National Jewish Health

About: National Jewish Health is a healthcare organization based out in Denver, Colorado, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Asthma & T cell. The organization has 883 authors who have published 833 publications receiving 79201 citations. The organization is also known as: National Jewish Medical and Research Center.

Presence of IgE antibodies to staphylococcal exotoxins on the skin of patients with atopic dermatitis. Evidence for a new group of allergens.

Abstract: In the current study, we investigated whether Staphylococcus aureus grown from affected skin of atopic dermatitis (AD) patients secreted identifiable toxins that could act as allergens to induce IgE-mediated basophil histamine release. The secreted toxins of S. aureus grown from AD patients were identified by ELISA using antibodies specific for staphylococcal enterotoxin (SE) exfoliative toxin (ET), or toxic shock syndrome toxin (TSST-1). S. aureus isolates from 24 of 42 AD patients secreted identifiable toxins with SEA, SEB, and TSST accounting for 92% of the isolates. 32 of 56 AD sera (57%) tested contained significant levels of IgE primarily to SEA, SEB, and/or TSST. In contrast, although SEA, SEB, or TSST secreting S. aureus could be recovered from the skin of psoriasis patients, their sera did not contain IgE antitoxins. Freshly isolated basophils from 10 AD patients released 5-59% of total histamine in response to SEA, SEB, or TSST-1 but only with toxins to which patients had specific IgE. Basophils from eight other AD patients and six normal controls who had no IgE antitoxin failed to demonstrate toxin-induced basophil histamine release. Stripped basophils sensitized with three AD sera containing IgE to toxin released 15-41% of total basophil histamine only when exposed to the relevant toxin, but not to other toxins. Sensitization of basophils with AD sera lacking IgE antitoxin did not result in release of histamine to any of the toxins tested. These data indicate that a subset of patients with AD mount an IgE response to SEs that can be grown from their skin. These toxins may exacerbate AD by activating mast cells, basophils, and/or other Fc epsilon-receptor bearing cells armed with the relevant IgE antitoxin.

The Roles of Antimicrobial Peptides in Innate Host Defense

Abstract: Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are multi-functional peptides whose fundamental biological role in vivo has been proposed to be the elimination of pathogenic microorganisms, including Gram-positive and -negative bacteria, fungi, and viruses. Genes encoding these peptides are expressed in a variety of cells in the host, including circulating phagocytic cells and mucosal epithelial cells, demonstrating a wide range of utility in the innate immune system. Expression of these genes is tightly regulated; they are induced by pathogens and cytokines as part of the host defense response, and they can be suppressed by bacterial virulence factors and environmental factors which can lead to increased susceptibility to infection. New research has also cast light on alternative functionalities, including immunomodulatory activities, which are related to their unique structural characteristics. These peptides represent not only an important component of innate host defense against microbial colonization and a link between innate and adaptive immunity, but also form a foundation for the development of new therapeutic agents.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea: Brain Structural Changes and Neurocognitive Function before and after Treatment

Abstract: Rationale: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is commonly associated with neurocognitive impairments that have not been consistently related to specific brain structure abnormalities. Knowledge of the brain structures involved in OSA and the corresponding functional implications could provide clues to the pathogenesis of cognitive impairment and its reversibility in this disorder.Objectives: To investigate the cognitive deficits and the corresponding brain morphology changes in OSA, and the modifications after treatment, using combined neuropsychologic testing and voxel-based morphometry.Methods: A total of 17 patients treatment-naive to sleep apnea and 15 age-matched healthy control subjects underwent a sleep study, cognitive tests, and magnetic resonance imaging. After 3 months of treatment, cognitive and imaging data were collected to assess therapy efficacy.Measurements and Main Results: Neuropsychologic results in pretreatment OSA showed impairments in most cognitive areas, and in mood and sleepiness. The...

Idiopathic nonspecific interstitial pneumonia: Report of an American thoracic society project

Abstract: Rationale: The American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society International Consensus Classification panel identified the clinical entity idiopathic nonspecific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP) as a provisional diagnosis and recommended further study.Objectives: We hypothesized that idiopathic NSIP is an autoimmune disease and the lung manifestation of undifferentiated connective tissue disease (UCTD), a recently described, distinct entity.Methods: We studied 28 consecutive patients with idiopathic interstitial pneumonia (IIP) enrolled in the University of California, San Francisco Interstitial Lung Disease Center who met prespecified criteria for UCTD, as follows: at least one clinical manifestation of connective tissue disease, serologic evidence of systemic inflammation in the absence of clinical infection, and absence of sufficient American College of Rheumatology criteria for another connective tissue disease. Medical record reviews, evaluation of radiographs, and scoring of lung biopsies were p...

Modern age pathology of pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Abstract: Rationale: The impact of modern treatments of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) on pulmonary vascular pathology remains unknown. Objectives:Toassessthespectrumofpulmonaryvascularremodeling in the modern era of PAH medication. Methods: Assessmentofpulmonaryvascularremodelingandinflammation in 62 PAH and 28 control explanted lungs systematically sampled. Measurements and Main Results: Intima and intima plus media fractional thicknesses of pulmonary arteries were increased in the PAH group versus the control lungs and correlated with pulmonary hemodynamicmeasurements.DespiteahighvariabilityofmorphologicalmeasurementswithinagivenPAHlungandamongallPAHlungs, distinct pathological subphenotypes were detected in cohorts of PAH lungs. These included a subset of lungs lacking intima or, most prominently, media remodeling, which had similar numbers of profiles of plexiform lesions as those in lungs with more pronounced remodeling.Markedperivascularinflammationwaspresentinahigh number of PAH lungs and correlated with intima plus media remodeling. The number of profiles of plexiform lesions was significantly lower in lungs of male patients and those never treated with prostacyclin or its analogs. Conclusions:Our resultsindicate thatmultiplefeaturesofpulmonary vascular remodeling are present in patients treated with modern PAH therapies. Perivascular inflammation may have an important role in the processes of vascular remodeling, all of which may ultimately lead to increased pulmonary artery pressure. Moreover, our study provides a framework to interpret and design translational studies in PAH.