Evaluation of the natural killer cell subsets and their relationship with serum interferon gamma and vitamin D levels in women with stages III and IV endometriosis: A case-control study.

Background: Natural killer (NK) cells play a critical role in the pathogenesis of endometriosis. Moreover, a normal vitamin D level is remarkably associated with an optimal immune response. So, there may be a probable relationship between these factors and the endometriotic women. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the percentage of NK cells and their subsets and their relationship with serum levels of vitamin D and interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) in women with endometriosis. Materials and Methods: In this case-control study, 29 women with stage III-IV endometriosis and 30 healthy controls were enrolled. The study was conducted in the Immunology Department of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran between November 2021 and June 2022. The percentage of NK cells and their subsets, including CD56 dim CD16 + , CD56 bright CD16 - and CD56 bright CD16 bright were measured in the peripheral blood samples using flow cytometry. Serum levels of vitamin D and IFN-γ were also measured using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: The mean percentage of NK cells in women with endometriosis increased significantly compared to the control group (p = 0.03). The percentage of CD56 dim CD16 + (p = 0.007) and CD56 bright CD16 bright (p = 0.043) increased significantly in women with endometriosis in comparison with the control group, but the percentage of CD56 bright CD16 - subset was not significantly different. No relationship was observed between NK cells and their subsets with vitamin D and IFN-γ in the studied groups. Conclusion: The study of NK cell subsets and their related factors can be useful in assessing and treating women suffering from endometriosis. However, more comprehensive studies are required to draw definitive conclusions about these observations.

Combination of Serological and Cytokine Release Assays for Improved Diagnosis of Childhood Tuberculosis in Zambia (PROMISE-TB).

BACKGROUND: The diagnostic gaps for childhood tuberculosis (TB) remain considerable in settings with high TB incidence and resource constraints. We established and evaluated the performance of a scoring system based on a combination of serological tests and T-cell cytokine release assays, chosen for their ability to detect immune responses indicative of TB, in a context of high prevalence of pediatric HIV infection. METHODS: We enrolled 628 consecutive children aged ≤ 15 years, admitted for TB suspicion. Multiple cytokines levels in QuantiFERON Gold In-Tube supernatants and antigen 85B antibodies (Ag85B Abs) were assessed in children tested positive with either Xpert TB or mycobacterial culture. Results were compared to control children. FINDINGS: Among the biomarkers most strongly associated with TB, Random Forest Classification analysis selected Ag85B Abs, IL2/IFN-γ ratio, and MIG for the scoring system. The ROC curve derived from our scoring system showed an AUC of 0.95 (0.91-0.99), yielding 91% sensitivity and 88% specificity. The internal bootstrap validation gave the following 95% confidence intervals for the score performance: sensitivity 71-97% and specificity 79-99%. INTERPRETATION: This study suggests that supplementing the QuantiFERON assay with a combination of serological and T-cell markers could enhance childhood TB screening regardless of the HIV status and age. Further validation among the target population is necessary to confirm the performance of this scoring system.

Efficacy of IFN-γ, sCD40L, and Poly(I:C) Treated Bone Marrow-Derived Macrophages in Murine Mammary Carcinoma.

INTRODUCTION: Here, we explored methods to generate anti-tumor bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDM) and how delivery of the BMDM at early tumor sites could impact disease progression. METHODS: BMDM treated with IFN-γ, sCD40L, poly(I:C), and a combination of the three were assessed. RESULTS: Treatment with sCD40L had no significant impact on the BMDM. Treating BMDM with IFN-γ impacted IL-1ß, MHC Class II, and CD80 expression. While poly(I:C) treatment had a greater impact on the BMDM than IFN-γ when assessed by the in vitro assays, the BMDM treated with poly (I:C) had mixed results in vivo where they decreased growth of the EMT6 tumor, did not impact growth of the 168 tumor, and enhanced growth of the 4T1 tumor. The combination of poly(I:C), IFN-γ, and sCD40L had the greatest impact on the BMDM in vitro and in vivo. Treatment with all three agonists resulted in increased IL-1ß, TNF-α, and IL-12 expression, decreased expression of arginase and mrc, increased phagocytic activity, nitrite production, and MHC Class II and CD80 expression, and significantly impacted growth of the EMT6 and 168 murine mammary carcinoma models. DISCUSSION: Collectively, these data show that treating BMDM with poly(I:C), IFN-γ, and sCD40L generates BMDM with more consistent anti-tumor activity than BMDM generated with the individual agonists.

Liver injury and prolonged hospitalization as indicators of severity in patients with adenovirus infections.

BACKGROUND: Adenovirus (ADV) is a prevalent infective virus in children, accounting for around 5-10% of all cases of acute respiratory illnesses and 4-15% of pneumonia cases in children younger than five years old. Without treatment, severe ADV pneumonia could result in fatality rates of over 50% in cases of emerging strains or disseminated disease. This study aims to uncover the relationship of clinical indicators with primary ADV infection severity, regarding duration of hospitalization and liver injury. METHODS: In this retrospective study, we collected and analyzed the medical records of 1151 in-patients who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. According to duration of hospitalization, all patients were divided into three groups. Then the difference and correlation of clinical indicators with ADV infection were analyzed, and the relationship among liver injury, immune cells and cytokines was evaluated. RESULTS: The study revealed that patients with a duration of hospitalization exceeding 14 days had the highest percentage of abnormalities across most indicators. This was in contrast to the patients with a hospitalization duration of either less than or equal to 7 days or between 7 and 14 days. Furthermore, correlation analysis indicated that a longer duration of body temperature of ≥ 39°C, bilateral lung lobes infiltration detected by X ray, abnormal levels of AST, PaO2, and SPO2, and a lower age were all predictive of longer hospital stays. Furthermore, an elevated AST level and reduced liver synthesis capacity were related with a longer hospital stay and higher ADV copy number. Additionally, AST/ALT was correlated positively with IFN-γ level and IFN-γ level was only correlated positively with CD4+ T cells. CONCLUSIONS: The study provided a set of predicting indicators for longer duration of hospitalization, which responded for primary severe ADV infection, and elucidated the possible reason for prolonged duration of hospitalization attributing to liver injury via higher ADV copy number, IFN-γ and CD4+ T cells, which suggested the importance of IFN-γ level and liver function monitoring for the patients with primary severe ADV infection.

Combination of IFN-gamma with STING agonist and PD-1 immune checkpoint blockade: a potential immunotherapy for gastric cancer.

Suppression of the cGAS-STING pathway is an immune escape mechanism in cancer cells. The critical role of this pathway in gastric cancer (GC) is not fully understood. Herein, we evaluated the effect of the interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), STING agonist, PD-1 immune checkpoint blockade, and their combination on the cGAS-STING pathway in GC. Expression of cGAS and STING in tumor tissue samples and adjacent normal tissue (ANT) biopsies of fifty new GC patients was evaluated by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Moreover, cGAS and STING expression levels were examined in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells (PBMC) samples of forty GC patients and twenty-five healthy subjects. The apoptosis rate of cancer cells was analyzed by Annexin V-FITC/PI. Cell proliferation was measured by the BrdU assay. Also, IFN-ß levels were evaluated in the supernatants of the treated groups. The cGAS expression was decreased in patients with distant metastasis. Co-cultures treated with IFN-gamma showed an elevated level of cGAS and STING expressions in PBMC and cancer cells. The rate of apoptosis increased in all the treatment groups. In addition, the rate of proliferation in PBMCs increased in different treated groups. The main role of PBMCs in cytotoxicity was determined by a comparative analysis of the viability of cells treated with all treatments, both with and without PBMCs. The production of IFN-ß was elevated in all treated groups. The current study suggests that a combination therapy using IFN-gamma, STING agonist, and anti-PD-1 antibody can provide a promising approach to the treatment of GC.

Investigation of serum level relationship of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines with vitamin D among healthy Ghanaian population.

BACKGROUND: The interplay between vitamin D status and inflammatory cytokines in a supposedly sufficient sunshine environment has not well been evaluated. The study sought to determine their association. METHODS: This cross-sectional study involved 500 healthy adult blood donors from some selected hospitals in Ghana enrolled from June to November 2016. Venous blood samples were obtained from participants, 25(OH)D, TNF-alpha, IFN-gamma, and IL 10 were measured using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique. Serum levels of 25(OH)D < 20ng/ml were classified as being deficient or low. RESULTS: The average age of the participants was 27.97 years. No statistically significant association was established between 25(OH) D status, mean age (p = 0.1693), and gender (p = 0.5461) of study participants. Similarly, the median 25(OH) D (p = 0.8392), IL-10 (p = 0.5355), TNF-alpha (p = 0.9740), and IFN-gamma (p = 0.6908) were not significantly different across gender. There was a significantly increased levels of TNF-alpha (p < 0.0001) and IFN-gamma (p < 0.0001) among participants with 25(OH) D deficiency compared to those without deficiency. Concurrently, participants with 25(OH)D deficiency had a significantly reduced levels of IL-10 (p < 0.0001) compared to those without 25 (OH) D deficiency. The most accurate biochemical markers for identifying 25 (OH) D deficiency were IFN-gamma (AUC = 0.879; p < 0.0001) followed by TNF-gamma (AUC = 0.849; p < 0.0001) and IL-10 (AUC = 0.707; p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: There was a significant association between vitamin D levels and pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-alpha, IFN-gamma) and anti-inflammatory cytokine (IL 10) among healthy Ghanaian populace.

Hypoxic mesenchymal stem cells (MSCS)-induced interleukin (IL)-10 alleviate systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) infl ammation through inhibiting interferon (IFN)-gamma production.

Aim To determine the eff ect of hypoxic mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) on the interleukin (IL)-10 and interferon (IFN)-gamma in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients. Methods This study used a post-test control group design. Hypoxic MSCs were isolated and characterized according to their surface marker expression and diff erentiation capacities. PBMCs isolated from SLE patients were divided into three groups: control and two treatment groups. The treatment groups were treated by co-culturing MSCs to PBMCs with a ratio of 1:10 (T1) and 1:1 (T2) for 48 h incubation. Furthermore, IFN-gamma and IL-10 levels were determined by cytometric bead array (CBA) fl ow cytometry. Results Hypoxic MSCs signifi cantly decreased the IFN-gamma levels and increased the IL-10 levels in dose-dependent manner compared to the control group. The highest activity of hypoxic MSCs was noticed in T2 group. Conclusion Hypoxic MSCs- induced IL-10 are important in the control of anti-infl ammatory eff ect on SLE through inhibiting IFN-gamma.

Distinct spatiotemporal dynamics of CD8+ T cell-derived cytokines in the tumor microenvironment.

Cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME) influence each other through secretion and sensing of soluble mediators, such as cytokines and chemokines. While signaling of interferon γ (IFNγ) and tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) is integral to anti-tumor immune responses, our understanding of the spatiotemporal behavior of these cytokines is limited. Here, we describe a single cell transcriptome-based approach to infer which signal(s) an individual cell has received. We demonstrate that, contrary to expectations, CD8+ T cell-derived IFNγ is the dominant modifier of the TME relative to TNFα. Furthermore, we demonstrate that cell pools that show abundant IFNγ sensing are characterized by decreased expression of transforming growth factor ß (TGFß)-induced genes, consistent with IFNγ-mediated TME remodeling. Collectively, these data provide evidence that CD8+ T cell-secreted cytokines should be categorized into local and global tissue modifiers, and describe a broadly applicable approach to dissect cytokine and chemokine modulation of the TME.

Expansion of Pathogenic Cardiac Macrophages in Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Myocarditis.

BACKGROUND: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), antibodies targeting PD-1 (programmed cell death protein 1)/PD-L1 (programmed death-ligand 1) or CTLA4 (cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4), have revolutionized cancer management but are associated with devastating immune-related adverse events including myocarditis. The main risk factor for ICI myocarditis is the use of combination PD-1 and CTLA4 inhibition. ICI myocarditis is often fulminant and is pathologically characterized by myocardial infiltration of T lymphocytes and macrophages. Although much has been learned about the role of T-cells in ICI myocarditis, little is understood about the identity, transcriptional diversity, and functions of infiltrating macrophages. METHODS: We used an established murine ICI myocarditis model (Ctla4+/-Pdcd1-/- mice) to explore the cardiac immune landscape using single-cell RNA-sequencing, immunostaining, flow cytometry, in situ RNA hybridization, molecular imaging, and antibody neutralization studies. RESULTS: We observed marked increases in CCR2 (C-C chemokine receptor type 2)+ monocyte-derived macrophages and CD8+ T-cells in this model. The macrophage compartment was heterogeneous and displayed marked enrichment in an inflammatory CCR2+ subpopulation highly expressing Cxcl9 (chemokine [C-X-C motif] ligand 9), Cxcl10 (chemokine [C-X-C motif] ligand 10), Gbp2b (interferon-induced guanylate-binding protein 2b), and Fcgr4 (Fc receptor, IgG, low affinity IV) that originated from CCR2+ monocytes. It is important that a similar macrophage population expressing CXCL9, CXCL10, and CD16α (human homologue of mouse FcgR4) was expanded in patients with ICI myocarditis. In silico prediction of cell-cell communication suggested interactions between T-cells and Cxcl9+Cxcl10+ macrophages via IFN-γ (interferon gamma) and CXCR3 (CXC chemokine receptor 3) signaling pathways. Depleting CD8+ T-cells or macrophages and blockade of IFN-γ signaling blunted the expansion of Cxcl9+Cxcl10+ macrophages in the heart and attenuated myocarditis, suggesting that this interaction was necessary for disease pathogenesis. CONCLUSIONS: These data demonstrate that ICI myocarditis is associated with the expansion of a specific population of IFN-γ-induced inflammatory macrophages and suggest the possibility that IFN-γ blockade may be considered as a treatment option for this devastating condition.

Association of recurrent implantation failure and recurrent pregnancy loss with peripheral blood natural killer cells and interferon-gamma level.

OBJECTIVE: Fetal uterine survival depends on maintaining an immune balance between the mother and fetus. This study aimed to investigate the correlation of blood peripheral natural killer (NK) cells and interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) with recurrent recurrent implantation failure (RIF) and recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL). METHODS: In this case-control study, peripheral blood samples were obtained from three groups of RPL, RIF, and parous women without a history of abortion or infertility problems and analyzed by lymphocyte-based flow cytometry. Afterward, the levels of NK cells and IFN-γ were determined. All data were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance and nonparametric Kruskal-Wallis tests. RESULTS: The level of IFN-γ in the RPL group was significantly higher than that in parous women and the RIF group (P<0.05), whereas its level in the RIF group was not significantly different from the control group (P>0.05). A significant correlation was found between the levels of IFN-γ and NK cells in the RPL group (r=0.481; P=0.02). However, no significant correlation was found between the levels of IFN-γ and the active NK cells in the RPL group (P=0.08). Moreover, no significant correlation was found between the levels of NK cells (whether activated or not) and IFN-γ in the RIF patients (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: Immune dysfunction may not be involved in implantation failure during IVF but may be involved in recurrent miscarriage, probably by increasing IFN-γ levels.

Cytokines Expression Compared to the Determinants of Cellular Apoptosis Prominently Attributes to the Deleterious Effects of 'A' Determinant Surface Gene Mutations in HBV Transfected Hepatoma Cell Line.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have explored the role of AKT protein in anti-apoptotic/proliferative activities. However, there has been a lack of information regarding the role of Akt in association with cytokines expression in HBV-related (wild type HBV and HBV with mutations of 'a' determinant region) studies either in the case of HBV infection or in transfected hepatoma cells. The present study tries to determine the role of Akt and cytokines expression in the presence of small surface gene mutants in the hepatoma cell line. METHODS: Mutations of 'a' determinant region, viz. sA128V and sG145R, were created in wild-type pHBV1.3 by site-directed mutagenesis and transfected in hepatoma cell line. Secretory levels of HBsAg in the wild type as well as in both the mutants were analyzed by ELISA. Apoptotic analysis of transfected cells was studied by flow cytometry. Expression analysis of Akt and cytokines (TNF-alpha, IL-6, and IFN-gamma) was done by qPCR. RESULTS: The presence of significantly more alive cells in sG145R than sA128V transfected cells may be due to the up-regulation of the Akt gene expression. Cytokines expression was nearly similar between sA128V and wild-type pHBV1.3 transfected cells. Presence of sG145R showed dramatically high cytokines expression than sA128V and wild-type pHBV1.3. CONCLUSION: Cytokines expression predominantly contributes to the detrimental effects associated with the 'a' determinant region mutations particularly sG145R mutant. It may also be inferred that mechanisms associated with cellular apoptosis apparently do not play any major role to assign the 'a' determinant small surface gene mutation(s) for their pathological outcome.

Growth differentiation factor-15 is an IFN-γ regulated mediator of infection-induced weight loss and the hepatic FGF21 response.

Infections are often accompanied by weight loss caused by alterations in host behavior and metabolism, also known as sickness behaviors. Recent studies have revealed that sickness behaviors can either promote or impede survival during infections depending on factors such as the type of infectious pathogen. Nevertheless, we have an incomplete understanding of the underlying mechanisms of sickness behaviors. Furthermore, although the host immune responses to infections have long been known to contribute to the induction of sickness behaviors, recent studies have identified emerging cytokines that are also key regulators of host metabolism during infection and inflammation, such as growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF-15). GDF-15 is a distant member of the TGF-ß superfamily that causes weight loss by suppressing appetite and food consumption and causing emesis. These effects require activation of neurons that express the only known GDF-15 receptor, the GFRAL receptor. GDF-15 also functions in the periphery including the induction of ketogenesis and immunoregulation. Nevertheless, the functions and regulation of GDF-15 during live infections is not yet known. Murine infection with avirulent Toxoplasma gondii is an established model to understand infection-induced weight loss. Past studies have determined that acute T. gondii infection causes weight loss due to diminished food consumption and increased energy expenditure through unknown mechanisms. Additionally, our lab previously demonstrated that T. gondii causes upregulation in serum GDF-15 in an IFN-γ-dependent manner during the post-acute phase of the infection. In this study, we interrogated the in-vivo functions and immune regulation of GDF-15 during Toxoplasma gondii infection. First, we found that in wild-type mice, acute T. gondii infection caused a significant weight loss that is preceded by elevation of serum levels of IFN-γ and GDF-15. To determine whether IFN-γ regulates GDF-15, we neutralized IFN-γ on days 5 and 6 and measured GDF-15 on day 7 and found that serum but not tissue levels of GDF-15 decreased after IFN-γ neutralization. Additionally, exogenous IFN-γ was sufficient to elevate serum GDF-15 in the absence of infection. Next, we compared the outcomes of T. gondii infection between WT and Gdf15-/- mice. We observed that the weight trajectories were declining in WT mice while they were increasing in Gdf15-/-mice during the acute phase of the infection. This difference in trajectories extended throughout the chronic infection resulting to an overall weight loss relative to initial weights in WT mice but not Gdf15-/-mice. Then, we determined that GDF-15 is not essential for survival and immunoregulation during T. gondii infection. We also demonstrated that GDF-15 is required for the induction of FGF21, stress-induced cytokine with prominent roles in regulating host metabolism. Finally, we discovered a cytokine cascade IFN-γ-GDF-15-FGF21 that is likely involved in the regulation of host metabolism. Overall, our study provides evidence that IFN-γ contributes to the regulation of host metabolism during infection by inducing GDF-15 and FGF21. GDF-15 orchestrates changes in host metabolism that supports the host immune response in clearing the infection. These physiological alterations induce FGF21, which in turn, orchestrates the adaptive responses to the effects of GDF-15, which can be detrimental when protracted.

Deciphering single-cell protein secretion and gene expressions by constructing cell-antibody conjugates.

Secreted proteins play critical roles in regulating immune responses, exerting cytotoxic effects on tumor cells, promoting inflammatory processes, and influencing cellular metabolism. Deciphering the intricate relationship between the heterogeneity of secreted proteins and their transcriptional states is pivotal in the study of cellular heterogeneity. Here we proposed a cell-antibody conjugate-based sequencing methodology (Cellab-seq) for joint characterization of secreted proteins and transcriptome. Cellab-seq utilizes a chemoenzymatic strategy to construct cell-antibody conjugates, which enables the capture of secreted proteins and their signal transduction with the incorporation of barcode detection antibodies. We applied Cellab-seq to investigate how gene expression influences the activity of secreted proteins in NK cells. Altogether, this strategy facilitates a nuanced understanding of cellular dynamics under diverse physiological conditions, ultimately contributing to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases.

Rhinosporidiosis- Epidemiological, Clinicoradiological, Immunological Profile.

Introduction: Rhinosporidiosis is an enigmatic disease with many unsolved queries right from taxonomy to treatment. This study has been done to understand the disease characteristics with a peek into the lesser known immunological aspects of it by studying the changes in levels of certain primarily cell-mediated immunity (CMI)-specific cytokines in rhinosporidiosis patients. Materials and Methods: A prospective observational study was performed. Detailed epidemiological and clinicoradiological assessment was done along with selected inflammatory and immunological markers. The tests for immunological parameters were done by ELISA and CLIA and data were compiled and analyzed using appropriate statistics. Results: Disease showed male predominance and all patients gave a universal pond bathing history. Majority patients had O+ve blood group. Right side was affected most with nasal obstruction being commonest symptom. Nasal cavity was involved in majority of cases with inferior turbinate and meatus being sites of maximum occurrence and attachment. Nasopharynx, oropharynx were other involved sites. Extra-nasal sites included skin and parotid gland. Endoscopic and CECT findings were similar and confirmed intraoperatively. Tests for inflammatory markers showed no significant change in patients. Immunological markers -IL-6, TNF-beta- levels showed significant increase though no such increase was found with IFN-gamma levels. Conclusion: Rhinosporidiosis has a definite epidemiological and clinical-radiological profile. A clear association with exposure to contaminated water is present which could not be further associated with disease duration or recurrence. The immunological profile needs to be further investigated upon since it remains quite elusive.

Urine Metabolite Analysis to Identify Pathomechanisms of Long COVID: A Pilot Study.

Background: Around 10% of people who had COVID-9 infection suffer from persistent symptoms such as fatigue, dyspnoea, chest pain, arthralgia/myalgia, sleep disturbances, cognitive dysfunction and impairment of mental health. Different underlying pathomechanisms appear to be involved, in particular inflammation, alterations in amino acid metabolism, autonomic dysfunction and gut dysbiosis. Aim: As routine tests are often inconspicuous in patients with Long COVID (LC), similarly to patients suffering from myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), accessible biomarkers indicating dysregulation of specific pathways are urgently needed to identify underlying pathomechanisms and enable personalized medicine treatment. Within this pilot study we aimed to proof traceability of altered metabolism by urine analysis. Patients and Methods: Urine metabolome analyses were performed to investigate the metabolic signature of patients with LC (n = 25; 20 women, 5 men) in comparison to healthy controls (Ctrl, n = 8; 7 women, 1 man) and individuals with ME/CFS (n = 8; 2 women, 6 men). Concentrations of neurotransmitter precursors tryptophan, phenylalanine and their downstream metabolites, as well as their association with symptoms (fatigue, anxiety and depression) in the patients were examined. Results and Conclusion: Phenylalanine levels were significantly lower in both the LC and ME/CFS patient groups when compared to the Ctrl group. In many LC patients, the concentrations of downstream metabolites of tryptophan and tyrosine, such as serotonin, dopamine and catecholamines, deviated from the reference ranges. Several symptoms (sleep disturbance, pain or autonomic dysfunction) were associated with certain metabolites. Patients experiencing fatigue had lower levels of kynurenine, phenylalanine and a reduced kynurenine to tryptophan ratio (Kyn/Trp). Lower concentrations of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and higher activity of kynurenine 3-monooxygenase (KMO) were observed in patients with anxiety. Conclusively, our results suggest that amino acid metabolism and neurotransmitter synthesis is disturbed in patients with LC and ME/CFS. The identified metabolites and their associated dysregulations could serve as potential biomarkers for elucidating underlying pathomechanisms thus enabling personalized treatment strategies for these patient populations.

Telomerase Expression Related with Poor Immune Response to HCV Core Antigen in Egyptian HCV Patients' PBMCs.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary malignant tumor of the liver. Aim: This study aimed to assess serum human telomerase enzyme (hTERT) levels and their relation to the progression of liver disease. Also, it aimed to assess the effect of hepatitis C virus (HCV) core protein on memory T-cells in HCV patients with or without HCC and the correlation between memory cell phenotype and the progression of the disease in the same patients. Methods: HTERT level in serum was assessed through relative quantitative RT-PCR. Flow cytometric analysis was used to assess T-cell responsiveness (as IFN- γ secretion) before and after stimulation with HCV core protein and the memory CD8+ cell phenotype using several differentiation markers. Results: HTERT was found to be increased in a stepwise manner upon comparing its level in controls, chronic hepatitis patients, cirrhotic patients, and HCC patients. T-cells showed a similar manner of stepwise decrease in response (decreased IFN- γ secretion) in HCC patients compared to HCV patients without HCC and controls. Also, late differentiated memory cells (CD8+, CD27-, CD28-, CD45RA+, and CCR7-) were depleted in HCC patients compared to HCV patients without HCC. Conclusion: These results suggest a negative correlation between hTERT and IFN- γ secretion by T-cells in HCV patients and that this relationship, along with the depletion of late differentiated memory cells, could help the progression of liver disease to HCC.

Retinal inflammation in murine models of type 1 and type 2 diabetes with diabetic retinopathy.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: The loss of pericytes surrounding the retinal vasculature in early diabetic retinopathy underlies changes to the neurovascular unit that lead to more destructive forms of the disease. However, it is unclear which changes lead to loss of retinal pericytes. This study investigated the hypothesis that chronic increases in one or more inflammatory factors mitigate the signalling pathways needed for pericyte survival. METHODS: Loss of pericytes and levels of inflammatory markers at the mRNA and protein levels were investigated in two genetic models of diabetes, Ins2Akita/+ (a model of type 1 diabetes) and Leprdb/db (a model of type 2 diabetes), at early stages of diabetic retinopathy. In addition, changes that accompany gliosis and the retinal vasculature were determined. Finally, changes in retinal pericytes chronically incubated with vehicle or increasing amounts of IFNγ were investigated to determine the effects on pericyte survival. The numbers of pericytes, microglia, astrocytes and endothelial cells in retinal flatmounts were determined by immunofluorescence. Protein and mRNA levels of inflammatory factors were determined using multiplex ELISAs and quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR). The effects of IFNγ on the murine retinal pericyte survival-related platelet-derived growth factor receptor ß (PDGFRß) signalling pathway were investigated by western blot analysis. Finally, the levels of cell death-associated protein kinase C isoform delta (PKCδ) and cleaved caspase 3 (CC3) in pericytes were determined by western blot analysis and immunocytochemistry. RESULTS: The essential findings of this study were that both type 1 and 2 diabetes were accompanied by a similar progression of retinal pericyte loss, as well as gliosis. However, inflammatory factor expression was dissimilar in the two models of diabetes, with peak expression occurring at different ages for each model. Retinal vascular changes were more severe in the type 2 diabetes model. Chronic incubation of murine retinal pericytes with IFNγ decreased PDGFRß signalling and increased the levels of active PKCδ and CC3. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: We conclude that retinal inflammation is involved in and sustains pericyte loss as diabetic retinopathy progresses. Moreover, IFNγ plays a critical role in reducing pericyte survival in the retina by reducing activation of the PDGFRß signalling pathway and increasing PKCδ levels and pericyte apoptosis.

Impact of the TLR4 agonist BECC438 on a novel vaccine formulation against Shigella spp.

Shigellosis (bacillary dysentery) is a severe gastrointestinal infection with a global incidence of 90 million cases annually. Despite the severity of this disease, there is currently no licensed vaccine against shigellosis. Shigella's primary virulence factor is its type III secretion system (T3SS), which is a specialized nanomachine used to manipulate host cells. A fusion of T3SS injectisome needle tip protein IpaD and translocator protein IpaB, termed DBF, when admixed with the mucosal adjuvant double-mutant labile toxin (dmLT) from enterotoxigenic E. coli was protective using a murine pulmonary model. To facilitate the production of this platform, a recombinant protein that consisted of LTA-1, the active moiety of dmLT, and DBF were genetically fused, resulting in L-DBF, which showed improved protection against Shigella challenge. To extrapolate this protection from mice to humans, we modified the formulation to provide for a multivalent presentation with the addition of an adjuvant approved for use in human vaccines. Here, we show that L-DBF formulated (admix) with a newly developed TLR4 agonist called BECC438 (a detoxified lipid A analog identified as Bacterial Enzymatic Combinatorial Chemistry candidate #438), formulated as an oil-in-water emulsion, has a very high protective efficacy at low antigen doses against lethal Shigella challenge in our mouse model. Optimal protection was observed when this formulation was introduced at a mucosal site (intranasally). When the formulation was then evaluated for the immune response it elicits, protection appeared to correlate with high IFN-γ and IL-17 secretion from mucosal site lymphocytes.

Inheritance-Specific Dysregulation of Th1- and Th17-Associated Cytokines in Alopecia Areata.

Autoimmune diseases tend to cluster in families, suggesting genetic predisposition to autoimmunity associated with familial background. We have previously reported similarities in gene expression patterns and PTPN22 polymorphisms between alopecia areata (AA) patients and their healthy relatives, but not unrelated healthy controls. However, the spectrum of disease promoting (or preventing) pathways that may be activated in blood relatives of AA patients remains to be defined. Here, we investigated the extent to which cytokines associated with the Th1 and Th17 pathway are differentially expressed in the blood of patients with AA and its clinical subtypes in comparison to both healthy relatives as well as unrelated healthy controls. A comprehensive set of Th1- and Th17-related cytokines were evaluated by ELISA. We found a significant elevation of the Th17 inducer IL-23, the Th17 product IL-17A, the Th1 hallmark cytokine IFNγ, and TNFα, a Th1 cytokine with relevance to the Th17 pathway in AA patients, regardless of disease subtype, compared to healthy individuals. On further examination, we found that healthy family members grouped together with patients in terms of elevated Th1- and Th17-pathway cytokines in an inheritance-specific manner, distinct from unrelated controls. The elevation of Th17-associated cytokines in healthy controls related to AA patients indicates that Th1 and Th17 dysregulation in AA may be genetically based. Of note, one unrelated control displayed elevated levels of IL-17A and IL-23 similar to those detected in patients. One year after initial blood draw, areas of beard hair loss consistent with the diagnosis of AA were reported by this individual, indicating that the elevation in Th17-related cytokines may have predictive value.

Interferon-gamma plasma levels and presence of mouse mammary tumor virus-like env gene: Implications on the pathogenesis of breast cancer.

Mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) is a retrovirus that has been associated with the development of breast cancer (BC) in mice. The identification of a 95% homologous gene sequence to MMTV in human BC samples has increased interest in this hypothesis. This virus in humans received the name of mouse mammary tumor virus-like (MMTV-like). Several cytokines may be involved in the interactions between MMTV and the immune system, such as interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), which can enhance Th1-mediated antitumor immune response but it can also play a protumorigenic role by transmitting antiapoptotic and proliferative signals. Little is known about the antiviral immune response in a microenvironment with the presence of MMTV-like in BC patients. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to quantify the plasma levels of IFN-γ in the peripheral blood of 123 neoplasia-free donors and 98 BC patients of different molecular subtypes, by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and evaluate the association of these plasma levels with the detection of the MMTV-like env gene in tumor tissue. Correlation analyzes involving IFN-γ plasma levels and clinical-pathological parameters were performed by Kendall Tau-c test. In our study, a decrease in IFN-γ levels was observed in the group of BC patients (30.85 ± 57.49 pg/ml) compared to the control group (115.00 ± 176.80 pg/ml) (p < 0.0001). In the analysis by stratified BC molecular subtypes, Luminal-A (30.79 ± 61.04 pg/ml; p < 0.0001), Luminal-B (24.74 ± 25.78 pg/ml; p = 0.0188) and triple-negative (23.95 ± 40.45 pg/ml; p = 0.0005) had a lower plasma level compared to control group. There was no significant difference between IFN-γ plasma levels of MMTV-like DNA positive samples compared to MMTV-negative samples (p = 0.2056). In general BC, patients with larger tumor size had higher IFN-γ plasma levels (Tau-c = 0.202; p = 0.019). By analyzing the MMTV-like env negative samples, we could identify that IFN-γ plasma levels were higher in larger tumor size (Tau-c = 0.222; p = 0.020) and with greater lymph node involvement (Tau-c = 0.258; p = 0.042). Also, higher IFN-γ plasma levels were observed in patients with higher histopathological grades (Tau-c = 0.384; p = 0.019) in MMTV-like env positive samples. For the first time, we assessed the association between plasma levels of IFN-γ and the presence of the MMTV-like env gene in BC samples. However, more studies are needed to clarify whether the high levels of IFN-γ in MMTV-like env positive samples are reflecting a possible antiviral immune response or whether this cytokine is promoting tumor growth.