Hyperferritinemia in the Chinese and Asian community: A retrospective review of the University of British Columbia experience

BACKGROUND AND METHODS: Elevated serum ferritin is a common clinical finding. The etiology of hyperferritinemia in the Asia-Pacific population is less clear due to a low prevalence of known HFE mutations such as C282Y and H63D, as well as an increased prevalence of viral hepatitis and hereditary anemia. A retrospective case review of 80 patients of Asian ethnicity referred to three subspecialists in tertiary care teaching hospitals between January 1997 and March 2005 for assessment of hyperferritinemia was performed

The role of B-1 cells in inflammation

B-1 lymphocytes exhibit unique phenotypic, ontogenic, and functional characteristics that differ from the conventional B-2 cells. B-1 cells spontaneously secrete germline-like, repertoire skewed polyreactive natural antibody, which acts as a first line of defense by neutralizing a wide range of pathogens before launching of the adaptive immune response. Immunomodulatory molecules, such as interleukin-10 (IL-10), adenosine, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), IL-3, and IL-35 are also produced by B-1 cells in the presence or absence of stimulation, which regulate acute and chronic inflammatory diseases. Considerable progress has been made during the past three decades since the discovery of B-1 cells, which has not only improved our understanding of their phenotypic and ontogenic uniqueness but also their role in various inflammatory diseases including influenza, pneumonia, sepsis, atherosclerosis, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), autoimmunity, obesity and diabetes mellitus. Recent identification of human B-1 cells widens the scope of this field, leading to novel innovations that can be implemented from bench to bedside. Among the vast number of studies on B-1 cells, we have carried out a literature review highlighting current trends in the study of B-1 cell involvement during inflammation, which may result in a paradigm shift towards sustainable therapeutics in various inflammatory diseases