Publications by authors named "L T van der Weele"
Article Synopsis
- CD21 B cells are a type of immune cell that show increased numbers in patients with rheumatic diseases, including common autoimmune conditions and autoinflammatory diseases like axial spondyloarthritis.
- Researchers studied the B-cell receptor repertoire using next-generation sequencing to understand the origins and relationships of these CD21 B cells and their development into more mutated forms (like plasmablasts) in patients compared to healthy individuals.
- The findings suggest that expanded CD27CD21 B cells in autoimmune and autoinflammatory patients may play a significant role in contributing to harmful immune responses associated with these diseases.
Objectives: To characterize the T cell receptor (TCRβ) repertoire in peripheral blood and muscle tissues of treatment naïve patients with newly diagnosed idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs).
Methods: High throughput RNA sequencing of the TCRβ chain was performed in peripheral blood and muscle tissue in twenty newly-diagnosed treatment-naïve IIM patients (9 DM, 5 NM/OM, 5 IMNM and 1 ASyS) and healthy controls. Results thereof were correlated with markers of disease activity.
Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the expression level of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family proteins in B and T cells in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in relation to disease activity and the effect of various Bcl-2 family inhibitors (BH3 mimetics) as potential treatment.
Methods: We included 14 SLE patients, 12 RA patients, and 13 healthy controls to study anti-apoptotic Bcl-2, Bcl-XL, and Mcl-1 expression and cell survival in different B and T cell subsets using stimulation assays and intracellular flow cytometry. Effect of various BH3 mimetics was assessed by cell viability analyses.
Article Synopsis
- The study explores B-cell receptor (BcR) characteristics in muscle tissues and peripheral blood of patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs) and assesses their correlation with clinical response to IVIG treatment.
- Nineteen treatment-naive IIM patients underwent RNA-based BcR repertoire sequencing before and after IVIG treatment, with results linked to clinical improvement scores.
- The findings suggest that a higher frequency of specific BcR clones in peripheral blood prior to treatment is associated with better treatment outcomes and may influence the effectiveness of IVIG therapy.