Dabigatran-induced lupus temporarily preventing blood group determination.

Epistaxis resulted in severe anemia in an 89-year-old Caucasian woman under a therapy with dabigatran for 12 months because of atrial fibrillation. Correction of the anemia was difficult because it was impossible to assess her blood group due to polyagglutination. Since hospital records disclosed that in 2011, her blood group was O positive, acquired polyagglutination was assumed.

Characterization of novel Bruton's tyrosine kinase gene mutations in Central European patients with agammaglobulinemia.

X-linked agammaglobulinemia (XLA) is an immunodeficiency disorder caused by mutations in the gene coding for Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK). In this study we investigated 10 male patients with XLA-compatible phenotype (agammaglobulinemia and undetectable B cells in peripheral blood) from 9 unrelated Central European families. We identified seven different mutations, six of which were novel.

Regulation of TCR-mediated T cell activation by TNF-RII.

In the present study, we investigated the role of tumor necrosis factor receptor II (TNF-RII) in human T cell activation induced via the T cell receptor (TCR) in an antigen-presenting cell-independent system. Our results confirm that interaction of TNF-alpha with TNF-RII but not TNF-RI is directly costimulatory to TCR-mediated T cell activation, thereby augmenting T cell proliferation, expression of T cell activation markers (CD25, human leukocyte antigen-DR, TNF-RII), and secretion of cytokines such as interferon-gamma and TNF-alpha. In contrast to the well-defined costimulatory molecule CD28, costimulation via TNF-RII showed significant differences in kinetics, requirement for cross-linking, redundancy of intracellular signaling pathways involved, and the capacity to induce interleukin (IL)-2, IL-10, and IL-13 secretion.