Membrane CD14 is involved in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced monocyte activation; it binds LPS, and antibodies against CD14 block the effects of low-dose LPS. It is unknown how LPS regulates its own receptor CD14 in vitro. Therefore, we investigated the effects of LPS on CD14 mRNA and membrane and soluble CD14 (mCD14 and sCD14, respectively) in human monocytes and macrophages. No changes were observed during the first 3 h of LPS stimulation. After 6 to 15 h, LPS weakly reduced CD14 mRNA and mCD14 and transiently enhanced sCD14 release. A 2-day incubation with LPS caused increases in the levels of CD14 mRNA (2-fold), mCD14 (2-fold), sCD14 (1.5-fold), and LPS-fluorescein isothiocyanate binding (1.5-fold); a 5-h incubation with LPS was sufficient to induce the late effects on mCD14 and sCD14. The maximal effect on mCD14 and sCD14 was reached with >1 ng of LPS per ml; the proportional distribution of the two sCD14 isoforms was not modified by LPS. Besides rough and smooth LPS, lipid A, heat-killed Escherichia coli, lipoteichoic acid, and Staphylococcus aureus cell wall extract (10 g/ml) caused similar increases of mCD14. The LPS effect was blocked by polymyxin B but not by anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha, anti-interleukin-6, anti-gamma interferon, and anti-LPS-binding protein. LPS-induced tumor necrosis factor alpha production was abolished after a second 4-h challenge. In contrast, the LPS-induced increases CD14 mRNA, mCD14, and sCD14 were stronger and appeared earlier after a second LPS challenge. In conclusion, CD14 is transcriptionally upregulated by LPS and other bacterial cell wall constituents. MATERIALS AND METHODSReagents. Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 was grown overnight in Mueller-Hinton broth at 37ЊC and heat killed by 15-min boiling. LPS preparations (Salmonella enterica serovar typhimurium and LPS-FITC), lipoteichoic acid (from Enterococcus faecalis), bovine serum albumin (BSA), and laurylsarcosine were purchased from Sigma Chemical Co., (St. Louis, Mo.). E. coli Re LPS, S. enterica serovar abortusequi smooth LPS, lipid A, and Staphylococcus aureus cell wall extract were kind gifts from C. Galanos (Freiburg i.Br., Germany). Anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-␣) monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) were donated by Knoll (Ludwigshafen, Germany), and anti-gamma interferon (IFN-␥) antibodies were donated by H. Gallati (Hoffmann-La Roche, Basel, Switzerland). Goat anti-human anti-LBP antiserum and the CD14 cDNA probe was kindly provided

Off-pump surgery did not better preserve right ventricular systolic and diastolic function than did conventional coronary surgery.

The findings of this in vivo study indicate that desflurane and isoflurane, and most likely sevoflurane, have no relevant direct negative effect on early diastolic relaxation in young healthy humans. In contrast, all three volatile anaesthetics appear to impair late diastolic LV filling during atrial contraction.

Global right ventricular function was not better preserved 3 months after off-pump surgery than after conventional coronary bypass surgery.

Our data demonstrate that LBP is significantly elevated in the dialysis effluents of patients with CAPD-associated peritonitis caused by both gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria and might be used as a marker of intraperitoneal infection. Moreover, our findings support the concept that LBP enhances the effects of LPS on cytokine production by peritoneal macrophages. The function of LBP in gram-positive infection remains to be further elucidated.