Introduction: Upon infection, T cell-driven B cell responses in GC reactions induce memory B cells and antibody-secreting cells that secrete protective antibodies. How formation of specifically long-lived plasma cells is regulated via the interplay between specific B and CD4+ T cells is not well understood. Generally, antibody levels decline over time after clearance of the primary infection.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUnderstanding antigen-specific T-cell responses is crucial for advancing immunotherapies and vaccine development. This study proposes a novel approach combining two complementary assays: the 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) incorporation assay (tracking proliferation over 0-48 h) and the VPD450 dye dilution assay (tracking proliferation over 4-6 days). Integrating these techniques provides additional insights into T-cell proliferation kinetics.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe development of T follicular helper (Tfh) cells is an ongoing process resulting in the formation of various Tfh subsets. Despite advancements, the precise impact of T cell receptor (TCR) stimulation on this process remains incompletely understood. This study explores how TCR-CD3 signaling strength influences naive CD4 T cell differentiation into Tfh-like cells and the concurrent expression of interleukin-21 (IL-21), interleukin-4 (IL-4), and interferon-gamma (IFN-γ).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Allergy Clin Immunol Pract
December 2024
Background: Fatigue is a major concern for patients with severe asthma.
Objective: This observational study aims to assess fatigue severity and associated factors, to explore the effect of pulmonary rehabilitation on fatigue, and to investigate which factors predict persistent severe fatigue.
Methods: Patients with severe, uncontrolled asthma referred for alpine altitude climate treatment (AACT) between 2007 and 2018 were systematically assessed before and after rehabilitation regarding clinical, inflammatory, functional, and psychological characteristics.
Background And Purpose: There are concerns for safety regarding SARS-CoV-2 vaccines for patients with autoimmune neuromuscular disease. We compared daily functioning using disease-specific patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) before and after SARS-CoV-2 vaccinations.
Methods: In this substudy of a prospective observational cohort study (Target-to-B!), patients with myasthenia gravis (MG), chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP), multifocal motor neuropathy (MMN), and idiopathic inflammatory myopathy (IIM) vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2 were included.
T cells are instrumental in protecting the host against invading pathogens and the development of cancer. To do so, they produce effector molecules such as granzymes, interleukins, interferons, and perforin. For the development and immunomonitoring of therapeutic applications such as cell-based therapies and vaccines, assessing T cell effector function is paramount.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Rheumatoid factors (RFs) are autoantibodies that target the Fc region of IgG, and are found in patients with rheumatic diseases as well as in the healthy population. Many studies suggest that an immune trigger may (transiently) elicit RF responses. However, discrepancies between different studies make it difficult to determine if and to which degree RF reactivity can be triggered by vaccination or infection.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The noninflammatory immunoglobulin G4 (IgG4) is linked to tolerance and is unique to humans. Although poorly understood, prolonged antigenic stimulation and IL-4-signaling along the T helper 2-axis may be instrumental in IgG4 class switching. Recently, repeated SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccination has been linked to IgG4 skewing.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Type 2 (T2) inflammation is a key mechanism in the pathophysiology of asthma. Diet may have immunomodulatory effects, and a role for diet in T2 inflammation has been suggested in the literature. Indeed, diet and food allergies play a role in children with atopic asthma, but less is known about diet in relation to adult asthma, which is often non-atopic.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Humoral responses after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination are greatly impaired in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients on fingolimod. Effects of repeated vaccination and infections on long-term responses are unclear.
Methods: Prospective study in 60 MS patients on fingolimod measuring humoral responses after up to four vaccinations and 8 months after fourth vaccination.
Background: Biologics are highly effective in severe asthma and used at fixed dosing intervals. However, in clinical practice, dosing intervals are sometimes shortened if patients perceive a decreased biologic effect before the next administration. The occurrence and clinical relevance of this perceived waning of biological effect is unknown.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Allergy Clin Immunol Pract
December 2023
Background: Diet is increasingly recognized as a modifiable factor in lung health, predominantly due to the immunomodulatory effects of nutrients. The Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) is a score developed to express the inflammatory potential of a diet.
Objective: We aimed to assess the association of the DII and food groups, with clinical, functional, and inflammatory asthma outcomes in adults with asthma.
Background: Most people who are newly diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have advanced disease. For these people, survival is determined by various patient- and tumor-related factors, of which the performance status (PS) is the most important prognostic factor. People with PS 0 or 1 are usually treated with systemic therapies, whereas people with PS 3 or 4 most often receive supportive care.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Many patients with severe asthma are overweight or obese, often attributed to unintentional weight gain as a side effect of oral corticosteroids (OCSs). Anti-IL-5/5Ra biologics significantly reduce OCS use, but their long-term effects on weight are unknown.
Objectives: To examine (1) weight change up to 2 years after anti-IL-5/5Ra initiation in subgroups on the basis of maintenance OCS use at start of treatment and (2) whether cumulative OCS exposure before or changes in OCS exposure during treatment are related to weight change.