The ALNN Steering Group received funding support from the Wai Hun

The ALNN Steering Group received funding support from the Wai Hung Charitable Foundation, Mr G. King, the Estate of the late Mr Rapamycin Chan Wing Hei, Astellas Pharma Co. Hong Kong Ltd., Roche Hong Kong Ltd., and the Endowment Fund established for the ‘Yu Chiu Kwong Professorship in Medicine’ at The University of Hong Kong awarded to T. M. Chan. These donations are in the form of ‘unrestricted’ grants and have no influence

on the academic activities that they have lent support to. “
“Goulburn, NSW, Australia Infections of the lower urinary tract and Acute Pyelonephritis are commonly encountered in clinical practice. Widespread usage of antibiotics and changing susceptibility profiles of uropathogens requires regular review of treatment guidelines to meet these challenges. We aimed to better understand the prevalence of uropathogens and emerging antibiotic resistance in patients with pyelonephritis requiring hospital admission. In this single centre, 12-year retrospective observational study, we reviewed case notes and urine culture results of 249 patients admitted with learn more Acute Pyelonephritis under the care of the Nephrology Department, along with 46 660 urine samples

with positive isolates from the Emergency Department (ED) during the same period. The prevalence of uropathogens, their antibiotic susceptibilities and emerging resistance patterns to commonly used antibiotics were studied. Antibiotic susceptibilities were also reviewed in line with the currently recommended national guidelines for empiric therapy. We found the most prevalent uropathogen to be Escherichia coli. Approximately 50% of E. coli infections were resistant to ampicillin. First and third generation cephalosporin resistance was <5%, however, the latter has increased over the last decade and is more prevalent in the elderly. Enterococcus faecalis was associated with less than 10% of cases

of lower urinary tract infections and no case of pyelonephritis. Antibiotic resistance of uropathogens CYTH4 to commonly used antibiotics is increasing with time and there is a need for hospitals to review their recommended guidelines for empiric therapy in line with local patterns of uropathogens and antibiotic susceptibilities. “
“Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), a small 25 kDa protein strongly induced in injured renal tubular cells, represents an interesting emerging biomarker in the field of clinical nephrology. The aim of the present pilot study was to analyze circulating NGAL levels in a small cohort of 30 patients on chronic haemodialysis (HD), in order to assess any relationships with different laboratory and clinical parameters. Pre- and post-HD levels were higher in patients than in healthy subjects (485.2 ± 49.7 vs 51.2 ± 4.6 ng/mL; P < 0.001; and 167.4 ± 48.0 vs 51.2 ± 4.6 ng/mL; P = 0.01).

Mast cells play a key role in allergic and inflammatory reactions

Mast cells play a key role in allergic and inflammatory reactions. Mast cells and some tumour cell lines such as RBL-2H3 express the high-affinity IgE receptor (FcεRI) on their cell surface. FcεRI is a member of the multichain immune recognition receptors (MIRRs), including T- and B-cell receptor. With regard to OVA-challenged and IgE-mediated mast cell degranulation, FcεRI aggregation activates phospholipase Cγ to increase IP3 generation. The IP3 Palbociclib molecular weight causes Ca2+ release from the endoplasmic reticulum through IP3 receptors, which consequently

results in a large amount of Ca2+ influx via SOCs, leading to mast cell degranulation. In the present study, we demonstrated for the first time that parallel to enhancement of food allergen–induced mast cell degranulation, OVA-mediated Ca2+ entry through SOCs was increased. Given that increasing Ca2+ entry through SOCs enhances mast cell degranulation [20], we conclude that increase in Ca2+ entry through SOCs contributes to food allergen–mediated mast cell degranulation. The two membrane proteins, STIM1 and Orail, have been shown to be essential for the activation of SOCs [16]. Overexpression of Orai1 together with STIM1 has been suggested to upregulate Ca2+ entry through SOCs upon stimulation. In this study, we found that both mRNA and protein expressions levels of Orai1 and

STIM1 in mast cells were increased in OVA-sensitized animals, which is proposed to be an important reason accounting for the increase in SOC-mediated Ca2+ entry and mast cell activation. It has been suggested that the N-terminal Kinase Inhibitor Library of STIM1 is glycosylated and translocated from endoplasmic reticulum to the cell membrane when the calcium store is depleted, which process is

required for activation of SOCs [30]. This is in line with our study as the translocation of STIM1 protein to activated mast cell membrane in OVA-sensitized mast cells. Therefore, our study demonstrates for the first time that overexpression and activation of SOCs contributes to enhancement of Ca2+ entry through SOCs in food-allergic rats. Activated mast cell can release a diverse array of biologically active products, including preformed granule contents, the de novo synthesis of eicosanoids, Sodium butyrate cytokines, chemokines and free radicals (such as ROS) [31]. Large amount of ROS has been demonstrated to generate in inflammatory cells during asthma, but little information is known in the situation of food allergy. A number of studies report that ROS are involved in the signals leading to degranulation and cytokine secretion in mast cells [32, 33]. In this study, we found that ROS production was significantly increased in the peritoneal lavage solution. Using Ebselen to partially scavenge ROS production (mainly hydrogen peroxide), Ca2+ entry through SOCs was inhibited.

The only site of unique conserved sequence in the

The only site of unique conserved sequence in the Luminespib purchase KIR locus is in the 14-kb intergenic region that separates 3DP1 from 2DL4 and divides the locus into Cen and Tel parts of

similar size [26, 27]. It was recently shown that a certain Cen variant (Cen-B/B) is associated with a lower risk of relapse after unrelated transplantation for acute myelogenous leukaemia [5]. Therefore, we analysed the distributions of KIR Cen and Tel parts between patients with syphilis and controls. Our data showed that there were no significantly different distributions in the Cen part between the two groups (Table 5). Interestingly, a KIR genotype (Tel-B/B) was significantly increased in patients with syphilis (P = 0.024) compared to healthy controls, while another KIR genotype (Tel-A/B) was close to significantly increased in controls (P = 0.049, this needs more work to confirm) compared to patients with syphilis. As there are more activating www.selleckchem.com/screening/fda-approved-drug-library.html KIR genes in Tel region than those in Cen region, our data showed clearly that Tel-B/B encoding a dominant activating KIR gene repertoire conferred

increased risk for syphilis in Chinese population. Dissimilarly to our results, Dring et al. [28] found that KIR Cen-A/B was significantly increased in patients with hepatitis C virus infection compared to controls, and no significant O-methylated flavonoid difference was observed in Tel region between the two groups. These data suggested that different regions of KIR gene cluster might provide different immune responses to non-virus and virus infections. The biologic relevance of dominant activation KIR gene repertoire in syphilis pathogenesis remains unclear because the ligands for activating KIRs are unknown. Certain activating KIRs are predicted to bind to the same HLA class I

ligands in peptide-dependent manner as their structurally related inhibitory KIRs [29, 30]. We speculate from our data that the signals transduced by the activating KIRs binding to their ligands may overcome HLA class I-dependent inhibition. This favours the activation status of the host NK cells and participates in the physiopathological process either by excessively destroying infected cells or by non-specific inflammatory responses such as oxidative DNA damage, which may increase risk of syphilis. Recent studies have demonstrated that KIRs expressed on the surface of NK cells play a key role in the regulation of immune responses via the transduction of inhibitory or activating signals [12, 31]. NK cells can produce IFN-γ in response to microbial stimulation [13, 32]. It was reported that both primary and secondary syphilis lesions contained IFN-γ mRNA [33], and the peak IFN-γ production directly preceded the clearance of treponemes and the beginning of lesion healing [34].

Urine samples of 39 patients followed up for 9 months were analyz

Urine samples of 39 patients followed up for 9 months were analyzed, and classified as glomerular and non-glomerular haematuria. The different microscopic techniques were compared using receiver–operator curve (ROC) analysis and area under curve (AUC). Reproducibility

was assessed by coefficient of variation (CV). Results:  Specific cut-offs were set for each method according to their best rate of specificity and sensitivity as follows: 30% for phase contrast microscopy and 40% for standard LMLC, reaching in the first method the rate of 95% and 100% of sensitivity and specificity, respectively, and in the second method the rate of 90% and 100% Crizotinib in vitro of sensitivity and specificity, respectively. In ROC analysis, AUC for PCM was 0.99 and AUC for LMLC was 0.96. The CV was very similar in glomerular haematuria group for PCM (35%) and LMLC (35.3%). Conclusion:  LMLC proved to be effective in contributing to the direction of investigation of haematuria, toward the nephrological or urological side. This method can substitute PCM when this equipment is not available. “
“Fetuin-A (Fet-A) is an important regulator

of extracellular matrix mineralization. Fet-A plays a critical role in the formation and stabilization of high molecular weight colloidal protein–mineral complexes known as calciprotein particles (CPP). The aim of this study was to examine the effects of inflammation, renal function and dialysis modality on serum Fet-A and CPP. This is an observational study of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and those with chronic inflammatory learn more disease (CID) but normal renal function. Serum CPP were quantified indirectly by analysing the apparent reduction in serum Fet-A concentration (reduction ratio, RR) after high-speed centrifugation. Serum total Fet-A concentrations are reduced in renal disease and in patients with CID. CPP were not detectable in the serum of normal individuals. CPP represent an increasing percentage of total circulating Fet-A concentrations in patients with CID (RR, 13.3 ± 8.5%), as well as in patients with pre-dialysis CKD (12.4 ± 7.3%) and those

undergoing peritoneal dialysis (RR, 22.8 ± 6.0%) or haemodialysis (RR, 38.1 ± 12.8%). The highest Fet-A RR were found in patients with calcific uraemic arteriolopathy (CUA) on haemodialysis (73.9 ± 15.6%). Serum total Fet-A Tyrosine-protein kinase BLK concentrations and Fet-A reduction ratios decreased during a single haemodialysis session, by 24% (P < 0.001) and 34% (P < 0.001), respectively. Inflammation appears to be associated with mineral stress even in the absence of renal dysfunction. Patients with CUA on haemodialysis have very high serum Fet-A reduction ratios, suggesting that this measurement may have a prognostic/diagnostic role in this condition. Vascular calcification (VC) has long been observed in normal ageing and in disease.[1] However, over the last decade it has emerged as an important mediator of cardiovascular dysfunction and predictor of adverse outcomes in various patient groups.

The CD80/CD86:CD28/CTLA-4 (cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated anti

The CD80/CD86:CD28/CTLA-4 (cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen 4) pathway is the best-characterized inhibitory pathway for T-cell activation [58, 59]. CD28 is constitutively expressed on naïve and activated T cells. CD80 is expressed at low levels on resting

antigen-presenting cells (APCs) and is upregulated with prolonged interaction with T cells, whereas CD86 is constitutively expressed and rapidly upregulated on APCs. Thus, CD86 is likely to be mainly involved in mediating initial T-cell activation, while CD80 may play an important role in propagating the immune responses. After activation, T cells express CTLA-4 (CD152). Engagement of CTLA-4 delivers Veliparib concentration negative signal into T cells, resulting in inhibition and/or termination of T-cell responses. Taking advantage of the fact that CTLA-4

binds CD80 and CD86 with much higher affinity than CD28 does, a fusion protein consisting of the extracellular domain of FK506 CTLA-4 and the constant region of IgG (CTLA-Ig) has been developed to block the interaction between CD80-CD86 and CD28 and thereby inhibit T-cell activation [39]. Such a fusion protein would preferentially inhibit lymphocytes that are in the process of responding to self-antigens without affecting resting T cells that recognize other antigens. After the encouraging results of in vivo studies in animal models, including PBC models [60], the efficacy of the CTLA-4 Ig (Abatacept) has been examined in patients with autoimmune diseases. Abatacept has shown efficacy in a broad spectrum of RA patients from early stage to refractory

diseases that are resistant to TNF blockers [61, 62] and in patients with psoriasis in a phase I trial [63]. Blockade of costimulation between T cells and APCs through CD80 could represent an important therapeutic Lonafarnib concentration approach for the treatment of refractory PBC. TNF-α is an activating factor for a number of intracellular pathways that determine the fate of hepatocytes, and thus plays a key role in liver homeostasis [64]. Interactions between specific members of the TNF pathway lead to the induction of apoptosis as well as the activation of NF-κB signaling, which is antiapoptotic and proinflammatory [65]. GWAS in PBC identified three loci containing genes in TNF-α signaling pathways: TNFRSF1A, DENND1B [21], and TNFAIP2 [21, 22]. TNFRSF1A is one of two receptors for TNF-α; TNFRSF1A−/− mice show attenuated liver fibrosis when compared with wild-type mice after administration of a potent hepatotoxin [66]. DENND1B interacts directly with TNFRSF1A [67] and has previously been associated with asthma [68]. TNF-α signaling also directly induces TNFAIP2 expression [69]. Macrophages from PBC patients, when stimulated with apoptotic bodies from cholangiocytes, produce high levels of TNF-α [70]. Furthermore, serum levels of TNF-α reflect the severity of morphological liver changes in PBC [71].

These changes were effectively inhibited by telmisartan or oxacal

These changes were effectively inhibited by telmisartan or oxacalcitriol, but the combination treatment most effectively reduced these effects. Conclusion: These data demonstrate that application of a renin-angiotensin system blocker plus a vitamin D analog effectively prevents renal injury in adriamycin-induced nephropathy. The observed anti-apoptotic effects in podocytes may be partly attributable to the amelioration of renal injury. WU PEI-YU1, WONG TE-CHIH1, CHIU YI-FANG1, CHEN HSI-HSIEN2, CHIU YI-FANG1, LU YU-JU1, YANG SHWU-HUEY1 1School of Nutrition and Health sciences, Taipei Medical University; 2Division of Nephrology, Taipei Medical University Hospital Introduction: Inadequate

dietary energy intake is a major risk factors of malnutrition. In the previous studies, Taiwan hemodialysis (HD) patients have lower energy intake R788 nmr than recommendation of National Kidney Foundation Kidney Disease Outcomes, Quality Initiative (K/DOQI), or the value from some energy predicted equations, but these HD patients always do not have presented as malnutrition. Different body compositions and total energy requirement among Asian, Caucasian and African American. However, seldom paper focuses on the energy requirement of Asian HD patients. Therefore, we try to comparing the energy requirement with indirect measurement, energy prediction equations, and K/DOQI recommendation. Methods: A

cross-sectional study was conducted from September 2013 to December 2013. Forty-three chronic HD patients selleck monoclonal humanized antibody inhibitor were recruited from hemodailysis center of Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taiwan. Resting energy expenditure (REE) was measured by indirect calorimeter (MedGem, Microlife USA). Using Harris and Benedict equation and Schofield equation to predicted REE. Total energy expenditure (TEE) was calculated as REE multiplied by the mean

value of the physical activity level factor for sedentary adults (1.55) and stress factor (1). All TEE values were compared with the energy intake recommendation from K/DOQI. Besides, the body composition was evaluated by Bioelectrlcal Impedance Analysis method. Results: The mean value of REE measurement was 1049.8 ± 229.8 kcal/day, Adenylyl cyclase Harris and Benedict equation REE value was1307.8 ± 151.7 kcal/day and Schofield equation was1362.3 ± 137.3 kcal/day. Energy of REE measurement were significantly lower than REE predicted equation (P < 0.0001). In female or at least 60 years old subjects, REE value predicted by Schofield equation was also higher than value predicted by Harris and Benedict equation (P < 0.05). Muscle mass was positively associated with REE measurement. REE measurement multiplied by the physical activity level factor and calculated the TEE(measurement). The TEE(measurement) was significantly lower than the K/DOQI recommendation. Conclusion: In this study, REE in Taiwan HD patients may lower than predicted value from Harris and Benedict equation and Schofield equation.

We also thank Dr Yunke Dou, Fenghua Niu and Dr Yanhua Yang for th

We also thank Dr Yunke Dou, Fenghua Niu and Dr Yanhua Yang for their assistance in sample collection. “
“Inflammatory

bowel disease (IBD), a chronic intestinal inflammatory condition that affects millions of people worldwide, results in high morbidity and exorbitant health-care costs. The critical features of both innate and adaptive immunity Roxadustat manufacturer are to control inflammation and dysfunction in this equilibrium is believed to be the reason for the development of IBD. miR-155, a microRNA, is up-regulated in various inflammatory disease states, including IBD, and is a positive regulator of T-cell responses. To date, no reports have defined a function for miR-155 with regard to cellular responses in IBD. Using an acute experimental colitis model, we found that miR-155−/− mice, as compared to wild-type control mice, have decreased clinical scores, a reversal of colitis-associated pathogenesis, and reduced systemic MEK inhibitor and mucosal inflammatory cytokines. The increased frequency of CD4+ lymphocytes in the spleen and lamina propria with dextran sodium sulphate induction was decreased in miR-155−/− mice. Similarly, miR-155 deficiency abrogated the increased numbers of interferon-γ expressing CD4+ T cells typically observed in wild-type mice in this model. The frequency of systemic

and mucosal T helper type 17-, CCR9-expressing CD4+ T cells was also reduced in miR-155−/− mice compared with control mice. These findings strongly support a role for miR-155 in facilitating pro-inflammatory

cellular responses in this model of IBD. Loss of miR-155 also results in decreases in T helper type 1/type 17, CD11b+, and CD11c+ cells, which correlated with reduced clinical scores and severity of disease. miR-155 may serve as a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of IBD. “
“Development of complementary and/or alternative drugs for treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is still much needed from clinical and economic points of view. Antiviral substances obtained from medicinal plants are potentially good targets to study. Glycyrrhiza uralensis and G. glabra have been commonly used in both traditional and modern medicine. In this study, extracts of Ergoloid G. uralensis roots and their components were examined for anti-HCV activity using an HCV cell culture system. It was found that a methanol extract of G. uralensis roots and its chloroform fraction possess anti-HCV activity with 50%-inhibitory concentrations (IC50) of 20.0 and 8.0 μg/mL, respectively. Through bioactivity-guided purification and structural analysis, glycycoumarin, glycyrin, glycyrol and liquiritigenin were isolated and identified as anti-HCV compounds, their IC50 being 8.8, 7.2, 4.6 and 16.4 μg/mL, respectively. However, glycyrrhizin, the major constituent of G. uralensis, and its monoammonium salt, showed only marginal anti-HCV activity. It was also found that licochalcone A and glabridin, known to be exclusive constituents of G.

The search was performed in Medline The search was repeated agai

The search was performed in Medline. The search was repeated again in May 2009 with the addition of the search terms ‘statins’, ‘aspirin’ and ‘anti-platelet

therapy’. The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and Database of Systematic Reviews (via the Cochrane Library) were searched for trials and reviews not indexed in Medline. In addition, the reference lists of manuscripts retrieved by the above method were manually reviewed for additional studies. Date of searches: 28 August 2008, 2 April 2009, 11 May 2009. Franklin and Smith randomized 75 patients with documented renovascular hypertension to the ACE inhibitor enalapril plus the thiazide diuretic hydrochlorothiazide or triple therapy combination consisting of hydralazine, Ulixertinib mouse timolol and hydrochlorothiazide (Table 1).21,22 The latter combination was a commonly used regimen at that time for resistant hypertension. Renovascular hypertension was defined in this study by the simultaneous presence of a significant stenosis demonstrated

by arteriography and a positive functional test. The definition of what was regarded as a significant stenosis by arteriography Sirolimus mouse in the study was not stated. The study design consisted of a 15-day dose titration phase followed by a 6-week maintenance phase and the outcome was blood pressure control after the 6-week maintenance phase. There was a 12 mmHg greater decrease

in supine systolic blood pressure in the enalapril-treated group compared with the triple-drug therapy-treated group (P < 0.05). A significant increase in serum creatinine (>0.3 mg/dL) was observed in 20% of patients assigned to enalapril treatment but no cases of severe acute renal failure occurred. A smaller study of only 18 patients by Reams and Bauer also randomized patients PRKACG with renovascular disease to either enalapril and hydrochlorothiazide or triple-drug therapy consisting of hydrochlorothiazide, timolol and hydralazine.23 Effective control of blood pressure, defined as supine diastolic blood pressure less than 90 mmHg, was achieved in all patients assigned enalapril in combination with hydrochlorothiazide and no adverse effects were observed. In contrast, 5/9 (56%) of patients on the triple-drug combination either had uncontrolled hypertension or developed significant side effects. Patients who were uncontrolled or intolerant of the triple-drug combination were well controlled by enalapril and hydrochlorothiazide. In summary, these two small trials suggest that an ACE inhibitor based-regimen appears to control blood pressure better in patients with renovascular hypertension than some other therapies.

Meanwhile, we found aberrant expression of some proteins associat

Meanwhile, we found aberrant expression of some proteins associated with oxidative stress, nitric oxide and the ubiquitin-proteasome system. AGEs, a marker for oxidative stress, which was over-expressed in abnormal fibres as

reported previously [18], can promote the abnormal oxidation of aggregated proteins. Over-expression of eNOS, associated with reduction of nitric oxide, may result in protein nitration and motivate toxic reactivity of aggregated proteins [18]. Mutant ubiquitin is a kind of misreading ubiquitin. Over-expression of mutant ubiquitin in the abnormal fibres indicated that the mutant desmin can impair the proteolytic function of the ubiquitin-proteasome system. The over-expression of p62 could be a response to disturbance of the ubiquitin-mediated this website process [19]. Up to now, a total of 44 mutations responsible for desminopathy have been identified in the world. Many mutations were clustered in the helix 2B domain of desmin, and formed the hotspot region in Caucasian populations [8,34]. However, it is interesting that so many de

novo mutations (six of seven mutations) of the desmin gene were identified in the current series of patients. A different genetic background in affected patients is likely to further modify the clinical manifestations of disease in different Selleck Roxadustat populations. The novel S12F mutation located in the first site of a highly conserved nonpeptide motif (SSYRRTFGG) in the head domain of desmin is shared by other human intermediate filaments and conserved in the evolutionary tree. The loss of the Ser12 residue might alter the phosphorylation in the head domain, click here thus affecting desmin filament assembly and disassembly [22,35]. The four other mutations in helix 1A, 2A and 2B of the rod domain affected the mosaic arrangement of hydrophilic and

hydrophobic amino acids in the conserved heptad repeat. The changes were likely to decrease the local flexibility of a coiled-coil rod domain, thus obstructing the proper assembly of desmin intermediate filaments [36]. The T445A and E457V mutations were located in the highly conserved β-turn motif of the tail domain, which seems to be essential for inter-protofibrillar stability and width control, and thus interfered with the binding of desmin filaments to other proteins that are cofactors of the cytoskeleton, or parts of muscle-specific signalling cascades [37]. Since all novel mutations were distributed in several domains of desmin, it seemed unlikely that Chinese patients belonged to a distinctive group of desminopathy. Our functional studies provided compelling evidence that six mutants severely affected the ability of desmin to produce a filamentous network in a desmin-negative cell line.

Thus,

Thus, Vorinostat supplier the TCR-defined subsets express CD27 differentially, and their functional development might be determined accordingly, presumably by a combination of TCR and CD27-derived signals. Interestingly, although this is not discussed at length, Supporting Information Fig. 6 in the current paper 8 also shows a substantial difference in CD27 expression by Vδ2+ versus Vδ1+ human γδ T cells. Here, although CD27 expression in the Vδ1+ subset is more heterogeneous, a large fraction of these cells

express the molecule at nearly 10-fold higher levels than Vδ2+ cells. Because functional differences between human Vδ1+ and Vδ2+γδ T cells have been reported 15, perhaps combined influences of TCR and CD27 signaling determine functional differentiation here also (Fig. 1). In addition to the TNF-receptor family member CD27, which is also expressed by other lymphocyte types 3, mouse and human γδ T cells are known

to express TNF-R2 17, which is not normally expressed PI3K inhibitor by αβ T cells, as well as Fas 18, and CD30 19. As is the case with CD27, several TNF receptor family members, including HVEM, OX40, 4-1BB and CD30, are recognized as important costimulators in initiating and sustaining the T-cell response and in promoting long-lived immunity 20. Perhaps certain other TNF-receptors expressed by γδ T cells, e.g. CD30, might function as costimulators on γδ T cells as well. However, it remains to be seen whether any of those are also capable of influencing γδ T-cell functional bias, SB-3CT as is shown here with CD27 8. The authors thank the National Institutes

of Health (1R56A1 077594) and National Jewish Health for their support. Conflict of interest: The authors declare no financial or commercial conflict of interest. See accompanying article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/eji.201040905 “
“In recent years, it has become apparent that the removal of apoptotic cells by macrophages and DC is not only noninflammatory, but also immune-inhibitory, in most although not all circumstances. Complement may be involved in the uptake of apoptotic cells via direct binding of bridging factors in some physiological circumstances, by opsonization and engagement of the complement receptors. In the current study, we use a complement-dependent system of apoptotic cell clearance by human-derived macrophages and DC. Using a luciferase reporter gene and measuring immune response to non-opsonic zymosan, we show that iC3b-apoptotic cells induce NF-κB inhibition in response to zymosan and LPS at the nuclear translocation, transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels, leading to profound inhibition of proinflammatory cytokines. In addition, interaction with iC3b-opsonized apoptotic cells is characterized by macrophage secretion of IL-10 and lack of TGF-β secretion. In conclusion, in cells with iC3b receptors, opsonized apoptotic cells mediate a distinct anti-inflammatory response and transcriptional NF-κB-dependent blockage.