Phenotypic deficiencies of monocyte-derived dendritic cells in systemic lupus erythematosus

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Role of mannose-binding lectin in the innate defense against Candida albicans: Enhancement of complement activation, but lack of opsonic function, in phagocytosis by human dendritic cells

Mannose-binding lectin (MBL) is a serum collectin believed to be of importance in innate immunity. We have investigated the role of MBL in the first-line defense against Candida albicans, an opportunistic fungal pathogen. MBL bound C. albicans via its lectin domain, resulting in agglutination of the organisms upon their outgrowth of hyphae. In a human in vitro MBL system, deposition of C4 fragments on C. albicans was increased when exogenous MBL was added to serum samples from MBL-deficient individuals. Similar enhancement of deposition of iC3b also was observed. MBL and enhanced opsonic C3 fragments mediated by MBL did not facilitate opsonophagocytosis of the organisms by monocyte-derived dendritic cells (DCs). However, MBL was found to inhibit the growth of C. albicans independently of complement activation, although, with complement activation, further inhibition was observed. We concluded that MBL plays an important role in the first-line defense against C. albicans without the need for opsonophagocytosis by DCs, in which a direct interaction of MBL with C. albicans results in agglutination and accelerated complement activation via the lectin pathway, leading to inhibition of growth.published_or_final_versio

Management of primary immunodeficiency

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Case-control study of Sichuan and Hong Kong children with melamine-associated renal stones: renal ultrasonography and urinary IL-8 and MCP-1 levels

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Association of cytokine and chemokine gene polymorphisms with severe acute respiratory syndrome

1. The IFN-gamma +874A allele and RANTES -28 G allele are risk factors for SARS susceptibility. 2. The RANTES -28 G allele plays a role in the pathogenesis of SARS. 3. The polymorphisms of IL-10, TNF-alpha, IL-12, IP-10, Mig and MCP-1 are not associated with SARS susceptibility.published_or_final_versio

Juvenile chronic arthritis in Chinese children: a review of the local experience

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Use of humanised mice to study antiviral activity of human γδ-T cells against influenza A viruses

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Changing epidemiology of measles in Hong Kong from 1961 to 1990 - Impact of a measles vaccination program

With the use of measles vaccine since 1967, Hong Kong has experienced a low incidence of measles until a major outbreak in 1988. A shift in the distribution of susceptible children to older age groups was suddenly accelerated in the 1988 outbreak. The attack rate increased by 18.9-fold for children >10 years old, while that for those in the best-protected age group of 1-4 years was only 2.2-fold. Of the cases during that outbreak, 56.3% would have been considered preventable with the present vaccination regimen, and vaccine failures accounted for only 20.4% of the cases. Present control strategies aim at increasing the coverage rate rather than introducing a two- dose regimen, which may be necessary when vaccine failures account for a larger proportion of measles cases.published_or_final_versio

Tolerance associated with cord blood transplantation may depend on the state of host dentritic cells

Allogeneic cord blood (CB) transplantation is associated with less severe graft-versus-host disease (GvHD), thought to be due to the immaturity of CB T cells, but how T cells interact with host and donor-derived dendritic cells (DCs) to initiate GvHD has not been elucidated. We therefore investigated the responses of CB and adult blood CD4 + T cells co-cultured with adult host DCs of different maturities. Primed by adult host DCs, CB and adult blood CD4 + T cells underwent similar changes in the expression of CD45RA/45RO, CD25, CD40L and CTLA-4. However, CB CD4 + T cells, when primed by either immature or Bacillus Calmette-Guerin mycobacteria-treated adult host DCs, produced lower interferon-γ (IFN-γ) and higher interleukin-10 (IL-10), which is a regulatory T cell-like cytokine profile, as compared with adult blood CD4 + T cells. In contrast, lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated adult host DCs significantly up-regulated IFN-γ and down-regulated IL-10 production levels from CB CD4 + T cells to that from adult blood CD4 + T cells. The sustained low IFN-γ and high IL-10 production from CB CD4 + T cells co-cultured with adult blood DCs might account for the less severe GvHD occurrence after CB transplantation, which could be reversed by LPS-treated adult blood DCs.postprin