Marginal zone (MZ) B cells are absent in CD19(-/-) mice. Possible causes include an intrinsic defect in B cells and/or a secondary defect in the extrinsic MZ microenvironment as a result of changes in B cell differentiation in mice lacking CD19. Cells in the MZ also include MZ macrophages (MZM) and MZ dendritic cells (DC). Although CD19 is only expressed on B cells, SIGN-R1(+) MZM are absent an...

Epigenetic mechanisms, including DNA methylation, play an important role in not only the development and maturation of normal cells, but also the development and progression of malignant cells. In this edition of Blood, Arribas et al show that DNA methylation profiling identifies 2 subtypes of splenic marginal zone lymphoma with different clinical and genetic features. These findings provide an...

The cellular diversity of the cerebral cortex is thought to arise from progenitors located in the ventricular zone and subventricular zone in the telencephalon. Here we describe a novel source of progenitors located outside these two major germinative zones of the mouse cerebral cortex that contributes to neurogenesis and gliogenesis. Proliferating cells first appear in the preplate of the embr...

BACKGROUND Observational studies have consistently demonstrated the survival benefits of a greater dialysis dose in maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients, whereas randomized controlled trials have shown conflicting results. The possible causal impact of dialysis dose on mortality needs to be investigated using rich cohort data analyzed with novel statistical methods such as marginal structura...

BACKGROUND Remarkable progress has been made over the past 40 years in developing rational, evidence-based mechanisms for the allocation of health resources. Much of this progress has centred on mechanisms for commissioning new medical devices and pharmaceuticals. The attention of fund-managers and policy-makers is only now turning towards development of mechanisms for decommissioning, disinves...