Targeting TMEM176B Enhances Antitumor Immunity and Augments the Efficacy of Immune Checkpoint Blockers by Unleashing Inflammasome Activation.

Although immune checkpoint blockers have yielded significant clinical benefits in patients with different malignancies, the efficacy of these therapies is still limited. Here, we show that disruption of transmembrane protein 176B (TMEM176B) contributes to CD8 T cell-mediated tumor growth inhibition by unleashing inflammasome activation. Lack of Tmem176b enhances the antitumor activity of anti-CTLA-4 antibodies through mechanisms involving caspase-1/IL-1β activation.

Management of transfusional iron overload in Latin America: current outlook and expert panel recommendations.

The results of a meeting of physicians convening in Latin America to develop expert opinions on the diagnosis, monitoring and treatment of iron overload are as follows. An accurate diagnosis can be obtained by neonatal screening for haemoglobinopathies, especially sickle cell disease and the thalassaemias. Disease-specific registries are needed to demonstrate the extent of the problem to health authorities.

Properties of cryptic epitopes and their corresponding antibodies as indicated by the study of human and ovine growth hormones.

Antibodies (Ab) directed to hidden antigenic determinants (cryptotopes) are undesirable because they are not neutralizing. Additionally, we have previously demonstrated a close association between the extent of Ab to cryptic determinants and the expression of autoantibodies (autoAb) under some experimental conditions. Thus, the first objective of this work was to establish the physicochemical characteristics of Ab to cryptotopes and the second one was to examine the structural features of cryptic epitopes themselves.

[Allogenic bone marrow transplantation in the treatment of malignant hematologic disease].

We have treated 28 patients (pts) with malignant hematological diseases with allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT). 18 pts had acute lymphoblastic (ALL) and non lymphoblastic leukemia (ANLL), 5 chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), 2 severe aplastic anemia (SAA), 1 myelodisplasia, 1 Fanconi's anemia and 1 advanced Non Hodgkin's lymphoma. All but three received the graft from HLA identical sibling donors.