Self-renewal programs in leukemia stem cells (LSCs) predict poor prognosis in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). We identify CD4 T cell-derived interleukin (IL)-21 as an important negative regulator of self-renewal of LSCs. IL-21/IL-21R signaling favors asymmetric cell division and differentiation in LSCs through the activation of p38-MAPK signaling, resulting in reduced LSC numbers and significantly prolonged survival in murine AML models.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEl espectro de enfermedades neurodegenerativas que afectan principalmente a la cognición y el comportamiento abarca desde la enfermedad preclínica asintomática hasta el deterioro cognitivo muy leve y la demencia franca. En este artículo se procedió a la revisión de los criterios actuales para el diagnóstico de la demencia con cuerpos de Lewy, segunda causa más frecuente de demencia neurodegenerativa en personas mayores de 65 años luego de la enfermedad de Alzheimer (EA) y las afasias progresivas primarias que se distinguen por producir un compromiso temprano y aislado de las funciones lingüísticas, y en cuya evolución desarrollan un síndrome complejo caracterizado, además del compromiso del lenguaje, por la presencia de deterioro cognitivo progresivo, trastornos de conducta y compromiso de los sistemas motores. También pueden representar la forma de comienzo de una variante atípica de la enfermedad de Alzheimer (EA), no siendo raras las formas mixtas o no caracterizables.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIdentification of early signatures of immune rejection represents a key challenge in the clinical management of kidney transplant. To address such an issue, we enrolled 53 kidney transplant recipients without signs of graft rejection, no infectious episodes and no change in the immunosuppressive regimen in the last 6 months. An extensive immune profile revealed increased activation of the T cells, a decreased amount and growth ability of the Treg and a higher level of the T regulatory T cell subset, described by us as involved in the preferential control of cytotoxic T lymphocytes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe emergence of COronaVIrus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), presented a global health challenge since its identification in December 2019. With clinical manifestations ranging from mild respiratory symptoms to severe multi-organ dysfunction, COVID-19 continues to affect populations worldwide. The complex interactions between SARS-CoV-2 variants and the human immune system are crucial for developing effective therapies, vaccines, and preventive measures.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFParkinson's disease (PD), the second most common neurodegenerative disease in the elderly, is characterized by selective loss of dopaminergic neurons and accumulation of α-synuclein (α-syn), mitochondrial dysfunction, Ca dyshomeostasis, and neuroinflammation. Since current treatments for PD merely address symptoms, there is an urgent need to identify the PD pathophysiological mechanisms to develop better therapies. Increasing evidence has identified K3.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn late December 2019, SARS-CoV-2 was identified as the cause of a new pneumonia (COVID-19), leading to a global pandemic declared by the WHO on 11 March 2020, with significant human, economic, and social costs. Although most COVID-19 cases are asymptomatic or mild, 14% progress to severe disease, and 5% develop critical illness with complications such as interstitial pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS). SARS-CoV-2 primarily targets the respiratory system but can affect multiple organs due to the widespread presence of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptors, which the virus uses to enter cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe interplay between immune activation and immune regulation is a fundamental aspect of the functional harmony of the immune system. This delicate balance is essential to triggering correct and effective immune responses against pathogens while preventing excessive inflammation and the immunopathogenic mechanisms of autoimmunity. The knowledge of all the mechanisms involved in immune regulation is not yet definitive, and, probably, the overall picture is much broader than what has been described in the scientific literature so far.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn December 2019, a SARS-CoV-2 virus, coined Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), discovered in Wuhan, China, affected the global population, causing more than a million and a half deaths. Since then, many studies have shown that the hyperinflammatory response of the most severely affected patients was primarily related to a higher concentration of the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-6, which directly correlated with disease severity and high mortality. Our study analyzes IL-6 and its soluble receptor complex (sIL-6R and sgp130) in critically ill COVID-19 patients who suffered severe respiratory failure from the perspective of the second COVID wave of 2020.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPsychotic symptoms can manifest at any age, but in the elderly they represent a real diagnostic challenge. Thought disorders, hallucinations (usually visual), mood disorders with delusions, impairment of social interaction and occasionally verbal or physical aggression may be observed (Karon & VandenBos, 1998). Since the first descriptions of classical psychiatry, attempts have been made to define the psychoses observed in the elderly and determine whether they are primary "psychiatric" syndromes or, conversely, whether they can be attributed to other pathologies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAmyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive motor neurodegenerative disease. Cell damage in ALS is the result of many different, largely unknown, pathogenetic mechanisms. Astrocytes and microglial cells play a critical role also for their ability to enhance a deranged inflammatory response.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe spectrum of neurodegenerative diseases that primarily affect cognition and behaviorspreads from asymptomatic preclinical disease to very mild cognitive impairment to frank dementia. Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common cause of a decline in cognitive ability. Also, it is a devastating condition that affects patients and their entirefamilies of caregivers, exacting tremendous financial hardships.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) is characterised by the expansion of a neoplastic mature B cell clone. CLL clinical outcome is very heterogeneous, with some subjects never requiring therapy and some showing an aggressive disease. Genetic and epigenetic alterations and pro-inflammatory microenvironment influence CLL progression and prognosis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEthnopharmacological Relevance: Chamomile (M. chamomilla L.) is an herbaceous plant from family Astereaceae, that has a long history of use in traditional medicine.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWhile inhibitory Siglec receptors are known to regulate myeloid cells, less is known about their expression and function in lymphocytes subsets. Here we identified Siglec-7 as a glyco-immune checkpoint expressed on non-exhausted effector memory CD8+ T cells that exhibit high functional and metabolic capacities. Seahorse analysis revealed higher basal respiration and glycolysis levels of Siglec-7 CD8+ T cells in steady state, and particularly upon activation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe key role played by host-microbiota interactions on human health, disease onset and progression, and on host response to treatments has increasingly emerged in the latest decades. Indeed, dysbiosis has been associated to several human diseases such as obesity, diabetes, cancer and also neurodegenerative disease, such as Parkinson, Huntington and Alzheimer's disease (AD), although whether causative, consequence or merely an epiphenomenon is still under investigation. In the present study, we performed a metabologenomic analysis of stool samples from a mouse model of AD, the 3xTgAD.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMyxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD) is a very frequently acquired cardiac disease in dog breeds and is responsible for congestive heart failure (CHF). The involvement of the immune system and pro-inflammatory cytokines in dogs with CHF due to mitral valve disease has not yet been extensively investigated. Here, we investigate the role of pro-inflammatory cytokines and the dysfunction of the immune system in dogs with different stages of severity through the blood assessment of CD4FoxP3regulatory T cells (Treg) cells, leptin, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-6 pro-inflammatory cytokines, and immunological and echocardiographic parameters.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Emergence of dysplastic haematopoietic precursor/s, cytopenia and variable leukaemia risk characterise myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). Impaired immune-regulation, preferentially affecting cytotoxic T cells (CTL), has been largely observed in MDS. Recently, we described the T T cell subset, characterised by the co-expression of CD3 and CD56, as a novel immune-regulatory population, able to modulate cytotoxic functions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLarge and destructive earthquakes on mature faults in Earth's crust occur as slip in a layer of a fine granular material-fault gouge-produced by comminution during sliding. A range of insights into the frictional resistance of faults-one of the main factors controlling earthquake nucleation, dynamic propagation and arrest, and hence the destructive ground shaking of earthquakes-has been obtained in experiments with spatially uniform slip imposed in small samples. However, how various features of gouge friction combine to determine spontaneous progression of earthquakes is difficult to study in the lab owing to substantial challenges with sample sizes and adequate imaging.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFReactive oxygen species (ROS) participate in the T-cell activation processes. ROS-dependent regulatory networks are usually mediated by peroxides, which are more stable and able to freely migrate inside cells. Superoxide dismutase (SOD)-1 represents the major physiological intracellular source of peroxides.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFluids are known to trigger a broad range of slip events, from slow, creeping transients to dynamic earthquake ruptures. Yet, the detailed mechanics underlying these processes and the conditions leading to different rupture behaviors are not well understood. Here, we use a laboratory earthquake setup, capable of injecting pressurized fluids, to compare the rupture behavior for different rates of fluid injection, slow (megapascals per hour) versus fast (megapascals per second).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWhen humans mentally "navigate" bidimensional uniform conceptual spaces, they recruit the same grid-like and distance codes typically evoked when exploring the physical environment. Here, using fMRI, we show evidence that conceptual navigation also elicits another kind of spatial code: that of absolute direction. This code is mostly localized in the medial parietal cortex, where its strength predicts participants' comparative semantic judgments.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLeukemia stem cells (LSCs) promote the disease and seem resistant to therapy and immune control. Why LSCs are selectively resistant against elimination by CD8+ cytotoxic T cells (CTLs) is still unknown. In this study, we demonstrate that LSCs in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) can be recognized and killed by CD8+ CTLs in vitro.
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