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Biomedical subjects

J Corne

Publications and source records attributed to J Corne.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

Increased frequency of detection of Chlamydophila pneumoniae in asthma.

Previous studies have suggested that chronic Chlamydophila pneumoniae infection may play a role in the pathogenesis of asthma. However, most studies have been based on serology and have been unable to differentiate acute from chronic infection. The present authors assessed the presence of acute and chronic C. pneumoniae infection in 74 spouse pairs, each consisting of one atopic asthmatic and one nonatopic nonasthmatic. Nasal secretions were sampled every 2 weeks from October to December and actively replicating C. pneumoniae infection was detected by specific RT-PCR. C. pneumoniae was detected in 31 out of 709 samples analysed, 23 (6.4%) were positive in 362 samples from asthmatic participants and in eight out of 347 (2.3%) samples from their normal spouses (with a significant difference in infection rates, 95% confidence interval: 4.2%, 1.2-7.2%). A total of 16 (22%) asthmatic and seven (9%) normal participants were positive at least once during the study. These data confirm that Chlamydophila pneumoniae infection is detected more frequently among asthmatic participants than normal control participants. Further studies are required to confirm whether infections are also present in the lower airway and whether Chlamydophila pneumoniae infection plays a role in disease pathogenesis.

Acute Disease↗

IL-13 stimulates vascular endothelial cell growth factor and protects against hyperoxic acute lung injury.

Hyperoxia is an important cause of acute lung injury. To determine whether IL-13 is protective in hyperoxia, we compared the survival in 100% O(2) of transgenic mice that overexpress IL-13 in the lung and of nontransgenic littermate controls. IL-13 enhanced survival in 100% O(2). One hundred percent of nontransgenic mice died in 4-5 days, whereas 100% of IL-13-overexpressing mice lived for more than 7 days, and many lived 10-14 days. IL-13 also stimulated VEGF accumulation in mice breathing room air, and it interacted with 100% (2) to increase VEGF accumulation further. The 164-amino acid isoform was the major VEGF moiety in bronchoalveolar lavage from transgenic mice in room air, whereas the 120- and 188-amino acid isoforms accumulated in these mice during hyperoxia. In addition, antibody neutralization of VEGF decreased the survival of IL-13-overexpressing mice in 100% (2). These studies demonstrate that IL-13 has protective effects in hyperoxic acute lung injury. They also demonstrate that IL-13, alone and in combination with 100% (2), stimulates pulmonary VEGF accumulation, that this stimulation is isoform-specific, and that the protective effects of IL-13 are mediated, in part, by VEGF.

Animals↗

The effect of intravenous administration of a chimeric anti-IgE antibody on serum IgE levels in atopic subjects: efficacy, safety, and pharmacokinetics.

CGP 51901 is a non-anaphylactogenic mouse/human chimeric anti-human IgE antibody that binds to free IgE and surface IgE of IgE-expressing B cells but not to IgE bound to high affinity IgE receptors (Fc epsilonR1) on mast cells and basophils or low affinity IgE receptors (Fc epsilonR2) on other cells. A phase 1 double-blind, placebo-controlled, single dose study with doses of 3, 10, 30, and 100 mg of CGP 51901 was conducted in 33 pollen-sensitive subjects who had raised levels of serum IgE and received either intravenous CGP 51901 or placebo. The administration of CGP 51901 was well tolerated and resulted in a decrease of serum free IgE levels in a dose-dependent manner, with suppression after 100 mg of CGP 51901 reaching > 96%. Time of recovery to 50% of baseline IgE correlated with the dose of administered antibody and ranged from a mean of 1.3 d for the 3 mg to 39 d for the 100 mg dose. Total IgE, comprised of free and complexed IgE, increased as stored and newly synthesized IgE bound to CGP 51901. Complexed IgE was eliminated at a rate comparable with the terminal half-life of free CGP 51901 (11-13 d at all doses). Only one subject showed a weak antibody response against CGP 51901. We conclude that the use of anti-human IgE antibody is safe and effective in reducing serum IgE levels in atopic individuals and provides a potential therapeutic approach to the treatment of atopic diseases.

Adolescent↗