EBV: Epstein-Barr virus ENKTCL: natural killer/T-cell lymphoma, nasal type NHL: non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma NK: natural killer PEG: polyethylene glycol TIA-1: T-cell intracellular antigen

The etiology of chronic large granular lymphocyte proliferations is largely unknown. Although these disorders are characterized by the expansion of different cell types (T and natural killer) with specific genetic features and abnormalities, several lines of evidence suggest a common pathogenetic mechanism. According to this interpretation, we speculated that in patients with natural killer-typ...

A striking common feature of most autoimmune diseases is their female predominance, with at least twice as common among women than men in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS), the prevailing MS clinical form with onset at childbearing age. This fact, together with the protective effect on disease activity during pregnancy, when there are many biological changes including high levels of e...

background: although there is convincing data in support of the effectiveness of hyperthermia in tumor therapy, the molecular mechanisms underlying the clinical effects of hyperthermia are still poorly understood. objective: to investigate natural killer (nk) cell cytotoxicity against heat-treated sw-872 and hela tumor cell lines. methods: nkg2d ligands and hla class i transcription were examin...

Medullasin, a new serine protease found in bone marrow cells, increased markedly human natural killer cell activity. Whereas the natural killer cell activity measured immediately after the treatment with medullasin remained almost on the same level as the control, an incubation at 37 degrees C for several hours increased markedly the natural killer cell activity of the lymphocytes treated with ...

Natural killer cells gauge the absence of self class I MHC on susceptible target cells by means of inhibitory receptors such as members of the Ly49 family. To initiate killing by natural killer cells, a lack of inhibitory signals must be accompanied by the presence of activating ligands on the target cell. Although natural killer cell-mediated rejection of class I MHC-deficient bone marrow (BM)...

Ten children with the characteristic clinical and haematological features of haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis are reported. Four patients treated with a combination of drugs comprising etoposide, methotrexate, and steroids were in complete remission after 10 to 30 months. Natural cytotoxic mechanisms including natural killer cell activity, antibody dependent cell mediated cytotoxicity, lymph...

S uccessful pregnancy requires a series of coordinated interactions between the developing placenta, the uterus, and the maternal immune system (1). At the maternal/fetal interface, where the placenta contacts the uterus, a specialized type of lymphocyte known as a uterine natural killer (uNK) cell is thought to play a critical role in mediating the uterine vascular adaptations to pregnancy. Ep...

BACKGROUND Bronchial asthma is associated with an inflammatory process that is characterized by the presence in the airways of large numbers of CD4+ T cells producing interleukin-4 and interleukin-13. However, the CD4 antigen is expressed not only by class II major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-restricted CD4+ T cells, but also by a newly identified subgroup of T cells, CD1d-restricted natur...