Serum levels of immunoglobulin free light chains in patients with chronic hepatitis C presenting cryoglobulinemia

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infects B-lymphocytes, provokes cellular dysfunction and causes lymphoproliferative diseases such as cryoglobulinemia and non-Hodgkin's B-cell lymphoma. In the present study, we investigated the serum levels of kappa and lambda free light chains (FLC) of immunoglobulins and the kappa/lambda FLC ratio in Brazilian patients with chronic HCV infection and cryoglobulinemia. We also analyzed the immunochemical composition of the cryoglobulins in these patients. Twenty-eight cryoglobulinemic HCV patients composed the target group, while 37 HCV patients without cryoglobulinemia were included as controls. The median levels of kappa and lambda FLC were higher in patients with cryoglobulinemia compared to controls (p = 0.001 and p = 0.003, respectively), but the kappa/lambda FLC ratio was similar in patients with and without cryoglobulinemia (p > 0.05). The median FLC ratio was higher in HCV patients presenting with advanced fibrosis of the liver compared to HCV patients without fibrosis (p = 0.004). Kappa and lambda FLC levels were strongly correlated with the IgA, IgG and IgM levels in the patients with cryoglobulinemia. In patients without cryoglobulinemia, the kappa FLC level was only correlated with the IgG level, whereas the lambda FLC were weakly correlated with the IgA, IgG and IgM levels. An immunochemical pattern of mixed cryoglobulins (MC), predominantly IgM, IgG, IgA and kappa light chain, was verified in these immune complexes. We concluded that HCV-infected patients presenting cryoglobulinemia have vigorous polyclonal B-lymphocyte activation due to chronic HCV infection and persistent immune stimulation.

Desestruturação da polpa branca do baço na leishmaniose visceral canina: células e citocinas envolvidas / Disruption of the white pulp of the spleen in canine visceral leishmaniasis: cells and cytokines involved

A leishmaniose visceral está associada às alterações arquiteturais esplênicas e redistribuição de populações celulares envolvidas na resposta imunológica. Os objetivos desta tese foram estudar a desestruturação da polpa branca do baço na leishmaniose visceral canina e quais as células e citocinas envolvidas nesse processo. Para isso, amostras de baços de cães de uma área endêmica para LV foram agrupadas em três categorias: TIPO1-CONT ou TIPO1-SIA (cães não infectados ou sem infecção ativa e com polpa branca organizada), TIPO1-INF (cães infectados com polpa branca organizada) e TIPO3-INF (cães infectados com polpa branca desorganizada). No capítulo 2 e 3, as secções de baço foram marcadas através de imunoistoquímica com anticorpos anti-CD3 (linfócitos T), anti-CD79-α (linfócitos B), anti-S100 (célula dendrítica folicular), anti-Ki-67...

Visceral leishmaniasis is associated with splenic architectural changes and redistribution of cell populations involved in the immune response. The objectives of this thesis was to study the disruption of the white pulp of the spleen in canine visceral leishmaniasis and which cells and cytokines are involved in this process. For this, samples of spleens of dogs from an endemic area for VL were grouped into three categories: TYPE1-CONT or TYPE1-NIF (non-infected dogs or without active infection with organized white pulp), TYPE1-INF (infected dogs with pulp organized white) and TYPE3-INF (infected animals with disorganized white pulp). In Chapter 2 and 3 the spleens sections were stained by immunohistochemistry with anti-CD3 (T lymphocytes), anti-CD79 (B lymphocytes), anti-S100 (follicular dendritic cells), anti-Ki-67...

Autoimmune syndrome induced by chronic mucosal immune response / 中国免疫学杂志

To explore me chanisms of successful induction of autoimmunity by chronic Campylobacter jejuni (CJ-S131 ) infection [3, 4, 5, 6], a chronic mucosal immune response mooe(?) was established by oral immunization of BALB /C mice with formalized CJ-S131 bacteria.in a dosage of 4 xlO8 bacterial cells per mouse, twice a week for 14 weeks, which mimicked the released antigens persistently stimulating the mucosal immune system when mice were chronically infected by C. jejuni. It was also found that the immunized mice demonstrated (?)upus-like autoimmune syndro me, sim ilar, but more severe.to those seen in the mice chronically infected by C. jejuni. It was characterized by (1) significant lymphoproliferation of both mucosal and systemic immune systems; (2) polyclonal activation of B lymphocytes; (3) significantly elevated level of multiple autoanti bodies against ss- DNA, ds- DNA and histones; (4) immunocom plex glomerulonephritisi; (5) chronic inflammation of multiple organs or tissues including the intestine, liver and blood vessels. In the polyclonal activation testin vitro, the levels of total immunoglobulins and autoantibody against DNA in the supernatan ts of the splenic culture cells from the immunized mice were significantly higher than that from the controll mice. The results verified that chronic C. jejuni infection in the gut could induce abnormal. chronic mucosal immune response which led to perturbation of the systemic immune system, resulting autoimmunity or autoimmune syndrom.