Introduction As in the acute leukaemias, immunophenotyping has been shown to be useful in the characterisation and classification of the chronic lymphoproliferative disorders.' 2 This term refers to a group of diseases caused by the clonal proliferation of B and T lymphocytes. Recognition of the various disease entities is essential because of major implications for prognosis and patient manage...

13 children with ataxia-telangiectasia were followed for 6 years. Unlike previously reported cases, these patients had progressive, debilitating neurological disease and slight pulmonary or infectious symptoms. Immunological dysfunction was variable and endocrinological defects were absent. Oculomotor findings, alpha-fetoprotein levels, and the incidence of chromosomal breakage were the most co...

CASE REPORTS Three patients are described whose original presentation and immunological profile led to the erroneous diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus. The correct diagnosis of gluten sensitivity was made after years of treatment with steroids and other immunosuppressive drugs. CONCLUSIONS The immunological profile of IgA deficiency and/or raised double stranded DNA in the absence of ...

Two children with prolidase deficiency, an inborn error of proline metabolism, developed clinical and immunological abnormalities consistent with a diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The first child died from septicaemia, and SLE was only diagnosed during his terminal illness. As a result of this diagnosis his cousin, who was already known to have prolidase deficiency, was investi...

Epidemiological data highlight prostate cancer as a significant global health issue, with high incidence and substantial impact on patients’ quality of life. The prevalence this disease is associated various factors, including age, heredity, race. Recent research in genetics has identified several genetic variants that may be an increased risk developing the disease. However, despite significan...

Sepsis is the immunological response of systemic inflammation to bacterial, fungal or viral infection. An early diagnosis of sepsis is essential for the successful management of this condition; it allows the prompt administration of appropriate antibiotic regimens and avoidance of unnecessary interventions. A sepsis biomarker must be able to differentiate between bacterial and viral infection, ...

DNAX accessory molecule 1 (DNAM-1) is expressed on all CD8(+) T cells and promotes their activation and effector function. DNAM-1 interacts with LFA-1, a critical molecule for immunological synapse formation between T cells and APCs, and for cytotoxic killing of target cells. Mice that lack DNAM-1 display abnormal T cell responses and antitumor activity; however, the mechanism involved is uncle...

The activation of biological T cell responses requires prolonged contact with APCs and sustained signaling. We investigated whether signaling must be uninterrupted to commit T cells to cytokine production or whether T cell activation may also result from summation of interrupted signals. Upon periodic addition and removal of a src kinase inhibitor, human CD4(+) T cells destroyed and re-formed i...

Background The Quantiferon-CMV assay is a test for Cell Mediated Immune (CMI) responses to peptide antigens that simulate CMV proteins. Individuals infected with CMV usually have CD8+ lymphocytes in their blood that recognize these antigens. This recognition process involves the generation and secretion of the cytokine and interferon (IFN). The detection and subsequent quantification of IFN for...