Enhanced T cell activation in Plasmodium falciparum malaria-infected human immunodeficiency virus-1 patients from Mozambique

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 infection has an important impact on malaria. Plasmodium falciparum and HIV-1 co-infected patients (Pf/HIV) present with a high degree of anaemia, enhanced parasitaemia and decreased CD4+ T cell counts, which increase the risk of developing severe malaria. In addition, infection with either Pf or HIV-1 alone causes extensive immune activation. Our hypothesis was that lymphocyte activation is potentiated in Pf/HIV co-infected patients, consequently worsening their immunosuppressed state. To test this hypothesis, 22 Pf/HIV patients, 34 malaria patients, 29 HIV/AIDS patients and 10 healthy controls without malaria or HIV/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) from Maputo/Mozambique were recruited for this study. As expected, anaemia was most prevalent in the Pf/HIV group. A significant variation in parasite density was observed in the Pf/HIV co-infected group (110-75,000 parasites/µL), although the median values were similar to those of the malaria only patients. The CD4+ T cell counts were significantly lower in the Pf/HIV group than in the HIV/AIDS only or malaria only patients. Lymphocyte activation was evaluated by the percentage of activation-associated molecules [CD38 expression on CD8+ and human leukocyte antigen-DR expression on CD3+ T cells]. The highest CD38 expression was detected in the Pf/HIV co-infected patients (median = 78.2%). The malaria only (median = 50%) and HIV/AIDS only (median = 52%) patients also exhibited elevated levels of these molecules, although the values were lower than those of the Pf/HIV co-infected cases. Our findings suggest that enhanced T-cell activation in co-infected patients can worsen the immune response to both diseases.

CTLA-4-Tg/CD-28-KO Mice Exhibit Reduced T Cell Proliferation in vivo Compared to CD-28-KO Mice in a Graft-versus-host Disease Model

Activated T cells express inhibitory receptors such as CTLA-4 that can downregulate immune responses. Blockade of or genetic deficiency in CTLA-4 can result in autoimmunity. Therefore, strategies to increase the inhibitory function of CTLA-4 may be attractive in settings of undesirable T cell responses such as autoimmunity or transplant rejection. We have tested the hypothesis that transgenic constitutive expression of CTLA-4 can further attenuate immune responses when compared with normal inducible expression. Our results indicate that transgenic expression of CTLA-4 in mouse T cells (CTLA-4-Tg T cells) results in reduced cell cycle progression and increased apoptosis of TCR-stimulated T cells. CTLA-4-Tg T cells display reduced T cell proliferation in an in vivo model of graft versus host disease (GVHD). These results further our understanding of how CTLA-4 can be manipulated to inhibit immune responses and may help development of new therapeutic strategies for clinical settings of autoimmunity and transplantation.

Revisión de tema: Las quimioquinas: citoquinas proinflamatorias y reguladoras del tráfico celular / Chemokines: proinflammatory and cell traffic regulator cytokines

Las quimioquinas constituyen un grupo numeroso de citoquinas proinflamatorias; hasta el momento se han caracterizado alrededor de 40 quimioquinas diferentes que provienen de variadas fuentes celulares y tienen acciones muy pleiotrópicas. Su estudio ha despertado gran interés debido a la selectividad que tienen para activar y dirigir el tráfico de diferentes subpoblaciones de leucocitos, a diferencia de otros factores quimiotácticos que atraen por igual a los neutrófilos y monocitos. Adicionalmente, se ha observado que las quimioquinas están involucradas en la hematopoyesis, angiogénesis, morfogénesis tisular, crecimiento tumoral y apoptosis.Debido a que las quimioquinas orquestan la migración y función de los leucocitos, se ha propuesto que cumplen un papel muy importante en la fisiopatología de algunas enfermedades como la glomerulonefritis inducida por inmunocomplejos, la isquemia reperfusión, la ateroesclerosis, la infección por el VIH y algunas reacciones autoinmunes.

Chemokines are a large group of proinflammatory cytokines; currently, there are about 40 different chemokines produced by different cellular sources and with pleiotropic actions. Interest in chemokines' research is growing due to their selectivity to activate and to direct the traffic of different leukocyte populations, in contrast with other chemotactic factors that attract neutrophils and monocytes similarly. Furthermore, it has been observed that chemokines are involved in hematopoiesis, angiogenesis, tissue remodeling, tumor growth and apoptosis. As chemokines direct the migration and function of leukocytes, it has been proposed that they have an important role in the pathophysiology of some diseases such as immune-complex glomerulonephritis, ischemia­reperfussion, HIV infection and other immune reactions.

Effect of cellular activation of ultra low temperature preserved limbal epithelial cells of rabbit cultured in vitro / 眼科

0.05).The morphological characteristics were similar and positive on HE staining and AE5 immunohistochemical staining.PAS staining were negative in two groups.Conclusion The cellu- lar biological activations of limbal epithelial cells are decreased in the ultra low temperature preservation condition,but the affect are limit and can't change the property of corneal limbal epithelial cells and application for ocular surface reconstruction.(Ophthalmol CHN,2008,17:108-112)