We recently showed a desensitization of FcεRI-mediated basophil response after short-term venom immunotherapy (VIT). Our aim was to evaluate the allergen specificity of this desensitization. In this study we clearly showed that short-term VIT induced basophil desensitization to VIT-specific as well as to VIT-nonspecific allergens, preferably due to the down regulation of FcεRI pathway. As opposed to long-term VIT, which induces venom-specific changes, the effect of short-term VIT seems to be venom-nonspecific
COBISS.SI-ID: 37295365
Invariant NKT (iNKT) cells are regulatory lymphocytes that may be important in disorders with increased Th1 responses. We utilized a 4-year longitudinal observational study of iNKT cells and SLAM signaling pathway factors, which are important for iNKT development in patients with newly diagnosed sarcoidosis. Our longitudinal study showed that a disposal of iNKT deficiency in parallel with an increase in expression of SLAM signaling factors characterizes the clinical remission of sarcoidosis.
COBISS.SI-ID: 37512965
Around 5 to 10% of asthma patients is classified as having severe asthma that can-not be adequately controlled despite the use of all currently available therapeutic approaches. Previous studies have revealed the potential important role of miRNAs in the regulation of a variety of inflammatory processes, including asthma. Expression of selected miRNAs, specifically let-7a, miR-21 and miR-223, that were shown to have important roles in asthma pathogenesis, were analyzed in bronchial biopsies of 24 patients with asthma, 12 mild and 12 severe, and 10 controls with no chronic disease. We found significantly reduced expression of let-7a in bronchial biopsies from patients with severe asthma in comparison to patients with mild asthma as well as in comparison to the non-asthmatic controls. On the other hand, no significant differences in miR-21 and miR-223 expression were found between the different groups analyzed. Reduced let-7a levels in bronchial biopsies of patients with severe therapy-resistant asthma could not only be used as a potential biomarker to discriminate between different asthma phenotypes, but also might be a target for modulation of treatment at the inflammatory site for a group of patients that are most affected and still lack effective treatment
COBISS.SI-ID: 37501701