An association between T-cell lymphopenia and autoimmunity has long been proposed, but it remains to be elucidated whether T-cell lymphopenia affects B-cell responses to autoantigens. Human neonatal thymectomy (Tx) results in a decrease in T-cell numbers and we used this model to study the development of autoreactivity. Two cohorts of neonatally thymectomized individuals were examined, a cohort...

BACKGROUND The interplay between Epstein-Barr virus infection, malaria, and endemic Burkitt's Lymphoma is not well understood. Reports show diminished EBV-specific Th1 responses in children living in malaria endemic areas and deficiency of EBNA1-specific IFN-γ T cell responses in children with endemic Burkitt's Lymphoma (eBL). This study, therefore, examined some factors involved in the loss of...

OBJECTIVE Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is a postinfectious neuropathy most frequently caused by Campylobacter jejuni. Lipo-oligosaccharides (LOS), expressed by C. jejuni induce antibodies that cross-react with self-glycolipids in peripheral nerves, causing neuropathy. Less than 1 in 1,000 persons infected with C. jejuni develop GBS, and the factors that determine GBS susceptibility are poorly ...

Fibrin degradation products (FDP) and D-dimer have been considered to be involved in many vascular diseases. In this study we aimed to explore the diagnostic implication of FDP and D-dimer in aortic dissection patients. 202 aortic dissection patients were collected as the case group, 150 patients with other cardiovascular diseases, including myocardial infarction (MI, n = 45), pulmonary infarct...

BACKGROUND Many studies report a high prevalence of lactose intolerance in patients with functional, gastrointestinal disease. AIM To evaluate the role of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) in condition of lactose intolerance and the mechanism by which SIBO may impact lactose tolerance in affected patients. METHODS Consecutive out-patients with chronic functional diarrhoea (CFD) a...

background: there have been very few studies, with contradictory results, on the zinc status of children and adolescents with type-1 diabetes mellitus. the objective of this cross-sectional study was to determine zinc status based on the serum zinc concentration in type-1 diabetic children and adolescents and compare it with that of healthy controls. methods: thirty children and adolescents wit...

Objective The objective of this study was to investigate the pattern and severity of cognitive and language impairment in Greek patients with Relapsing-remitting (RRMS) and Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis (SPMS), relative to control participants. Method A prospective study was conducted in 27 patients with multiple sclerosis (PwMS), (N= 15) with RRMS, (N= 12) with SPMS, and (N= 12) h...

The excretion of sugar components of glycosaminoglycans in the urine was investigated in 19 healthy controls, 27 patients with rheumatoid arthritis, and 24 with osteoarthritis. Both groups of patients excreted significantly more glucosamine, galactosamine, and mannose than the controls. The total uronic acid excretion, also, was higher in the two groups than in the healthy subjects. The possibi...

BACKGROUND Breakdown of tolerance against the commensal microflora is believed to be a major factor in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Dendritic cells (DC) have been implicated in this process in various animal models, but data on human DC in IBD are very limited. AIM To characterise plasmacytoid DC (PDC) and myeloid DC (MDC) in patients with active versus inactive IBD a...