Different Influence Pattern of Conventional and Alternative Sources of Smoking on Adhesion Molecules and Cytokine Secretion in THP-1 Monocytes.

Background/aim: Tobacco is a carcinogen that is closely associated with the occurrence of lung cancer and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). The consumption of tobacco is also leading to alterations in different immune cell subtypes. However, the impact of different conventional and alternative smoking sources on human monocytes remains elusive.

Differential Effects of Anti-PD-1/PD-L1 Checkpoint Inhibitors on Adhesion Molecules and Cytokine Secretion by THP-1 Monocytes.

Background/aim: Immune checkpoint inhibitors have improved the treatment regimen for human cancers in recent years. Particularly, inhibitors of the checkpoint molecules PD-1/PD-L1 have emerged as promising therapeutic treatments by preventing T-cell anergy and exhaustion. However, the impact of different anti-PD-1/PD-L1 checkpoint inhibitors on human monocytes remains elusive.

Atypical focal MRI lesions in a case of juvenile Alexander's disease.

We present a juvenile case of Alexander's disease with atypical focal magnetic resonance imaging-detected lesions and elevated levels of lactate in cerebrospinal fluid. The diagnosis was based on the neuropathological finding of a diffuse accumulation of Rosenthal fibers within the brain and the spinal cord. The diagnosis was confirmed by detection of a mutation in exon 1 at nucleotide position 249 of glial fibrillary acidic protein cDNA, a finding previously reported in cases of infantile Alexander's disease.