Local interleukin-6 (IL-6) activity was studied using colonic mucosal tissues in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and inflammatory control patients. Active IBD specimens exhibited significantly higher IL-6 activity than control specimens in both cultures of isolated lamina propria mononuclear cells (LPMC) and mucosal tissues with an increased number of IL-6-producing cells. However, the activity in inactive IBD or inflammatory controls did not differ from controls. Northern blot analysis demonstrated IL-6 messenger RNA in LPMC and colonic epithelial cells isolated from active IBD specimens but not in control cells. Furthermore, immunofluorescent microscopic study of active IBD specimens showed more conspicuous staining of IL-6 in infiltrating LPMC (mostly CD68+ cells) and colonic epithelial cells. These results suggest that elevation of local IL-6 activity may be a characteristic feature of active IBD and both macrophages and colonic epithelial cells are the major cell types responsible for this phenomenon.
We form periodic linear grooves in synthetic single-crystal diamond with femtosecond pulses at 800 nm. The grooves are 40 nm wide, 500 nm deep, up to 0.3 mm long, and have an average spacing of 146Ϯ 7 nm. The grooves are perpendicular to the direction of the laser polarization and are formed below the threshold for ablation throughout the focal volume. The submicrometer periodicity is caused by interference between a laser-induced plasma and the incident laser beam, which locally enhances the field at the surface so the ablation threshold is exceeded. Using Raman spectroscopy we find that the structures retain the original diamond composition.
Enhanced IL-6/sIL-6R-mediated immune and inflammatory responses may be implicated, at least partly, in the continuation of intestinal inflammation in patients with IBD.
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