Publications by authors named "Laura Berron-Ruiz"

Article Synopsis
  • Common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) is a disorder marked by issues in B cell functioning and antibody production, with various responses depending on whether T cells are involved.
  • A study comparing 23 CVID patients with 14 healthy donors analyzed B and T cell activity and proliferation under different stimuli, finding differing responses based on the presence of memory B cells.
  • Results indicated that patients with lower memory B cells had increased follicular T cells and poor proliferation to certain stimuli, highlighting the need for more research to uncover the underlying mechanisms and potential genetic links to CVID.
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Inborn errors of immunity may present with autoimmunity and autoinflammation as hallmark clinical manifestations. We aimed to identify the potential monogenic causes of autoimmune disorders in 26 patients from a pediatric reference hospital in Mexico through whole-exome sequencing. We specifically selected patients with a family history of autoimmune diseases, early-onset symptoms, and difficult-to-control autoimmune disorders or autoimmunity associated with infection predisposition.

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Background: Leukocyte adhesion deficiency type 1 (LAD-1) is an inborn error of immunity characterized by a defect in leukocyte trafficking.

Methods: Patients with clinical suspicion of LAD-1 were referred to our institution. Complete blood count and flow cytometric analysis, to identify the expression of CD18, CD11b, and the lymphocyte population phenotyping, were performed, and statistical analysis was completed.

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Introduction: Up to 25% of patients with common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) debut with autoimmunity, which is related to the Freiburg classification, which is based on flow cytometry.

Objective: to determine the frequency and type of autoimmune diseases and their association with the Freiburg classification in adults with CVID.

Methods: A cross-sectional, analytical and observational study was carried out with 33 patients belonging to the Primary Immunodeficiency Clinic of a third level hospital, with a diagnosis of CVID.

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Introduction: Hyper-IgM syndrome is an innate error of immunity in which there is a defect in change of isotype of immunoglobulins, with decreased values of IgG, IgA, and IgE, but normal or increased level of IgM. This predisposes to infectious processes at the respiratory and gastrointestinal levels, as well as autoimmune diseases and neoplasm.

Case Report: A 5 year 7-month-old boy with a history of 2 pneumonias, one of them severe, and chronic diarrhea since he was 2 years old.

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Introduction: Around 20% of all inborn errors of immunity (IEI) are autosomal dominant or monoallelic, either by haploinsufficiency, negative dominance, or gain of function (GOF). GOF phenotypes usually include autoinflammation, autoimmunity, lymphoproliferation, allergies, and some infections.

Case Series: We describe the cases of two unrelated patients born of HIV-seroconcordant parents.

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Introduction: The transcription factor Nuclear factor of activated T cells 5 (NFAT5), pivotal in immune regulation and function, can be induced by osmotic stress and tonicity-independent signals.

Objective: We aimed to investigate and characterize two unrelated patients with Epstein-Barr virus susceptibility and no known genetic etiology.

Methods: After informed consent, we reviewed the electronic charts, extracted genomic DNA, performed whole-exome sequencing, filtered, and prioritized their variants, and confirmed through Sanger sequencing, family segregation analysis, and some functional assays, including lymphoproliferation, cytotoxicity, and characterization of natural killer cells.

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Tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 3 (TRAF3) is a central regulator of immunity. TRAF3 is often somatically mutated in B cell malignancies, but its role in human immunity is not defined. Here, in five unrelated families, we describe an immune dysregulation syndrome of recurrent bacterial infections, autoimmunity, systemic inflammation, B cell lymphoproliferation, and hypergammaglobulinemia.

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Fragment analysis of exon 1 of the human androgen receptor, known as HUMARA, is a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based method for detecting X-linked agammaglobulinemia (XLA) carriers. This method takes advantage of X-chromosome inactivation (XCI) in female cells. XLA is caused by mutations in the Bruton tyrosine kinase () gene, located in Xq22.

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Background: Common Variable Immunodeficiency (CVID) is a heterogeneous disorder characterized by defective B cell differentiation and antibody production. Interleukin (IL)-21 activates STAT3, a potent regulator of B cell differentiation into plasma cells. We have studied the phosphorylation of STAT3 in CVID patients and its contribution to B cells subsets.

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Article Synopsis
  • * Researchers analyzed data from 50 patients, noting a median age of 7 months at disease onset and significant delays in diagnosis, along with discovering 6 new mutations in the CD40LG gene.
  • * Common symptoms included pneumonia, respiratory infections, and various gastrointestinal issues, with the study documenting the largest number of infectious agents associated with this condition, enhancing insights for diagnosis and management.
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Common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) is the most prevalent symptomatic primary immunodeficiency with an estimated prevalence of one in 10,000 to 50,000 inhabitants. This heterogeneous disease is characterized by decreased levels of serum immunoglobulins, a poor production of specific antibodies upon vaccination, and recurrent bacterial infections, particularly in the respiratory and gastrointestinal tract. A subgroup of patients is characterized by additional, and often predominant, manifestations of immune deregulation rather than pure immunodeficiency.

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Introduction: Patients with inborn errors of immunity (IEI) have a compromised or inappropriate immune response. Although they might be considered a high-risk group for severe SARS-CoV-2 infection, the reported impact of COVID-19 in these patients has been reassuring, while the differential susceptibility of distinct types of IEI remains unclear.

Objective: We aimed to describe the findings and outcomes of our known patients with IEI who were diagnosed with COVID-19.

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Mutations in recombinase activating genes 1 and 2 (RAG1/2) result in human severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID). The products of these genes are essential for V(D)J rearrangement of the antigen receptors during lymphocyte development. Mutations resulting in null-recombination activity in RAG1 or RAG2 are associated with the most severe clinical and immunological phenotypes, whereas patients with hypomorphic mutations may develop leaky SCID, including Omenn syndrome (OS).

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The clinical manifestations of COVID-19 are reminiscent of those of acute respiratory distress syndrome induced by cytokine release syndrome and secondary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis that is observed in patients with other coronaviruses such as SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV. Neurologists face the challenge of assessing patients with pre-existing neurological diseases who have contracted SARS-CoV-2, patients with COVID-19 who present neurological emergencies, and patients who are carriers of the virus and have developed secondary neurological complications, either during the course of the disease or after it. Some authors and recent literature reports suggest that the presence of neurological manifestations in patients who are carriers of SARS-CoV-2 may be associated with a greater severity of the disease.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates the genetic, immunological, and clinical characteristics of patients with GATA2 mutations who have mycobacterial diseases, with a focus on familial contexts.
  • Researchers examined 15 patients and their relatives, identifying 12 mutations, some of which were newly discovered, revealing a pattern of incomplete clinical penetrance among family members.
  • The findings suggest that GATA2 deficiency can lead to mycobacterial infections and other health issues, indicating the need for genetic testing of relatives and consideration of GATA2 deficiency in patients with related symptoms at any age.
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Article Synopsis
  • SARS-CoV-2 poses a major global health threat, and the study investigates how different B cell subsets relate to the severity and features of COVID-19 among infected patients.* -
  • Researchers analyzed B cell frequencies in 52 COVID-19 patients using advanced flow cytometry, finding that certain B cell subsets vary significantly between mild and severe cases.* -
  • The findings suggest that changes in B cell populations, such as increased antibody-secreting cells in severe cases and altered memory B cells, may serve as potential biomarkers for disease severity and indicate their role in the immune response to SARS-CoV-2.*
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Humoral immune deficiencies (HID) comprise a group of diseases characterized by the impossibility to develop an effective immune response mediated by immunoglobulins (Ig). Patients with HID have infections caused by capped extracellular bacteria, mainly in the respiratory and/or gastrointestinal tract, and a higher predisposition to suffer from autoimmune diseases and cancer. Some of them are caused by well-defined genetic defects, while the cause of others is unknown.

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Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-responsive beige-like anchor (LRBA) protein was initially described as a monogenetic cause for common variable immune deficiency, a syndrome characterized by low levels of B cells, defects in memory B cell differentiation and hypogammaglobulinaemia. LRBA was identified as an LPS up-regulated gene in B cells, macrophages and T cells. LRBA weighs 320 kDa and has 2863 amino acids.

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Article Synopsis
  • * The study aimed to use flow cytometry to analyze blood samples from patients with three types of primary humoral immunodeficiencies.
  • * Results indicated significant decreases in B lymphocytes in X-linked agammaglobulinemia, absence of CD154 in hyper-immunoglobulin M syndrome, and varied B lymphocyte subpopulations in common variable immunodeficiency, highlighting flow cytometry's utility for early diagnosis.
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Hyper-IgE syndrome (HIES) is a rare primary immunodeficiency characterized by elevated levels of immunoglobulin E (IgE), eczematous dermatitis, cold abscesses, and recurrent infections of the lung and skin caused by . The dominant form is characterized by nonimmunologic features including skeletal, connective tissue, and pulmonary abnormalities in addition to recurrent infections and eczema. Omalizumab is a humanized recombinant monoclonal antibody against IgE.

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Common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) is the most common symptomatic immunodeficiency in adulthood. CVID diagnosis is by exclusion and should be considered in patients of any age who have hypogammaglobulinemia of unknown origin. Numerous patients with CVID show alterations in the development of B lymphocytes, both in plasma cells and memory cells.

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