Value of allohaemagglutinins in the diagnosis of a polysaccharide antibody deficiency.

Polysaccharide antibody deficiency is characterized by a poor or absent antibody response after vaccination with an unconjugated pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine. Allohaemagglutinins (AHA) are antibodies to A or B polysaccharide antigens on the red blood cells, and are often used as an additional or alternative measure to assess the polysaccharide antibody response. However, few studies have been conducted to establish the clinical significance of AHA. To investigate the value of AHA to diagnose a polysaccharide antibody deficiency, pneumococcal polysaccharide antibody titres and AHA were studied retrospectively in 180 subjects in whom both tests had been performed. Receiver operating characteristic curves for AHA versus the pneumococcal vaccine response as a marker for the anti-polysaccharide immune response revealed an area under the curve between 0·5 and 0·573. Sensitivity and specificity of AHA to detect a polysaccharide antibody deficiency, as diagnosed by vaccination response, were low (calculated for cut-off 1/4-1/32). In subjects with only low pneumococcal antibody response, the prevalence of bronchiectasis was significantly higher than in subjects with only low AHA (45·5 and 1·3%, respectively) or normal pneumococcal antibody response and AHA (2·4%). A logistic regression model showed that low pneumococcal antibody response but not AHA was associated with bronchiectasis (odds ratio 46·2). The results of this study do not support the routine use of AHA to assess the polysaccharide antibody response in patients with suspected immunodeficiency, but more studies are warranted to clarify the subject further.

Subclinical GvHD in non-irradiated F1 hybrids: severe lymphoid-tissue GvHD causing prolonged immune dysfunction.

GvHD is an important complication of allogeneic hematopoietic SCT. Parent-in-F1 models are frequently used to study GvHD immunobiology; the characteristics of parent-in-F1 GvHD vary between strain combinations and induction protocols. Here, we observed that a high-dose challenge of non-irradiated B6DBA2F1 and B6SJLF1 recipients with C57BL/6 splenocytes left the majority of recipients clinically healthy, while inducing progressive high-grade donor T-cell chimerism. We investigated this previously undescribed pattern of parent-in-F1 T-cell alloreactivity and studied the effect of serial parental splenocyte infusions on epithelial and lymphohematopoietic tissues. The majority of recipients of 4 weekly splenocyte infusions showed long-term survival with gradual establishment of high-grade donor chimerism and without any signs of epithelial-tissue GvHD. A minority of recipients showed BM failure type of GvHD and, respectively, graft rejection. Moreover, long-term F1 chimeras showed protracted pancytopenia, and in peripheral lymphoid tissues severe lymphopenia and near-complete eradication of APCs and dysfunction in antigen-presenting capacity in remaining APC. Hematopoiesis and lymphoid tissue composition recovered only after multilineage donor chimerism had established. In conclusion, we report on a novel type of parent-in-F1 hybrid GvHD, where a cumulative high dose of C57BL/6 parental splenocytes in non-irradiated F1 mice induces subclinical but severe hematolymphoid-tissue GvHD, causing prolonged immuno-incompetence.

Study of composition change and agglomeration of flue gas cleaning residue from a fluidized bed waste incinerator.

Blocking of the collection hoppers of the baghouse filters in a fluidized bed incinerator for co-incineration of high calorific industrial solid waste and sludge was observed. The composition of the flue gas cleaning residue (FGCR), both from a blocked hopper and from a normal hopper, was investigated by (differential) thermogravimetric analysis, quantitative X-ray powder diffraction and wet chemical analysis. The lower elemental carbon concentration and the higher calcium carbonate concentration of the agglomerated sample was the result of oxidation of carbon and subsequent reaction of CO2 with CaO. The evolved heat causes a temperature increase, with the decomposition of CaOHCl as a consequence. The formation of calcite and calcium chloride and the evolution of heat caused agglomeration of the FGCR. Activated lignite coke was replaced by another adsorption agent with less carbon, so the auto-ignition temperature increased; since then no further block formation has occurred.

Technical advancement in regulatory T cell isolation and characterization using CD127 expression in patients with malignant glioma treated with autologous dendritic cell vaccination.

We have successfully treated over two hundred high-grade glioma (HGG) patients with immunotherapy consisting of vaccination with autologous dendritic cells (DCs) loaded with autologous tumour lysate. It has been documented that regulatory T cells (Treg) can counteract anti-tumour immune responses. Therefore, monitoring of Treg in these patients is essential. Up till now, Treg have been characterized based on the expression of the transcription factor Foxp3. Here, we validated IL-7 receptor alpha subunit (CD127)dim expression as a marker for human Treg within HGG patients, as a less laborious assay for routine use in tumour vaccination trials. We noted a strong positive correlation between Foxp3 expression and CD127dim expression in CD4+CD25+ and CD4+ cells. The suppressive function of CD4+CD127dim cells was assessed in an allogeneic mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR). We conclude that CD127 staining is a fast, well-suited and reproducible Treg monitoring tool in HGG patients treated with immunotherapy.