A Bloody Mess: Dendritic Cells Use Hemophagocytosis to Regulate Viral Inflammation

The bloody mess of red blood cell transfusion

Red blood cell (RBC) transfusion might be life-saving in settings with acute blood loss, especially uncontrolled haemorrhagic shock. However, there appears to be a catch-22 situation reflected by the facts that preoperative anaemia represents an independent risk factor for postoperative morbidity and mortality, and that RBC transfusion might also contribute to adverse clinical outcomes. This di...

Hemophagocytosis causes a consumptive anemia of inflammation

Cytopenias of uncertain etiology are commonly observed in patients during severe inflammation. Hemophagocytosis, the histological appearance of blood-eating macrophages, is seen in the disorder hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis and other inflammatory contexts. Although it is hypothesized that these phenomena are linked, the mechanisms facilitating acute inflammation-associated cytopenias are u...

Transjugular Liver Biopsy and the Bloody Mess That Follows: A Rare Case of Hemobilia and Hemocholecystitis

A 59-year-old woman with newly diagnosed, treatment-naïve hepatitis C presented with right upper quadrant abdominal pain. One day prior, she underwent transjugular liver biopsy to evaluate for cirrhosis. Physical exam revealed stable vital signs, jaundice, scleral icterus, and guarding to right upper quadrant palpation. Liver function tests were consistent, with total bilirubin 11.2 mg/dL, AST ...

Dendritic Cells Matured by Inflammation

Tregs strip dendritic cells of CD70 to regulate Th1 differentiation.

When the immune system encounters an antigen, the response can result in the mobilization of effector cells or in tolerance. The outcome is largely dependent on immunosuppressive CD4 T cells that express the transcription factor Foxp3 (Tregs). Yet, how Tregs control different immune effector cells remains elusive. In this issue of The EMBO Journal, Dhainaut et al report on a novel mechanism use...