Serum homocysteine (HCY) levels have been associated with the occurrence of coronary stenosis and disease activity in large-vessel vasculitis. However, whether increases in serum HCY levels and traditional lipid indicators are associated with coronary artery involvement and disease activity in Chinese Han Takayasu arteritis (TA) patients is unknown. This study aims to investigate the clinical and laboratory

During the COVID-19 pandemic in a modern era, there is a global consensus on the need for the rapid development of a vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 for effective and sustainable control. Developing these vaccines is fundamental to public health. This urgent need is supported by the scientific explosion in structural and genomic biology that facilitates the urgent development of an ideal COVID-19 vaccine

This single-center, retrospective study aimed to explore the immune characteristics of COVID-19 and biomarkers to predict the severity of this disease. Patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 (n = 215) treated at the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University from January 24 to March 12, 2020, were included in the study and classified into severe and non-severe groups. Peripheral immunocyte count and

It is recently shown that PD-1 expression by immune cells of the myeloid lineage contributes to the suppression of antitumor immunity. The expression of PD-1 by antigen-presenting cells in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a malignancy with high intratumoral PD-L1 expression, remained understudied. Here, we found that circulating monocytes from HBV-associated HCC patients upregulated PD-1 in a severity-dependent

Many pro-inflammatory cytokines especially tumor necrotic factor alpha (TNFα), interleukin (IL)-1β, and IL-6 have crucial role in the pathogenesis of endometriosis. In this study, we investigated the immune-modulatory role of humanized anti-IL-6 receptor monoclonal antibodies in the treatment of endometriosis. This is a prospective, randomized, controlled, blinded study in which Sprague Dawley rats

A higher level of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) is associated with better prognosis in breast cancer patients. Adoptive transfer of lymphocytes coupled with conventional therapies has appealed to many clinicians and investigators as an effective treatment strategy for cancer patients, which necessitates efficient activation and expansion of cytotoxic T lymphocytes precisely targeting cancer

Previous reports have demonstrated that the newly identified lipid mediator protectin DX (PDX) could effectively attenuate multiple organ injuries in sepsis. The aim of our study was to clarify whether PDX could improve acute lung injury (ALI) induced by sepsis and elucidate the relevant potential mechanism. After inducing sepsis by the cecal ligation and puncture approach, mice were treated with a

T helper 17 (Th17) cells have been involved in the pathogenesis of many autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, like psoriasis, multiple sclerosis (MS), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). However, the role of Th17 cells in psoriasis has not been clarified completely. Th17-derived proinflammatory cytokines including IL-17A, IL-17F, IL-21, IL-22, and IL-26 have a critical

Cytokine polymorphisms can influence their plasma levels and thus affect the immune response in renal transplantation. A total of 146 renal transplant recipients (RTR) were classified into groups according to the estimated glomerular filtration rate (R1: < 60 and R2: ≥ 60 mL/min/1.73 m2) and time after transplantation (T1: 1 to 24, T2: 25 to 60, T3: 61 to 120, and T4: > 120 months after transplantation)

Lck is a Src-related protein tyrosine kinase that associates with CD4 and CD8 molecules and is essential to T cell development and T cell activation. Regulatory mechanisms of Lck are diverse and controversy exists regarding the importance of each mechanism. The balance of phosphorylation at the inhibitory and activating Tyr residues is maintained by a balance between CD45 and Csk and is dependent upon

To compare human adipose tissue mesenchymal stem cells (AT-MSCs) and etanercept as immunomodulatory agents for collagen-induced arthritis (CIA). CIA was induced by rats’ immunization with collagen type II (CII) in complete Freund’s adjuvant in days 0 and 7. Before the onset of CIA, prevention group received five doses of AT-MSCS intraperitoneally. After establishment of arthritis, rats received either

Blocking antibodies targeting immune checkpoint molecules achieved invaluable success in tumor therapy and amazing clinical responses in a variety of cancers. Although common treatment protocols have improved overall survival in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), they continue to relapse and progress. In the present in vitro study, the application of anti-PD-1 and anti-TIM-3 blocking

The purpose of this study was to investigate the risk of the patient having: (1) TB, (2) sarcoidosis, (3) atypical mycobacteria, or (4) malignant disease, if FNAC or histology from a cervical lymph node shows granulomatous inflammation (GI). And to elucidate clinical characteristics associated with these causes of GI, patients with a pathological diagnosis of GI in head and neck lymph nodes were identified

SARS-CoV-2 infection is characterized by a protean clinical picture that can range from asymptomatic patients to life-threatening conditions. Severe COVID-19 patients often display a severe pulmonary involvement and develop neutrophilia, lymphopenia, and strikingly elevated levels of IL-6. There is an over-exuberant cytokine release with hyperferritinemia leading to the idea that COVID-19 is part of

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is among the most common cancers of the genitourinary system. Once RCC has progressed to a high tumor stage, surgery is no longer the optimal option, and treatment with drugs is more suitable. However, a proportion of patients with advanced RCC (aRCC) experience accelerated progression following targeted therapy or immunotherapy, a condition known as hyperprogressive disease

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is the main risk factor for chronic hepatitis (CHC), liver cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). B cell lymphoma-2 (BCL-2) prevents apoptosis, and its overexpression could promote cancer cell survival. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the association of Bcl-2 gene polymorphism (rs2279115) and HCV-related HCC susceptibility. Two hundred and seventy

Radiation enteritis is one of the most common side effects of ionizing radiation in patients with pelvic cancers. Increasing amounts of evidence indicate that pro-inflammatory responses significantly contribute to the development of radiation enteritis. In this study, we investigated the association between T regulatory (Treg) cells and the risk of developing radiation enteritis in cervical cancer

The etiology of polyarteritis nodosa (PAN) and localized PAN, including cutaneous arteritis (CA), remains unknown; however, initial endothelial damage has been implicated. The intima of the vasculitis lesions is predominantly infiltrated by innate-like bystander-activated CD8 T cells, in addition to the macrophages. Macrophages are among the major inflammatory cells involved in innate immunity and

Recurrence of severe microbial infections results from a primary immunodeficiency disorder known as major histocompatibility complex class II deficiency or bare lymphocyte syndrome type II. Immunologic function is severely impaired due to the absence of MHC class II molecules on the surface of immune cells. Here, we report a 5-year-old boy with a novel homozygous mutation in RFXANK gene that negatively

Anti-rods and rings (anti-RR) antibody induction is related to the combination of interferon and ribavirin in the treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. If the main factor leading to this autoimmune reaction is the combination of these drugs, is not well known, but in vitro studies shows that ribavirin alone can induce rods and rings structures. New direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) permit HCV

The order of authors’ affiliations in the published version of this article was not consistent with the order in the submitted manuscript due to typesetting

Aberrant T helper-2 (Th2) responses play a critical role in the pathogenesis of allergic diseases. The underlying mechanism is to be further investigated. It is reported that soluble CD83 (sCD83) has immune-regulatory effects. This study aims to investigate the role of sCD83 in the regulation of Th2 polarization. Blood samples were collected from pediatric patients with food allergy (FA). The Th2 response

The recent COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on our lives and has rapidly expanded to reach more than 4 million cases worldwide by May 2020. These cases are characterized by extreme variability, from a mild or asymptomatic form lasting for a few days up to severe forms of interstitial pneumonia that may require ventilatory therapy and can lead to patient death. Several hypotheses have

Gaucher disease (GD) involves a broad spectrum of immunological cells, including T helper (Th) cells and regulatory B cells (Bregs), which function to resolve the immune response and inhibit excessive inflammation. This study aimed to explore T helper cells, B cells, and Bregs in GD children undergoing enzyme replacement therapy (ERT). Our study included 20 GD patients; six patients were categorized

Data on the association between fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) and psoriasis are scarce. We aimed to examine the association between FMS and psoriasis using a large-scale observational population-based study. This cross-sectional study analyzed data from a big computerized database to evaluate potential differences in the prevalence of psoriasis between patients with FMS and matched control subjects.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is considered leading cause of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We aimed to examine the association of IL-6 and IL-10 single-nucleotide polymorphisms with the progression of chronic HCV (CHC) infection to cirrhosis and HCC. For comparative purposes, four groups were enrolled; chronic HCV group (CHC, n = 22), HCV-related liver cirrhosis group (HCV-LC, n = 22), HCV-related

Primary immunodeficiencies (PI) are genetic defects of the immune system that result in chronic and often life-threatening infections and/or life-threatening autoimmunity if not diagnosed and treated. Patients with a suspected PI, but without a genetic diagnosis, commonly undergo a diagnostic odyssey that is costly, time-consuming, and arduous. This delay in diagnosis prevents appropriate disease management

The Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is one of the vector borne causes of encephalitis found in southeastern Asia. This positive single-stranded RNA virus is a member of the Flaviviridae family, which notably includes dengue, tick-borne, West Nile, Zika as well as yellow fever, and transmits to humans by infected mosquitos. The main site of interactions for antibodies against this virus is the envelope

The autoimmune regulator (AIRE) gene controls autoimmunity via its transcript AIRE protein that suppresses naïve T cells during central selection. The role of AIRE polymorphism in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) autoimmunity remains elusive. This study aimed to investigate the association of two selected SNPs, namely, rs760426 and rs2075876, with RA susceptibility in the Suez Canal Zone population. The study

Helicobacter pylori (Hp) is a likely trigger of systemic sclerosis (SSc), but systemic antigen-specific antibody (Ab) responses in a well-defined cohort of SSc patients have not been thoroughly assessed. Line immunoassay and immunoblotting testing Abs against 15 Hp antigens were performed in 91 SSc patients and 59 demographically matched healthy controls (HCs). Results were validated in an independent

This study aimed to investigate whether the classic hepatoprotective drug polyene phosphatidylcholine (PPC) regulates macrophage polarization and explores the potential role of TLR-2 in this process. In RAW264.7 macrophages and murine bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) stimulated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS), PPC significantly inhibited the production of IL-6, TNF-α, and the mRNA expression of

Severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) disorders compromise lymphocyte numbers and/or function. One subset of SCID typically affects T cell and Natural Killer (NK) cell development in tandem (T-B+NK-) due to mutations arising in the genes encoding the common γ chain or Janus Kinase 3 (JAK3). In rare circumstances, mutations in the JAK3 gene have been reported to cause atypical SCID that selectively

During World War I (WWI), infectious diseases including tetanus were among the most important causes of death. Even though its efficacy was somewhat controversial before the war, tetanus antiserum played a key role in reducing the mortality of this disease. A vial of tetanus antiserum dating back from WWI, left behind on the French battlefield by the US Army, was borrowed from a private collection

Severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) is a group of syndromes resulting from genetic defects causing severe deficiency in T cell and B cell function. These conditions are life-threatening and result in susceptibility to serious infections. SCID is often fatal in the first year of life if not detected and properly treated. SCID and related T cell lymphopenias can be detected in newborns by a simple

Tumor-infiltrating CD8 T cells are instrumental to antitumor immunity. In this study, we found that a subset of CXCR5-expressing CD8 T cells, termed follicular cytotoxic T (Tfc) cells, potently infiltrated the untreated tumors from non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. On average, Tfc cells represented 14% of total tumor-infiltrating CD8 T cells and 6.6% of total tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes

With several different CAR T cell therapies under advanced phases of clinical trials, and the first FDA-approved CAR treatments in 2017 (Yescarta and Kymriah), CAR T cell therapy has become one of the most promising therapies for the treatment of certain types of cancer. This success has bred an opportunity to optimize the production of CAR T cells for easier patient access. CAR T cell therapy is a

Due to authors' internal mistake they have misspelled the name of one of the co-authors in this article.

The coexistence of alopecia areata (AA) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) has been described, but the association between these conditions is yet to be firmly established. We aimed to evaluate the association between AA and SLE using a large-scale real-life computerized database. A cross-sectional study was conducted comparing the prevalence of SLE among patients with AA and among age-, sex-,

Breast cancer is the most dominant cancer in women and the second most frequent cancer in the general population worldwide. NLRC5 critically transactivates MHC class I (classically HLA-ABC in human) which is crucial for cancer immunosurveillance. But the expressional and functional impairments of NLRC5 have been found in many cancers as a major mechanism of immune evasion. Promotion of NLRC5 with the

INTRODUCTION Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a complication following trauma or surgery and may be difficult to diagnose since biomarkers are lacking. Using protein array technology, we found antibodies binding to p29ING4, which we further characterized using ELISA. METHODS Thirty-six sera of early-stage type 1 CRPS, 66 sera of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), 53 sera of axial spondyloarthritis

The Cluster of differentiation 226(CD226)/T cell immunoglobulin and immune receptor tyrosine-based inhibitory motif domain (TIGIT) axis plays an important role in the balance of the immune response. A previous study showed that CD226 is involved in CD4+ T cell differentiation and that blocking CD226 may attenuate experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) development. However, the molecular mechanisms

Extra-criteria manifestations such as thrombocytopenia and livedo are described associated with antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) but are not included in the current classification criteria. Their clinical expression might be important, as they may be associated with a high-risk profile of antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) and thrombosis. We evaluated the association between the presence of extra-criteria

It is believed that pathways of the immune system are responsible for eradicating cancer cells; however, their over-activation and also their ectopic expression in tumor cells and microenvironment are major contributors to tumor growth and chemoresistance. Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) pathway is an innate immune-related pathway which is usually overexpressed in tumor cells that leads to excessive pro-inflammatory

The expression of major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC I) in tumor cells is regulated by interferon signaling, and it is an important factor in the efficacy of cytotoxic T cell-dependent immunotherapy. To determine the impact of immune cells in MHC I expression on tumor cells, we compared the expression of MHC I in tumor cells derived from primary breast cancers and patient-derived xenograft

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Although the coexistence of alopecia areata (AA) and systemic sclerosis (SSc) has been anecdotally reported, the association between these conditions has been poorly investigated. We aimed to assess the association between AA and SSc using a large-scale real-life computerized database. A cross-sectional study was conducted comparing the prevalence of SSc among patients with AA and among age-, sex-

The aim of this study was to evaluate the changes in the three subsets of monocyte (classical, intermediate, and non-classical) and the expression of human leukocyte antigen-DR (HLA-DR) on monocyte subsets during MP pneumonia in children. Monocyte subsets were analyzed in the peripheral blood of healthy volunteers and MP pneumonia patients at the stages of admission and remission after clinical therapy

Limited protective effects of commercially available vaccines necessitate the development of novel pneumococcal vaccines. We recently reported a pneumococcal systemic vaccine containing two proteins, Pneumococcal surface protein A (PspA of family 1 and 2) and a bacterium-like particle-based pneumococcal mucosal vaccine containing PspA2 and PspA4 fragments, both eliciting broad protective immune responses

Phototoxic reaction is a known feature of EPP at least in part triggered by the oxidative status, complement system activation, and mast cell response. The aim of this study was to verify some aspects involved in phototoxic reaction during a season. The complement system was evaluated by C3 assay, alternative pathway by factor-B, and classical pathway by C1q; oxidative status was tested with malondialdehyde

The considerable variability of responses amongst subjects to disease triggers and immunotherapies is a major obstacle to designing better immune-based therapies. Therefore, development of patient-tailored precision medicine that improves the efficacy of immunomodulatory drugs is necessary. The individualized response to disease triggers and immunomodulatory therapies was studied using the concanavalin

Macroscopic hematuria concomitant with acute pharyngitis is a characteristic feature of immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN). Although the underlying mechanism of worsening hematuria has not been fully elucidated, activation of the innate immune system of nasopharynx-associated lymphoid tissue is thought to play an important role. The epipharynx is an immunologically activated site even under normal

Dexamethasone (Dex) is considered as the main steroid routinely used in the standard therapy of brain tumor-induced edema. Strong immunosuppressive effects of Dex on effector systems of the immune system affect the patients' antitumor immunity and may thereby worsen the prognosis. Siglecs and their interacting sialoglycans have been described as a novel glyco-immune checkpoint axis that promotes cancer

The interleukin (IL)-12/interferon(IFN)γ axis plays an important role in the control of mycobacterial diseases as demonstrated by the increased susceptibility to mycobacterial species in patients with an inborn error of the IL-12-dependent IFNγ immunity. Here, we report a novel mutation in the IL-12Rβ1 gene in a female Pakistani patient who was born in a consanguineous marriage and developed severe