Cellular Immune Responses in Diseases

A special issue of Biomedicines (ISSN 2227-9059). This special issue belongs to the section "Immunology and Immunotherapy".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2024 | Viewed by 3400

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior (CICS-UBI), 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
Interests: immunology; cellular immune responses; chronic diseases

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Cellular immune responses are a crucial aspect of the immune system's defence mechanism, maintaining the right balance between protection and auto-control to avoid damaging healthy tissues or inducing chronic inflammation.

In general, these responses involve innate and adaptive mechanisms, like phagocytosis and cell-mediated cytotoxicity, engaging different leukocyte subpopulations, both antigen-specific and antigen-nonspecific cells. Antigen-specific cellular responses are orchestrated by T cells, crucial for the capacity of the organism to distinguish self from nonself. A good example is the rejection of a graft by lymphoid cells as well as graft-versus-host disease. One T cell has subpopulations of cytotoxic effector cells, which can lyse virus-infected or malignant cells. The subpopulations of helper T cells (e.g., Th1, Th2, Th17) have different patterns of effector cytokine-dependent functions after antigen recognition.

An imbalance in the cellular immune system can lead to various conditions, including autoimmune diseases, immunodeficiencies, and chronic inflammatory disorders. We expect that this Special Issue will provide fresh perspectives in the integration of knowledge concerning cellular immune responses and their regulation in disease contexts.

We invite our colleagues to submit original as well as review articles related to both non-communicable diseases/chronic diseases (e.g., neurological diseases, cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory diseases, chronic kidney diseases, cancer, diabetes, obesity) and communicable diseases.

Dr. Mafalda Fonseca
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • leukocyte
  • T cells
  • lymphoid cells

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 2254 KiB  
Article
A Novel Bionebulizer Approach to Study the Effects of Natural Mineral Water on a 3D In Vitro Nasal Model from Allergic Rhinitis Patients
by Joana Viegas, Elsa M. Cardoso, Lucile Bonneau, Ana Filipa Esteves, Catarina L. Ferreira, Gilberto Alves, António Jorge Santos-Silva, Marco Vitale, Fernando A. Arosa and Luís Taborda-Barata
Biomedicines 2024, 12(2), 408; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines12020408 - 09 Feb 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 942
Abstract
Sulfurous thermal waters (STWs) are used as a complementary treatment for allergic rhinitis. However, there is scant data on the effects of STW on nasal epithelial cells, and in vitro models are warranted. The main aim of this study was to evaluate the [...] Read more.
Sulfurous thermal waters (STWs) are used as a complementary treatment for allergic rhinitis. However, there is scant data on the effects of STW on nasal epithelial cells, and in vitro models are warranted. The main aim of this study was to evaluate the dose and time effects of exposure to 3D nasal inserts (MucilAirTM-HF allergic rhinitis model) with STW or isotonic sodium chloride solution (ISCS) aerosols. Transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) and histology were assessed before and after nebulizations. Chemokine/cytokine levels in the basal supernatants were assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The results showed that more than four daily nebulizations of four or more minutes compromised the normal epithelial integrity. In contrast, 1 or 2 min of STW or ISCS nebulizations had no toxic effect up to 3 days. No statistically significant changes in release of inflammatory chemokines MCP-1/CCL2 > IL-8/CXCL8 > MIP-1α/CCL3, no meaningful release of “alarmins” (IL-1α, IL-33), nor of anti-inflammatory IL-10 cytokine were observed. We have characterized safe time and dose conditions for aerosol nebulizations using a novel in vitro 3D nasal epithelium model of allergic rhinitis patients. This may be a suitable in vitro setup to mimic in vivo treatments of chronic rhinitis with STW upon triggering an inflammatory stimulus in the future. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cellular Immune Responses in Diseases)
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15 pages, 1982 KiB  
Article
Sterile Inflammatory Response and Surgery-Related Trauma in Elderly Patients with Subtrochanteric Fractures
by Flaviu Moldovan
Biomedicines 2024, 12(2), 354; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines12020354 - 02 Feb 2024
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 800
Abstract
Sterile inflammation is a natural response of the organism in the absence of microorganisms, which is triggered in correspondence with the degree of tissue damage sustained after a surgical procedure. The objective of this study was to explore the values of postoperative hematological-derived [...] Read more.
Sterile inflammation is a natural response of the organism in the absence of microorganisms, which is triggered in correspondence with the degree of tissue damage sustained after a surgical procedure. The objective of this study was to explore the values of postoperative hematological-derived biomarkers in assessing the sterile inflammatory response magnitude related to the invasiveness of the surgical reduction technique used for subtrochanteric fractures (STFs) treatment. A retrospective, observational cohort research was conducted between January 2021 and October 2023 that included a total of 143 patients diagnosed with acute subtrochanteric fractures who underwent long Gamma Nail (LGN) fixation. According to the surgical reduction technique used, they were divided into two groups: group 1, which consisted of those with a closed reduction and internal fixation (CRIF); and group 2, which consisted of those with an open reduction internal fixation (ORIF). Between groups, statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) were found in relation to days to surgery, length of hospital stay (LOHS), duration of surgery, postoperative hemoglobin (HGB) levels, neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet–lymphocyte ratio (PLR), monocyte–lymphocyte ratio (MLR), systemic inflammation index (SII), systemic inflammation response index (SIRI), and aggregate inflammation systemic index (AISI). The receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve analysis revealed that all ratios presented a high diagnostic ability (p < 0.0001) with NLR > 6.95 being the most reliable (sensitivity 94.8% and specificity 70.6%). Moreover, the multivariate regression model confirmed that sterile immune response after orthopedic interventions can be assessed in an almost equal and non-dependent manner using these biomarkers. Postoperative NLR, PLR, MLR, SII, SIRI, and AISI ratios are closely correlated to the sterile inflammatory response magnitude, due to the extent of surgical dissection performed during internal fixation procedures of subtrochanteric femur fractures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cellular Immune Responses in Diseases)
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14 pages, 4605 KiB  
Article
Immunological Phenotyping of Mice with a Point Mutation in Cdk4
by Mehmet Yabas and Gerard F. Hoyne
Biomedicines 2023, 11(10), 2847; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines11102847 - 20 Oct 2023
Viewed by 955
Abstract
Cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) play a crucial role in regulation of the mammalian cell cycle. CDK4 and CDK6 control the G1/S restriction checkpoint through their ability to associate with cyclin D proteins in response to growth factor signals. CDK4 deficiency in mice gives rise [...] Read more.
Cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) play a crucial role in regulation of the mammalian cell cycle. CDK4 and CDK6 control the G1/S restriction checkpoint through their ability to associate with cyclin D proteins in response to growth factor signals. CDK4 deficiency in mice gives rise to a range of endocrine-specific phenotypes including diabetes, infertility, dwarfism, and atrophy of the anterior pituitary. Although CDK6 deficiency can cause thymic atrophy due to a block in the double-negative (DN) to double-positive (DP) stage of T cell development, there are no overt defects in immune cell development reported for CDK4-deficient mice. Here, we examined the impact of a novel N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea-induced point mutation in the gene encoding CDK4 on immune cell development. Mutant mice (Cdk4wnch/wnch) showed normal development and differentiation of major immune cell subsets in the thymus and spleen. Moreover, T cells from Cdk4wnch/wnch mice exhibited normal cytokine production in response to in vitro stimulation. However, analysis of the mixed bone marrow chimeras revealed that Cdk4wnch/wnch-derived T cell subsets and NK cells are at a competitive disadvantage compared to Cdk4+/+-derived cells in the thymus and periphery of recipients. These results suggest a possible role for the CDK4wnch mutation in the development of some immune cells, which only becomes apparent when the Cdk4wnch/wnch mutant cells are in direct competition with wild-type immune cells in the mixed bone marrow chimera. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cellular Immune Responses in Diseases)
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