Survival outcomes and interval between lymphoscintigraphy and SLNB in cutaneous melanoma- findings of a large prospective cohort study.

Introduction: Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) in cutaneous melanoma (CM) is performed to identify patient at risk of regional and distant relapse. We hypothesized that timing of lymphoscintigraphy may influence the accuracy of SLNB and patient outcomes.

Methods: We reviewed prospective data on patients undergoing SLNB for CM at a large university cancer-center between 2008 and 2015, examining patient and tumor demographics and time between lymphoscintigraphy (LS) and SLNB.

Phospho-flow cytometry based analysis of differences in T cell receptor signaling between regulatory T cells and CD4+ T cells.

CD4+ T regulatory cells (Tregs) are activated during auto-immune, injury, and inflammatory responses, however, the molecular events that trigger Treg activation are poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether Tregs (FoxP3+ CD4+ T cells) and non-Treg CD4+ T cells might display differences in T cell receptor (TCR) dependent signaling responses following in vitro or in vivo stimulation. This study used phospho-flow cytometry as a tool to profile the kinetics and extent of TCR signaling (ZAP-70 and PKC-θ phosphorylation and expression) in Tregs and non-Tregs.

Injury-induced GR-1+ macrophage expansion and activation occurs independently of CD4 T-cell influence.

Burn injury initiates an enhanced inflammatory condition referred to as the systemic inflammatory response syndrome or the two-hit response phenotype. Prior reports indicated that macrophages respond to injury and demonstrate a heightened reactivity to Toll-like receptor stimulation. Since we and others observed a significant increase in splenic GR-1 F4/80 CD11b macrophages in burn-injured mice, we wished to test if these macrophages might be the primary macrophage subset that shows heightened LPS reactivity.

Regulatory T cells suppress antigen-driven CD4 T cell reactivity following injury.

Injury initiates local and systemic host responses and is known to increase CD4 Treg activity in mice and humans. This study uses a TCR transgenic T cell adoptive transfer approach and in vivo Treg depletion to determine specifically the in vivo influence of Tregs on antigen-driven CD4 T cell reactivity following burn injury in mice. We report here that injury in the absence of recipient and donor Tregs promotes high antigen-driven CD4 T cell expansion and increases the level of CD4 T cell reactivity.

Injury induces early activation of T-cell receptor signaling pathways in CD4+ regulatory T cells.

Although it is known that injury enhances the regulatory activity of CD4 regulatory T cells (Tregs), the cellular and molecular mechanisms responsible for injury-induced Treg activation remain unclear. This study was designed to investigate and compare injury-induced T-cell receptor (TCR) signaling in Tregs, non-Tregs, and CD8 T cells. Specifically, we used phospho-flow cytometry to measure the expression and phosphorylation of ZAP-70, protein kinase C θ, nuclear factor of activated T cells, and glycogen synthase kinase 3β in FoxP3 Tregs versus FoxP3 non-Tregs versus CD8 T cells.

Alcohol hand gel--a potential fire hazard.

Alcohol hand gel and wipes are the common method of disinfecting the hands of healthcare workers and working surfaces in clinical settings. We present a case of a 40-year-old health care support worker who was referred acutely to our burns unit following flame burns in association with alcohol gel use. Fortunately she was able to extinguish the flames without sustaining a significant thermal injury however this case highlights the potential danger associated with alcohol gel use, especially with smokers.