结核性胸膜炎患者树突状细胞亚群的检测及意义

目的 检测树突状细胞(DC)及其各亚群[髓样树突状细胞(mDC)和浆细胞样树突状细胞(pDC)]在结核性胸膜炎(TP)患者外周血及胸腔积液中的变化,并且分析其与白细胞介素-12(IL-12)水平的相关性,探讨其临床意义.方法 以12例健康志愿者作为对照组,采用流式细胞术对16例TP患者(TP组)外周血和胸腔积液中总体树突状细胞(tDC)及其各亚群的比例进行检测;同时,用ELISA法对TP患者外周血浆和胸腔积液中IL-12的含量进行检测.结果 Tp组患者外周血中tDC和mDC比例显著高于对照组,治疗后tDC比例下降明显;TP组患者胸腔积液中tDC和mDC比例高于外周血,但pDC低于外周血;TP组患者血浆中IL-12的含量显著高于对照组,而胸腔积液中IL-12的含量则明显高于其血浆含量;TP患者血浆中IL-12的水平与外周血tDC、mDC呈正相关,并且胸腔积液中IL-12的水平也与胸腔积液tDC、mDC呈正相关.结论 DC,尤其是mDC在TP中具有重要的抗结核免疫作用.     

Immature CD4+ dendritic cells conditioned with donor kidney antigen prolong renal allograft survival in rats

Background  Allogeneic transplant rejection is currently a major problem encountered during organ transplantation. The dendritic cell (DC) is the most effective powerful known professional antigen-presenting cell, and recent studies have found that DCs can also induce immune tolerance, and avoid or reduce the degree of transplant rejection. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of transfused immature CD4⁺ DCs on renal allografts in the rat model.

Methods  In this study, we induced CD4⁺ immature DCs from rat bone marrow cells by a cytokine cocktail. The immature CD4⁺ DCs were identified by morphological analysis and then the suppressive activity of these cells conditioned with donor kidney antigen was evaluated in vitro and in vivo.

Results  Immature CD4⁺ DCs conditioned with donor kidney antigen possessed immunosuppressive activity in vitro and they were able to prolong renal transplant survival in an allograft rat model in vivo.

Conclusions  Our study provides new information on efficacious renal transplantation, which might be useful for understanding the function of immature CD4⁺ DCs in modulating renal transplant rejection and improving clinical outcome in future studies.

     

Impact of surgery and epirubicin intravesical chemotherapy on peripheral blood dendritic cell subsets in patients with superficial urothelial carcinoma of the bladder

Background  Superficial urothelial carcinoma (SUC) of the bladder is a common urinary tract tumor in China. There is a high recurrence rate of this tumor even after surgery and intravesical instillation. Previous reports have described a suppression of the immune system in cancer patients. Dendritic cells (DCs) play a pivotal role in the induction of an effective antitumor immune response. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of surgery and epirubicin intravesical chemotherapy (IC) on peripheral blood DCs in subsets of patients with bladder SUC.

Methods  A total of 66 SUC patients and 38 healthy controls were enrolled in this study. All the patients had undergone transurethral resection (TUR) of their cancer and adjunctive IC after tumor removal. The patients were divided into a non-recurrence group (n=40) and a recurrence group (n=26) based on the presence or absence of tumor recurrence. Blood samples were taken preoperatively (PreOP), on postoperative days (POD) 1 and 7, and at postoperative month (POM) 3. Flow cytometric analysis was used for the determination and quantitation of the surface markers CD80 and CD86 in circulating DC subsets.

Results  The preoperative percentages of myeloid dendritic cells (mDCs) and expression of CD80 and CD86 were impaired in SUC patients compared to healthy controls (P <0.05). The percentages of mDCs and these surface markers decreased significantly on POD 1 and increased on POD 7, remaining higher than the preoperative values in POM 3 (P <0.05). The percentages of mDCs, and CD80 and CD86 in the non-recurrence group on PreOP, POD 7, and POM 3 were higher than those in recurrence group.

Conclusions  Surgical removal of SUC and adjunctive IC were associated with improved circulating mDC counts and function. Persistent depression of mDC counts and function after treatment in recurrence patients indicated lower antitumor immunity that may lead to tumor recurrence.

     

HLA-G expression in the peripheral blood of live kidney transplant recipients

Background The human leukocyte antigen-G (HLA-G) has been considered to be an important tolerogeneic molecule playing an essential role in maternal-fetal tolerance, upregulated in the context of transplantation, malignancy, and inflammation, and has been correlated with various clinical outcomes. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical relevance of the expression of membrane HLA-G (mHLA-G), intracellular HLA-G (iHLA-G), and soluble HLA-G (sHLA-G) in the peripheral blood of live kidney transplant recipients.

Methods We compared the expression of the three HLA-G isoforms in three groups, healthy donors (n=20), recipients with acute rejection (n=19), and functioning transplants (n=30). Flow cytometry was used to detect the expression of mHLA-G and iHLA-G in the T lymphocytes of peripheral blood from subjects in the three groups. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays were used to detect sHLA-G in the plasma from the three groups.

Results There were no significant differences in mHLA-G and intracellular HLA-G among the three groups, but the sHLA-G plasma level was higher in the functioning group than in the acute rejection or healthy group. We found a subset of CD4+HLA-G+ and CD8+HLA-G+ T lymphocytes with low rates of mHLA-G expression in the peripheral blood of kidney transplantation recipients. Intracellular expression of HLA-G was detected in T lymphocytes. However, there was no correlation between acute rejection and the mHLA-G or intracellular HLA-G expression.

Conclusion sHLA-G was the major isoform in the peripheral blood of live kidney transplant recipients and high sHLA-G levels were associated with allograft acceptance.

     

Expression and significance of myeloid differentiation factor 88 in marrow dendritic cells in asthmatic rats with cigarette smoke exposure

Background  Smoking causes frequent asthma attacks, leading to a rapid decline in lung function in patients with asthma, and it can also reduce the therapeutic effect of glucocorticoids in patients with asthma. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the effect of cigarette smoke on the expression of myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88) in marrow dendritic cells (DCs) in asthmatic rats, and to explore the molecular mechanism of cigarette smoke exposure on asthma by DCs.

Methods  Forty Wistar rats were randomly divided into the following groups: control, smoke exposure, asthma, and asthma combined with smoke exposure. The animal model was established, and then rat bone marrow-derived DCs were collected. Additionally, rat spleen lymphocytes and bone marrow-derived DCs were cultured together for mixed lymphocyte responses. Interferon (IFN)-gamma and interleukin (IL)-4, IL-10, and IL-12 expressions were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). MyD88 expression was determined by Western blotting. The proliferation of lymphocytes was examined with methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) colorimetric assay.

Results  MyD88 expression was decreased in the asthma combined with smoke exposure group compared to the asthma group (P <0.01), and IL-10 and IL-12 expressions were decreased in the asthma combined with smoke exposure group compared to control group (P <0.01). In addition, DCs stimulating activity on allogeneic lymphocytes were significantly decreased in the smoke exposure combined with asthma group compared to the control and asthma groups (P <0.01). After allogeneic mixed lymphocyte responses, IL-4 expression was increased and IFN-gamma was decreased in the asthma group and the asthma combined with smoke exposure group compared to control group (P <0.01). IL-4 expression was increased and IFN-gamma was decreased in the asthma combined with smoke exposure group compared to the asthma group (P <0.01). The study also showed that MyD88 expression was positively correlated with IL-12 and IFN-gamma expressions and the activity of lymphocytes (P <0.01), and negatively correlated with IL-4 expression (P <0.01).

Conclusions  Smoking aggravates asthma by weankening immunological mechanism. MyD88-dependent pathways may play a role in the immunological balance and activation of lymphocytes.

     

大鼠肾移植后移植肾内树突状细胞的早期观察

目的 观察大鼠肾移植后早期移植肾内树突状细胞(DC)的变化规律,藉此探讨排斥反应的防治.方法 受体Wistar大鼠30只,按5只/组随机分为6组,35只SD大鼠作为供体,其中5只供肾作为对照组,不行受体手术.其余均行同种异体原位肾移植术,并分别于开放供肾循环后1、6、12、24、48、72 h切取移植肾,行石蜡包埋切片,抗S-100蛋白免疫组化染色和HE染色.观察移植肾病理学改变及肾小球内DC数量变化.结果 各组切片均未见肾小管肾炎、动脉内膜炎等AR表现.对照组及术后1 h组肾小球内DC数量基本为零;此后逐渐增加;24 h组达到顶峰,其均数与其他各组相比,差异显著(Pmax=0.038);随后DC数量缓慢下降.结论 大鼠肾移植术后72 h内,供肾肾小球DC数量呈单峰曲线变化:受体DC不断迁入、迁出供肾是其变化的主要原因;揭示移植肾内DC变化规律有助于进一步完善免疫抑制剂及抗炎药物的使用方案.     

Immune system modifications and feto-maternal immune tolerance

Objective This review aimed at understanding pregnancy-induced changes in the maternal immune response and mechanisms for the establishment of feto-maternal tolerance.Data sources Articles cited in this review were obtained from PubMed in English from 2000 to 2014,and the search string included keywords such as feto-maternal tolerance,dendritic cells,macrophage,T regulatory cells,natural killer cells,cytokines and hormone.Study selection Articles regarding altered maternal immune response,including the proliferation and differentiation of the altered cells,and the production of cytokines and regulation of hormones in the feto-maternal interface were retrieved,reviewed and analyzed.Results The changes in immune cells and cytokines in the local uterine microenvironment and peripheral blood are correlated with the establishment of feto-maternal tolerance.The endocrine system regulates the maternal immune system,promoting modifications during pregnancy.In these regulatory networks,every factor is indispensible for others.Conclusions The integration and balance of these immune factors during pregnancy give rise to an environment that enables the fetus to escape rejection by the maternal immune system.This progress is complicated,and needs more comprehensive exploration and explanation.     

小鼠骨髓源半成熟树突状细胞的培养与初步鉴定

目的探索培养与鉴定小鼠骨髓来源半成熟树突状细胞(smDC)的可行方法。方法分离、纯化6周龄C57BL/6小鼠骨髓单核细胞,以含10%胎牛血清、2 ng/ml重组小鼠粒细胞-巨噬细胞集落刺激因子(GM-CSF)和20ng/ml重组小鼠白细胞介素(IL)-4的RPMI-1640培养基培养9 d;再以肿瘤坏死因子-α(TNF-α)(40 ng/ml)刺激24 h获得smDC,同时以脂多糖(1μg/ml)刺激和不加刺激培养24 h获得成熟DC(mDC)和未成熟DC(iDC)。扫描电子显微镜、流式细胞术、ELISA检测iDC、smDC和mDC的形态、细胞表面标志及细胞因子的表达。建立体外淋巴细胞反应模型,采用细胞计数试剂盒检测smDC对异基因淋巴细胞的活化作用。结果smDC的体积介于iDC和mDC之间、多呈类圆形或圆形,胞体直径约为15μm,树突长度多在5~10μm。smDC、iDC与mDC均高表达CD11c,smDC表达CD40、CD80、CD86及MHC-Ⅱ介于iDC和mDC之间。smDC分泌IL-1β、IL-6和IL-12显著低于mDC(P<0.01)、分泌IL-12显著低于iDC(P<0.05),分泌IL-1β、IL-6与iDC比较差异无显著性(P>0.05);smDC、iDC与mDC分泌IL-10差异无显著性(P>0.05)。smDC对异基因淋巴细胞激活作用显著低于mDC和阳性对照(P<0.01),而与阴性对照和iDC差异无显著性(P>0.05)。结论smDC可能是一个功能和形态上相对独立的DC亚群,体外利用GM-CSF、IL-4和TNF-α诱导骨髓单核细胞是获得smDC的有效方法。     

Clinical Grade of Gerneration of Dendritic Cells for Immunotherapy

In order to develop a protocol for clinical grade generation of dendritic cells (DCs) for cancer immumotherapy, aphereses were performed with the continuous flow cell separator and mate- rials were derived from 10 leukemia patients that had achieved complete remission. Peripheral blood monocytes were cultured in vitro with GM-CSF, IL-4 for 6 days, then TNF-α (the TNF-α group) or TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, PGE2 (the cytokine mixture group) were added to promote maturation. Cell number was counted by hematology analyzer, and phenotype study (CD1a, CD14, CD83) was carried out by flow cytometry, and the function of DCs was examined by mixed lymphocyte reaction. The results showed that (0.70±0.13)×107/mL (the TNF-α group) and (0.79±0.04)×107/mL (the cytokine mixture group) DCs were generated respectively in peripheral blood obtained by leucapheresis. The phenotypes were as follows: CD1a (74.65±4.45)%, CD83 (39.50±4.16)%, CD14 (2.90±1.76)% in TNF-α group, and CD1a (81.86±5.87)%, CD83 (81.65±6.36)%, CD14 (2.46±1.68)% in the cyto- kine mixture group. It was concluded that leucapheresis may be a feasible way to provide large num- ber of peripheral blood monocytes for DC generation, and combined administration of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and PGE2 may greatly promote maturity.     

A novel and feasible way to cultivate and purify endothelial progenitor cells from bone marrow of children with congenital heart diseases

Background  Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are used in vascular tissue engineering and clinic therapy. Some investigators get EPCs from the peripheral blood for clinic treatment, but the number of EPCs is seldom enough. We have developed the cultivation and purification of EPCs from the bone marrow of children with congenital heart disease, to provide enough seed cells for a small calibre vascular tissue engineering study.

Methods  The 0.5-ml of bone marrow was separated from the sternum bone, and 5-ml of peripheral blood was collected from children with congenital heart diseases who had undergone open thoracic surgery. CD34+ and CD34+/VEGFR+ cells in the bone marrow and peripheral blood were quantified by flow cytometry. CD34+/VEGFR+ cells were defined as EPCs. Mononuclear cells in the bone marrow were isolated by Ficoll^® density gradient centrifugation and cultured by the EndoCult Liquid Medium Kit™. Colony forming endothelial cells was detected. Immunohistochemistry staining for Dil-ac-LDL and FITC-UEA-1 confirmed the endothelial lineage of these cells.

Results  CD34+ and CD34+/VEGFR+ cells in peripheral blood were (0.07±0.05)% and (0.05±0.02)%, respectively. The number of CD34+ and CD34+/VEGFR+ cells in bone marrow were significantly higher than in blood, (4.41±1.47)% and (0.98±0.65)%, respectively (P <0.0001). Many colony forming units formed in the culture. These cells also expressed high levels of Dil-ac-LDL and FITC-UEA-1.

Conclusion  This is a novel and feasible approach that can cultivate and purify EPCs from the bone marrow of children with congenital heart disease, and provide seed cells for small calibre vascular tissue engineering.

     

Monitoring the source of mesenchymal stem cells in patients after transplantation of mismatched-sex hematopoietic stem cells plus third-party cells

Background In bone marrow transplant patients, the microenvironment in bone marrow is damaged after chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Subsequent to allogenic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in patients with clinically successful engraftments, the source of mesenchymal stem cells （MSCs） remains controversial. To further verify the stimulatory effect of the simultaneous transplantation of cells from second donors on engraftment success for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in support of donor MSCs engraftments, the aim of this study is to monitor the dynamics of the engraftment of bone marrow-derived MSCs in patients after transplantation with mismatched-sex hematopoietic stem and third-party cells. Methods In this study, the hematopoietic stem cells from 32 clinical donors of different sexes that resulted in successful engraftments were selected for transplantation and were classified into three groups for research purposes： group A consisted of 14 cases of transplantation with bone marrow and recruited peripheral hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, group B contained 8 cases of simultaneous re-transfusion of MSCs from the second donor, and group C contained 10 cases of simultaneous re-transfusion of umbilical blood from the second donor. The bone marrow from 32 patients with successful engraftments of hematopoietic transplantation were selected and sub-cultured with MSCs. Flow cytometry （FCM） was used to measure the expression of surface antigens on MSCs. Denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography （DHPLC） in combination with polymerase chain reaction amplification of short tandem repeats （STR- PCR） was used to measure the engraftment status of fifth-generation MSCs in patients. Fluorescence in situ hybridization （FISH） revealed the sex origin of the fifth-generation MSCs in 32 patients. Dynamic examinations were performed on patients receiving donor transplantations. Results The progenies of fifth-generation MSCs were successfully cultured in 32 cases. The results of FCM demonstrated that the expression levels of CD14＋ and CD45＋ cells were lower than 0.04% in the fifth-generation MSCs. The analysis using DHPLC and FISH showed similar results. One patient from group B also received a temporary transplantation of MSCs from the donor. The MSCs in the remaining 31 patients all originated from the patients themselves. Conclusions After transplantation, the MSCs present in patients originated from the host. In patients transplanted with MSCs from a second donor, the phenomenon of temporary chimerization of MSCs was observed.     

Serum interleukin-10 levels and adverse events in patients with acute coronary syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background Several studies investigating the prognostic utility of interleukin-10 （IL-10） in patients with acute coronary syndrome （ACS） have provided conflicting findings.The aim of the study was to assess the existing evidence regarding association between serum IL-10 levels and adverse events.Methods Literature search was performed in PubMed,EMBASE,and Cochrane Trials Register databases from their inception to September 30,2012.In addition,reference lists of the included articles and their related citations in PubMed were also reviewed for additional pertinent studies.Results A total of 12 eligible studies comprising a total of 5882 patients were identified.The pooled relative risks for both studies reporting the risk estimates by IL-10 categories and studies reporting the risk estimates by unit IL-10 indicated an association between high IL-10 levels and adverse events.Sensitivity and subgroup analysis indicated that the results obtained in IL-10 categories were not stable.Conclusions Data from our meta-analysis supported the existence of a relationship between high serum IL-10 levels and adverse events in patients with ACS.Large study with longer follow-up is needed to confirm the findings.     

Association between the interleukin-13 gene and development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in southern Chinese Han population: a case-control study

Background Interleukin-13 （IL-13） has been implicated to be responsible for recruitment of inflammatory cells from the blood to the lung,regulation of matrix metalloproteinase and induction of mucin production and secretion in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease （COPD）.We determined plasma IL-13 levels in patients with COPD and investigated its association with common polymorphisms of IL-13 gene in a case-control study.Methods We genotyped 160 cases and 175 control subjects in a local hospital using Mass-ArrayTM Technology Platform then tested the association of four SNPs in IL-13 （rs1295685,rs1800925,rs1881457,rs20541） with COPD,and then determined plasma IL-13 levels in patients with COPD and controls.Results Association was found between IL-13 gene SNPs （rs20541 and rs1800925） and an increased risk of COPD.By linkage disequilibrium （LD） analysis,two blocks （rs1881457 and rs1800925; rs20541 and rs1295685） were found.The risk of COPD was found associated with the IL-13 gene polymorphism among southern Chinese Han population.Plasma IL-13 level was increased in COPD patients compared with controls.Conclusions The polymorphism of the IL-13 gene is associated with an increased risk of COPD in southern Chinese Han population.Plasma IL-13 levels were found elevated in patients with COPD.     

亚硒酸钠对树突状细胞体外增强CTL杀伤K562细胞作用的研究

目的探讨经亚硒酸钠(Na2SeO3,Se)处理、K562细胞裂解物(又称为抗原细胞裂解物:ACL)冲击致敏的外周血单个核细胞(PBMNC)衍生的树突状细胞(DCs)体外诱导细胞毒性T淋巴细胞(CTL)杀伤白血病细胞的能力。方法1)DCs培养:用含3种细胞因子重组人粒细胞-巨噬细胞集落刺激因子(rhGM-CSF)、重组人白细胞介素-4(rhIL-4)和肿瘤坏死因子(TNF-α)的RPMI-1640(10%FBS)培养体系,培养健康人的PBMNC 4d,收获贴壁细胞;2)DCs分4组:Ⅰ组:单独DC培养组;Ⅱ组:加入0.5μmol/LSe的DC组;Ⅲ组:加入ACL的DC组;Ⅳ组:同时加入0.5μmol/LSe和ACL的DC组;3)效应细胞-CTL的诱导培养:用含细胞因子IL-2的1640(10%FBS)培养体系,将非贴壁细胞(淋巴细胞)作为效应细胞,单独或与各组DC共同孵育5d;4)CTL活性测定:用乳酸脱氢酶(LDH)释放试验,靶细胞为K562细胞。结果效应细胞与K562细胞按不同效靶比混合培养时,DC-Ⅳ组、Ⅲ组及Ⅱ组刺激后的T细胞比DC-Ⅰ组刺激后的T细胞及单纯T细胞对K562细胞的杀伤作用更显著,杀伤率随效靶比的增加而增加。其中E∶T=25∶1时,T细胞组及T-DC-Ⅰ、T-DC-Ⅱ、T-DC-Ⅲ、T-DC-Ⅳ组对K562细胞的杀伤率分别为:5.9%±2.4%、15.3%±2.3%、26.3%±3.7%、28.2%±4.5%、36.2%±3.7%。T-DC-Ⅳ组杀伤活性高于其他各组(P值均<0.01)。结论用含GM-CSF、IL-4和TNF-α的体外培养体系可从健康人PBMNC获得成熟的DCs,小剂量亚硒酸钠和K562细胞裂解液负载均可诱导出特异性杀伤靶细胞的CTL,且两者具有协同作用。     

Mechanism of Immune Hyporesponsiveness Induced by Recipient-derived Immature Dendritic Cells in Liver Transplantation Rat

Objective To investigate the mechanism of immune hyporesponsiveness induced by donor-antigen-unloaded recipient-derived immature dendritic cell (imDC) of liver grafts in rats.Methods Forty Sprague-Dawley rats (donor) and forty male Wistar rats (recipient) were randomly divided into 4 groups:control,cyclosporine A (CsA),mature DC (mDC),and imDC groups respectively,with 10 donor rats and 10 recipient rats in each group.Recipient rats in CsA group were treated with 10 mg·kg-1·d-1 CsA starting day 2 after the t...     

高血压病患者外周血树突状细胞亚群的变化

目的 研究高血压病患者外周血树突状细胞(DCs)的表达情况及其在高血压病发生发展过程中的作用.方法 用流式细胞仪四色荧光标记技术检测29例高血压病(HT)患者(实验组)及31例非高血压患者(对照组)外周血树突状细胞亚群的比例及数量,评价组间差异,并分析高血压病患者外周血浆细胞样树突状细胞(pDC)与血压(blood p...     

肺癌细胞裂解物对树突状细胞的免疫抑制作用

目的:研究Lewis肺癌细胞裂解物对小鼠树突状细胞(DC)的免疫抑制作用。方法:反复冻融法制备Lewis肺癌细胞裂解物,骨髓冲洗提取C57/BL6小鼠DC,GM-CSF、IL-4体外诱导培养DC,ELISA检测肿瘤细胞裂解物(TCL)中透明质酸(HA)含量,ELISA检测DC培养上清液中IL-12和IL-10水平。结果:经检测,Lewis肺癌细胞TCL中含有HA,其含量为42 mg/ml。将这种TCL作用于C57/BL6小鼠DC,同对照组相比,DC的IL-12分泌水平显著下降(P<0.01),而IL-10的分泌水平显著提高(P<0.01),这符合免疫耐受DC细胞因子分泌特点。在用Pep-1抗体封闭DC表面的HA受体CD44后,DC的IL-12、IL-10分泌水平则恢复至同对照组相同的水平(P>0.05)。结论:Lewis肺癌细胞裂解物中含有HA。通过这种物质,肺癌细胞裂解物可以诱生鼠源免疫耐受性DC,从而抑制DC的免疫活性。     

Semi-mature MyD88-silenced bone marrow dendritic cells prolong the allograft survival in a rat model of intestinal transplantation

Background  Semi-mature dendritic cells (DCs) may induce tolerance rather than immunity. However, little is known about the regulatory mechanism by which these DCs induce transplant tolerance. Myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88) is a key adaptor of Toll-like receptor signaling, which plays a critical role in DC maturation. Activation of MyD88-silenced immature DCs results in the generation of semi-mature DCs. We explored the possibility of using these DCs to induce intestinal transplant tolerance in rats.

Methods  MyD88 expression was silenced in bone marrow DCs (F344 rats) using small interfering RNAs for 24 hours, at which point, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was added to the culture for another 48 hours. These cells were analyzed for their in vitro and in vivo tolerizing capacities.

Results  Semi-mature DCs expressing moderate levels of MHC class II and low levels of co-stimulatory molecules were found to produce interleukin (IL)-10, while IL-12 production was decreased. In vitro co-culture with completely allogeneic T cells from Wistar rats led to a significant decrease in alloreactive T-cell responses. In vivo, the transfer of semi-mature DCs (1×10⁶ cells) followed by the transplantation of fully mismatched intestinal grafts (F344 rats) led to significantly prolonged survival compared to rats receiving immature and mature DCs. Serum from semi-mature DC-treated rats contained lower concentrations of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-2 and interferon-γ 5 days after transplantation.

Conclusion  Semi-mature DCs may promote inducible allograft tolerance and this study suggests a new strategy by which to facilitate the induction of transplant tolerance.

     

Value of knee skin temperature measured by infrared thermography and soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 in the diagnosis of peri-prosthetic knee infection in Chinese individuals following total knee arthroplasty

Background Total knee arthroplasty （TKA） is a successful and frequently performed procedure in orthopedic surgery.The diagnosis of peri-prosthetic joint infection following TKA remains challenging.The present study estimated the usefulness of knee skin temperature （measured by infrared thermography） and serum soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 （slCAM-1） in the diagnosis of post-operative knee peri-prosthetic infection.Methods Patients were divided into three groups：21 patients undergoing uncomplicated TKAs,seven with prosthesis infection,and three undergoing TKA revisions.The serum levels of interleukin-6 （IL-6）,C-reactive protein （CRP）,erythrocyte sedimentation rate （ESR）,and slCAM-1 as well as the local knee skin temperature were measured preoperatively and on Days 1 and 7 and at 1,3,and 6 months post-operatively in Groups 1 and 3.The same parameters were measured in Group 2 at the time of prosthesis infection diagnosis.Results In Group 1,the levels of IL-6,CRP,ESR,and knee skin temperature were significantly elevated post-operatively,but returned to baseline levels within 6 months.The slCAM-1 levels were not significantly different.The mean differential temperature （MDT） and levels of siCAM-1,IL-6,CRP,and ESR differed significantly between Groups 1 and 2.The MDT had returned to normal in Group 3 by 6 months post-operatively.Conclusions Elevations in IL-6,CRP,ESR,and MDT in patients undergoing TKA could be a normal response to surgical trauma,but sustained elevations may be indicative of complications.The knee skin temperature and slCAM-1 may be used as indicators in the diagnosis of knee prosthesis infection following TKA.