OBJECTIVE: A review of the literature on Tregs in acute leukaemias was conducted and Tregs were determined in B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemias (ALLs).
RESULTS: Studies on Tregs in B-cell ALL are few and controversial. We observed a significantly increased percentage of Tregs (mean±SD, 9.72 ± 3.79% vs. 7.05 ± 1.74%; P = 0.047) in the bone marrow/peripheral blood of ALL (n = 17) compared to peripheral blood of normal controls (n = 35). A positive trend between Tregs and age (R = 0.474, P = 0.055, n = 17) implicates this factor of poor prognosis in B-cell ALL.
DISCUSSION: Tregs in cancer are particularly significant in immunotherapy. The manipulation of the immune system to treat cancer has for a long time ignored regulatory mechanisms inducible or in place. In lymphoma studies, tumour-specific mechanisms that are unlike conventional methods in the induction of Tregs have been hypothesized. In addition, tumour-infiltrating Tregs may present different profiles from peripheral blood pictures. Tregs will continue to be dissected to reveal its mysteries and their impact on clinical significance.
METHODS: Data from the Malaysia Primary Immunodeficiency Network (MyPIN) with cases of CGD diagnosed from 1991 until 2016 were collated and analysed.
RESULTS: Twenty patients were diagnosed as CGD. Males (N = 13, 65%) outnumber females (N = 7, 35%). CGD is commonest amongst the Malays (65%) followed by the Chinese (15.0%), Indians (10.0%) and natives of Borneo (10.0%), reflecting the ethnic composition of the country. The mean age of diagnosis was 3.7 years. There was a positive family history in 40% of the cases. Abscess was the main presenting feature in 16 patients (80%) with one involving the brain. Pneumonia occurred in 10 (50%) and one with complicated bronchiectasis. Catalase-positive bacteria were the most commonly isolated pathogen with Chromobacterium violaceum predominating (N = 5, 25%) with consequent high mortality (N = 4, 80%). All CGD patients with C. violaceum infection displayed CD4 + (T helper cells) lymphopenia.
CONCLUSION: This study has shown CGD occurs in the major ethnic groups of Malaysia. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first and the largest series of chronic granulomatous disease in South East Asia which may be reflective of similar clinical pattern in the region. C. violaceum infection is associated with a higher mortality in CGD patients in Malaysia. All the CGD patients with C. violaceum infection in this patient series displayed CD4 + (T helper) lymphopenia. We recorded rare clinical manifestation of CGD viz. brain abscess and bronchiectasis.
METHODS: 4T1 cancer cells were treated with kefir water in vitro to assess its antimigration and anti-invasion effects. BALB/c mice were injected with 4T1 cancer cells and treated orally with kefir water for 28 days.
RESULTS: Kefir water was cytotoxic toward 4T1 cells at IC50 (half-maximal inhibitory concentration) of 12.5 and 8.33 mg/mL for 48 and 72 hours, respectively. A significant reduction in tumor size and weight (0.9132 ± 0.219 g) and a substantial increase in helper T cells (5-fold) and cytotoxic T cells (7-fold) were observed in the kefir water-treated group. Proinflammatory and proangiogenic markers were significantly reduced in the kefir water-treated group.
CONCLUSIONS: Kefir water inhibited tumor proliferation in vitro and in vivo mainly through cancer cell apoptosis, immunomodulation by stimulating T helper cells and cytotoxic T cells, and anti-inflammatory, antimetastatic, and antiangiogenesis effects. This study brought out the potential of the probiotic beverage kefir water in cancer treatment.
RESULTS: Pineapple juice vinegar, which had the highest total phenolic acid content, also exhibited the greatest in vitro antioxidant capacity compared to coconut juice and nipah juice vinegars. Following acute and sub-chronic in vivo toxicity evaluation, no toxicity and mortality were evident and there were no significant differences in the serum biochemical profiles between mice administered the vinegars versus the control group. In the sub-chronic toxicity evaluation, the highest liver antioxidant levels were found in mice fed with pineapple juice vinegar, followed by coconut juice and nipah juice vinegars. However, compared to the pineapple juice and nipah juice vinegars, the mice fed with coconut juice vinegar, exhibited a higher population of CD4+ and CD8+ T-lymphocytes in the spleen, which was associated with greater levels of serum interleukin-2 and interferon-γ cytokines.
CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the data suggested that not all vinegar samples cause acute and sub-chronic toxicity in vivo. Moreover, the in vivo immunity and organ antioxidant levels were enhanced, to varying extents, by the phenolic acids present in the vinegars. The results obtained in this study provide appropriate guidelines for further in vivo bioactivity studies and pre-clinical assessments of vinegar consumption. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.