Ultrasonographic measurements of the metacarpophalangeal and talar cartilage thicknesses: A reliability study in healthy subjects.

Background: Assessment of the joint cartilage using ultrasound imaging is important.

Objective: Our aim was to investigate the reliabilities of ultrasonographic measurements for talus dome (TCT) and metacarpal cartilage thicknesses (MCT).

Methods: Twenty healthy volunteers were recruited in the study.

Dendritic cell-based immunotherapy: a basic review and recent advances.

Dendritic cells (DCs) are considered a very promising arm to activate the immune system in immunotherapeutic strategies against cancer. DCs are the most powerful antigen-presenting cells (APCs), being highly efficient at generating robust immune responses. They are also considered the center of the immune system, since they provide a crucial link between both innate and adaptive immune responses.

Antitumor dendritic cell-based vaccines: lessons from 20 years of clinical trials and future perspectives.

Dendritic cells (DCs) are versatile elements of the immune system and are best known for their unparalleled ability to initiate and modulate adaptive immune responses. During the past few decades, DCs have been the subject of numerous studies seeking new immunotherapeutic strategies against cancer. Despite the initial enthusiasm, disappointing results from early studies raised some doubts regarding the true clinical value of these approaches.