Delineating the Association Between Soluble CD26 and Autoantibodies Against G-Protein Coupled Receptors, Immunological and Cardiovascular Parameters Identifies Distinct Patterns in Post-Infectious vs. Non-Infection-Triggered Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Soluble cluster of differentiation 26 (sCD26) has a wide range of enzymatic functions affecting immunological, metabolic and vascular regulation. Diminished sCD26 concentrations have been reported in various autoimmune diseases and also in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). Here we re-evaluate sCD26 as a diagnostic marker and perform a comprehensive correlation analysis of sCD26 concentrations with clinical and paraclinical parameters in ME/CFS patients.

Autoimmunity-Related Risk Variants in PTPN22 and CTLA4 Are Associated With ME/CFS With Infectious Onset.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in various genes have been described to be associated with susceptibility to autoimmune disease. In this study, myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) patients and controls were genotyped for five immune gene SNPs in tyrosine phosphatase non-receptor type 22 (, rs2476601), cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (, rs3087243), tumor necrosis factor (, rs1800629 and rs1799724), and interferon regulatory factor 5 (, rs3807306), which are among the most important risk variants for autoimmune diseases. Analysis of 305 ME/CFS patients and 201 healthy controls showed significant associations of the rs2476601 and rs3087243 autoimmunity-risk alleles with ME/CFS.

Cytotoxic Effects of Rabbit Anti-thymocyte Globulin Preparations on Primary Human Thymic Epithelial Cells.

Background: Graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) presents a major cause for morbidity and mortality after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Rabbit-derived antithymocyte globulin (rATG) treatment reduces the incidence of GvHD after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. However, delayed immune reconstitution following rATG treatment, partly caused by hampered thymic function, is being discussed.

The forkhead transcription factor Foxo3 negatively regulates natural killer cell function and viral clearance in myocarditis.

Aims: Foxo3 is a transcription factor involved in cell metabolism, survival, and inflammatory disease. However, mechanistic insight in Foxo3 effects is still limited. Here, we investigated the role of Foxo3 on natural killer (NK) cell responses and its effects in viral myocarditis.

Apoptosis Susceptibility Prolongs the Lack of Memory B Cells in Acute Leukemic Patients After Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation.

Long-term survival after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation requires intact immunosurveillance, which is hampered by lymphoid organ damage associated with conditioning therapy, graft-versus-host disease, and immunosuppression. Our study aimed to identify the mechanisms contributing to sustained low memory B cell numbers after transplantation. Peripheral B and T cell subset recovery and functional marker expression were investigated in 35 acute leukemic patients up to 1 year after transplantation.