and body mass index. Neither the bilateral nor the generalised extent of OA, nor any of the dimensions of the WOMAC were associated with mean hsCRP levels. CONCLUSIONS: Severity of pain, but not extent of OA, was associated with hsCRP levels in this group of patients with advanced OA. Longitudinal studies with repeated assessments of hsCRP and pain are needed to assess the possible value of hsCRP for monitoring or predicting the clinical course of OA.

Acute Disease↗

Effects of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma agonists on central nervous system inflammation.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-gamma) plays a critical role in glucose and lipid metabolism. More recently, PPAR-gamma ligands have been reported to inhibit the expression of proinflammatory molecules by monocytes/macrophages. Of relevance to CNS disease is that PPAR-gamma agonists have been demonstrated to have similar effects on microglia. PPAR-gamma agonists also ameliorate experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, an animal model of multiple sclerosis. This Mini-Review summarizes the effects of PPAR-gamma agonists in mediating immune responses and the potential of these agonists in the treatment of inflammatory disorders of the CNS.

Animals↗

Brain RNA expression in obese vs lean mice after LPS-induced systemic inflammation.

Mortality of obese patients with severe sepsis is higher than non-obese patients. Thus far, a pathophysiologic mechanism has not been identified that explains this higher mortality. The central nervous system is now becoming increasingly recognized as a target organ in sepsis and the systemic inflammatory response syndrome and may hold clues to the deleterious affects of obesity in patients with sepsis syndrome. In this study, obese and non-obese mice were given LPS IP and the brains were harvested 2 hours after injection. The brains were processed and mRNA isolated and hybridized to a microarray chip and processed. Analysis of gene expression demonstrated distinct expression difference between the lean and obese animals. Ontology data supports clear differences between the lean and obese groups in the coagulation system, neuro-endocrine system, lipid transport and insulin receptors. Approximately eighty genes were identified to show 10-fold differential expression between the obese and lean mice.

Animals↗

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma polymorphisms affect systemic inflammation and survival in end-stage renal disease patients starting renal replacement therapy.

BACKGROUND: Inflammation may contribute to the markedly increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in end-stage renal disease (ESRD). However, the prevalence of inflammation varies in different ESRD populations. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-gamma) is an important nuclear signaling protein that may regulate inflammatory response, and recent studies have revealed genetic polymorphisms that have significant effect on PPAR-gamma signaling. The aim of this study was to clarify whether the PPAR-gamma 161C/T and PPAR-gamma2 Pro12Ala single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) influence the inter-individual variance of inflammation and mortality in ESRD patients. METHODS: The present prospective study included 229 incident Caucasian ESRD patients (62% males) just prior to starting renal replacement therapy and 207 healthy controls (62% males). Blood samples were taken for measuring systemic inflammatory (CRP, TNF-alpha, IL-6) and nutritional (S-albumin) parameters. The presence of diabetes mellitus, malnutrition (subjective global assessment (SGA)) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) were also assessed. Genotyping of the two PPAR-gamma SNPs was performed using Pyrosequencing. During follow-up (1621+/-63 days), both all-cause and CVD-mortality were investigated. RESULTS: ESRD patients had a higher prevalence of both the PPAR-gamma 161 CC and PPAR-gamma2 Pro12Pro genotypes than the general population (p<0.01). Whereas the Pro12Pro genotype was associated with higher median serum levels of both hs-CRP (p<0.05) and TNF-alpha (p<0.01) the 161CC genotype was associated with a significantly higher (6.6 mg/L versus 3.3 mg/L; p<0.01) median hs-CRP level. Following adjustment for age, gender, SGA and CVD a significantly higher mortality rate was observed in patients with the Pro12Pro genotype. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates significant differences in PPAR-gamma genotype distribution between ESRD patients and healthy controls. Furthermore, as the PPAR-gamma2 Pro12Pro genotype was associated with both higher levels of biomarkers of inflammation as well as shorter survival, genetic polymorphisms seem to play a role in determining systemic inflammatory status and outcome in this patient group.

Adult↗

Treatment of central nervous system inflammation with inhibitors of basement membrane degradation.

Currently available anti-inflammatory drugs for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) and other inflammatory diseases are generally inadequate, with disease progression not being arrested by the treatments and undesirable side effects posing problems. In response to these deficiencies our laboratories have, over the past 10 years, been developing novel drugs that interfere with the entry of leucocytes into inflammatory sites by inhibiting their passage through the subendothelial basement membrane (BM). This review initially summarizes evidence supporting the hypothesis that the subendothelial BM is a major barrier to the accumulation of leucocytes in inflammatory sites. An important point that has emerged is that breaching of the BM is probably a cooperative process, involving activation- and cytokine-induced degradative enzymes contributed by leucocytes, endothelial cells and platelets. The review then discusses the properties of three separate classes of anti-inflammatory compounds we have developed, namely sulfated polysaccharides/oligosaccharides, phosphosugars, and castanospermine (CS), which inhibit the passage of leukocytes through BM. Each drug type appears to prevent BM degradation by a different mechanism. Sulfated polysaccharides/oligosaccharides mediate their anti-inflammatory effect by inhibiting the endoglycosidase, heparanase, which plays a key role in the solubilization of BM by invading leucocytes. In fact, our studies have highlighted the heparanase enzyme as a major target for future drug development. Phosphosugars probably inhibit inflammation by displacing lysosomal enzymes, which are involved in BM degradation, from cell surface mannose 6-phosphate receptors. This mechanism of expressing degradative enzymes on the cell surface is particularly evident with activated T lymphocytes. On the other hand, CS interferes with appropriate targeting of lysosomal enzymes involved in BM degradation. For reasons which are still unclear, CS specifically inhibits BM degradation by endothelial cells, which results in a characteristic perivascular arrest of leucocytes in inflammatory sites. Overall, our studies have established that inhibitors of subendothelial BM degradation represent viable anti-inflammatory agents. It is hoped that future work will result in the development of a totally new class of highly effective, subtle and non-toxic anti-inflammatory drugs for the treatment of MS and other inflammatory diseases.

Animals↗

[Importance of serum interleukin-6 as a mediator of systemic inflammation in patients with alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency].

The objective of this study was to determine whether high concentrations of circulating interleukin-6 (IL-6) and/or the soluble receptor of IL-6 (SRIL-6) may mediate systemic inflammatory activity in patients with alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD). To that end we assessed serum concentrations of IL-6 and SRIL-6 for 7 patients with AATD in stable phase. The patients' mean age was 51 years (SD 5.2); mean FEV1% was 35.5% (SD 15%). IL-6 and SRIL-6 concentrations were compared with those of 23 non-AATD patients with COPD but with similar changes in lung function (mean age 63 years, SD 10.1; FEV1% 38.3%, SD 11%). The AADT patients had mean IL-6 concentrations of 4.7 pg/mL (interquartile range [IR( 4.0) and RSIL-6 levels of 129.1 ng/mL (IR 31.5). The COPD patients had IL-6 concentrations of 4.1 pg/mL (IR 4.2) and SRIL-6 levels of 140.8 ng/mL (IR 71). No significant differences between the AADT group and the COPD group were observed for either cytokine (non-parametric Mann Whitney U test, p > 0.05). Only one AADT patient had an IL-6 concentration that was higher than normal. In conclusion, the serum IL-6 and SRIL-6 concentrations of patients with AADT are not different from those of patients with COPD, similarly altered respiratory function and normal alpha-1 antitrypsin levels. These results do not point to a role for alpha-1 antitrypsin in systemic inflammatory stimulation in patients with AADT.

Data Interpretation, Statistical↗

A monoclonal natural autoantibody that promotes remyelination suppresses central nervous system inflammation and increases virus expression after Theiler's virus-induced demyelination.

We have used an established experimental model of multiple sclerosis to investigate the potential beneficial relationship between natural autoimmunity and remyelination after central nervous system (CNS) demyelination. Intracerebral infection of SJL/J mice with Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus (TMEV) produces chronic, progressive, inflammatory CNS demyelination. Chronically infected SJL/J mice show minimal spontaneous remyelination, which is in part due to a T cell-mediated immune response inhibiting myelin repair. We previously identified a monoclonal natural autoantibody, designated SCH94.03, that promotes remyelination when passively transferred to chronically infected SJL/J mice. The mechanism whereby SCH94.03 promotes remyelination is unknown, although previous reports suggest that natural autoantibodies can modulate immune system function. In this report we demonstrate that treatment with SCH94.03 reduced by 2- to 3-fold the number of CD4(+) and CD8(+) cells infiltrating the CNS of SJL/J mice chronically infected with TMEV, in the absence of global lymphocyte depletion. Associated with the decreased inflammation was a 2- to 3-fold increase in virus antigen expression without a significant increase in viral RNA or virus titers. Treatment with SCH94.03 also suppressed the humoral immune response to a T cell-dependent antigen in chronically infected mice. Immunohistochemical staining showed that SCH94.03 labeled MHC class II-positive dendritic cells in peripheral lymphoid organs. These results are consistent with the proposed immunomodulatory function of natural autoantibodies and suggest that one mechanism whereby SCH94.03 promotes CNS remyelination in chronically infected SJL/J mice is through inhibition of a pathogenic immune response.

Animals↗

Ovarian androgens but not estrogens correlate with the degree of systemic inflammation observed during controlled ovarian hyperstimulation.

AIM: To investigate the behavior and association of serum androgen and serum C-reactive protein (CRP) in patients undergoing controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) for in vitro fertilization (IVF). DESIGN: Prospective, observational study.Setting. An IVF unit of an academic medical center. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Blood was drawn three times during the COH cycle from 15 patients undergoing the long gonadotropin-releasing hormone-analog protocol: the day on which adequate suppression was obtained (Day-S); the day of or prior to administration of human chorionic gonadotropin (Day-hCG); and the day of ovum pick-up (Day-OPU). Levels of sex steroids and serum CRP were compared among the three time points. RESULTS: There was a significant increase in serum ovarian androgen levels during gonadotropin treatment. After hCG administration, there was a significant increase in the levels of both serum CRP and ovarian androgens (testosterone, androstenedione), with no significant change in adrenal androgen (dehydroepiandrosterone). Significant correlations were observed between CRP and ovarian androgen levels but not with dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate or estradiol levels. CONCLUSION: In patients undergoing COH for IVF, ovarian androgen levels increase in correlation with the degree of inflammation, as reflected by CRP levels. Further studies are necessary to elucidate whether androgens play a role in or are predictive of the systemic inflammatory response in COH.

Adult↗

STAT4 and STAT6 regulate systemic inflammation and protect against lethal endotoxemia.

Members of the signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) family are transcription factors that mediate many of the effects of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines. The progressive systemic inflammatory response induced by endotoxin is mediated by overzealous cytokine production. Here we identify STAT4 and STAT6 as critical regulators of the systemic inflammatory response to endotoxin. Mice deficient for STAT4 or STAT6 were highly susceptible to lethal endotoxemia. In STAT4(-/-) mice, antibody blockade of IL-12 prevented mortality, suggesting that STAT4 confers protection, while another signaling pathway mediates the detrimental effects of IL-12. In STAT6(-/-) mice we observed dysregulated activation of the transcription factor NF-kappaB, resulting in augmented production of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines. Furthermore, STAT6(-/-) mice displayed increased organ accumulation of leukocytes and significant hepatocellular injury. These findings demonstrate that STAT4 and STAT6 confer protection against endotoxin-induced death and that for STAT6 these protective effects occur through the regulation of NF-kappaB activation and subsequent production of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines.

Animals↗