Number Of Eosinophils Research Articles

An outbreak of ischaemic teat necrosis in a dairy herd in Taranaki, New Zealand

ABSTRACT Case History In spring 2021, on a seasonally calving, pastorally based, Taranaki dairy farm, 12 first-calving heifers (≤ 30 days post-calving) developed similar dry, red to black, crusting lesions on the medial aspect of the teat udder junction extending down the medial teat. Some cows had multiple teats affected. Treatment was initially unrewarding and did not slow the progression of the disease. Overall, 8/12 cows recovered, and 4/12 cows were culled, with three of the cows culled after a teat sloughed and the fourth after surgical amputation of a teat. Outbreaks of the same condition, on the same farm but affecting fewer animals, occurred in spring 2022 (n = 6) and spring 2023 (n = 3). Clinical Findings An initial scab-like or crusting lesion progressed to resemble a thick eschar consisting of very dry and hard dead tissue. The unaffected areas of the teat felt normal but immediately under the dead tissue, there was a warm, firmer area consistent with an inflammatory reaction. Removing the scab led to profuse bleeding, with no visible bed of granulation underneath the scab. There was no leaking of milk in those cows that lost a teat, and no smell to the lesions themselves. Serology and virology ruled out the involvement of bovine alphaherpesvirus (BoHV-2) bovine gammaherpesvirus (BoHV-4), orthopoxviruses (cowpox) and parapoxviruses (pseudocowpox). Histopathology of an affected and surgically amputated teat showed multifocal erosion and ulceration of the epidermis, covered by a thick serocellular crust. In areas of ulceration, there were numerous neutrophils, and the dermis was expanded by granulation tissue with variable numbers of neutrophils, eosinophils, and lymphocytes around small blood vessels. Diagnosis Based on the similarity of the history, presentation, and histopathological changes to those described for a novel disease reported in the UK, a diagnosis of ischaemic teat necrosis (ITN) was made. Clinical Relevance If ITN is an emerging condition in New Zealand and becomes as prevalent as it has in the UK, clinicians will be confronted with a significant new welfare problem in dairy cows. Anecdotally, there have been reports of other ITN outbreaks in New Zealand, and the Ministry for Primary Industries would be interested in collating reports from other New Zealand veterinarians.

Effects of benralizumab in patients with severe eosinophilic asthma (SEA): A plain language summary of the ANANKE study.

This summary outlines the findings from the ANANKE study on the treatment of patients with severe eosinophilic asthma (SEA) with benralizumab. SEA is an inflammatory disease of the lungs caused by eosinophils. Patients with SEA may experience asthma attacks (exacerbations) and decreased ability to breathe (lung function) despite taking medications. Benralizumab (Fasenra®) is a biologic therapy (a medicine produced using living cells) approved for the treatment of SEA.The ANANKE study was conducted in Italy and evaluated the characteristics of patients with SEA who received benralizumab as prescribed by their doctors. It also described the effects of benralizumab on participants in terms of frequency of exacerbations, lung function and overall control of asthma, and their need to take oral corticosteroids (OCS) to control symptoms. The effects of benralizumab have been observed in participants treated for: 1) an average of 10.3months, and 2) up to 96weeks (approximately 2years). The effects were also compared between different groups: 1) participants with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) and those without, and 2) participants who received other biologics before benralizumab (bio-experienced) and those who started with benralizumab as their first biologic (naïve). CRSwNP is an inflammatory condition that makes breathing even more difficult. Before receiving benralizumab, participants showed a high blood eosinophil count (the number of eosinophils in the bloodstream), frequent exacerbations, insufficient lung function, and poor disease control (symptom management). After 96weeks, benralizumab almost eliminated exacerbations, improved lung function, reduced the use of OCS, and increased the control of SEA symptoms while lowering blood eosinophil count. Comparable effects were observed between participants with and without CRSwNP and between naïve and bio-experienced participants. The ANANKE study showed that participants had frequent exacerbations and were characterized by eosinophilic inflammation before starting benralizumab. Overall, benralizumab improved the control of the disease for up to 2years and induced similar beneficial effects regardless of the presence of CRSwNP and the use of previous biologics. These findings highlight the long-lasting and broad action of benralizumab.Clinical Trial Registration: NCT04272463 (ANANKE) (ClinicalTrials.gov).

Histological analysis of glucocorticoid receptor and eosinophilic cytokines in the adenoid mucosal epithelium

ObjectiveIn recent years, the clinical efficacy of medications for adenoid hypertrophy has been demonstrated. Topical nasal steroids have effects to shrink hypertrophic adenoids and improve symptoms of associated diseases. However, the mechanism which topical steroid administrations cause adenoid shrinkage remains unclear, herein, sensitivity for topical steroids in the mucosal epithelium of adenoids was evaluated histologically by comparing with tonsils. MethodsHistological analysis was performed on adenoids and tonsils removed from 32 pediatric patients with adenoid hypertrophy. In hematoxylin-eosin-stained specimens, the morphology of the mucosal epithelium and eosinophil infiltration were evaluated. The expression of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR), interleukin (IL)-4, and IL-25 in the mucosal epithelium was evaluated, and the staining intensity was scored as 0 (none), 1 (weak), and 2 (strong). The number of eosinophils and expression scores of GR, IL-4, and IL-25 were statistically compared between adenoids and tonsils and analyzed correlations with adenoids sizes. ResultsAdenoids were covered with ciliated epithelium, and eosinophils in the mucosal epithelium and submucosal area was higher than tonsils (p < 0.05). GR expression in the most superficial layer of the mucosal epithelium was observed in adenoids, and the expression intensity score was higher than that in tonsils (p < 0.05). IL-4 and IL-25 were more widely expressed in the mucosal epithelium of adenoids than in tonsils, and their expression intensity scores were also higher than in tonsils (p < 0.05). A correlation was found between adenoid size and the intensity of IL-25 expression in the adenoid epithelium (p < 0.05). ConclusionEosinophilic inflammations in adenoids mucosal epithelium could be one of etiology of adenoid hypertrophy, and the GR and eosinophilic inflammation in the adenoids mucosal epithelium might be target of topical nasal steroids to shrink hypertrophic adenoids.

Effect of nasal microbial diversity on postoperative prognosis of patients with chronic sinusitis and nasal polyp

Objective: To investigate the nasal microbial diversity in patients with chronic sinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP), as well as the nasal microbiome characteristics, inflammatory cells and factors in postoperative relapses, in order to understand the effects of microbiome factors on the postoperative prognosis of CRSwNP. Methods: The nasal secretions and nasal polyp tissues from 77 patients with CRSwNP were collected in Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University from December 2017 to December 2018. The cohort consisted of 34 males and 43 females, aged from 29 to 76 years. Microbial DNA was extracted from cotton swabs for high-throughput sequencing based on 16SrRNA to detect bacterial community composition, and Luminex was used to analyze cytokines such as IL-5, IL-8, IL-17a, IL-17e, IL-18, IL-27, and IFN-γ in polyp tissue. Eosinophils and neutrophils in peripheral blood and polyp tissue were counted. Patients with CRSwNP were followed up for 1 year after surgery, and the recurrence of nasal polyps was recorded. The correlation between the recurrence of nasal polyps and inflammatory cytokines, inflammatory cell counts and nasal microbial diversity was analyzed. Chi-square test was used for bicategorical variables, Mann-Whitney U test was used for continuous variables, and Wilcoxon rank sum test was used to compare the difference in average relative abundance between the two groups. Results: At the one year follow-up, 12 patients experienced a recurrence, including 5 males and 7 females. There was no significant difference in age, sex, asthma, allergic rhinitis and eczema between the relapsing group and the non-relapsing group. The total nasal symptoms score (TNSS) in the recurrent group [42.3 (30.2, 67.1), M (Q1, Q3)] was significantly higher than that in the non-recurrent group [37.8 (29.4, 50.3)]. In nasal polyp tissue, the number of eosinophils [40.83 (22.33, 102.00)/HP] and neutrophils [30.83 (20.33, 56.44)/HP] in the recurrent group were significantly higher than those in the non-recurrent group [13.72 (13.50, 48.33)/HP] and [18.50 (12.00, 26.08)/HP], Z-values were -6.997 and -8.243, respectively, all P<0.001. The expression levels of IFN-γ, IL-17A, IL-17E and IL-18 in relapsed group were significantly higher than those in non-relapsed group, but there was no significant difference in positive rates. At the generic level, the mean relative abundance of Corynebacterium in the nasal passage of CRSwNP patients in the non-relapses group was (11.90±20.31)%, higher than that in the relapses group (0.15±0.20)%, but the difference was not statistically significant after correction (FDR P=0.638). The mean relative abundance of staphylococcus in the non-relapsed group was (8.17±27.70)%, significantly lower than that in the relapsed group (8.99±15.89)%, but the difference was not statistically significant (FDR P=0.638). Conclusions: Neutrophil-mediated inflammatory responses are associated with recurrent nasal polyps. The recurrence of nasal polyps after endoscopic surgery may be related to the decrease in the abundance of protective microorganisms and the increase in the number of pathogenic microorganisms.

Towards an optimized model of food allergy in zebrafish

BackgroundThe prevalence of food allergies is on the rise, posing a significant challenge to public health. Rodents serve as the predominant animal model in food allergy research; yet, the application of rodent models proves to be a laborious and time-consuming endeavor. It is imperative to develop novel in vivo models. MethodsOvalbumin (OVA) was administered as the allergen, following the recommended dosage used in other species. During the sensitization phase, a dosage of 0.25 mg per 10 tails per 1 L was administered twice daily, and during the challenge phase, the dosage was increased to 3 times the initial level. The study explored two dimensions of sensitization: the mode of exposure, which can be either continuous or intermittent, and the duration of exposure, which includes 3 days, 5 days, and 7 days. We examined midgut pathological changes, immunoglobulins contents, and mRNA expressions associated to T helper cells (Th) 2 cytokines following exposure. ResultsA significant 109.3 % increase in the number of eosinophils was observed in the midgut histopathology following intermittent 5-day OVA exposure, which emerged as the most effective model. OVA exposure increased concentrations of immunoglobulin M (IgM) (105.2 %), IgZ (312.1 %), and IgD (304.3 %) in this model. The mRNA expressions of Th2-related interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-13 were also elevated by 132.8 % and 421.0 %, respectively. ConclusionThe intermittent 5-day OVA exposure was suggested to be the best constructed zebrafish food allergy model, which may be a potential tool for research into food allergies.

Effect of Bidens tripartita leaf supplementation on the organism of rats fed a hypercaloric diet high in fat and fructose

Herbs play an important role in folk medicine, and scientific research has confirmed the properties of their use as an alternative treatment, including the treatment and mild correction of metabolic disorders during disease. Trifid bur-marigold (Bidens tripartita) is a pharmacopoeial herbal raw material that is widely used in clinical practice as an external remedy for skin lesions and as an internal remedy for digestive and respiratory disorders. In this work, the general effect of dried leaves of B. tripartita on physiological activity and metabolic processes in model animals on a high-calorie diet was determined. For the experiment, three groups of 18 male white laboratory rats were formed and fed a hypercaloric diet (increased fat content and 20% fructose solution instead of water) for 27 days, in addition to 0.4% and 4.0% dried leaves of B. tripartita. The consumption of 0.4% and 4.0% of the medicinal plant resulted in a significant delay in the body weight gain and the average daily weight gain of the rats compared to the control group. Dried leaves of B. tripartita in the diet of rats decreased the relative weight of the thymus and increased the relative weight of the brain, and at a dose of 4.0%, increased the relative weight of the lungs and individual large intestines (cecum and colon). Dietary supplementation with B. tripartita caused an increase in globulin concentration and changes in protein coefficient. Blood parameters such as: urea, urea nitrogen, inorganic phosphorus, glucose and bilirubin levels changed depending on the dose. In the general blood test, consumption of dried leaves of B. tripartita caused a decrease in hematocrit, hemoglobin concentration and platelet count, but increased the number of eosinophils. Bidens tripartita at both concentrations significantly increased ALT activity with a corresponding change in the blood De Ritis ratio. The addition of 20 g of B. tripartita leaves to the diet increased alkaline phosphatase activity and decreased alpha-amylase activity, while 200 g increased blood gamma-glutamyltransferase activity. At the end of the experiment, the rats' orientation activity, determined in the open field, changed according to the herb dose consumed: 0.4% leaves caused an increase and 4.0% a decrease. Physical activity was reduced and emotional state increased, regardless of the dose of dried B. tripartita leaves, compared to the control group of animals. The results obtained show that the addition of B. tripartita dried leaves as a dietary supplement to a high-calorie diet is safe, does not cause pathological changes or side effects, and has a significant effect on metabolic processes. This provides theoretical support for the use of B. tripartita dried leaves in the manufacture of nutraceutical and pharmacological products for the correction of metabolic disorders in humans and animals. The doses and duration of their application require further studies.

Quantification of eosinophil densities in the oesophagus, stomach and small bowel of adults: A review of endoscopic and surgical specimens with normal histology, Free State Province, South Africa.

Studies defining eosinophil densities in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) are limited. To assess whether eosinophils are pathologically infiltrating the GIT, it is important to evaluate eosinophil densities for specific populations. A retrospective, quantitative, comparative study was conducted to determine the number of eosinophils in the oesophagus, stomach and small bowel of patients in central South Africa and to investigate whether a statistically significant difference occurred between ethnic and gender groups. In total, 309 histological sections from the oesophagus, gastric corpus, gastric antrum and small intestine were sampled from male and female, African and Caucasian patients. Histology reports and review of the slides confirmed the absence of histological abnormality. The number of eosinophils in the epithelium and lamina propria were manually quantified. The eosinophil values across gender, ethnicity and location were 0-2.0/mm² for the oesophagus, 0-53.0/mm² for the gastric corpus and 7.1-115.3/mm² for the small intestine. Regarding the gastric antrum, African and Caucasian females had eosinophil values of 1.0-35.7/mm² and 0-22.4/mm², respectively. Males had an eosinophil density of 0-31.6/mm² in the gastric antrum. The eosinophil values in the oesophagus, gastric corpus and small bowel were not significantly different between genders and ethnic groups. The only site where ethnicity influenced the number of eosinophils was the gastric antrum, a discrepancy that cannot be explained. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report on the eosinophil densities in the oesophagus, stomach and small bowel of adults in South Africa.

Eosinophils Respond to Extracellular Matrix Treated Muscle Injuries but are Not Required for Macrophage Polarization.

The immune response to decellularized extracellular matrix (ECM) muscle injury is characterized by Th2 T cells, Tregs, M2-like macrophages, and an abundance of eosinophils. Eosinophils have previously been described as mediators of muscle regeneration but inhibit skin wound healing. In addition to response to wounding, a large number of eosinophils respond to biomaterial-treated muscle injury, specifically in response to decellularized ECM. ECM treatment of muscle wounds has been associated with positive outcomes in tissue regeneration, but the detailed mechanisms of action are still being evaluated. Here, this work investigates the role of these eosinophils in terms of their immunologic phenotype and subsequent effect on the local tissue microenvironment. These cells have a mixed phenotype showing both type-2 and regulatory gene upregulation and but are not required for macrophage polarization. Beyond the local tissue, ECM treatment is seen to induce a transient flux of eosinophils to the lungs but prevented a trauma-associated neutrophilia in the lungs of injured mice. This work believes this local and systemic immunomodulation contributes to the regenerative effects of the material and such distal tissue effects should be considered in therapeutic design and implementation.

Assessment of ELR, PLR, NLR and BLR Ratios during Omalizumab Treatment of Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria.

Background: There is a need for searching for biomarkers indicating patients who will benefit the most from treatment with omalizumab for chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU). The aim of this study was to assess whether the eosinophil/neutrophil/platelet/basophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (ELR, NLR, PLR, BLR) may predict the response to omalizumab treatment of chronic spontaneous urticaria. Methods: A retrospective data analysis of CSU patients treated s-c with 300 mg of omalizumab every four weeks under the drug program was carried out. NLR, ELR, PLR and BLR, DLQI, UAS-7, CRP, anti-TPO and tIgE were assessed before (V0) and after three (V3) and six months (V6) of treatment. Results: Among 52 patients with CSU, 21 were responders, 24 were partially responders and 6 were non-responders to treatment with 300 mg omalizumab every four weeks. An amount of 18 patients had features of type I autoallergic CSU (CSUaiTI) and 34 patients had autoimmunity type IIb CSU with mast cell-directed activating autoantibodies (CSUaiTIIb). NLR, ELR, PLR and BLR indices did not change during a six-month-course of biological treatment. Initial values of ELR and BLR were significantly correlated with the initial tIgE level and anti-TPO/IgE ratio. Initial values of NLR, ELR and BLR were significantly correlated with initial CRP. Comparisons between type I autoallergic CSU (CSUaiTI) and autoimmunity type IIb CSU (CSUaiTIIb) revealed that the absolute number and percentage of eosinophils, basophils, BLR and tIgE were significantly higher in type CSUaiTI and anti-TPO and anti-TPO/IgE were significantly lower in type CSUaiTI. Conclusions: NLR, ELR, PLR and BLR do not change significantly during six months of omalizumab treatment and do not appear to be useful in predicting its efficacy.

Neuroprotective effects of CysLT2R antagonist on Angiostrongylus cantonensis-induced edema and meningoencephalitis

Cysteinyl leukotrienes (CysLTs) can induce a disruption of the blood–brain barrier (BBB), and this reaction is mediated by cysteinyl-leukotriene receptors. In this study, we used A. cantonensis-induced eosinophilic meningoencephalitis as a model to investigate whether the CysLT2 receptor involved in the pathogenesis of angiostrongyliasis meningoencephalitis. The present study provides evidence that the CysLT2 receptor antagonist HAMI3379 reduced the number of infiltrated eosinophils and brain edema in eosinophilic meningoencephalitis. Additionally, we found that HAMI3379 significantly decreased the protein levels of M1 polarisation markers (CD80, iNOS, IL-5 and TNF-α), increased the expression of M2 polarisation markers (CD206, IL-10 and TGF-β) both in vivo and in vitro. Matrix metalloproteinase-9, S100B, GFAP, fibronectin, and claudin-5 were markedly lower after HAMI3379 treatment. Therefore, HAMI3379 reduced the BBB dysfunction in angiostrongyliasis meningoencephalitis. We have identified microRNA-155 as a BBB dysfunction marker in eosinophilic meningoencephalitis. The results showed that microRNA-155 was 15-fold upregulated in eosinophilic meningoencephalitis and 20-fold upregulated after HAMI3379 treatment. Our results suggest that CysLT2R may be involved in A. cantonensis-induced brain edema and eosinophilic meningoencephalitis and that down-regulation of CysLT2R could be a novel and potential therapeutic strategy for the treatment of angiostrongyliasis meningoencephalitis.

PL-ReliefTMplus Alleviates Atopic Dermatitis and Regulates Inflammatory Responses via Inhibiting NF-κB Signaling Pathway.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) has various detrimental effects on individuals with limited drug cure rates which necessitate the development of new treatment methods. PL-ReliefTMplus (PLR) is composed of SupraOlive, Crocus Sativus extracts and Citrus reticulata extracts. The effect of PLR on AD remains to be explored. 2,4-dinitrofluorobenzene-induced AD model mice were involved and the histopathology of the skin lesions was observed along with the levels of inflammatory chemokines levels were measured. To further validate the molecular mechanism of PLR, RNA-seq was performed in HaCaT cells. Western blotting and immunofluorescence were performed to investigate NF-κB signaling pathways response in AD. Due to PLR treatment, the thickening of the epidermis and dermis was inhibited and the number of eosinophils, mast cells, and CD4+ T cells in the skin lesion was decreased. In addition, the levels of inflammatory cytokines were decreased in dorsal skin tissues and LPS-stimulated HaCat cells. Furthermore, KEGG pathway analysis suggested that most identified downstream biological functions were associated with inflammatory response. PLR inhibited NF-κB signaling in AD mice and HaCaT cells. These results indicate that PLR is a potent therapeutic agent for attenuating symptoms of AD.

Periostin as a marker of eosinophilic inflammation in patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

BACKGROUND: Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are common chronic respiratory diseases. Given their heterogeneity, the study of periostin is a relevant area for establishing the endotypes of airway inflammation and determining further therapy tactics. AIM: To evaluate periostin levels and determine its significance as a marker of eosinophilic inflammation in patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included 59 patients with asthma and 33 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The control group consisted of 37 apparently healthy people, comparable in age and sex, without allergic and bronchial obstructive diseases in anamnesis. The anamnesis data, the number of peripheral blood eosinophils and induced sputum, indices of external respiratory function were evaluated. Levels of specific immunoglobulin E to allergens, periostin level were determined in blood serum by immunoenzyme method. The obtained data were processed using STATISTICA 13 and SPSS Statistic 27 software systems. RESULTS: The maximum serum periostin concentration 22.5 (17–38) ng/ml was recorded in the patients with asthma, which was significantly higher than in the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease group [16 (12–21) ng/ml; p = 0.006] and control group [20.1 (14.6–24.8) ng/ml; p = 0.044]. The level of periostin in induced sputum in the patients with asthma was significantly higher than in the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease group — 0.05 (0.03–0.6) ng/ml vs 0.03 (0.02–0.04) ng/ml (p = 0.008). The study revealed the correlation between serum periostin level and eosinophil level (r = 0.406; p 0.05) and with forced expiratory volume in the first second after bronchodilator test (r = 0.366; p 0.05) as well as with forced expiratory volume in the first second divided by forced vital capacity after bronchodilator test (r = 0.572; p 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Periostin is a promising marker of eosinophilic inflammation in patients with asthma, which can be considered as an indicator of fixed bronchial obstruction and a molecule linking T2-inflammation and airway remodelling. In a group of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients, the use of periostin for diagnostic and prognostic purposes requires further investigation and larger studies.

Eosinophils in hidradenitis suppurativa patients exhibit pro-inflammatory traits, implicating a potential pathogenic role in the disease.

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is an inflammatory skin disease characterized by painful nodules, abscesses and purulent secretions in intertriginous regions. Intense pruritus frequently accompanies HS lesions, adding further discomfort for patients. While Th17 pathway activation is implicated in HS pathogenesis, disease mechanisms are still not fully understood, and therapeutics are lacking. Previous reports raise a potential role for eosinophils in HS, showing a strong association of eosinophil levels with disease severity. To investigate eosinophils in HS, we recruited patients and matched healthy controls and then performed flow-cytometry studies, eosinophil stimulation assays, and lesional skin staining for eosinophils. We found that HS patients reported similar levels of pain and itch. Compared to matched controls, HS blood exhibited decreased mature eosinophils and increased numbers of immature eosinophils, coupled with a significant increase in dermal eosinophilic infiltrates. Additionally, IL-17RA+ eosinophils were highly and significantly correlated with multiple HS-related clinical scores. In both stimulated and unstimulated conditions, HS eosinophils showed an inflammatory phenotype versus controls, including an increase in costimulatory T- and B-cell markers (e.g. CD5 and CD40) following all stimulations (TNFα/IL-17A/IL-17F). These findings highlight the significance of pruritus in HS and suggest a higher turnover of eosinophils in HS blood, potentially due to the consumption of eosinophils in skin lesions. Our data delineate the features and functions of eosinophils in HS and suggest that eosinophils participate in disease pathogenesis, advancing Th17-related inflammation. Further studies are needed to investigate eosinophils' response to current HS treatments and their potential as a therapeutic target in the disease.

Redefining Histological Cell Counts Using a Standardized Method: The Leuven Intestinal Counting Protocol.

The diagnosis of eosinophilic gastrointestinal diseases is largely based on mucosal eosinophil counts, but thresholds and normal ranges beyond the esophagus are debated, calling for much-needed methodological standardization. We aimed to develop a standardized workflow for duodenal cell quantification and estimate duodenal eosinophil and mast cell numbers in healthy controls. Software-based histological cell quantification using free-sized or fixed-sized regions was developed and applied to digitized hematoxylin and eosin (H&E)-stained slides from 58 individuals (healthy controls [HCs] and patients with functional dyspepsia). Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) compared inter-rater reliability between software-based and microscopic quantification. Reproducibility of the software-based method was validated in an independent cohort of 37 control and functional dyspepsia subjects. Eosinophil identification on H&E staining was compared to immunohistochemistry (IHC). Normal eosinophil (H&E) and mast cell (cKit) ranges were determined in 70 adult HCs. Eosinophil quantification on digitized slides demonstrated excellent (ICC = 0.909) and significantly improved reproducibility over microscopic evaluation (ICC = 0.796, P = 0.0014), validated in an independent cohort (ICC = 0.910). Duodenal eosinophils were more abundant around crypts than in villi ( P < 0.0001), while counts were similar on matched H&E- and IHC-stained slides ( P = 0.55). Mean ± SD (95th percentile) duodenal eosinophils and mast cells in HC were 228.8/mm 2 ± 94.7 (402.8/mm 2 ) and 419.5/mm 2 ± 132.2 (707.6/mm 2 ), respectively. We developed and validated a standardized approach to duodenal histological cell quantification, generalizable to various mucosal cell types. Implementation of software-based quantification identified 400 eosinophils/mm 2 and 700 mast cells/mm 2 as thresholds for abnormal duodenal infiltration.

Knockdown of miR-155 alleviates skin damage in rats with chronic spontaneous urticaria by modulating the JAK/STAT signaling pathway

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to investigate the role and mechanisms of miR-155 in chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU).MethodsThe expression level of miR-155 in the skin tissues of patients with CSU and experimental rats were detected by RT-qPCR, followed by the measurement of the histamine release rate in the serum through the histamine release test. Besides, hematoxylin & eosin staining was used to observe the pathological changes of the skin tissues; Corresponding detection kits and flow cytometry to measure the changes of immunoglobulins, inflammatory cytokines and T cell subsets in the serum of rats in each group; and western blot to check the expression level of proteins related to JAK/STAT signaling pathway in the skin tissues.ResultsKnockdown of miR-155 reduced the number and duration of pruritus, alleviated the skin damage, and decreased the number of eosinophils in CSU rats. Moreover, knockdown of miR-155 elevated the serum levels of IgG and IgM, decreased the levels of IgA and inflammatory cytokines, and reduced the proportion of CD4 + and CD4 + CD25 + T cells, as well as the CD4+/CD8 + ratio in CSU rats. However, Tyr705 intervention could reverse the effects of knockdown of miR-155 on CSU model rats. Furthermore, we found that knockdown of miR-155 significantly reduced the protein expression of IRF-9, as well as the P-JAK2/JAK2 and P-STAT3/STAT3 ratios in the skin tissues of CSU rats.ConclusionKnockdown of miR-155 can alleviate skin damage and inflammatory responses and relieve autoimmunity in CSU rats by inhibiting the JAK/STAT3 signaling pathway.

CCL11/CCR3-dependent eosinophilia alleviates malignant pleural effusions and improves prognosis

Malignant pleural effusion (MPE) is a common occurrence in advanced cancer and is often linked with a poor prognosis. Eosinophils were reported to involve in the development of MPE. However, the role of eosinophils in MPE remains unclear. To investigate this, we conducted studies using both human samples and mouse models. Increased eosinophil counts were observed in patients with MPE, indicating that the higher the number of eosinophils is, the lower the LENT score is. In our animal models, eosinophils were found to migrate to pleural cavity actively upon exposure to tumor cells. Intriguingly, we discovered that a deficiency in eosinophils exacerbated MPE, possibly due to their anti-tumor effects generated by modifying the microenvironment of MPE. Furthermore, our experiments explored the role of the C-C motif chemokine ligand 11 (CCL11) and its receptor C-C motif chemokine receptor 3 (CCR3) in MPE pathology. As a conclusion, our study underscores the protective potential of eosinophils against the development of MPE, and that an increase in eosinophils through adoptive transfer of eosinophils or increasing their numbers improved MPE.

Synchronized development of thymic eosinophils and thymocytes.

The thymus is an organ required for T cell development and is also an eosinophil-rich organ; however, the nature and function of thymic eosinophils remain unclear. Here, we characterized the gene expression and differentiation mechanism of thymic eosinophils in mice. Thymic eosinophils showed a distinct gene expression profile compared with other organ-resident eosinophils. The number of thymic eosinophils was controlled by medullary thymic epithelial cells. In Rag-deficient mice, the unique gene expression signature of thymic eosinophils was lost but restored by pre-T cell receptor signaling, which induces CD4+ CD8+ thymocyte differentiation, indicating that T cell differentiation beyond the CD4- CD8- stage is necessary and sufficient for the induction of thymic eosinophils. These results demonstrate that thymic eosinophils are quantitatively and qualitatively regulated by medullary thymic epithelial cells and developing thymocytes, respectively, suggesting that thymic eosinophils are a distinct, thymus-specific cell subset, induced by interactions with thymic cells.

Activated eosinophils in early life impair lung development and promote long-term lung damage

Exaggeration of type 2 immune responses promotes lung inflammation and altered lung development; however, eosinophils, despite expansion in the postnatal lung, have not been specifically assessed in the context of neonatal lung disease. Furthermore, early-life factors including prematurity and respiratory infection predispose infants to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease later in life. To assess eosinophils in the developing lung and how they may contribute to chronic lung disease, we generated mice harboring eosinophil-specific deletion of the negative regulatory enzyme SHIP-1. This increased the activity and number of pulmonary eosinophils in the developing lung, which was associated with impaired lung development, expansion of activated alveolar macrophages (AMφ), multinucleated giant cell formation, enlargement of airspaces, and fibrosis. Despite regression of eosinophils following completion of lung development, AMφ-dominated inflammation persisted, alongside lung damage. Bone marrow chimera studies showed that SHIP-1-deficient eosinophils were not sufficient to drive inflammatory lung disease in adult steady-state mice but once inflammation and damage was present, it could not be resolved. Depletion of eosinophils during alveolarization alleviated pulmonary inflammation and lung pathology, demonstrating an eosinophil-intrinsic effect. These results show that the presence of activated eosinophils during alveolarization aggravates AMφs and promotes sustained inflammation and long-lasting lung pathology.

Associations of Cadmium Exposure with Peripheral Blood Cell Subtype Counts and Indices in Cadmium-Poisoned Mice.

This research was designed to investigate the effects of cadmium on blood cell injury in cadmium-poisoned mice. Twenty mice were randomly divided into two groups: control group and model group. The control group was intraperitoneally injected with normal saline every day and the model group was intraperitoneally injected with 1.4mg/kg cadmium solution every day. The experimental period was 28days. The blood of the mice was collected for detection and hematological analysis. The results demonstrated that cadmium increased the number of white blood cells and the number of neutrophils in mice. Cadmium reduced the number of eosinophils, the number of basophils, the number of monocytes, the amount of lymphocytes, the number of red blood cells, the hemoglobin concentration, mean corpusular volume, mean corpusular hemoglobin, mean corpusular hemoglobin concentration, and the number of platelets in mice. In summary, cadmium caused some damage to white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets in mice, but the direction of damage to different cells was inconsistent. The possible reason for this result is that cadmium damages the generation of blood cells, and the body takes corresponding defense measures.

Spontaneous Lethal Outbreak of Influenza A Virus Infection in Vaccinated Sows on Two Farms Suggesting the Occurrence of Vaccine-Associated Enhanced Respiratory Disease with Eosinophilic Lung Pathology.

Influenza A virus (IAV) infections in swine are usually subclinical, but they can reach high morbidity rates. The mortality rate is normally low. In this study, six vaccinated, spontaneously deceased sows revealed IAV infection and enhanced neutrophilic bronchopneumonia with unexpectedly large numbers of infiltrating eosinophils. The purpose of this study was to characterize these lung lesions with special emphasis on the phenotypes of inflammatory cells, the presence of eosinophilic peroxidase (EPO), and neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). The number of Sirius red-stained eosinophils was significantly higher in the lungs of IAV-infected sows compared to healthy pigs, indicating a migration of eosinophils from blood vessels into the lung tissue stimulated by IAV infection. The detection of intra- and extracellular EPO in the lungs suggests its contribution to pulmonary damage. The presence of CD3+ T lymphocytes, CD20+ B lymphocytes, and Iba-1+ macrophages indicates the involvement of cell-mediated immune responses in disease progression. Furthermore, high numbers of myeloperoxidase-positive cells were detected. However, DNA-histone-1 complexes were reduced in IAV-infected sows, leading to the hypothesis that NETs are not formed in the IAV-infected sows. In conclusion, our findings in the lungs of IAV-infected vaccinated sows suggest the presence of so far unreported field cases of vaccine-associated enhanced respiratory disease.