Identification and Characterization of a Dendritic Cell Precursor in Parenchymal Lung Tissue.

The pulmonary parenchymal and mucosal microenvironments are constantly exposed to the external environment and thus require continuous surveillance to maintain steady-state immunological homeostasis. This is achieved by a mobile network of pulmonary dendritic cells (DC) and macrophages (mø) that constantly sample and process microenvironmental antigens into signals that can initiate or dampen inflammation, either locally or after onward migration to draining lymph nodes. The constant steady-state turnover of pulmonary DC and mø requires replenishment from bone marrow precursors; however, the nature of the pulmonary precursor cell (PC) remains unclear, although recent studies suggest that subsets of pulmonary DC may derive from circulating monocytic precursors.

γ-Glutamyl Transferase Is an Independent Biomarker of Splanchnic Thrombosis in Patients With Myeloproliferative Neoplasm.

Myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) are associated with an increased risk of thrombotic events and constitute the major risk factor of splanchnic venous thrombosis (SVT) in Western countries. Although timely anticoagulation resolves SVT, unrecognized SVT frequently leads to portal hypertension and, potentially, variceal bleeding, which may render anticoagulation difficult. Thus, early identification of SVT development is clinically relevant in MPN patients.