One's cellular immune repertoire is composed of lymphocytes in multiple stages of maturation - the dynamic product of their responses to antigenic challenges and the homeostatic contractions necessary to accommodate immune expansions within physiologic norms. Given that alloreactivity is predominantly a cross-reactive phenomenon that is stochastically distributed throughout the overall T-cell r...

BACKGROUND The risk of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) caused by the JC virus (JCV) is increased in patients with multiple sclerosis receiving biological therapies. OBJECTIVES To determine the seroprevalence of anti-JCV antibodies in Finnish patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and clinically isolated syndrome and to assess the clinical risk factors for JCV seropositivity. ...

A Th1/Th2 imbalance in tuberculosis (TB) patients caused by a decreased Th1 response and an increased Th2 response is a significant factor in the pathogenesis and development of TB. Protective immune responses to TB include bacteriostatic and bactericidal responses. Unfortunately, however, immunoprotection and immune pathology co-exist in TB patients. Immunotherapy for TB principally aims to re...

Active anti-cancer immune responses depend on efficient presentation of tumor antigens and co-stimulatory signals by antigen-presenting cells (APCs). Therapy with autologous natural APCs is costly and time-consuming and results in variable outcomes in clinical trials. Therefore, development of artificial APCs (aAPCs) has attracted significant interest as an alternative. We discuss the character...

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic systemic connective tissue disease with multiple organ impairment and unknown aetiology. Rheumatoid arthritis leads to activation of immune processes and formation of abnormal antibodies. They participate in antigen-antibody complexes and accumulate in various tissues (mainly in synovial tissue). The removal of circulating complexes through plasmapheresis ...

Monoclonal antibodies binding the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), such as cetuximab or panitumumab, are widely used targeted therapeutics for the treatment of patients with colorectal cancer. The clinical significance of these drugs has so far been associated with combined chemotherapy or radiation. It has been shown that these treatment strategies have their clinical limitations and d...

The aim of the present work was to study the effect of the crude extract of Curcuma zedoaria on peripheral blood cells and tumor progression in C57Bl/6J mice injected with B16F10 murine melanoma cells. The intraperitoneal therapy showed a significant increase in total white and red blood cell counts, a decrease in peritoneal cell number and tumor volume reduction, whereas the oral administratio...

Advanced Chronic Heart Failure CAoIMTI. Results of a non-specific immunomodulation therapy in chronic heart failure (ACCLAIM trial): a placebo-controlled randomised trial. Lancet 2008;371: 228–236. 15. Cooper L, Baughman K, Feldman A, Frustaci A, Jessup M, Kuhl U, Levine G, Narula J, Starling R, Towbin J, Virmani R. The role of endomyocardial biopsy in the management of cardiovascular disease: ...

Ursodeoxycholic acid is a dihydroxy bile acid with a rapidly expanding spectrum of usage in acute and chronic liver diseases. The various mechanisms of action of this hydrophilic bile acid include direct cytoprotection, detergent action on dysfunctional microtubules, immunomodulation and induction of hypercholeresis. Its efficacy in primary biliary cirrhosis and primary sclerosing cholangitis a...

Ursodeoxycholic acid is a dihydroxy bile acid with a rapidly expanding spectrum of usage in acute and chronic liver diseases. The various mechanisms of action of this hydrophilic bile acid include direct cytoprotection, detergent action on dysfunctional microtubules, immunomodulation and induction ofhypercholeresis. Its efficacy in primary biliary cirrhosis and primary sclerosing cholangitis as...