Search results for "IMMUNOLOGY"
showing 10 items of 9651 documents
Evaluation of treatment response to enzyme replacement therapy with Velaglucerase alfa in patients with Gaucher disease using whole-body magnetic res…
2015
Abstract Objective This was a retrospective data analysis to evaluate the treatment response to enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) with Velaglucerase alfa using whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Materials and methods A baseline and follow-up MRI were performed on 18 Gaucher Type 1 patients at an interval of 11.6 months. The MRI score systems determined the Bone-Marrow-Burden (BMB) score, the Dusseldorf-Gaucher score (DGS), and the Vertebra-Disc-Ratio (VDR). The Severity Score Index Type 1 (GD-DS3) was also assessed. Results The baseline MRI medians were: BMB, 7.00; DGS, 3.00; and VDR: 1.70; while, the follow-up MRI medians were: BMB, 7.00; DGS, 3.00; and VDR: 1.73. The baseline GD-…
Alpha-defensins (α-Defs) in Crohn's disease: decrease of ileal α-Def 5 via permanent methylation and increase in plasma α-Def 1-3 concentrations offe…
2018
Summary An impaired expression of α-defensins (α-Defs) in the ileal mucosa and, conversely, increased levels in plasma, have been reported in Crohn's disease (CD). However, the specificity and correlation of these findings with the degree of inflammation are unclear. We aimed to characterize the concentration and utility of ileal and plasma α-Defs in CD and to analyse a potential epigenetic mechanism of α-Def expression. Peripheral blood samples and ileal biopsies were obtained from patients at disease onset (aCD), from those who achieved remission (iCD) and from two control groups (healthy controls and non-CD-aetiology ileitis patients). Plasma α-Defs 1–3 and 4 were detected by enzyme-link…
Antihistamine-resistant chronic spontaneous urticaria: 1-year data from the AWARE study.
2018
BACKGROUND Previous reports indicate that patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) are undertreated and that physicians show poor adherence to guideline recommendations. Awareness of CSU has improved in recent years, but it remains unclear if this has improved the management of these patients in clinical practice. OBJECTIVE To describe disease burden, quality of life (QoL), and treatment patterns of patients with H1 -antihistamine-refractory CSU in Germany. METHOD A World-wide Antihistamine-Refractory chronic urticaria (CU) patient Evaluation (AWARE) is a global prospective, non-interventional study of CU in the real-world setting, supported by the manufacturer of omalizumab. Patie…
Altered distribution and function of splenic innate lymphoid cells in adult chronic immune thrombocytopenia
2018
IF 7.607; International audience; Innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) have been characterized as innate immune cells capable to modulate the immune response in the mucosae. Human ILCs have been rarely described in secondary lymphoid organs except in tonsils. Moreover, their function and phenotype in human secondary lymphoid organs during autoimmune diseases have never been studied. We took advantage of splenectomy as a treatment of immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) to describe and compare splenic ILC from 18 ITP patients to 11 controls. We first confirmed that ILC3 represented the most abundant ILC subset in human non-inflamed spleens, accounting for 90% of total ILC, and that they were mostly constit…
High serum CXCL10 in Rickettsia conorii infection is endothelial cell ă mediated subsequent to whole blood activation
2016
International audience; Background: The pathophysiological hallmark of Rickettsia conorii (R. ă conorii) infection comprises infection of endothelial cells with ă perivascular infiltration of T-cells and macrophages. Although ă interferon (IFN)-gamma-induced protein 10 (IP-10)/CXCL10 is induced ă during vascular inflammation, data on CXCL10 in R. conorii infection is ă scarce. ă Methods: Serum CXCL10 was analyzed in two cohorts of southern European ă patients with R. conorii infection using multiplex cytokine assays. The ă mechanism of R. conorii-induced CXCL10 release was examined ex vivo ă using human whole blood interacting with endothelial cells. ă Results: (i) At admission, R. conorii …
Human limbal fibroblast-like stem cells induce immune-tolerance in autoreactive T lymphocytes from female patients with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis
2017
Background Due to their “natural immune privilege” and immunoregulatory properties human fibroblast-like limbal stem cells (f-LSCs) have acquired great interest as a potential tool for achieving immunotolerance. Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) is the most common thyroid autoimmune disease and cause of hypothyroidism. To date, conventional hormone replacement therapy and unspecific immunosuppressive regimens cannot provide a definitive cure for HT subjects. We explored the immunosuppressant potential of human f-LSCs on circulating lymphomonocytes (PBMCs) collected from healthy donors and female HT patients. Methods We assessed the immunophenotyping of f-LSCs, both untreated and after 48 h of pr…
Characterization of endometriosis-associated immune cell infiltrates (EMaICI)
2016
Objective: To identify and characterize endometriosis-associated immune cell infiltrates (EMaICI). Furthermore, to define occurrence and size of EMaICI in various types of endometriosis. Methods: Immune cells were characterized in samples of 60 premenopausal women with histological proven endometriosis. Therefore, immunohistochemical staining with monoclonal antibodies for CD3, CD4, CD8, CD45RO, CD25, CD56, CD68, and CD20 on sections of paraffin-embedded endometriotic tissue was performed. Results: EMaICI were observed in all the types of endometriosis, and characterized as T lymphocytes (CD3+), helper T lymphocytes (CD4+), cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CD8+), antigen-experienced T lymphocytes”m…
Severe pre-eclampsia is associated with alterations in cytotrophoblasts of the smooth chorion.
2016
Pre-eclampsia (PE), which affects ∼8% of first pregnancies, is associated with faulty placentation. Extravillous cytotrophoblasts (CTBs) fail to differentiate properly, contributing to shallow uterine invasion and deficient spiral artery remodeling. We studied the effects of severe PE (sPE) on the smooth chorion portion of the fetal membranes. The results showed a significant expansion of the CTB layer. The cells displayed enhanced expression of stage-specific antigens that extravillous CTBs normally upregulate as they exit the placenta. Transcriptomics revealed the dysregulated expression of many genes (e.g. placental proteins, markers of oxidative stress). We confirmed an sPE-related incr…
The CD68+/H-ferritin+ cells colonize the lymph nodes of the patients with adult onset Still's disease and are associated with increased extracellular…
2015
Summary In this work, we aimed to evaluate the levels of ferritin enriched in H subunits (H-ferritin) and ferritin enriched in L subunits (L-ferritin) and the cells expressing these two molecules in the lymph node (LN) biopsies obtained from adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD) patients, and the possible correlation among these data and the severity of the disease. Ten patients with AOSD underwent LN biopsy. All the samples were stained by immunofluorescence. A statistical analysis was performed to estimate the possible correlation among both H-ferritin and L-ferritin tissue expression and the clinical picture of the disease. Furthermore, the same analysis was performed to evaluate the possib…
Allergic diseases in the elderly: biological characteristics and main immunological and non-immunological mechanisms
2017
Life expectancy and the number of elderly people are progressively increasing around the world. Together with other pathologies, allergic diseases also show an increasing incidence in geriatric age. This is partly due to the growing emphasis on a more accurate and careful diagnosis of the molecular mechanisms that do not allow to ignore the real pathogenesis of many symptoms until now unknown, and partly to the fact that the allergic people from 20 years ago represent the elderly population now. Moreover, environmental pollution predisposes to the onset of allergic asthma and dermatitis which are the result of internal pathologies more than the expression of allergic manifestations. At the …