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OBJECTIVE: Oral lichen planus (OLP) is chronic inflammatory disease of the oral mucosa, presenting in various clinical forms. The etiology of OLP is still unknown but mounting evidence points to the immunologic basis of this disorder. AIM: Our study was undertaken to quantify the salivary levels of pro-inflammatory tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) in the reticular and the erosive/atrophic forms of OLP, compared with age-matched healthy control volunteers. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Whole saliva from 40 patients with active lesions of OLP, as well as from 20 healthy persons, was investigated for the presence of TNF-alpha by enzyme immunoassay. RESULTS: Salivary TNF-alpha levels were significantly increased in patients with OLP in comparison with healthy subjects. The presence of TNF-alpha showed positive correlation to clinical forms of OLP, being significantly higher in the erosive/atrophic type than in the reticular type of disease. CONCLUSION: Saliva provides an ideal medium for the detection of pro-inflammatory markers of the oral cavity. In patients with OLP, TNF-alpha levels in saliva are elevated, correlating with the severity of illness. Salivary TNF-alpha analysis may be a useful diagnostic tool and a potential prognostic marker in OLP.

Listeria monocytogenes has been recognized as a significant pathogen, occurring worldwide, capable of causing animal and human infections. In its most severe form, listeriosis is an invasive disease that affects immunocompromised patients. Additionally, pregnant women represent a high-risk group for L. monocytogenes infection. Abortion, stillbirth or severe neonatal infection can be the serious outcome of such an infection. In an experimental murine model of pregnancy-associated listeriosis we studied the impact of L. monocytogenes on the maternal immune response and pregnancy outcome. In comparison to virgin animals, pregnant mice mounted lower levels of protective cytokines and were unable to eliminate the pathogen. The impaired maternal immune response that has been found both on the systemic and local level, facilitated bacterial multiplication in the liver, placenta and ultimately in the fetal tissues. This resulted in severe necrotizing hemorrhagic hepatitis and Listeria-induced placental necrosis, increasing the incidence of postimplantation loss and poor pregnancy outcome.

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Due to a unique pattern of CD8 T-cell response induced by cytomegaloviruses (CMVs), live attenuated CMVs are attractive candidates for vaccine vectors for a number of clinically relevant infections and tumors. NKG2D is one of the most important activating NK cell receptors that plays a role in costimulation of CD8 T cells. Here we demonstrate that the expression of CD8 T-cell epitope of Listeria monocytogenes by a recombinant mouse CMV (MCMV) expressing the NKG2D ligand retinoic acid early-inducible protein 1-gamma (RAE-1γ) dramatically enhanced the effectiveness and longevity of epitope-specific CD8 T-cell response and conferred protection against a subsequent challenge infection with Listeria monocytogenes. Unexpectedly, the attenuated growth in vivo of the CMV vector expressing RAE-1γ and its capacity to enhance specific CD8 T-cell response were preserved even in mice lacking NKG2D, implying additional immune function for RAE-1γ beyond engagement of NKG2D. Thus, vectors expressing RAE-1γ represent a promising approach in the development of CD8 T-cellbased vaccines.RAE-1 gamma | CD8 T cell vaccine | vaccine vector A lthough vaccination plays a tremendous role in protection against infectious diseases, there are many pathogens for which even the immunity acquired after natural infection does not fully protect against reinfection and disease. Therefore, vaccines which offer superior protection compared with the protection following natural infection are needed. Most of the current vaccines induce protective antibodies but often fail to confer sufficient protection. An alternative approach is to develop vaccines which are based on the induction of cellular immunity in general and cytotoxic CD8 T cells in particular (1).Cytomegaloviruses (CMVs) are excellent inducers of the CD8 T-cell response, despite having numerous immunoevasion strategies aimed at compromising antigen presentation by MHC class I molecules (2). Preferentially, CMVs induce the effector arm of memory CD8 T cells (3). This, together with a large genome allowing the insertion of multiple foreign genes, makes CMVs attractive vaccine vectors. The outstanding capacity of specific CD8 T cells induced by CMV vectors was proven by studies demonstrating the role of tissue-resident effector memory CD8 T cells in the protection against challenge infection (4, 5). The suitability of CMV as a vaccine vector was further emphasized in a recent study by Hansen et al. (6).NKG2D is a receptor expressed on several lymphocyte subsets, with a predominant role in activation of NK cells. In addition, NKG2D has a costimulatory role on CD8 T cells (7). The ligands for the NKG2D receptor are several molecules induced by stress or cell transformation. In mice, NKG2D ligands comprise the RAE-1 family (RAE-1α-e), H60 family (H60a-c), and MULT-1 proteins (8). The significance of NKG2D signaling in immune response to CMV infection is best illustrated by numerous strategies used by CMVs to evade the function of this receptor (9). We have recently shown that infection of mice wi...

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11%]). Overexpression of the natural AmpC cephalosporinase was common (42%), but only a few ST235 or ST111 isolates produced VIM-1 or VIM-2 metallo-␤-lactamases or PER-1 or GES-7 extendedspectrum ␤-lactamases.