Soluble Human Leukocyte Antigen-G in the Bronchoalveolar Lavage of Lung Cancer Patients. / Antígeno leucocitario humano-G soluble en el lavado broncoalveolar de pacientes con cáncer pulmonar.

BACKGROUND: The main function of the HLA-G molecule in its membrane-bound and soluble forms is to inhibit the immune response by acting on CD4+ T cells, cytotoxic T cells, NK cells and dendritic cells. Lung cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, and annual incidence is high in both women and men. Some studies have reported an increase of HLA-G serum levels in lung cancer, probably generated by tumor cells escaping the antitumor immune response. In this study the concentration of soluble HLA-G in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) in patients with primary and metastatic lung cancer was measured to determine its relation with tumor histological type and overall patient status according to the Karnofsky scale. METHODS: Thirty-one lung cancer patients were included. A tumor biopsy was obtained by bronchoscopy and the tumor type was determined by hematoxylin and eosin staining. BAL samples were obtained to measure soluble HLA-G concentrations in an ELISA sandwich assay. RESULTS: The average value of soluble HLA-G was 49.04ng/mL. No correlation between soluble HLA-G levels and age, gender or smoking was observed. A highly significant difference was observed in the levels of soluble HLA-G in BAL from patients with different histological types of lung cancer, especially in metastatic tumors. The Karnofsky index showed a significant and inverse correlation with soluble HLA-G levels in BAL. CONCLUSIONS: Soluble HLA-G protein is significantly associated with metastatic tumors and patients with lower Karnofsky index and may be useful as a prognostic marker in lung cancer.

The nonresponse to hepatitis B vaccination is associated with impaired lymphocyte activation.

Nonresponsiveness against hepatitis B vaccination has been described in 4-10% of immunized subjects. We have explored the specific cell response to hepatitis B surface antigen by analyzing: PBMC proliferation, cytokine production (Th1, Th2 profiles, and TGF-beta), and activation molecules on Th cells. A poor proliferative response was demonstrated in nonresponders (P < 0.05). T cells from responders produced all tested cytokines (P < 0.01), in contrast with nonresponders subjects (P < 0.05). Expression of CD69 and CD25 was diminished in T cells from nonresponders (P < 0.01). A reduced expression of CD40L was also detected in T cells from nonresponders (P < 0.01). An elevated correlation coefficient was observed between CD40L on CD4+ cells and antibody production. These results suggest an overall inability of T cells to be activated which could be consistent with potential differences in antigen presentation. In conclusion, our results suggest that an altered Th response may be a consequence of inappropriate early activation events.

Nongranulomatous anterior uveitis associated with alendronate therapy

We describe a case of acute nongranulomatous anterior uveitis associated with alendronate therapy, in an adult woman, without medical history of previous diseases, except for intercurrent problems of osteoporosis. The symptoms disappeared abruptly after anti-inflammatory therapy and discontinuation of alendronate. Side effects associated with ocular inflammation have been recently documented in 3 patients under alendronate therapy. Clinical and laboratory diagnosis of ocular inflammation syndromes are also reviewed.

El complejo NADPH-oxidasa en la enfermedad granulomatosa crónica: descripción preliminar de un foco en Mérida-Venezuela / NADPH-oxidase complex in chronic granulomatous disease: preliminary description of a cluster in Mérida-Venezuela

La enfermedad granulomatosa crónica (EGC), es una inmunodeficiencia primaria caracterizada por una susceptibilidad elevada a sufrir infecciones por ciertos agentes fúngicos y bacterianos, debido a la incapacidad en la activación del estallido respiratorio en los leucocitos fagocíticos. La ausencia de producción de superóxido es secundaria a un defecto en la activación del complejo enzimático NADPH-oxidasa, debido a mutaciones en cualquiera de sus componentes, tanto los que se encuentran en la menbrana (gp91phox y p22phox) como los ubicados en el citosol (p47phox y su activación y debe interactuar con NADPH, para producir superóxido y subsecuentemente otros productos con actividad microbicida. La ECG es una enfermedad hereditaria de frecuencia variable en el mundo, con dos formas de transmisión, ligada al cromosoma X y autosómatica recesiva. Las ligadas al cromosoma X son las más frecuentes y se caracterizan por mutaciones en gp91phox, mientras que las autosómicas se asocian a mutaciones p22phox). En este artículo describimos las características moleculares y genéticas del complejo NADPH-oxidasa, sus alteraciones en la EGC y reseñamos brevemente nuestros hallazgos preliminares en dos familias del estado Mérida-Venezuela