SARS-COV-2 specific t-cells in patients with thyroid disorders related to COVID-19 are enriched in the thyroid and acquire a tissue-resident memory phenotype.

Background: SARS-CoV-2 infections have been associated with the onset of thyroid disorders like classic subacute thyroiditis (SAT) or atypical SAT upon severe COVID disease (COV-A-SAT). Little is known about thyroid anti-viral immune responses.

Objectives: To define the role of T-cells in COV-A-SAT.

Alloantibody and autoantibody monitoring predicts islet transplantation outcome in human type 1 diabetes.

Long-term clinical outcome of islet transplantation is hampered by the rejection and recurrence of autoimmunity. Accurate monitoring may allow for early detection and treatment of these potentially compromising immune events. Islet transplant outcome was analyzed in 59 consecutive pancreatic islet recipients in whom baseline and de novo posttransplant autoantibodies (GAD antibody, insulinoma-associated protein 2 antigen, zinc transporter type 8 antigen) and donor-specific alloantibodies (DSA) were quantified.

Does minor histocompatibility antigen HA-1 disparity affect the occurrence of graft-versus-host disease in tunisian recipients of hematopoietic stem cells?

Introduction: Minor histocompatibility antigen HA-1 (MiHAg-HA-1) disparity between a patient and his or her human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genoidentical donor has been widely associated with an increased risk of graft-versus-host disease following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Objective: To examine the effect of HA-1 disparity on the incidence of both acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease in Tunisian recipients of hematopoietic stem cells.

Methods: A total of 60 patients and their 60 respective sibling hematopoietic stem cell donors were enrolled in this study.

Mismatch for the minor histocompatibility antigen HA-2 and GVHD occurrence in HLA-A*0201-positive Tunisian recipients of HSCs.

Graft-versus-Host disease (GVHD) has been widely linked to immunogenetic causes such as disparity between the recipient and its HLA geno-identical donor for some Non-HLA antigens called minor histocompatibility antigens (MiHAgs). HA-2 is one of potential human MiHAgs but its effect on the GVHD occurrence remains not clear. In order to examine such association in the Tunisian cohort of HSCs recipients, we performed a retrospective study on patients who received an HLA-identical HSCT between 2000 and 2009.

The impact of immunogenetics and clinical factors on the outcome of unrelated cord blood transplantation: the Milano Cord Blood Bank data.

In this article we examined the role of HLA incompatibility, of KIR C1 and C2 ligands and of other clinical factors on 99 cord blood transplants performed using single units from Milano Cord Blood Bank (MICB). We analyzed the occurrence of rejection, overall patient survival (OS) and occurrence of acute GvHD >or= 2 grade (severe aGvHD). No correlation was found between the end points and the number of HLA-A,-B, -DRB1 and -DQB1 mismatches.

Detection of viral DNA in kidney graft preservation and washing solutions is predictive of posttransplant infections in pediatric recipients.

Background: In pediatric kidney transplant recipients, viral infections occur soon after transplant and may be transmitted from the graft.

Methods: This study of 75 pediatric kidney transplants investigated whether genome sequences of parvovirus B19, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), and BK polyomavirus (BKV) could be detected in kidney graft samples (graft biopsy samples and preservation and washing solutions) collected before implantation and whether their presence was a risk factor for infections in the recipient.

Results: B19 DNA was detected in approximately 30% of graft biopsy samples, preservation solutions, and washing solutions; EBV DNA was detected in approximately 20% of preservation and washing solutions but rarely in biopsy samples; and HCMV DNA and BKV DNA were rarely detected in graft biopsy samples.

Killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor genotype and killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor-human leukocyte antigen C ligand compatibility affect the severity of hepatitis C virus recurrence after liver transplantation.

In 20% to 30% of infected individuals, hepatitis C virus (HCV) can cause cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, for which liver transplantation is the best treatment available. HCV re-infection is universal, and hepatitis disease recurrence occurs in most cases with a 30% probability of progression to graft cirrhosis at 5 years post-transplant. The immunological response to HCV involves natural killer (NK) cells and killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs), which specifically recognize human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I antigens present on target cells.

HLA-DRB1 donor-recipient mismatch affects the outcome of hepatitis C disease recurrence after liver transplantation.

Background & Aims: This study extends our previously reported observations that various immunological factors are associated with the occurrence of histologically proven recurrent hepatitis C. The two specific issues investigated were to confirm the associations of MHC alleles and donor/recipient mismatch with the occurrence of recurrent hepatitis C in an independent cohort of newly transplanted patients and to look for immunologic and nonimmunologic variables affecting the severity of the recurrent disease.

Methods: Two separate cohorts of consecutive patients were studied: a look-back cohort (LC) of 120 patients and a cohort for studying the disease progression (CSDP) of 190 patients.

Peculiar HLA polymorphisms in Italian patients with primary biliary cirrhosis.

Background/aims: Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is an autoimmune cholestatic liver disease of unknown etiology with a highly variable progression rate and prevalence among different geographical areas. Data concerning human leukocyte antigen (HLA) polymorphisms in PBC come from a limited number of geographical areas, from which the association with the HLA-DRB1*08 allele has been consistently reported.

Methods: To investigate whether HLA polymorphisms contribute toward disease susceptibility, we compared 186 well-defined Italian PBC patients with 558 healthy subjects matched by age, gender and geographical area (Northern, Central and Southern Italy).