At present, new therapeutic strategies, in addition to ERT, are u

At present, new therapeutic strategies, in addition to ERT, are under investigation. An emerging strategy for the treatment of PD is pharmacological chaperone therapy, based on the use of chaperone molecules that assist the folding of mutated enzymes and improve their stability and lysosomal trafficking. Pre-clinical studies demonstrated

a synergistic effect of pharmacological chaperones and ERT. Other approaches, also in a pre-clinical stage, include substrate reduction and gene therapy.”
“The nasolabial cyst is a rare, usually unilateral lesion arising in the soft tissues adjacent to the alveolar process of the anterior maxilla, above the apices of frontal teeth and below the alar base. The typical clinical features of nasolabial cysts are: swelling between the upper lip and nasal aperture caused by a smooth and fluctuant, well defined space-occupying lesion, elevation buy SHP099 of the nasal ala and obliteration of the nasolabial fold. This report describes some clinical, radiological and morphological findings in a nasolabial cyst. The cyst was lined up with bilayered epithelium showing scattered goblet cells. The immunohistochemical analysis revealed that the basaloid epithelial cells exhibited nuclear AG-014699 in vitro positive reactions for p63. The proliferative activity of the epithelial cells

was low (<5%). Reaction for podoplanin was only discretely positive in basal cells within the non-inflamed portions but was enhanced in areas with inflammatory changes of the cyst wall. Cytokeratin subtyping showed a distinct expression of intermediate filaments in the nasolabial cyst. Nasolabial cysts are developmental cysts that can be cured by adequate surgical techniques. The expression pattern of podoplanin in this entity points to an association of this protein expression with inflammatory reactions to the cyst.”
“Compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs can provide the same amount of lumens as incandescent light bulbs, using one quarter of the energy. Recently, CFL exposure was found to exacerbate existing skin conditions; however, the effects of CFL exposure on healthy skin tissue have not been thoroughly investigated. In this study,

we studied the effects of exposure to CFL illumination BMN 673 order on healthy human skin tissue cells (fibroblasts and keratinocytes). Cells exposed to CFLs exhibited a decrease in the proliferation rate, a significant increase in the production of reactive oxygen species, and a decrease in their ability to contract collagen. Measurements of UV emissions from these bulbs found significant levels of UVC and UVA (mercury [Hg] emission lines), which appeared to originate from cracks in the phosphor coatings, present in all bulbs studied. The response of the cells to the CFLs was consistent with damage from UV radiation, which was further enhanced when low dosages of TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs), normally used for UV absorption, were added prior to exposure.

(C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd All rights reserved “
“Study objectiv

(C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Study objective: The number of critically ill patients admitted to the emergency department increases daily. To decrease mortality, interventions and treatments should be conducted in a timely manner. It has been found that the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is related to mortality in some disease groups, such as acute coronary syndrome and pulmonary emboli. The https://www.selleckchem.com/products/z-ietd-fmk.html effect of the NLR on mortality is unknown in critically ill patients who are admitted to the emergency department. Our aim in this study is to evaluate the effect of the NLR on mortality in critically ill patients.

Methods: This study was planned as a prospective, observational cohort study. Patients who were admitted to the emergency department because they were critically ill and required the intensive care unit find more were included in the study. Demographic characteristics, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health

Evaluation II (APACHE II), Sepsis-related Organ Failure Assessment, Glasgow Coma Score, and NLR values were recorded upon emergency department admission. The patients were followed up for sepsis, ventilator-associated pneumonia, multiorgan failure, in-hospital mortality, and 6-month mortality. Results: The median (interquartile range) age of the 373 patients was 74 (190) years, and 54.4% were men. Neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio values were divided into quartiles, as follows: less than 3.48, 3.48 to 6.73, 6.74-13.6, and more than 13.6. There was no difference among these 4 groups regarding demographic characteristics, APACHE II score, Sepsis-related Organ Failure Assessment score, Glasgow Coma Score, and length of hospital stay (P bigger than .05). In the multivariable Cox regression model, in-hospital mortality and 6-month mortality NLR were hazard ratio (HR), 1.63 (1.110-2.415; P = .01) and HR, 1.58 (1.136-2.213; P = .007), respectively, and APACHE II scores were detected as independent indicators. Conclusion: The NLR is a simple, cheap, rapidly available, and independent indicator of short- and long-term mortalities.

We suggest that the NLR can provide direction to emergency department physicians for interventions, particularly within a few hours after admission, in the critically ill patient group. (C) 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.”
“Background: SCH 900776 manufacturer Modeling drug interactions is important for illustrating combined drug actions and for predicting the pharmacological and/or toxicological effects that can be obtained using combined drug therapy. Aim: In this study, we propose a new and universal support vector regression (SVR)-based method for the analysis of drug interactions that significantly accelerates the isobolographic analysis. Methods: Using SVR, a theoretical model of the dose-effect relationship was built to simulate various dose ratios of two drugs.

Moreover, the recombinant NcP78 and NcGRA7 could reduce the brain

Moreover, the recombinant NcP78 and NcGRA7 could reduce the brain parasite load of dams. and offspring. Though these protein vaccines could not effectively alleviate the symptom of abortion, they could increase the number of born offspring significantly, indicating

that Nc78 and NcGRA7 recombinant proteins could provide a partial protection against N. caninum infection in mice. (C) 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.”
“African tick-bite fever is an emerging infectious disease caused by the spotted fever group Rickettsia, Rickettsia africae, and is transmitted by ticks of the genus Amblyomma. To determine the seroprevalence of exposure to R. africae AZD9291 cell line and risk factors associated with infection, we conducted a cross-sectional study of persons in seven rural villages in distinct ecological habitats of Cameroon. We examined 903 plasma samples by using an indirect immunofluorescence assay for

antibodies to R. africae and analyzed demographic and occupational data collected from questionnaires. Of the 903 persons tested, 243 (26.9%) had IgG/IgM/IgA reactive with R. africae. Persons from four BAY 1895344 of the seven village sites were significantly more likely to be seropositive (P < 0.05), and lowland forest sites tended to have higher seroprevalences. These results suggest that African tick-bite fever is common in adults in rural areas of Cameroon and that ecological factors may play a role in the acquisition of R. africae infection.”
“Trichothecenes are toxic secondary metabolites produced by filamentous fungi mainly belonging to the Fusarium genus. Production of these mycotoxins occurs during infection of crops and is a threat to human and animal health. Although the pathway for biosynthesis of trichothecenes is well established, the regulation of the Tri genes implicated in the pathway remains poorly understood. Most of the Tri

genes are gathered in a cluster which contains G418 two transcriptional regulators controlling the expression of the other Tri genes. The regulation of secondary metabolites biosynthesis in most fungal genera has been recently shown to be controlled by various regulatory systems in response to external environment. The control of the “Tri cluster” by non-cluster regulators in Fusarium was not clearly demonstrated until recently. This review covers the recent advances concerning the regulation of trichothecene biosynthesis in Fusarium and highlights the potential implication of various general regulatory circuits. Further studies on the role of these regulatory systems in the control of trichothecene biosynthesis might be useful in designing new strategies to reduce mycotoxin accumulation.”
“Apocrine phenotype in breast is common and can be seen In a broad spectrum of lesions ranging from simple cyst to infiltrating carcinoma.

We determined that the arrest of maturation of ILT4-positive DCs

We determined that the arrest of maturation of ILT4-positive DCs by HLA-G ligands involves the IL-6 signaling pathway and STAT3 activation. Ligation of ILT4 with HLA-G on DCs results in recruitment of SHIP-1 and SHP-2 protein tyrosine phosphatases. We propose a model where SHP-2 and the IL-6-STAT3 signaling pathway play critical roles in the modulation of DC differentiation by ILT4 and HLA-G.”
“Objective: IL-22 is elevated EPZ015938 nmr in patients with inflammatory arthritis and correlates with disease activity. IL-22 deficient mice have reduced incidence of arthritis. Recombinant IL-22 restrains progression of arthritis via increase in IL-10 responses when administered prior to onset of arthritis. These findings

imply a possible dual role of IL-22 in inflammatory arthritis depending on the phase of arthritis. Experiments outlined here were designed to elucidate the contribution of endogenous IL-22 before and after the onset of arthritis.\n\nMethods: Collagen induced arthritis (CIA) was induced in DBA1 or IFN-gamma deficient mice following immunization with collagen and complete Freund’s adjuvant.

Anti-IL-22 Ralimetinib in vitro antibody or isotype control were administered prior to or after onset of arthritis and disease progression assessed by clinical scoring and histopathology. IL-22, IL-17 and IFN-gamma responses were measured by ELISA and flowcytometry. Anti-collagen antibody responses were analyzed by ELISA. Expression of IL-22R1 in CD4+ cells was elucidated by flowcytometry

and real time PCR.\n\nResults: Collagen specific IL-22 responses were expanded during arthritis and IL-22 producing cells were discrete from IL-17 or IFN-gamma producing cells. Neutralization of IL-22 after onset of arthritis resulted in significant increase in Th1 responses and significantly reduced severity of arthritis. CD4+ cells from arthritic mice showed increased surface expression of IL-22R1. In vitro, CD4+ T cells cultured with antigen presenting cells in the presence or absence of IL-22 suppressed or induced IFN-gamma, RG-7388 in vivo respectively. The protective effect of anti-IL-22 was reversed in IFN-gamma deficient mice. Moreover, administration of anti-IL-22 prior to onset of arthritis augmented arthritis severity.\n\nConclusion: We show for the first time that IL-22 plays a dual role: protective prior to the onset of arthritis and pathogenic after onset of arthritis. The pathogenic effect of IL-22 is dependent on suppression of IFN-gamma responses. IL-17 responses remained unchanged with the administration of anti-IL22 antibody. IL-22R1 is upregulated on CD4+ T cells during arthritis and regulates IFN-gamma in T cells.”
“The pathogen recognition receptors (PRRs) initiate immediate responses against infection and tissue damage to protect the host from microbial invasion. In response to mucosal damage, intestinal PRR signaling initiates damage repair processes.

AMF richness in plant roots was not related to the origin of AMF

AMF richness in plant roots was not related to the origin of AMF inoculum. G. rivale hosted a significantly different AM fungal community to that of T pratense and H. maculatum. We conclude that although the composition of AM fungal communities in intensively managed stands differed from that of old stands, the ecosystem can still offer the ‘symbiotic service’ necessary for the restoration of a characteristic old growth understorey plant community. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Catalysis via metal complexes has been studied using EXAFS and Raman spectroscopy. EXAFS studies have shown GDC-0994 clinical trial that in tungsten peroxocomplexes containing quaternary JQ-EZ-05 research buy ammonium

organic cation substitution affects the structure of anion PO4[WO(O-2)(2)](4)(3-). The last complex in series [(Bu4N)-N-n](3)PO4[WO(O-2)(2)](4). [C(5)H(5)NCet](3)PO4[WO(O-2)(2)](4) and [Et2Bn2N](3)PO4[WO(O-2)(2)](4) demonstrates the most evident structure alteration. Vibration

spectroscopy proves that structure conversion is related to the strength reduction of end double bond W=O. As a result, antibate W-O bond strength increases. That effect also changes the strength of tungsten bonding to cations. Synthesized catalytic complexes [(Bu4N)-N-n](3)PO4[WO(O-2)(2)](4) and [C(5)H(5)NCet](3)PO4[WO(O-2)(2)](4) were tested in peucedanin oxidation by hydrogen peroxide. Oxidative catalytic transformation of above mentioned coumarin was shown to yield 2-hydorxyoreozelon, which is a bioactive compound used in medicine. Complex with cetylpyridinium cation appears to be the most active in this reaction. (c) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.”
“The use of bioindicators of habitat condition can help to better understand the effects of tropical forest degradation and the efficacy of strategies used in the restoration of these lands. The differences in feeding behavior of the ponerine ant Paraponera clavata

may serve as such an indicator. The findings from the current study showed that selleck screening library P. clavata in an undisturbed primary forest returned to the nest with prey, nectar, and plant materials, while none of the ants within a 14 year old regenerating secondary forest returned with prey or nectar, few with plant materials, and most of the returns were unsuccessful in their foraging. This suggests a difference in P. clavata feeding behavior and/or food selection is occurring in the disturbed habitat; that P. clavata from the primary forest nest examined in the current study are feeding at a higher trophic level; and that the ants in the primary forest appeared to be more successful and efficient foragers than those in the secondary forest. Future studies should involve more comparisons of P.

The appearances of some lesions, such as FCD, may change with tim

The appearances of some lesions, such as FCD, may change with time, due to brain maturation Angiogenesis inhibitor or seizure related changes. MRI for patients with localization-related intractable epilepsy should have high-resolution, multiplanar and multisequence.

In infants, volumetric T1 and high-resolution T2 imaging are recommended. FLAIR and proton density sequences are less helpful in infants due to lack of myelin in the white matter. The physician interpreting the scan should be familiar with the imaging appearances of epileptogenic substrates and may need to review the scan more than once if a lesion is not seen on initial inspection. (C) 2013 The Japanese Society of Child Neurology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.”
“Postural buy AZD0530 instability and falls are a major source of disability in patients with advanced Parkinson’s disease. These problems are currently not well addressed by either pharmacotherapy nor by subthalamic nucleus deep-brain stimulation surgery. The neuroanatomical substrates of posture and gait are poorly understood but a number of important observations suggest a major role for the pedunculopontine nucleus and adjacent areas in the brainstem. We conducted a double-blinded evaluation of unilateral pedunculopontine nucleus deep-brain stimulation

in a pilot study in six advanced Parkinson’s disease patients with significant gait and postural abnormalities. There was no significant difference

Citarinostat in the double-blinded on versus off stimulation Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale motor scores after 3 or 12 months of continuous stimulation and no improvements in the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale part III scores compared to baseline. In contrast, patients reported a significant reduction in falls in the on and off medication states both at 3 and 12 months after pedunculopontine nucleus deep-brain stimulation as captured in the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale part II scores. Our results suggest that pedunculopontine nucleus deep-brain stimulation may be effective in preventing falls in patients with advanced Parkinson’s disease but that further evaluation of this procedure is required.”
“Tolerance, dependence, and adverse effects on cognitive functions are well known consequences of long-term use of benzodiazepines (BDZ), especially at high doses; this raises thorny therapeutic problems in their discontinuation. One promising pharmacological agent in BDZ discontinuation might be the newer antiepileptic, pregabalin (PGB), which has already successfully been tested in the treatment of anxiety disorders. We report on a series of four women with long-term, high-dose dependence on BDZ, who were treated with PGB at doses of 225-600 mg. All four patients discontinued BDZ successfully in 3-7 weeks.

7 mu M NAA and 1 1 mu M BAP The period for dark and light cultur

7 mu M NAA and 1.1 mu M BAP. The period for dark and light culture was 20 days. Shoots were multiplied on MS medium, 30 g.L-1 sucrose supplemented with 1.1 mu M BAP. Shoots were elongated on MS medium free of plant growth regulators. Shoots were rooting on half-strength MS salts. Acclimatization was performed in a hydroponics floating system. Moreover, the shoot multiplication in liquid medium with different CaCl2 levels was carried out under agitation. Organogenesis Autophagy inhibitor library of cotyledonary nodes was characterized by simultaneous occurrence of shoot and callus. Shoots presented hyperhydricity under liquid medium, however, the CaCl2 reduces the hyperhydricity in

liquid medium; nevertheless, it MX69 Apoptosis inhibitor had been not effective in eliminating hyperhydricity due to toxicity of

chlorine. The hydroponics acclimatization results in 90% plant survival. An efficient protocol for micropropagation of E. saligna was suitable established and can be used for clonal propagation or genetic transformation.”
“Addiction has been characterized as an attentional bias towards drug-related cues. In two experiments we investigate the effects of non-words that have been associatively trained to addiction-related images in a group of marijuana and cocaine users. These associated non-words were presented along with unstudied non-words in a subsequent addiction Stroop task. Results indicate a slowdown in responding to the colour of non-words that were paired with cocaine-related images compared with non-cocaine related images. The slowdown was also characterized as a carryover effect, with the largest effect occurring on trials following the addiction-associated non-word. No effects were found for marijuana images associated with non-words.”
“Animal models of ototoxicity represent an elementary tool in otolaryngologic research. Such models are usually created via the consecutive injection of ototoxic drugs

or the co-administration of ethacrynic acid and low-dose ototoxic drugs. Injection via the round window membrane (RWM) is one approach that allows for local drug delivery into the inner ear. In this study, 47 guinea pigs received an injection of varying Dinaciclib supplier doses of cisplatin via the RWM, and data concerning the animals’ auditory brainstem responses, hair cells, and spiral ganglion neurons were analyzed. Our results indicate the high efficiency and generally small reaction of the subjects, suggesting that the application of cisplatin via the RWM is an effective animal model for ototoxicity research.”
“Background: Some reports have described the midst of the lumen of the bony eustachian tube to meet the lumen of the external ear canal more nearly straight in ears afflicted with otitis media.\n\nObjectives: To determine whether the “auditory tube angle” indeed is more nearly straight in ears with evidence of childhood otitis media.

The knowledge of this mechanism is of relevance for treatment of

The knowledge of this mechanism is of relevance for treatment of both diseases. Prostate

73: 1576-1590, 2013 (c) 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.”
“Since their identification, there has been tremendous interest in adult neural stem cells, in part based upon their potential therapeutic uses in understanding and treating neurological disorders. But what’s the origin of these cells in the embryo? We outline here the onset of neural specification in the vertebrate embryo AZD8055 clinical trial and describe the molecular mechanisms regulating patterning of the central nervous system (CNS). We trace the lineage of the multipotential stem cell of the nervous system from embryonic neuroepithelial cell to adult astrocyte-like neural stem cell. As these stem cells emerge throughout development and in the adult, they appear to be predetermined to a specific neuronal or glial fate. Finally, we compare the properties of embryonic stem cell-derived neural stem cells and CNS-derived neural stem cells.”
“OBJECTIVES: To (1) analyze the financial returns of fellowship Protein Tyrosine Kinase inhibitor training in pediatrics and to compare them with those generated from a career in general pediatrics and (2) evaluate the effects

of including the newly enacted federal loan-repayment program and of changing the length of fellowship training.\n\nBACKGROUND: Although the choice to enter fellowship is based on many factors, economic considerations are important. We are not aware of any study that has focused on the financial impact of fellowship training in pediatrics.\n\nMETHODS: Using standard financial techniques, we estimated the financial returns that a graduating pediatric resident might anticipate from additional fellowship training followed by a career as a pediatric subspecialist and compared them with the returns that might be expected from starting a career as a general pediatrician immediately after residency.\n\nRESULTS: The financial returns of pediatric fellowship training varied greatly depending on which

subspecialty fellowship was chosen. Pursuing a fellowship in most pediatric subspecialties was a negative financial decision when compared with pursuing no fellowship at all and practicing as a general this website pediatrician. Incorporating the federal loan-repayment program targeted toward pediatric subspecialists and decreasing the length of fellowship training from 3 to 2 years would substantially increase the financial returns of the pediatric subspecialties.\n\nCONCLUSIONS: Pediatric subspecialization yielded variable financial returns. The results from this study can be helpful to current pediatric residents as they contemplate their career options. In addition, our study may be valuable to policy makers evaluating health care reform and pediatric workforce-allocation issues. Pediatrics 2011;127:254-260″
“Epidural steroid injection has been used to treat low back pain for many decades. Numerous randomized trials have examined the efficacy of this approach.

These data suggested that AGTRL1 did not contribute much to the a

These data suggested that AGTRL1 did not contribute much to the atherosclerosis of the coronary artery. Journal of Human Genetics (2009) 54, 554-556; doi:10.1038/jhg.2009.78; published online 14 August 2009″
“hPEBP4 (human phosphatidylethanolamine-binding protein 4) has been identified to be able to potentiate the resistance of breast, prostate, and ovarian cancers, with the preferential expression of hPEBP4, to

tumor necrosis factor-alpha selleck kinase inhibitor (TNF-alpha) or tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL)-induced apoptosis, suggesting that inhibitors targeting the anti-apoptotic protein hPEBP4 may be useful to increase the sensitivity of hPEBP4-expressing cancer cells to TNF-alpha or TRAIL-induced apoptosis. By structure-based virtual screening and following surface plasmon resonance-based binding assay, seven small

compounds were found to potently bind with hPEBP4. The hit compounds were further functionally screened for their ability to inhibit cancer cell growth, and one small compound, IOI-42, this website was identified to be able to promote TNF-alpha-mediated growth inhibition of MCF-7 breast cancer cells. IOI-42 could potentiate TNF-alpha-induced apoptosis of MCF-7 cells by inhibiting hPEBP4 and could suppress anchorage-independent cell growth of MCF-7 cells. We further demonstrated that IOI-42 could reduce the endogenous association of hPEBP4 with Raf-1/MEK1 and enhance the activation of ERK1/2 and JNK while inhibiting Akt activation. Furthermore, IOI-42 also promoted TRAIL-induced cell apoptosis of prostate cancer cells. Taken together, our data suggest that IOI-42, as the first chemical inhibitor of anti-apoptotic protein hPEBP4, may serve as a potential anti-tumor drug by sensitizing tumor cells to apoptotic inducers.”
“Spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3) or Machado-Joseph disease (MJD) belongs to a group of autosomal dominant neurodegenerative diseases,

which are caused by the expansion of a polyglutamine repeat in the affected protein, in this case ataxin-3. Ataxin-3 Dactolisib mouse is mainly localized in the cytoplasm: however, one hallmark of SCA3 is the formation of ataxin-3-containing protein aggregates in the nucleus of neurons. Currently, it is not known how mutant ataxin-3 translocates into the nucleus.\n\nWe performed localization assays of recently proposed and novel potential signals, functionally confirmed the activity of a nuclear localization signal, identified two novel nuclear export signals (NES 77 and NES 141), and determined crucial amino acids. In addition, we demonstrate the relevance of the identified signals for the intracellular localization of the N- and C-terminus of ataxin-3. Our findings stress the importance of investigating the mechanisms, which influence the intracellular distribution of ataxin-3 during the pathogenesis of SCA3. (C) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

No closure devices were used; the mean manual compression time wa

No closure devices were used; the mean manual compression time was 8.1 minutes (2-15). Four (3.3%) patients developed significant hematoma Emricasan manufacturer at the

puncture site, but none required surgical repair. The overall 12-month primary patency rate was 81.4%: 85.2% for the Astron Pulsar and 73.4% for the Pulsar-18 (p=0.236). Freedom from target lesion revascularization at 12 months for the entire cohort was 89.3%. Conclusion: Compared to published historical data for superficial femoral artery type A/B lesion stenting using 6-F devices, the 4-F devices applied in this trial showed similar patency at 12 months, fewer access site complications, and shorter manual compression times, supporting the supposition that 4-F endovascular treatment is safe and effective.”
“The number of medical emergencies onboard aircraft is increasing as commercial air traffic increases and the general population ages, becomes more mobile, and includes individuals with serious medical conditions. Travelers with respiratory diseases are at particular risk for in-flight events because exposure to lower atmospheric pressure in a pressurized cabin at cruising altitude may result

in not only hypoxemia but also pneumothorax due to gas expansion within enclosed pulmonary parenchymal spaces based on Boyle’s law. Risks of pneumothorax during air travel pertain particularly to those patients with cystic lung diseases, recent pneumothorax or thoracic selleck products surgery, and chronic pneumothorax. Currently available guidelines are admittedly based on sparse data and include recommendations to delay air travel for 1 to 3 weeks after thoracic surgery or resolution of the pneumothorax. One of these guidelines declares existing

pneumothorax to be an absolute contraindication to air travel although there are reports of uneventful air travel for those with chronic stable pneumothorax. In this article, we review the available data regarding AMN-107 pneumothorax and air travel that consist mostly of case reports and retrospective surveys. There is clearly a need for additional data that will inform decisions regarding air travel for patients at risk for pneumothorax, including those with recent thoracic surgery and transthoracic needle biopsy.”
“Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) patients present an high susceptibility to infections. The phagocytic activity of polymorphonuclear granulocytes (PMNs) is mediated by the interactions between Toll-like receptors (TLRs) and pathogen-associated molecular patterns. Objective: To investigate functional activity and phenotype of PMNs in AD patients. Methods: In vitro PMN phagocytosis and intracellular killing towards Klebsiella pneumoniae were evaluated in 24 AD patients; flow cytometry was applied to analyze PMN phenotype. Results: PMNs from AD patients displayed both reduced phagocytic activity and intracellular killing against K. pneumoniae than healthy subjects (HS).