The decline in immunity seen in the elderly is a significant contributor to disease burden. This decline has largely been attributed to alterations in T cell immunity and contributes to an overall increased risk and severity of @entity281 in the elderly. A key component of T cell immunity involves antigen presentation, an event where an antigen is processed and presented to specific immune cells for destruction. This event has been found to be crucial to immune function. Recent research has focused on a key antigen presenting cell (APC), the dendritic cell (DC), and changes within its function associated with aging. DCs are considered to be the most professional @entity11527 , and are responsible for the initiation and outcome of effector T cells and their resultant immune response. DCs capture antigens and undergo a maturation process and polarize into either type 1 dendritic cells (DC1) or type 2 dendritic cells (DC2), based upon their ability to favor a T helper1 ( @entity1198 ) or T helper 2 (Th2) T cell response, respectively. Evidence suggests that in normal healthy adults, a @entity1198 type response predominates, and in frail elders, a Th2 response predominates. It has been proposed that this change from a predominately @entity1198 type to a predominate Th2 type response is a possible mechanism for age-associated @entity1200 . In addition, recent research has focused on how @entity112 , an inflammatory mediator, promotes a Th2 response. @entity112 has also been shown to polarize @entity1 DCs into Th2 cell-promoting effector DCs or DC2s. This has been shown to occur via interaction with the H2 receptor. Therefore, we theorize that use of an H2 selective @entity16206 will reverse this polarization back to a @entity1198 type response and therefore improve immune function of the frail elderly.

XXXX in the elderly and its reversal by antihistamines.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['human'] @entity16206 :: ('CHEBI:37956', 'Chemical') :: ['antihistamine'] @entity1198 :: ('51497', 'Gene') :: ['Th1'] @entity11527 :: ('MESH:C566056', 'Disease') :: ['APCs'] @entity281 :: ('MESH:D007239', 'Disease') :: ['infection'] @entity1200 :: ('MESH:D007154', 'Disease') :: ['immune dysfunction'] @entity112 :: ('MESH:D006632', 'Chemical') :: ['Histamine', 'histamine']
@entity1200 :: (MESH:D007154,Disease) :: ['Immune dysfunction']
