Dysregulated Expression of Tim-3 and NKp30 Receptors on NK Cells of Patients with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia.

Background: In this study, the expression pattern of NKp30 and T cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain-containing molecule-3 (Tim-3), as candidates for activating and inhibitory receptors of NK cells, were evaluated in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

Patients And Methods: 24 CLL patients and 19 healthy controls were enrolled. Fresh peripheral blood was collected from all subjects and stained with fluorochrome-conjugated antibodies.

Spontaneous Immunity Against the Receptor Tyrosine Kinase ROR1 in Patients with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia.

Background: ROR1 is a receptor tyrosine kinase expressed in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and several other malignancies but absent in most adult normal tissues. ROR1 is considered an onco-fetal antigen. In the present study we analysed spontaneous humoral and cellular immunity against ROR1 in CLL patients.

Alteration in frequency and function of CD4⁺CD25⁺FOXP3⁺ regulatory T cells in patients with immune thrombocytopenic purpura.

Immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) is an autoimmune bleeding disorder characterized by production of auto-antibodies against platelet antigens. It is obvious that regulatory T cells (Tregs) have a major role in controlling immune homeostasis and preventing autoimmunity.To investigate the frequency and functions of Tregs, twenty ITP patients and twenty age- and sex-matched healthy controls were recruited.

Pro-inflammatory cytokine profile of critically ill septic patients following therapeutic plasma exchange.

Unlabelled: Severe sepsis involves a generalized inflammatory response, mediated by a number of various cytokines and factors. Plasma exchange (PE) has been proposed as a therapeutic approach to improve survival of patients with severe sepsis and septic shock. The theory is that removing harmful excessive endogenous inflammatory mediators is beneficial.

Reduced frequency of NKT-like cells in patients with progressive chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Natural killer T (NKT) cells are a subset of innate immune cells displaying a limited repertoire of antigen specificities and CD1d restriction. Little is known about contribution of NKT cells in cancer initiation and progression. In this study, the frequencies of NKT-like cells, B cells expressing CD1d molecule and CD4(+) regulatory (Treg) cells were analyzed in 40 patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and 15 healthy subjects by flow cytometry.

Expression profile of galectin-1 and galectin-3 molecules in different subtypes of chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Galectin-1 (Gal-1) and galectin-3 (Gal-3) molecules are involved in many vital, biological, and pathological processes. In this study the expression pattern of these two molecules was investigated in leukemic cells from 85 Iranian chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients, classified into indolent, progressive, mutated, and unmutated subtypes by semiquantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and flow cytometry methods. Our results showed significant downregulation of Gal-3, but not Gal-1, in CLL patients compared with normal subjects (p < .

Variation in WNT genes expression in different subtypes of chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

The Wnt molecules are a family of secretory glycoproteins implicated in proliferation and differentiation of both normal and malignant cells. Despite extensive investigation of the WNT genes expression profile in various tumors, little is known about their expression in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). In this study, the expression profile of 14 WNT genes was investigated in a large number of Iranian patients with CLL.

Immunoglobulin heavy chain variable region gene usage and mutational status of the leukemic B cells in Iranian patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

The mutational status of the immunoglobulin variable region heavy chain genes (IGHV) is an important prognostic marker in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). The data accumulated in the literature has largely been derived from studies conducted on Caucasian Western populations. Little is known about Asian CLL patients.

Human leukocyte antigen class II allele association to disease progression in Iranian patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is the most frequent type of leukemia in Western countries, but its incidence is low in Asian populations. In the present study we determined the frequency of DRB1 and DQB1 alleles in 87 Iranian CLL patients and 100 healthy controls using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique. An increased frequency of DRB1*07 (p = 0.

Fc receptor-like 1-5 molecules are similarly expressed in progressive and indolent clinical subtypes of B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Fc receptor-like (FCRL) 1-5 molecules are exclusively expressed in B-cells and have recently been considered as potential targets for immunotherapy of B-cell malignancies. In this study, the expression pattern of FCRL1-5 molecules was investigated in Iranian patients with B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL). Our RT-PCR results have demonstrated that all FCRL molecules, except FCRL4, were expressed in the vast majority of the patients with B-CLL.

Immunophenotypic characterization of the leukemic B-cells from Iranian patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia: association between CD38 expression and disease progression.

Background: Patients with B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) have heterogeneous clinical courses, thus several biological parameters need to be added to the current clinical staging systems to predict disease outcome. Recent immunophenotypic studies performed mainly in Western populations have demonstrated the prognostic value of CD38 and ZAP-70 expression in B-CLL.

Objectives: To investigate the expression pattern of a variety of membrane antigens on leukemic cells from Iranian patients with CLL and to find out if there are any differences in the expression of these markers between indolent and progressive groups.

Assessment of in vitro cytokine response in hemophilia A patients with or without factor VIII inhibitory antibody.

Factor VIII (FVIII) inhibitor antibodies are produced in a proportion of hemophilia A patients. Development of anti-FVIII inhibitor antibodies is a T cell-dependent response, mediated by FVIII specific CD4(+) T cells. This study was performed to investigate the contribution of T helper (Th) cell-mediated cytokine response in inhibitor production.

Expression profile of Wnt molecules in leukemic cells from Iranian patients with acute myeloblastic leukemia.

Background: Wnt molecules play a key role in growth, proliferation and development of some embryonic and adult organs as well as hematopoietic stem cells. Wnt signaling pathways are aberrantly activated in many tumor types, including solid tumors and hematologic malignancies.

Objective: To investigate the expression profile of a large number of Wnt genes in leukemic cells from Iranian patients with acute myeloblastic leukemia.

Comparative measurement of anti-factor VIII antibody by Bethesda assay and ELISA reveals restricted isotype profile and epitope specificity.

Factor VIII (FVIII) inhibitor antibodies are produced against functional epitopes of FVIII in about 30% of severe hemophilia A patients leading to inhibition of its procoagulant activity. The Bethesda assay, the most commonly used method to measure FVIII inhibitors, based on inhibition of coagulant activity of FVIII, is neither able to detect noninhibitory antibodies nor their isotype. In this study we employed an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to measure dif ferent isotypes and IgG subclasses of anti-FVIII anti body in the plasma of hemophiliacs (with and without inhibitor) and normal individuals using recombinant FVIII-coated microtiter plates.

Fibromodulin, an extracellular matrix protein: characterization of its unique gene and protein expression in B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia and mantle cell lymphoma.

Fibromodulin is an extracellular matrix protein normally produced by collagen-rich tissues; the fibromodulin gene has been found to be the most overexpressed gene in B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia. In this study, fibromodulin was expressed at the gene level (reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction [RT-PCR]) in all patients with B-CLL (n = 75) and in most (5 of 7) patients with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). No mutations in the fibromodulin gene were detected.