Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is characterized by a wide spectrum of auto-antibodies which recognize several cellular components. The production of these self-reactive antibodies fluctuates during the course of the disease and the involvement of different antibody-secreting cell populations are considered highly relevant for the disease pathogenesis. These cells are developed and stimulate...

introduction: the neuroprotective role of opioid morphine against 6-hydroxydopamineinduced cell death has been demonstrated. however, the exact mechanism(s) underlying such neuroprotection, especially the role of subtype receptors, has not yet been fully clarified. methods: here, we investigated the effects of different opioid agonists on 6-ohda-induced neurotoxicity in human neuroblastoma sh-s...

During autoimmune uveitis (AU), retinal specific auto-reactive T lymphocytes (TL) are activated, alter blood retinal barrier and penetrate the eye where they start an inflammatory reaction. Nucleotides, normally present at low concentration in extracellular media, can act as a danger signal, through P2 receptors activation and might be implicated in AU. In this work we would like to investigate...

We retrospectively evaluated consecutive patients diagnosed with Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) between 01 January 2000 and 31 December 2009. Eighty eight patients with MCL were included in the analysis of whom 46 (52%) received abbreviated Hyper-CVAD (a total of two cycles; with addition of Rituximab since 2005) with an intention of proceeding to autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (auto...

Rats immunized with renal tubular antigens were protected from the development of interstitial nephritis by pretreatment with tubular antigen-reactive T lymphoblasts. Protected animals developed anti-idiotypic antibodies against idiotypes primarily within the antigen-binding region of monoclonal antitubular basement membrane antibodies. These studies extend the concept of auto-anti-idiotypic re...

Autoimmune reactions involving cytochrome P4502E1 (CYP2E1) are a feature of idiosyncratic liver injury induced by halogenated hydrocarbons and isoniazid, but are also detectable in about one third of the patients with advanced alcoholic liver disease (ALD) and chronic hepatitis C (CHC). In these latter the presence of anti-CYP2E1 auto-antibodies is an independent predictor of extensive necro-in...

Osteoporosis and avascular necrosis (AVN) are long-lasting and debilitating complications of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). We describe the magnitude of bone loss, AVN and impairment in osteogenic cell compartment following autologous (auto) and allogeneic (allo) HSCT, through the retrospective bone damage revaluation of 100 (50 auto- and 50 allo-HSCT) long-term survivors up to...

The term "cancer" is an umbrella for a large number of malignant diseases which vary in severity and type. Therefore, many problems are associated with crossmatching a patient with this diagnosis. Blood use may vary greatly in amount and in the urgency of its need. The diseases themselves may cause cold reactive auto agglutinins to appear. The diseases and their treatments may cause red cell an...

Cross-reactive anti-DNA antibody idiotypes have been identified on tissue-bound immunoglobulins in a study of renal biopsies from 26 systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients. 12 (46%) biopsies were shown to have one or both the idiotypes tested for by anti-idiotypic reagents. The idiotypes were identified in the glomerular basement membrane, the mesangial cell cytoplasm, and in focal tuft pr...