Cell Migration And Inflammation

February 23, 2005

Chronic inflammation comprises a vast array of diseases that affect millions of people worldwide. Chronic inflammatory diseases include asthma, arthritis, atherosclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, autoimmune diseases and allergies, to name but a few.

A common theme to all of the above diseases is that the inflammatory response, originally aimed at recognizing and eliminating foreign "pathogens" or damaging agents, overreacts to them and causes tissue damage that can be detrimental to the patient.

How to limit such overreaction without compromising the efficiency of the inflammatory response is a phenomenal challenge faced by scientists and clinicians working in this field. Our current therapeutic tools, in particular anti-inflammatory drugs and steroids, fall short of accomplishing such a task as they can decrease the patient's natural defence mechanisms and produce a host of undesirable side effects.

The scientific goal of the MAIN Network of Excellence is to identify and characterize the molecular mechanisms underlying chronic inflammatory responses, with emphasis on a crucial step in such responses, namely the transmigration of leukocytes ("white blood cells") from the bloodstream into inflamed tissues and their local activation by inflammatory substances and pathogens.

To achieve this goal, MAIN has gathered over 150 researchers and graduate students from 13 research institutes and 2 biotechnology companies of five EU member states as well as Switzerland and Israel. MAIN will be co-funded by the EU with a 10 MEUR grant over a four year period.

The international dimension of MAIN is further emphasized by the strong connection existing between MAIN scientists and the US Cell Migration Consortium (CMC), whose goal is to explore the complex mechanisms underlying cell migration in embryonic development, wound healing and cancer. MAIN and CMC will share information and technology platforms and will develop a coordinated agenda of scientific events in order to communicate their scientific achievements to a wider scientific audience as well as to the general public.

MAIN - Network of Excellence

Atherosclerosis
by Sarah Jane George (Editor), Jason Johnson (Editor)

Covering the most devastating disease in the Western world, this handbook and ready reference provides a comprehensive account of the different stages and factors in the development of the atherosclerotic plaque.
Each chapter is written by experts in the field and highlights the role of specific mediators of atherosclerotic plaque development, as well as potential therapeutic targets. A large amount of this up-to-date information is conveyed by way of tables and schematic figures, in a readily comprehensible manner.
A must-have for master and PhD students, researchers, MDs and lecturers in vascular biology and cardiology, as well as for academics and scientists in the pharmaceutical industry.

Dyslipidemia and Atherosclerosis Essentials 2009
by Christie M. Ballantyne (Author), James H. O'Keefe Jr. (Author), Antonio M. Gotto Jr. (Author)

The World's Leading Experts Provide all the 'Essentials' Needed to Manage Patients in the Office, on the Ward, and in the Intensive Care Unit! Written by key opinion leaders in the field of cardiology, Dyslipidemia Essentials integrates the latest clinical guidelines and trials into a practical step-by-step guide to the management of dyslipidemia. Important clinical trials, common management pitfalls, and other cardiovascular risk reduction measures are also emphasized. Topics include: Step-by-step guide to intensive LDL lowering; NCEP ATP III and AHA/ACC guideline Updates; Treatment of low HDL cholesterol and elevated triglyceride; 73 dyslipidemia trials and 17 drug summaries

Asymptomatic Atherosclerosis: Pathophysiology, Detection and Treatment (Contemporary Cardiology)
by Morteza Naghavi (Editor)

Despite recent advances in the diagnosis and treatment of symptomatic atherosclerosis, available traditional screening methods for early detection and treatment of asymptomatic coronary artery disease are grossly insufficient and fail to identify the majority of victims prior to the onset of a life-threatening event. In Asymptomatic Atherosclerosis: Pathophysiology, Detection and Treatment, Dr. Morteza Naghavi and leading authorities from the Society for Heart Attack Prevention and Eradication (SHAPE) present a new paradigm for the screening and primary prevention of asymptomatic atherosclerosis. The text focuses on accurate, yet underutilized, measures of subclinical atherosclerosis, notably coronary artery calcium scanning and carotid intima-media thickness measurement. The authors...

Atherosclerosis: Experimental Methods and Protocols (Methods in Molecular Medicine)
by Angela F. Drew (Editor)

In Atherosclerosis: Experimental Methods and Protocols, Angela Drew and a panel of experts have assembled a comprehensive collection of traditional and cutting-edge techniques for investigating this disease and its possible treatments. Each readily reproducible method includes step-by-step instructions and practical information regarding sample collection, the choice of animal model system, experimental design, and practical data analysis techniques. Comprehensive and richly detailed, Atherosclerosis: Experimental Methods and Protocols enables all biomedical investigators to select those optimized techniques that may be most fruitfully used to study the development, progression, and treatment of atherosclerotic lesions today.

Inflammation and Atherosclerosis
by Georg Wick (Editor), Cecilia Grundtman (Editor)

It has been known for over 150 years that hallmarks of inflammation can be observed in the wall of atherosclerotic vessels. It was, however, not clear if this inflammation is the cause or the consequence of atherogenesis. More recently, it has become evident that inflammation mediated both by innate and adaptive immunity is instrumental even in the earliest stages of the development of atherosclerotic lesions, i.e., that it plays an important pathogenetic role. In this volume, international experts in the field discuss the pathogenetic, diagnostic, preventive and possible therapeutic relevance of inflammation in atherogenesis. This book is intended for researchers and physicians in the fields of vascular biology, immunology and atherosclerosis.

CATHETER-BASED TREATMENT OF ATHEROSCLEROSIS: Options for effective percutaneous intervention are plentiful From the initial balloon catheters, percutaneous ... protection devices. (Postgraduate Medicine)
by JTE Multimedia

Hopes for successful utilization, minimal complications, and improved patient comfort ride on interventional cardiology. A variety of devices are available or in development for percutaneous treatment of atherosclerotic disease. Here, Dr Khalil reviews devices with a long history in cardiology as well as newer arrivals and discusses their best-use parameters and appropriate application. He also summarizes the outcome data on their use.

Original Publication Date: March 2004

C-REACTIVE PROTEIN AS A NOVEL BIOMARKER: Reactant can flag atherosclerosis and help predict cardiac events Exploring the role of this acute phase response ... disease. (Postgraduate Medicine)
by JTE Multimedia

C-reactive protein (CRP) is a relatively nonspecific marker of inflammation. However, it can be used to monitor the severity and progression of some well-defined cardiovascular diseases. For example, it can predict serious events in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) who are hospitalized with acute coronary syndrome, myocardial infarction (MI), or advanced peripheral vascular disease. In this article, the authors review the role of CRP in the diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment of various forms of ischemic and inflammatory cardiovascular disease.

Original Publication Date: December 2003

Oophorectomy Increases Risk for Atherosclerosis.(Brief Article): An article from: Family Practice News
by Doug Brunk (Author)

This digital document is an article from Family Practice News, published by International Medical News Group on February 1, 2001. The length of the article is 348 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Oophorectomy Increases Risk for Atherosclerosis.(Brief Article)
Author: Doug Brunk
Publication: Family Practice News (Magazine/Journal)
Date: February 1, 2001
Publisher: International Medical News Group
Volume: 31 Issue: 3 Page: 25

Article Type: Brief Article

Distributed by Thomson...

Metabolic syndrome predicts subclinical atherosclerosis in adults.(Across Specialties): An article from: Clinical Psychiatry News
by Bruce Jancin (Author)

This digital document is an article from Clinical Psychiatry News, published by Thomson Gale on July 1, 2005. The length of the article is 539 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Metabolic syndrome predicts subclinical atherosclerosis in adults.(Across Specialties)
Author: Bruce Jancin
Publication: Clinical Psychiatry News (Magazine/Journal)
Date: July 1, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 33 Issue: 7 Page: 59(1)

Distributed by Thomson...

METEOR Trial Reports on the Effect of Rosuvastatin on Progression of Carotid Intima-Media Thickness in Low-Risk Individuals with Subclinical Atherosclerosis (The Physician and Sportsmedicine)
by JTE Multimedia

PRACTICE PEARL The data from the METEOR trial show that asymptomatic low-risk patients treated with rosuvastatin have a reduction in progression of carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) over 2 years versus placebo. Original Article Crouse JR 3rd, Raichlen JS, Riley WA, et al; METEOR Study Group. Effect of rosuvastatin on progression of carotid intima-media thickness in low-risk individuals with subclinical atherosclerosis: the METEOR Trial. JAMA. 2007;297(12):1344–1353.