Severe sepsis is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. High mortality rates in sepsis are frequently associated with neutropenia. Despite the central role of neutrophils in innate immunity, the mechanisms causing neutropenia during sepsis remain elusive. Here, we show that neutropenia is caused in part by apoptosis and is sustained by a block of hematopoietic stem cell (

This procedure is both safe and effective and could become the method of choice for the treatment of colorectal neoplastic obstructions.

Objective-Homeostasis of the hematopoietic compartment is challenged and maintained during conditions of stress by mechanisms that are poorly defined. To understand how the bone marrow (BM) microenvironment influences hematopoiesis, we explored the role of Notch signaling and bone marrow endothelial cells in providing microenvironmental cues to hematopoietic cells in the presence of inflammatory stimuli.Methods-The human BM endothelial cell line BMEC and primary human BM endothelial cells were analyzed for expression of Notch ligands and the ability to expand hematopoietic progenitors in an in vitro co-culture system. In vivo experiments were carried out to identify modulation of Notch signaling in BM endothelial and hematopoietic cells in mice challenged with TNFα or LPS, or in Tie2-tmTNFα transgenic mice characterized by constitutive TNFα activation.Results-BM endothelial cells were found to express Jagged ligands and to greatly support progenitor's colony-forming ability. This effect was markedly decreased by Notch antagonists and augmented by increasing levels of Jagged2. Physiologic upregulation of Jagged2 expression on BMEC was observed upon TNFα activation. Injection of TNFα or LPS upregulated 3 to 4 fold Jagged2 expression on murine BM endothelial cells in vivo and resulted in increased Notch