AIM To validate intracellular cytokine production functional assay as means of cell-mediated immunity monitoring of post-transplant patients with opportunistic infection (OI). METHODS Intracellular cytokine-producing CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell monitoring was carried out in 30 liver transplant (LTr) and 31 kidney transplant (KTr) recipients from 2010 to 2012. Patients were assessed in our Department...

Background Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) is a lethal malignancy characterized by highly suppressive tumor microenvironment. Despite this, engineered T cell therapy has promise for effectively targeting PDA. To identify the underlying mechanisms of antigen-specific immunosuppression in PDA, we create novel TCR knock-in mouse models robust and standardized source naïve mesothelin (Msln)-...

Abstract Influenza A virus (IAV) is a negative strand RNA that undergoes antigenic drift and shift, leading to serologically distinct strains can cause tens of thousands deaths annually in the US. The wide variety hemagglutinin (HA) neuraminidase (NA) proteins necessitates yearly reformulation vaccine protect against novel seasonal pandemic strains. Current IAV vaccines do not contain adjuvants...

BACKGROUND/AIM Dendritic cell-based vaccine therapy for renal cell carcinoma is effective but requires improvement. Here we explored whether combination therapy with dendritic cell-based vaccine and anti-CD69 antibody can enhance antitumor efficacy in renal cell carcinoma-bearing mice. MATERIALS AND METHODS Balb/c mice were challenged subcutaneously with murine renal cell carcinoma (Renca) ce...

Magnesium isoglycyrrhizinate (MGL) is a new stereoisomer of glycyrrhizic acid, which is clinically used as a hepatoprotective medicine with more potent effects and less side effects than glycyrrhizic acid. This study was designed to evaluate the protective effects and possible mechanism of MGL against concanavalin A (Con A)-induced autoimmune hepatitis. Hepatitis was induced by Con A in C57/6J ...

Background Targeted synthetic agents such as the JAK inhibitors (JAKi) used for treatment of various inflammatory diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA), have been associated with increased risk VZV reactivation and herpes zoster (HZ). Although this has attributed to decreased T cell surveillance latent VZV, detailed data on effect different JAKi VZV-specific immunity are limited. Object...

Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), a lysosomotropic amine, is an immunosuppressive agent presently being evaluated in bone marrow transplant patients to treat graft-versus-host disease. While its immunosuppressive properties have been attributed primarily to its ability to interfere with antigen processing, recent reports demonstrate HCQ also blocks T-cell activation in vitro. To more precisely define t...