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Topic Review
NOD1, NOD2, and NLRC5 Receptors
The innate immune system recognizes pathogen-associated molecular motifs through pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) that induce inflammasome assembly in macrophages and trigger signal transduction pathways, thereby leading to the transcription of inflammatory cytokine genes. Nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain (NOD)-like receptors (NLRs) represent a family of cytosolic PRRs involved in the detection of intracellular pathogens such as mycobacteria or viruses.
  • 1.0K
  • 23 Sep 2022
Topic Review
Antibodies induced by Glycosphingolipids
Glycosphingolipids containing very-long-chain fatty acids (VLCFAs) regulate several immune responses, such as cytokine production, immune signaling, and antibody induction. Here, we report that immunization with glycosphingolipids containing-VLCFAs can efficiently induce the production of anti-glycan antibodies by B cells.
  • 1.0K
  • 30 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Combination Antibody Therapy against Pseudomonas aeruginosa Infections
Despite advances in antimicrobial therapy and even the advent of some effective vaccines, Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) remains a significant cause of infectious disease, primarily due to antibiotic resistance. Although P. aeruginosa is commonly treatable with readily available therapeutics, these therapies are not always efficacious, particularly for certain classes of patients (e.g., cystic fibrosis (CF)) and for drug-resistant strains. Combinations of monoclonal antibodies against different targets and epitopes have demonstrated synergistic efficacy with each other as well as in combination with antimicrobial agents typically used to treat these infections. Such a strategy has reduced the ability of infectious agents to develop resistance. This entry highlights potential targets secreted by P. aeruginosa that future polyclonal antibodies may directed against in order to develop more efficacious treatments against these infections. 
  • 1.0K
  • 06 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Molecular Epidemiology across Cancer Types in Microsatellite Instability
Microsatellite instability (MSI) occurs in a wide variety of tumor types and is one of the most important predictive biomarkers for immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy.
  • 1.0K
  • 23 Apr 2023
Topic Review
Caspase-11 Non-Canonical Inflammasome
Inflammation is a body’s protective mechanism to eliminate invading pathogens and cellular damaging signals. The inflammatory response consists of two main consecutive steps—a priming step preparing the inflammatory responses and a triggering step boosting the inflammatory responses. The main feature of the triggering step is the activation of the inflammasome, an intracellular multiprotein complex facilitating the inflammatory responses. The regulatory roles of ‘canonical’ inflammasomes in the inflammatory responses and diseases have been largely investigated, so far. New types of inflammasomes have been recently discovered and named as ‘non-canonical’ inflammasomes since their roles to induce inflammatory responses are similar to those of canonical inflammasomes, however, the stimulating ligands and the underlying mechanisms are different. Therefore, a growing number of studies have actively investigated the novel roles of non-canonical inflammasomes in inflammatory responses and diseases.
  • 1.0K
  • 01 Nov 2020
Topic Review
Macrophages and Wnts in Tissue Injury and Repair
Macrophages, one of the body’s most abundant populations of leukocytes, are mainly derived from the yolk sac during embryogenesis and are found in almost every tissue that plays an essential role during mammalian development. They are specialized phagocytes, large vacuolated cells with abundant cytoplasm containing lysosomal granules. Wnt signaling is a conserved pathway across species. It is involved in various essential tasks by regulating cell differentiation, proliferation, stem cell development, immune cell functions, and tissue repair. Evidence for the Wnt system’s pivotal role is that aberrant alterations of this molecular pathway are involved in multiple human disorders and pathologies, such as congenital abnormalities, autoimmune diseases, and cancer. Wnt and macrophages in the most immunologically active lung, liver, intestine, kidney, heart, and skin are discussed.
  • 1.0K
  • 26 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cells in Solid Tumors
The immune response, both innate and adaptive, is a key player in cancer development and progression. Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) are a subset of dendritic cells that play one of the central roles in the immune system. They are known mostly as the major IFN type I-producing cells upon stimulation of Toll-like receptors 7 and 9.
  • 1.0K
  • 15 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Immunosenescence, Inflammaging, and COVID-19
Aging is characterized by the dynamic remodeling of the immune system designated “immunosenescence,” and is associated with altered hematopoiesis, thymic involution, and lifelong immune stimulation by multitudinous chronic stressors, including the cytomegalovirus (CMV). Such alterations may contribute to a lowered proportion of naïve T-cells and to reduced diversity of the T-cell repertoire. In the peripheral circulation, a shift occurs towards accumulations of T and B-cell populations with memory phenotypes, and to accumulation of putatively senescent and exhausted immune cells. The aging-related accumulations of functionally exhausted memory T lymphocytes, commonly secreting pro-inflammatory cytokines, together with mediators and factors of the innate immune system, are considered to contribute to the low-grade inflammation (inflammaging) often observed in elderly people. These senescent immune cells not only secrete inflammatory mediators, but are also able to negatively modulate their environments. In this review, we give a short summary of the ways that immunosenescence, inflammaging, and CMV infection may cause insufficient immune responses, contribute to the establishment of the hyperinflammatory syndrome and impact the severity of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in elderly people.
  • 1.0K
  • 19 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Inflammaging, an Imbalanced Immune Response
Nowadays, new advances in society and health have brought an increased life expectancy. However, at the same time, aging comes with complications that impact the development of autoimmunity, neurodegenerative diseases and cancer. These complications affect the quality of life and impact the public health system. Specifically, with aging, a low-grade chronic sterile systemic inflammation with self-reactivity in the absence of acute infection occurs termed inflammaging. Inflammaging is related to an imbalanced immune response that can be either naturally acquired with aging or accelerated due to external triggers. Different molecules, metabolites and inflammatory forms of cell death are highly involved in these processes. Importantly, adoptive cellular immunotherapy is a modality of treatment for cancer patients that administers ex vivo expanded immune cells in the patient. The manipulation of these cells confers them enhanced proinflammatory properties. A general consequence of proinflammatory events is the development of autoimmune diseases and cancer.
  • 999
  • 11 Oct 2021
Topic Review
Chromogranin A -Derived Peptides as Inflammatory Modulator Molecules
Chromogranin A (CgA) is a glyco-phosphoprotein discovered for the first time in the adrenal medulla but also produced in several cells. CgA can generate different derived antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) influencing numerous physiological processes. CgA-derived peptides modulate inflammation and represent an example of endogenous Multifunctional AMPs (MF-AMPs).
  • 999
  • 21 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Immunology in the Acute Phase of COVID-19
COVID-19 is a viral disease that has caused millions of deaths around the world since 2020. Many strategies have been developed to manage patients in critical conditions; comprehension of the immune system is a key factor in viral clearance, tissue repairment, and adaptive immunity stimulus. Participation of immunity has been identified as a major factor, along with biomarkers, prediction of clinical outcomes, and antibody production after infection. Immune cells have been proposed not only as a hallmark of severity, but also as a predictor of clinical outcomes, while dynamics of inflammatory molecules can also induce worse consequences for acute patients.
  • 999
  • 29 Mar 2023
Topic Review
Mining the Immunopeptidome for Antigenic Peptides in Cancer
Harnessing the immune system for cancer therapy has shown success, however the response to immunotherapy has been limited. Deciphering the immunopeptidome repertoire of cancer cells is crucial for identifying neoantigens. To date the emphasis has been on mutations. However, there is more to neoantigens than mutations. Thus, there is a need to identify other types of neoantigens that are commonly expressed in a cancer type that are presented by MHC class I and class II, to induce a cytotoxic CD8+ T and CD4+ T response, respectively. The immunopeptidome encompasses protein post-translation modifications (PTMs), which are overlooked by genome or transcriptome profiling. This entry covers how the immunopeptidome can yield novel cancer-specific antigens, focusing on PTMs and their applications.
  • 999
  • 26 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Vaccination under COVID-19 Pandemic
The current COVID-19 pandemic, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has raised significant economic, social, and psychological concerns. The rapid spread of the virus, coupled with the absence of vaccines and antiviral treatments for SARS-CoV-2, has galvanized a major global endeavor to develop effective vaccines. Within a matter of just a few months of the initial outbreak, research teams worldwide, adopting a range of different strategies, embarked on a quest to develop effective vaccine that could be effectively used to suppress this virulent pathogen. 
  • 998
  • 08 Feb 2021
Topic Review
The Immunomodulatory Effects of Statins on Macrophages
Statins are 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors used worldwide to manage dyslipidaemia and thus limit the development of atherosclerotic disease and its complications. These atheroprotective drugs are now known to exert pleiotropic actions outside of their cholesterol-lowering activity, including altering immune cell function. Macrophages are phagocytic leukocytes that play critical functional roles in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and are directly targeted by statins. Early studies documented the anti-inflammatory effects of statins on macrophages, but emerging evidence suggests that these drugs can also enhance pro-inflammatory macrophage responses, creating an unresolved paradox. 
  • 997
  • 08 Jun 2022
Topic Review
Chimeric Antigen Receptor T cells in Multiple Myeloma
Multiple myeloma is a disease of malignant plasma cells and the second most common hematological cancer. This entry describes the history and use of CAR-T cells for the treatment of this disease as well as comment on future approaches.
  • 996
  • 03 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Caspase-1 Inhibition
The inflammatory protease caspase-1 is associated with the release of cytokines. An excessive number of cytokines (a “cytokine storm”) is a dangerous consequence of COVID-19 infection and has been indicated as being among the causes of death by COVID-19. The anti-inflammatory drug colchicine (which is reported in the literature to be a caspase-1 inhibitor) and the corticosteroid drugs, dexamethasone and methylprednisolone, are among the most effective active compounds for COVID-19 treatment.
  • 996
  • 18 Feb 2022
Topic Review
Functional Foods in the Context of Viral Infection
The concept of functional foods is thought to have first arisen in Japan less than 40 years ago, with the Japanese initiating the concept of functional food science based on the words of the ancient Chinese, in which they stated that “Medicine and food are isogenic”. Here we discuss the immunomodulatory mechanisms of key functional foods, including dairy proteins and hydrolysates, plant-based functional foods, fermentates, and foods enriched with vitamin D, zinc, and selenium. Our findings reveal four key immunity boosting mechanisms by functional foods, including inhibition of viral proliferation and binding to host cells, modulation of the innate immune response in macrophages and dendritic cells, enhancement of specific immune responses in T cells and B cells, and promotion of the intestinal barrier function. Overall, this entry demonstrates that diet-derived nutrients and functional foods show immense potential to boost viral immunity in high-risk individuals and can be an important approach to improving overall immune health.
  • 996
  • 10 Aug 2023
Topic Review
Platelet Biology
Platelets are generated from megakaryocytes in a multi-step process called thrombopoiesis regulated by thrombopoietin. Thrombopoietin stimulates its receptor in megakaryocytes to induce the genesis of pro-platelets via a mechanism activated by low platelet counts. Platelet counts in blood are controlled by the rates of production and removal, involving mechanisms of platelet clearance, activation or ageing. Platelets are the most numerous circulating cell type (≈200,000/µL blood in humans) with an immune function. 
  • 994
  • 14 Feb 2022
Topic Review
Causality of Vaccine Allergy
Vaccines constitute the most effective medications in public health as they control and prevent the spread of infectious diseases and reduce mortality. Similar to other medications, allergic reactions can occur during vaccination. While most reactions are neither frequent nor serious, anaphylactic reactions are potentially life-threatening allergic reactions that are encountered rarely, but can cause serious complications. The allergic responses caused by vaccines can stem from activation of mast cells via Fcε receptor-1 type I reaction, mediated by the interaction between immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies against a particular vaccine, and occur within minutes or up to four hours. 
  • 993
  • 29 Mar 2021
Topic Review
Cytokine Profile with Multiple Sclerosis Following Exercise
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is defined as an immune-mediated inflammatory, neurodegenerative, and demyelinating disease that impacts the central nervous system (CNS) in young individuals. 
  • 992
  • 18 Aug 2022
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