Single-cell Analysis of Immunophenotype and Cytokine Production in Peripheral Whole Blood via Mass Cytometry.

Cytokines play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases. Hence, the measurement of cytokine levels has been the focus of multiple studies in an attempt to understand the precise mechanisms that lead to the breakdown of self-tolerance and subsequent autoimmunity. Approaches thus far have been based on the study of one specific aspect of the immune system (a single or few cell types or cytokines), and do not offer a global assessment of complex autoimmune disease. While patient sera-based studies have afforded important insights into autoimmunity, they do not provide the specific cellular source of the dysregulated cytokines detected. A comprehensive single-cell approach to evaluate cytokine production in multiple immune cell subsets, within the context of "intrinsic" patient-specific plasma circulating factors, is described here. This approach enables monitoring of the patient-specific immune phenotype (surface markers) and function (cytokines), either in its native "intrinsic pathogenic" disease state, or in the presence of therapeutic agents (in vivo or ex vivo).

[Hygienic evaluation of immune and endocrine systems and modifications of their relationship in reproductive-age women working under exposure to chemical factors in activated carbon emissions].

The article presents results of the evaluation the changes in the relationships between immune and endocrine systems in reproductive-age women, working under exposure to chemical factors from activated carbon production. A significant increase of some chemical elements and compounds was found in blood that was associated with changes in the endocrine and immune status, as well as the presence of features in correlation parameters of these systems in reproductive-age women, working under exposure to chemical factors.

Ontogeny of the Drosophila larval hematopoietic organ, hemocyte homeostasis and the dedicated cellular immune response to parasitism.

Over the years, the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster has become a major invertebrate model to study developmental and evolutionary aspects of both humoral and cellular aspects of innate immunity. Drosophila hematopoiesis which supplies three types of circulating hemocytes, occurs in two spatially and temporally distinct phases during development. The first embryonic phase is described in detail in accompanying reviews in this Int. J. Dev. Biol. Special Issue. The second phase takes place at the end of larval development in a specialised hematopoietic organ, termed the lymph gland. We review here recent studies on the ontogeny of the lymph gland, focusing on the formation and role of the Posterior Signalling Center which acts as a niche for hematopoietic progenitors. We then report recent progress in understanding the dedicated cellular immune response of Drosophila larvae against parasitization by Hymenopterae, a common threat for many Dipterae. This response involves the differentiation of lamellocytes, a cryptic cell fate, revealing the high degree of plasticity of Drosophila hematopoiesis. We end up by integrating studies in Drosophila within a more general picture of insect hematopoiesis and hemocyte homeostasis.

Cellular elements of the immune system in the larynx cancer, SEM study.

Observations that certain primary tumors (solid ones) are infiltrated by cells which participate in immune responses tend us to examine this problem in spontaneously growing larynx carcinoma (ca. planoepitheliale). Our observations in SEM revealed within but also in surrounding of cancer infiltrations the presence of cellular elements belonging to the immune system like: lymphocytes, monocytes and macrophages. The most numerous of them, lymphocytes, are brought to the surrounding and tumor's territory by very rich vascular network (angiogenesis phenomenon). Bidirectional transmigration of the lymphocytes, observed mainly within the postcapillary venules, takes place through the cytoplasm of endothelial cells. It is most probably that they are lymphocytes of T-type which are involved in a cell mediated mechanisms of the immune response against a tumor. The lymphocytes are responsible also for the presence of monocytes and especially macrophages within a tumor's territory. These facts suggest that the human organism, in certain degree, is able to fight against malignant tissue by similar mechanisms which are involved in the rejection of the graft.