Dominant-negative STAT5B mutations cause growth hormone insensitivity with short stature and mild immune dysregulation

. This work was supported by funding from NIH NICHHD (R01HD078592 to V.H.), NIH NICHHD (1K23HD073351 to A.D.), and a Junior Research grant by the Medical Faculty of the University of Leipzig (to D.R.). M.T.D. receives funding from the Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity (GOSHCC)

Timing of Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Yield: Comparison of Alternative Methods with the Classic Method for CD34+ Cell Determination

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), still represent a certain mystery in biology, have a unique property of dividing into equal cells and repopulating the hematopoietic tissue. This potential enables their use in transplantation treatments. The quality of the HSC grafts for transplantation is evaluated by flow cytometric determination of the CD34+ cells, which enables optimal timing of the first apheresis and the acquisition of maximal yield of the peripheral blood stem cells (PBSCs). To identify a more efficient method for evaluating CD34+ cells, we compared the following alternative methods with the reference method: hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPC) enumeration (using the Sysmex XE-2100 analyser), detection of CD133+ cells, and quantification of aldehyde dehydrogenase activity in the PBSCs. 266 aphereses (84 patients) were evaluated. In the preapheretic blood, the new methods produced data that were in agreement with the reference method. The ROC curves have shown that for the first-day apheresis target, the optimal predictive cut-off value was 0.032 cells/mL for the HPC method (sensitivity 73.4%, specificity 69.3%). HPC method exhibited a definite practical superiority as compared to other methods tested. HPC enumeration could serve as a supplementary method for the optimal timing of the first apheresis; it is simple, rapid, and cheap

Free radical-scavenging, antioxidant and immunostimulating effects of a licorice infusion (Glycyrrhiza glabra L.)

To contribute to the understanding of the mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of licorice, the antioxidant, free radical-scavenging and immunostimulating effects of a licorice infusion (LI) were investigated, and its chemical profile was determined. Two major components of LI were identified as (1) liquiritin and (2) glycyrrhizin. LI weakly scavenged DPPH{radical dot}, and compounds 1 and 2 showed negligible effects. Both LI and 2 substantially scavenged superoxide radicals. The β-carotene bleaching was inhibited by LI, but compounds 1 and 2 showed no effect. The LI, 1, and 2 exhibited no meaningful activities against HOCl, and they showed pro-oxidant effects in the MPO-chlorinating system. Granulocytes and NK cells were markedly activated by LI, whereas 1 and 2 were inactive. The LI, 1, and 2 showed no effects on the lymphocyte cell cycle. These results support, in part, the traditional use of licorice to treat and prevent diseases in which oxidants or free radicals are implicated and suggest that LI could be used as a potential non-specific immune stimulator. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishe