Oct 22nd, 2009 - Myasthenia gravis (MG), a neuromuscular disease mediated by anti-acetylcholine receptor (AChR) autoantibodies, is associated with thymic hyperplasia characterized by ectopic germinal centers that contain pathogenic antibody-producing B cells. Our thymic transcriptome study demonstrated increased expression of CCL21, a recruiter of immune cells. Accordingly, we are investigating its implication ...

Jan 16th, 2015 - The vascular remodeling responsible for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) involves predominantly the accumulation of α-smooth muscle actin-expressing mesenchymal-like cells in obstructive pulmonary vascular lesions. Endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndoMT) may be a source of those α-smooth muscle actin-expressing cells. In situ evidence of EndoMT in human PAH was obtained by using con...

Nov 3rd, 2016 - Red blood cells (RBCs) contain large amounts of iron, and periodic therapeutic phlebotomy is thus the main treatment for hereditary hemochromatosis (HH). However, the donation of therapeutic phlebotomy products from asymptomatic patients for transfusion purposes remains controversial. In this study, we compared the quality of RBCs obtained from HH patients with those of non-HH RBCs, within the ...

Aug 31st, 2009 - Through an immune-mediated graft-versus-leukemia effect, allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) affords durable clinical benefits for many patients with hematologic malignancies. Nonetheless, subjects with high-risk acute myeloid leukemia or advanced myelodysplasia often relapse, underscoring the need to intensify tumor immunity within this cohort. In preclinical models, allo...

Feb 12th, 2013 - The oxidative burst is one of the major antimicrobial mechanisms adopted by macrophages. The WKY rat strain is uniquely susceptible to experimentally induced macrophage-dependent crescentic glomerulonephritis (Crgn). We previously identified the AP-1 transcription factor JunD as a determinant of macrophage activation in WKY bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs). JunD is over-expressed in WKY ...

Nov 20th, 2008 - Multiple gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) rarely occur in patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF-1). In contrast to sporadic GISTs characterized by frequent allelic losses of 1p, 14q and 22q and mutations of KIT or PDGFRA gene with the activation of the downstream RAS-MAPK pathway, the molecular pathogenetic mechanisms of NF-1-related GISTs (NF-1 GISTs) remain unclear. Thirty-one GIS...

Nov 28th, 2013 - Bilateral macronodular adrenal hyperplasia is a rare cause of primary adrenal Cushing's syndrome. In this form of hyperplasia, hypersecretion of cortisol suppresses the release of corticotropin by pituitary corticotrophs, which results in low plasma corticotropin levels. Thus, the disease has been termed corticotropin-independent macronodular adrenal hyperplasia. We examined the abnormal produc...

May 22nd, 2012 - Neuromyelitis optica is an inflammatory demyelinating disorder of the CNS. The discovery of circulating IgG1 antibodies against the astrocyte water channel protein aquaporin 4 (AQP4) and the evidence that AQP4-IgG is involved in the development of neuromyelitis optica revolutionised our understanding of the disease. However, important unanswered questions remain--for example, we do not know the...

Dec 21st, 2009 - Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are mesenchymal tumors characterized by mutations of KIT or PDGFRA. The objectives of this study were to evaluate BRAF mutations in GISTs and then to correlate BRAF mutational status in the tumor with clinical parameters, with B-raf expression, and with activation of some cellular pathways. BRAF mutation was screened in 321 GISTs with 70 wild-type GISTs. ...

May 10th, 2012 - Ascending aortic aneurysms result from a degenerative process in the aortic wall, characterized by the loss of smooth muscle cells and elastic fibers. We hypothesized that there would be changes in plasma protein and aortic tissue messenger RNA levels of osteopontin, matrix metalloproteinase type 2, matrix metalloproteinase type 9, and tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinases type 1 in asc...

May 20th, 2014 - This observational study describes the efficacy and safety of rituximab in 5 patients with voltage-gated potassium channel (VGKC)-complex/leucine-rich, glioma-inactivated 1 (LGI1) antibody-associated encephalopathy. Rituximab is a monoclonal antibody that targets CD20 and is used to treat other neurologic and nonneurologic diseases. This case series reports sequential seizure frequencies, modif...

May 27th, 2009 - We have previously reported that the green tea polyphenol epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) and the epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitor erlotinib had synergistic growth-inhibitory effects in cell culture and a nude mouse xenograft model of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. However, the mechanism of their antitumor synergism is not fully understood. In the curr...

Jan 24th, 2011 - External fistulas represent a disabling manifestation of Crohn's disease with a difficult curability and a high relapse rate despite a large therapeutic armamentarium. Stem cell therapy is a novel and promising approach for treatment of chronic inflammatory conditions. We therefore investigated the feasibility, safety and efficacy of serial intrafistular injections of autologous bone marrow-der...

Sep 18th, 2015 - Hemophilia A (HA) is an X-linked bleeding disorder caused by deleterious mutations in the coagulation factor VIII gene (F8). To date, F8 mutations have been documented predominantly in European subjects and in American subjects of European descent. Information on F8 variants in individuals of more diverse ethnic backgrounds is limited. To discover novel and rare F8 variants, and to characterize...

Jan 1st, 2009 - Our goal was to compare the safety and immunogenicity of a combination vaccine (DTaP(5)-IPV-Hib; Pentacel) with that of its separately administered, US-licensed equivalent vaccines (diphtheria, tetanus, 5-component acellular pertussis vaccine [DTaP(5); Daptacel], inactivated poliovirus vaccine [IPV; IPOL], and Haemophilus influenzae type b [Hib] vaccine [ActHIB]), when administered to infants a...

Feb 12th, 2013 - Weibel-Palade bodies (WPBs) are the storage organelles for von Willebrand factor (VWF) in endothelial cells. VWF forms multimers that assemble into tubular structures in WPBs. Upon demand, VWF is secreted into the blood circulation, where it unfolds into strings that capture platelets during the onset of primary hemostasis. Numerous mutations affecting VWF lead to the bleeding disorder von Will...

Apr 27th, 2011 - Gestational trophoblastic disease (GTD) is a rare complication of pregnancy, ranging from molar pregnancy to choriocarcinoma. Patients with persistent disease require treatment with chemotherapy. For the vast majority, prognosis is excellent. Occasionally, GTD is complicated by hyperthyroidism, which may require treatment. This is thought to occur due to molecular mimicry between human chorioni...

May 29th, 2009 - During acute bacterial infections such as meningitis, neutrophils enter the tissue where they combat the infection before they undergo apoptosis and are taken up by macrophages. Neutrophils show pro-inflammatory activity and may contribute to tissue damage. In pneumococcal meningitis, neuronal damage despite adequate chemotherapy is a frequent clinical finding. This damage may be due to excessi...

Mar 16th, 2015 - Pituitary somatotroph adenomas result in dysregulated growth hormone (GH) hypersecretion and acromegaly; however, regulatory mechanisms that promote GH hypersecretion remain elusive. Here, we provide evidence that STAT3 directly induces somatotroph tumor cell GH. Evaluation of pituitary tumors revealed that STAT3 expression was enhanced in human GH-secreting adenomas compared with that in nonse...

Oct 2nd, 2015 - According to cytogenetic aberrations, sarcomas can be categorized as complex or simple karyotype tumors. Alternative lengthening of telomeres is a telomere-maintenance mechanism common in sarcomas. Recently, this mechanism was found to be associated with loss of either α-thalassemia/mental retardation syndrome X-linked (ATRX) or death domain-associated (DAXX) protein. We previously reported tha...