Clinical significance of circulating dendritic cells in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Dendritic cells are a complex group of mainly bone-marrow-derived leukocytes that play a role in autoimmune diseases. The total number of circulating dendritic cells (tDC), and their plasmacytoid dendritic cell (pDC) and myeloid dendritic cell (mDC1 and mDC2) subpopulations were assessed using flow cytometry. The number of tDC and their subsets were significantly lower in systemic lupus erythematosus patients than in the control group. The count of tDC and their subsets correlated with the number of T cells. The number of tDC and pDC subpopulation were lower in the patients with lymphopenia and leukopenia than in the patients without these symptoms. Our data suggest that fluctuations in blood dendritic cell count in systemic lupus erythematosus patients are much more significant in pDC than in mDC, what may be caused by their migration to the sites of inflammation including skin lesions. Positive correlation between dendritic cell number and TCD4+, TCD8+ and CD19+ B cells, testify of their interactions and influence on SLE pathogenesis. The association between dendritic cell number and clinical features seems to be less clear

Body weight and the medial longitudinal foot arch : high-arched foot, a hidden problem?

This study had two objectives. First, to determine the prevalence of hollow (high-arched) and flat foot among primary school children in Cracow (Poland). Second, to evaluate the relationship between the type of medial longitudinal arch (MLA; determined by the Clarke’s angle) and degree of fatness. The prevalence of underweight, overweight, and obesity was determined by means of IOTF cut-offs with respect to age and gender. A sample of 1,115 children (564 boys and 551 girls) aged between 3 and 13 years was analyzed. In all age groups, regardless of gender, high-arched foot was diagnosed in the majority of children. A distinct increase in the number of children with high-arched foot was observed between 7- and 8-year olds. Regardless of the gender, high-arched foot was more common among underweight children. In the group of obese children, the biggest differences were attributed to gender. High-arched foot was the most frequently observed among boys. In all gender and obesity level groups, the flat foot was more common among boys than among girls. Conclusions: High-arched foot is the most common foot defect among children 3–13 years old regardless of gender. Flat foot is least frequently observed in children 3–13 years old. A statistic correlation between MLA and adiposity is observed. Stronger correlation is observed among girls

The Pancreatitis, Panniculitis, and Polyarthritis (PPP) Syndrome: Subcutaneous Nodular Fat Necrosis, a Cutaneous Marker of Pancreatic Neoplasia

The pancreatitis, panniculitis, polyarthritis (PPP) syndrome is a rare skin, joint, and pancreatic disorder, also known as subcutaneous nodular fat necrosis. It results from obstruction of pancreatic ducts with direct secretion of pancreatic enzymes into the bloodstream, causing extra pancreatic fat necrosis with subcutaneous tissue and joint inflammation. It is usually a cutaneous sign of pancreatic cancer or pancreatitis. To our knowledge, this is the first case associated with a pancreatic pseudotumor. We describe a 59-year-old man initially presenting with numerous painful erythematous subcutaneous nodules due to a fibrous pancreatic pseudotumor and its extreme dermatologic disease, resulting in necrosis of the shin and foot so severe that an amputation of the lower leg above the knee was required, a complication not previously described, to our knowledge. We emphasize that PPP syndrome is a cutaneous marker of internal malignancy, most often of pancreatic cancer or pancreatitis, but in this case of a rare pancreatic pseudotumor

Climate-driven responses of Mediterranean fisheries across geographic gradients and seasons

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Climate change and seasonal dynamics of bottom-trawl fisheries landings in the western Mediterranean

This is the final versio

Potential role of blood dendritic cells in elicitation phase of contact hypersensitivity response – preliminary study

Introduction . In contrast to our broad knowledge about the role of dendritic cells in the sensitization phase of the contact hypersensitivity response (CHS), very little is known about their function in the effector phase. The pathophysiological mechanism of blood dendritic cells’ participation in the inflammatory response in CHS is an emerging subject of study and needs to be scrutinized. Objective . To assess the presence and type of human blood dendritic cells (BDC) – plasmacytoid DC (pDC) and myeloid DC (mDC) – at the elicitation site of CHS. Material and methods. The study group consisted of 25 healthy volunteers with a mean age of 22.3 ±6.1. Each patient before the trial was sensitized with DPCP, and after 3 weeks skin biopsies were taken from the elicitation site and were immunohistochemically stained with monoclonal mouse IgG1 antibodies against blood dendritic cell antigens (BDCA). Results . Skin biopsies were divided into two groups: group 1 where the CHS score was assessed as 0 (no reaction; n = 7) and group 2 where the CHS score was assessed as 1 (any response noted; n = 18). Compared to group 1, group 2 had a significantly lower percentage of pDC (60% vs. 15% respectively) in the inflammatory infiltrate site. We also observed that the percentage of mDC was higher in group 2 compared to group 1, although this result was not statistically significant. Conclusions . Our findings provide some data on composition of inflammatory infiltrate in the elicitation phase of CHS. We suggest that the imbalance between pDC and mDC may be a key to understanding the effector phase of CHS