ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Dendritic cell (DC)-based and cytokine-induced killer cell (CIK)-based therapy can induce specific antitumor T-cell responses. This clinical pilot study examined the safety, the feasibility, and the outcome of tumor-specific immunotherapy for patients with advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma. METHODS: Alpha-Gal epitopes were synthesised on pancreatic carcinoma cell membranes with α1,3-galactosyltransferase in vitro. Subsequently, the addition of natural human anti-Gal IgG to the processed membranes resulted in opsonization and effective phagocytosis by DCs, which were co-cultured with newly differentiated CIKs from bone marrow stem cells to generate tumor-specific immune responders ex vivo. Fourteen patients with inoperable stage III/IV pancreatic adenocarcinoma were enrolled in the study; the treatment procedure consisted of injections of DCs and CIKs. RESULTS: Clinical observation showed that the procedure was safe and lacked serious side effects. Tests showed that 12 patients had strong positive delayed-type IV hypersensitivity to the autologous cancer cell lysate; robust systemic cytotoxicity elicited by interferon (IFN)γ expression by peripheral blood mononuclear cells; and significant increases in CD3+CD8+, CD3+CD45RO+, and CD3+CD56+ cells in peripheral blood lymphocytes after 3 injections. During the follow up, the percentages of CD3+CD8+, CD3+CD45RO+, and CD3+CD56+ cells returned to the normal range at 6 to 9 months after the third injection and IFNγ expression in the cells stayed at the higher level from the third injection to 24 months after the treatment. CONCLUSIONS: This new tumor-specific immunotherapy is safe, feasible, and has great potential for pancreatic carcinoma treatment.
Subject(s)
Immunotherapy/methods , Pancreatic Neoplasms/therapy , Trisaccharides/immunology , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , CD3 Complex/metabolism , CD56 Antigen/immunology , CD56 Antigen/metabolism , CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes/immunology , Cell Transplantation/methods , Coculture Techniques , Cytokine-Induced Killer Cells/immunology , Dendritic Cells/immunology , Female , Hematopoietic Stem Cells/immunology , Humans , Interferon-gamma/immunology , Interferon-gamma/metabolism , Leukocyte Common Antigens/immunology , Leukocyte Common Antigens/metabolism , Male , Middle Aged , Pancreatic Neoplasms/immunology , Pancreatic Neoplasms/pathology , Pilot Projects , Treatment Outcome , Trisaccharides/chemical synthesis , Pancreatic NeoplasmsABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To understand the status of scattered chickens infected with Toxoplasma gondii in Wuxi City. METHODS: We investigated the positive rate of Toxoplasma antigen and antibody of 309 cases of scattered chickens in Wuxi, and it was compared with the positive rate of Toxoplasma antigen and antibody of 150 cases of intensive farming chickens. RESULTS: In the 309 cases of scattered chickens, there were 29 cases of antigen positive, and the positive rate was 9.39%; there were 53 cases of antibody positive, and the positive rate was 17.15%; there were 13 cases of antigen and antibody double positive, and the double-positive rate was 4.21%.; In the scattered chickens, the overall positive rate was 22.33%, and in the intensive farming chickens, the overall positive rate was 2.67%, and there was a significant difference between them (chi2 = 29.19, P <0.01). CONCLUSION: There is a high T. gondii infection in scattered chickens in Wuxi, so the medical, veterinary and food hygiene workers should pay more attention to it.
Subject(s)
Chickens , Poultry Diseases/epidemiology , Toxoplasma/immunology , Toxoplasmosis, Animal/epidemiology , Animals , China/epidemiology , Seroepidemiologic StudiesABSTRACT
AIM: To evaluate the safety and clinical efficacy of a new immunotherapy using both α-Gal epitope-pulsed dendritic cells (DCs) and cytokine-induced killer cells. METHODS: Freshly collected hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tumor tissues were incubated with a mixture of neuraminidase and recombinant α1,3-galactosyltransferase (α1,3GT) to synthesize α-Gal epitopes on carbohydrate chains of the glycoproteins of tumor membranes. The subsequent incubation of the processed membranes in the presence of human natural anti-Gal IgG resulted in the effective phagocytosis to the tumor membrane by DCs. Eighteen patients aged 38-78 years with stage III primary HCC were randomLy chosen for the study; 9 patients served as controls, and 9 patients were enrolled in the study group. RESULTS: The evaluation demonstrated that the procedure was safe; no serious side effects or autoimmune diseases were observed. The therapy significantly prolonged the survival of treated patients as compared with the controls (17.1 ± 2.01 mo vs 10.1 ± 4.5 mo, P = 0.00121). After treatment, all patients in the study group had positive delayed hypersensitivity and robust systemic cytotoxicity in response to tumor lysate as measured by interferon-γ-expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells using enzyme-linked immunosorbent spot assay. They also displayed increased numbers of CD8-, CD45RO- and CD56-positive cells in the peripheral blood and decreased α-fetoprotein level in the serum. CONCLUSION: This new tumor-specific immunotherapy is safe, effective and has a great potential for the treatment of tumors.
