18F-FDG uptake in main arterial branches of patients with large vessel vasculitis: visual and semiquantitative analysis.

Objective: Over the last decade, the contribution of (18)F-FDG (FDG) PET/CT imaging to the diagnosis of large vessel vasculitis has been widely investigated. The aim of this study was to evaluate a more extensive role for PET/CT in grading vascular inflammation in patients with different clinical stages of disease.

Methods: The images of 66 PET/CT studies of 34 patients, performed at diagnosis and/or during follow-up were reviewed.

An encapsulated juice powder concentrate improves markers of pulmonary function and cardiovascular risk factors in heavy smokers.

Objective: Cigarette smoking is associated with reduced pulmonary function and increased risk factors for cardiovascular disease. This randomized placebo-controlled double-blind study evaluated the effects of two different combinations of mixed fruit and vegetable juice powder concentrate (Juice Plus+, NSA, Collierville, TN) on heavy smokers.

Methods: At baseline (T 0) and after 3 months' supplementation (T 1), pulmonary function parameters and cardiovascular risk factors-that is, plasma total homocysteine (tHcy) with related B vitamins and cysteine (tCys) concentrations-were assessed in 75 apparently healthy smokers (aged 49.

Severity assessment of healthcare-associated pneumonia and pneumonia in immunosuppression.

The study compares the ability of the PSI (pneumonia severity index), CURB-65 (confusion, urea >7 mol·L(-1), respiratory rate ≥ 30 breaths·min(-1), blood pressure <90 mmHg systolic or ≤ 60 mmHg diastolic, and age ≥ 65 yrs), CURB and CRB-65 scales and the Severe Community-Acquired Pneumonia (SCAP) score to predict 30-day mortality in healthcare-associated pneumonia (HCAP) patients, and analyses differences in the demographics, aetiology and outcomes of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), HCAP and pneumonia in immunocompromised patients. 629 consecutive patients admitted to a tertiary care university hospital were prospectively categorised as having CAP (n=322) or HCAP (n=307), and the HCAP patients were further sub-divided into those who were immunocompromised (n=219) or immunocompetent (n=88). The 30-day mortality rate was 9.

Serum BAFF concentrations in patients with Graves' disease and orbitopathy before and after immunosuppressive therapy.

Introduction: B cells are known to play a key role in the pathogenesis of autoimmune disease. B lymphocyte activating factor (BAFF), a member of TNF family, promotes autoantibody production by increasing B cell survival and proliferation. Serum BAFF concentrations have been found to be increased in systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, and Sjogren's syndrome.

Leukocyte subsets dynamics following open pulmonary lobectomy for lung cancer: a prospective, observational study.

This study was planned to observe prospectively the effects of standard open pulmonary lobectomy on leukocyte subsets and their connection with oncological outcome. Leukocyte subsets from 200 patients undergoing pulmonary lobectomy were analyzed: 151 patients had non-small-cell lung cancer, and 49 had non-malignant diseases. Blood samples were taken for leukocyte flow cytometry before and five, 30 and 60 days after operation.

Serum hepcidin and macrophage iron correlate with MCP-1 release and vascular damage in patients with metabolic syndrome alterations.

Objective: Increased body iron stores and hepcidin have been hypothesized to promote atherosclerosis by inducing macrophage iron accumulation and release of cytokines, but direct demonstration in human cells is lacking. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of iron on cytokine release in monocytes ex vivo and the correlation with vascular damage and to evaluate the relationship among serum levels of hepcidin, cytokines, and vascular damage in patients with metabolic syndrome alterations.

Methods And Results: Manipulation of iron status with ferric ammonium citrate and hepcidin-25 induced monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1 and interleukin-6 in human differentiating monocytes of patients with hyperferritinemia associated with the metabolic syndrome (n=11), but not in subjects with hemochromatosis or HFE mutations impairing iron accumulation (n=15), and the degree of induction correlated with the presence of carotid plaques, detected by echocolor-Doppler.

Rituximab treatment in patients with active Graves' orbitopathy: effects on proinflammatory and humoral immune reactions.

In active Graves' orbitopathy (GO), proinflammatory cytokines predominate. Circulating thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH)-receptor antibodies (TRAb) have been correlated with GO clinical activity and severity. In preliminary studies rituximab (RTX), an anti-CD 20 monoclonal antibody, has induced clinical improvement of active GO without a change in serum anti-thyroid antibodies.

Characterization of the T-cell epitopes of the major peach allergen Pru p 3.

Background: Pru p 3 is the major peach allergen recognized by more than 90% of peach-allergic individuals of the Mediterranean area. Identification of the dominant Pru p 3 T-cell epitopes can improve our understanding of the immune responses against this protein and could be helpful in the development of hypoallergenic immunotherapy. For this purpose, we examined the phenotypes, specificities and cytokine secretion profiles of proliferating T cells in response to Pru p 3 in peach-allergic individuals.

Rituximab treatment in a patient with severe thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy: effects on orbital lymphocytic infiltrates.

Rituximab (RTX) has been shown in previous work to improve thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO), but very little data is available on the effects of RTX in the target tissues. We studied the effects of RTX on peripheral lymphocytes and on the intra-orbital infiltrates in one patient with severe TAO who was treated with two cycles of therapy. Intra-orbital tissues derived at decompression from 3 patients with moderate-severe and 1 with severe TAO, treated with standard immunosuppression, were studied as controls.

Rituximab induces distinct intraorbital and intrathyroidal effects in one patient satisfactorily treated for Graves' ophthalmopathy.

Hyperthyroid Graves' disease (GD) is a B-cell-mediated disease caused by antibodies stimulating the thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) receptor (TRAb). A proportion of patients (40-60%) present with an associated ophthalmopathy (TAO), a progressive inflammatory autoimmune disease of the retroorbital tissue. We thought that the anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody rituximab (RTX), by inducing transient B-cell depletion, may potentially modify the active inflammatory phase of TAO.

Erythroid differentiation and maturation from peripheral CD34+ cells in liquid culture: cellular and molecular characterization.

In vitro models of human erythropoiesis are useful in studying the mechanisms of erythroid differentiation from BFU-E to mature erythrocytes both in normal and pathological conditions. Most of the available in vitro liquid cultures are from cell lines or are limited by the production of few erythroid cells mixed with myeloid cells. Here we describe an erythroid liquid culture system starting from CD34(+)-enriched cells obtained from peripheral blood.

Treatment of Graves' disease and associated ophthalmopathy with the anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody rituximab: an open study.

Introduction: Hyperthyroid Graves' disease (GD) is a B-cell-mediated condition caused by TSH receptor antibodies (TRAb), which decline when GD remits. Anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody rituximab (RTX) induces transient B-cell depletion that may potentially modify the active inflammatory phase of thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO).

Methods: Nine patients with GD, (seven with active TAO, two with mild lid signs) were studied.

Unusual presentation of large B cell lymphoma: a case report and review of literature.

Diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the largest subtype of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHLs) and is characterized by relatively frequent extranodal presentation. In these cases, the most common extranodal localizations are stomach, CNS, bone, testis and liver. Simultaneous detection of multiple extranodal involvement at presentation is quite uncommon, with the majority of these cases characterized by gastric or intestinal disease localization.

Efficacy of rituximab treatment for thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy as a result of intraorbital B-cell depletion in one patient unresponsive to steroid immunosuppression.

One patient with Graves' hyperthyroidism and ophthalmopathy in its active phase and unresponsive to steroid, was treated with the anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody, rituximab (RTX), as part of an open study. The effect of RTX in the thyroid and the orbital tissues was studied. The ophthalmopathy responded to RTX therapy by ameliorating the eye signs with a decrease in the clinical activity score from 5 to 2 in 3 months, while the patient had peripheral B-cell depletion.

Effect of adalimumab on neutrophil function in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Neutrophils are known to be targets for the biological activity of tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Therefore, these cells may be among the targets of anti-TNF-alpha therapy. In this study we evaluated the effect of therapy with adalimumab (a fully human anti-TNF-alpha mAb; dosage: 40 mg subcutaneously every other week) on certain phenotypic and functional aspects of neutrophils obtained from 10 selected patients with RA and 20 healthy control individuals.

Regulatory CD8+ T cells control thyrotropin receptor-specific CD4+ clones in healthy subjects.

One of the mechanisms ensuring immunological unresponsiveness or tolerance depends on the action of CD8(+) lymphocytes. In this paper, we report that, in healthy subjects, a subset of CD8(+)CD28(-) T cells suppresses the specific response to TSH receptor (TSHR) of CD4(+) clones. Suppression was highly specific, required cell-cell interaction, and was not mediated by cytotoxicity.

Induction of CD69 activation molecule on human neutrophils by GM-CSF, IFN-gamma, and IFN-alpha.

The CD69 glycoprotein is an early activation antigen of T and B lymphocytes but it expression is induced in vitro on cells of most hematopoietic lineages, including neutrophils after stimulation with PMA or fMLP. In this study, we investigated whether CD69 expression on human neutrophils could be modulated by inflammatory or anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1beta, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12, IL-18, G-CSF, GM-CSF, TNF-alpha, TGF-beta, IFN-alpha, IFN-gamma). Resting neutrophils from healthy subjects did not express CD69 on the cell surface; moreover, a preformed intracellular pool of CD69 was not evident in these cells.

[Case report: rheumatoid arthritis and large granular lymphocytes syndrome].

Felty's syndrome (FS) is a rare complication (less than 1%) of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), with the clinical feature of splenomegaly and neutropenia. Approximately 10-40% of FS patients have an expansion of peripheral blood large granular lymphocytes (LGL). This cell population mainly consists of two subsets: cytotoxic T cells (CD8+, CD57+) and natural killer cells (CD3-,CD8-,CD56+).