Proportions of blood-borne Vδ1+ and Vδ2+ T-cells are associated with overall survival of melanoma patients treated with ipilimumab.

Human γδ T-cells possess regulatory and cytotoxic capabilities, and could potentially influence the efficacy of immunotherapies. We analysed the frequencies of peripheral γδ T-cells, including their most prominent subsets (Vδ1+ and Vδ2+ cells) and differentiation states in 109 melanoma patients and 109 healthy controls. We additionally analysed the impact of γδ T-cells on overall survival (OS) calculated from the first dose of ipilimumab in melanoma patients.

Peripheral blood T-cell signatures from high-resolution immune phenotyping of γδ and αβ T-cells in younger and older subjects in the Berlin Aging Study II.

Background: Aging and latent infection with Cytomegalovirus (CMV) are thought to be major factors driving the immune system towards immunosenescence, primarily characterized by reduced amounts of naïve T-cells and increased memory T-cells, potentially associated with higher morbidity and mortality. The composition of both major compartments, γδ as well as αβ T-cells, is altered by age and CMV, but detailed knowledge of changes to the γδ subset is currently limited.

Results: Here, we have surveyed a population of 73 younger (23-35 years) and 144 older (62-85 years) individuals drawn from the Berlin Aging Study II, investigating the distribution of detailed differentiation phenotypes of both γδ and αβ T-cells.

No strong correlations between serum cytokine levels, CMV serostatus and hand-grip strength in older subjects in the Berlin BASE-II cohort.

Hand-grip strength is strongly correlated with measures of muscle mass and can be taken to predict morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between hand-grip strength and other markers associated with immune ageing, such as Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection, leukocyte telomere length and serum levels of inflammatory and anti-inflammatory markers in the elderly. We have assessed grip strength with the Smedley Dynamometer in younger (22-37 years) and older (60-85 years) men and women in a sample of people living in Berlin (the BASE-II study).