Outcomes, infections, and immune reconstitution after double cord blood transplantation in patients with high-risk hematological diseases.

Double unrelated cord blood transplant (dUCBT) has been used to circumvent cell dose limitation of single UCBT; however, few data are available describing outcomes, infectious disease, and immune recovery. We analyzed 35 consecutive dUCBT recipients with high-risk malignant disorders (n=21) and bone marrow failure syndromes (n=14). Median follow-up was 32 months.

Varicella-zoster virus-specific cell-mediated immune responses in HIV-infected adults.

The incidence of herpes zoster remains high in HIV-infected patients despite the use of combined antiretroviral therapy (cART). We wished to assess varicella-zoster virus (VZV)-specific cell-mediated immune (CMI) responses in HIV-infected adults on cART. VZV-specific CMI responses were assessed using lymphocyte proliferative responses, cytokine production (IL-2, TNF-α, and IFN-γ), and interferon-γ ELISPOT assays in 103 HIV-infected adults and 30 healthy controls.

Autoimmunity in common variable immunodeficiency: correlation with lymphocyte phenotype in the French DEFI study.

Common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) is the most frequent clinically expressed primary immunodeficiency in adults and is characterized by primary defective immunoglobulin production. Besides recurrent infectious manifestations, up to 20% of CVID patients develop autoimmune complications. In this study, we took advantages of the French DEFI database to investigate possible correlations between peripheral lymphocyte subpopulations and autoimmune clinical expression in CVID adult patients.

Remission of severe CD8(+) cytotoxic T cell skin infiltrative disease in human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy.

Background: A CD8 cutaneous lymphoinfiltrative disease has been described in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients presenting with a severe erythroderma. The true nature of this severe skin infiltrative disorder is still elusive. Although some clinical features of this syndrome have raised the hypothesis of its malignant nature in initial observations, several studies have provided stronger support to the hypothesis that it is a reactive pseudotumoral process.

B-cell and T-cell phenotypes in CVID patients correlate with the clinical phenotype of the disease.

Background: Common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) is a heterogeneous disorder characterized by recurrent infections and defective immunoglobulin production.

Methods: The DEFI French national prospective study investigated peripheral T-cell and B-cell compartments in 313 CVID patients grouped according to their clinical phenotype, using flow cytometry.

Results: In patients developing infection only (IO), the main B-cell or T-cell abnormalities were a defect in switched memory B cells and a decrease in naive CD4(+) T cells associated with an increase in CD4(+)CD95(+) cells.