Towards an FDA-cleared basophil activation test.

Food allergy is a global health problem affecting up to 10% of the world population. Accurate diagnosis of food allergies, however, is still a major challenge in medical offices and for patients seeking alternative avenues of diagnosis. A flawless test to confirm or rule out a food allergy does not exist.

Skewed Lymphocyte Subpopulations and Associated Phenotypes in Patients with Mastocytosis.

Background: Mastocytosis is a clonal mast cell disorder associated with elevated mast cell mediators, which themselves have been reported to affect lymphocyte function. However, the impact of an expanded mast cell compartment on lymphocyte subpopulations, and their correlation with clinical phenotypes in patients with indolent systemic mastocytosis (ISM), has not been explored.

Objective: To examine the immunophenotype of circulating lymphocytes in patients with ISM compared with healthy adult controls and examine relationships with aspects of clinical disease.

Sialic acid-binding immunoglobulin-like lectin (Siglec) 8 in patients with eosinophilic disorders: Receptor expression and targeting using chimeric antibodies.

Background: Sialic acid-binding immunoglobulin-like lectin (Siglec) 8 is selectively expressed on eosinophils, mast cells, and basophils and, when engaged on eosinophils, can cause cell death.

Objective: We sought to characterize surface and soluble Siglec-8 (sSiglec-8) levels in normal donors (NDs) and eosinophilic donors (EOs) and assess the efficacy of anti-Siglec-8 antibodies in inducing eosinophil cell death in vitro.

Methods: Eosinophil expression of Siglec-8 was assessed by using flow cytometry and quantitative PCR.

Etomoxir Actions on Regulatory and Memory T Cells Are Independent of Cpt1a-Mediated Fatty Acid Oxidation.

T cell subsets including effector (T), regulatory (T), and memory (T) cells are characterized by distinct metabolic profiles that influence their differentiation and function. Previous research suggests that engagement of long-chain fatty acid oxidation (LC-FAO) supports Foxp3 T cell and T cell survival. However, evidence for this is mostly based on inhibition of Cpt1a, the rate-limiting enzyme for LC-FAO, with the drug etomoxir.

Aire Inhibits the Generation of a Perinatal Population of Interleukin-17A-Producing γδ T Cells to Promote Immunologic Tolerance.

Aire's primary mechanism of action is to regulate transcription of a battery of genes in medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs) and, consequently, negative selection of effector T cells and positive selection of regulatory T cells. We found that Aire-deficient mice had expanded thymic and peripheral populations of perinatally generated IL-17AVγ6Vδ1 T cells, considered to be "early responders" to tissue stress and drivers of inflammatory reactions. Aire-dependent control of Il7 expression in mTECs regulated the size of thymic IL-17AVγ6Vδ1 compartments.

Redefined clinical features and diagnostic criteria in autoimmune polyendocrinopathy-candidiasis-ectodermal dystrophy.

Autoimmune polyendocrinopathy-candidiasis-ectodermal dystrophy (APECED) is a rare primary immunodeficiency disorder typically caused by homozygous mutations. It classically presents with chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis and autoimmunity that primarily targets endocrine tissues; hypoparathyroidism and adrenal insufficiency are most common. Developing any two of these classic triad manifestations establishes the diagnosis.