Immunocompromised patients demonstrate a wide variety of idiopathic cutaneous and mucosal lesions including dermatitis, gastrointestinal and genital tract ulcerations, and recurrent aphthous stomatitis. The overall objective of this research program is to evaluate the pathogenesis of mucosal inflammation associated with immune dysregulation in HIV-infected patients with aphthous lesions. A randomized, controlled clinical trial was initiated which serves as a vehicle for several lines of inquiry directed towards investigating the pathogenesis of oral aphthous ulcers, which are spontaneous, recurrent mucosal ulcerations of unknown etiology, and which are persistent and debilitating in persons with HIV/AIDS. The objectives are to: 1) assess clinical outcomes in a pharmacologic evaluation of a novel topical thalidomide preparation, 2) evaluate the contribution of the local inflammatory process to the pathogenesis of aphthous ulcers in HIV-infected patients by examining the cellular and molecular effects of thalidomide on inflammatory cells and lesion progression and healing, 3) examine the effect of the chronic inflammation (aphthous lesions) and its treatment with thalidomide on HIV load systemically and in the oral cavity, and 4) evaluate presence of pathogens, including HIV, as potential causative agents for the observed mucosal immune response.
| Warburton, Gary; Nikitakis, Nikolaos G; Roberson, Patrick et al. (2007) Histopathological and lymphangiogenic parameters in relation to lymph node metastasis in early stage oral squamous cell carcinoma. J Oral Maxillofac Surg 65:475-84 |
| Wahl, Sharon M (2007) Transforming growth factor-beta: innately bipolar. Curr Opin Immunol 19:55-62 |
| Wang, Xiao-Min; Wu, Tian-Xia; Hamza, May et al. (2007) Rofecoxib modulates multiple gene expression pathways in a clinical model of acute inflammatory pain. Pain 128:136-47 |
| Wahl, Sharon M; Wen, Jie; Moutsopoulos, Niki M (2006) The kiss of death: interrupted by NK-cell close encounters of another kind. Trends Immunol 27:161-4 |
| Peng, Gang; Lei, Ke Jian; Jin, Wenwen et al. (2006) Induction of APOBEC3 family proteins, a defensive maneuver underlying interferon-induced anti-HIV-1 activity. J Exp Med 203:41-6 |
| Moutsopoulos, N M; Angelov, N; Sankar, V et al. (2006) Immunological consequences of thalidomide treatment in Sjogren's syndrome. Ann Rheum Dis 65:112-4 |
| Riley, E M; Wahl, S; Perkins, D J et al. (2006) Regulating immunity to malaria. Parasite Immunol 28:35-49 |
| Wahl, Sharon M; Wen, Jie; Moutsopoulos, Niki (2006) TGF-beta: a mobile purveyor of immune privilege. Immunol Rev 213:213-27 |
| Skaleric, Uros; Gaspirc, Boris; McCartney-Francis, Nancy et al. (2006) Proinflammatory and antimicrobial nitric oxide in gingival fluid of diabetic patients with periodontal disease. Infect Immun 74:7010-3 |
| Martin, Maureen P; Carrington, Mary (2005) Immunogenetics of viral infections. Curr Opin Immunol 17:510-6 |
Showing the most recent 10 out of 32 publications
