Human dendritic cells infected with an adenoviral vector suppress proliferation of autologous and allogeneic T cells.

Dendritic cells (DCs) play a key role in the type and course of an immune response. The manipulation of human DCs to produce therapeutic agents by transduction with viral vectors is a growing area of research. We present an investigation into the effects of adenoviral vector infection on human DCs and other cell types, and on their subsequent ability to induce T-cell proliferation.

Interleukin-17-producing T cells are enriched in the joints of children with arthritis, but have a reciprocal relationship to regulatory T cell numbers.

Objective: To identify interleukin-17 (IL-17)-producing T cells from patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), and investigate their cytokine production, migratory capacity, and relationship to Treg cells at sites of inflammation, as well as to test the hypothesis that IL-17+ T cell numbers correlate with clinical phenotype in childhood arthritis.

Methods: Flow cytometry was used to analyze the phenotype, cytokine production, and chemokine receptor expression of IL-17-producing T cells in peripheral blood and synovial fluid mononuclear cells from 36 children with JIA, in parallel with analysis of forkhead box P3 (FoxP3)-positive Treg cells. Migration of IL-17+ T cells toward CCL20 was assessed by a Transwell assay.

International consensus on a proposed score system for muscle biopsy evaluation in patients with juvenile dermatomyositis: a tool for potential use in clinical trials.

Objective: To devise and test a system with which to evaluate abnormalities on muscle biopsy samples obtained from children diagnosed with juvenile dermatomyositis (DM).

Methods: We established an International Consensus Group on Juvenile DM Biopsy and carried out 2 phases of consensus process and scoring workshops. Biopsy sections (n = 33) were stained by standard methods.

Quantification of normal range of inflammatory changes in morphologically normal pediatric muscle.

The aim of this study was to define normal ranges of histological features in pediatric muscle in comparison with muscle demonstrating inflammatory changes. Sixteen pediatric muscle biopsy samples, considered normal by standard histology, were analyzed for the presence of inflammatory cells, and the expression of neonatal myosin and major histocompatibility complex (MHC) Class 1. Normal findings were defined for each feature.

Expression of the inflammatory chemokines CCL5, CCL3 and CXCL10 in juvenile idiopathic arthritis, and demonstration of CCL5 production by an atypical subset of CD8+ T cells.

This study focuses upon three chemokines, namely CCL5, CXCL10 and CCL3, which are potential novel therapeutic targets in arthritis. The aim of the study was to analyse the expression and production of these three chemokines within the joints of children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) of the oligoarticular and polyarticular subtypes. All three of these chemokines are highly expressed at the level of mRNA, with the most significant increase in mRNA levels being demonstrated for CCL5 when compared with matched peripheral blood samples and controls.