MATERIALS & METHODS: This is a case-control study consisting of 47 MDD patients and 47 healthy controls. MDD patients were treated with antidepressant drugs according to their physician's choice. The severity of MDD was assessed using Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) at the time of recruitment. Healthy controls completed the Depression Anxiety Scoring System (DASS21) questionnaire to ensure they were in good mental health without history of MDD. The percentage and absolute count of CD4+ CD25+ Tregs and CD4+ CD25+ FOXP3+ Tregs were identified by multiparameter flow cytometry.
RESULTS: The percentage and absolute count of CD4+ CD25+ Treg cells were significantly higher in MDD patients than in healthy controls (P<0.001, in both cases). Likewise, the percentage and absolute count of CD4+ CD25+ FOXP3+ Treg cells were also significantly higher in MDD patients compared to healthy controls (P=0.003 and P=0.002, respectively). However, there was no significant correlation between the percentage and absolute count of CD4+ CD25+ Treg and CD4+ CD25+ FOXP3+ Treg cells with BDI or MADRS score.
CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that antidepressant treatments contributed to an upregulation of Tregs in MDD patients.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: We searched for FL-LP in our institution from 2000 to 2018 and characterised the neoplastic cells by flow cytometry, immunohistochemistry and fluorescence in situ hybridization. Thirteen (6.1%) of 212 FL cases were FL-LP, all de novo neoplasms. The leukaemic cells were small in 12 cases and large in one. All had concurrent FL, mostly (92%; 12/13) low-grade. The single case with large leukaemic cells had a concurrent primary splenic low-grade FL and a double-hit large B-cell lymphoma in the marrow.
RESULTS: CD10 was expressed in the leukaemic cells in 38% (5/13) cases by flow cytometry and in 77% (10/13) cases in tumours (p= 0.0471). IGH/BCL2 reciprocal translocation was identified in 85% (11/13) cases. Most patients were treated with chemotherapy. In a median follow-up time of 36 months, nine patients were in complete remission. The 2- and 5-year survival rates were at 100% and 83%, respectively. In this study, we characterised a series of de novo FL-LP in Taiwan. All patients had concurrent nodal and/or tissue tumours, which might suggest that these patients seek medical help too late.
CONCLUSION: The lower CD10 expression rate by flow cytometry than by immunohistochemistry might be due to different epitopes for these assays. Alternatively, loss of CD10 expression might play a role in the pathogenesis of leukaemic change. The clinical course of FL-LP could be aggressive, but a significant proportion of the patients obtained complete remission with chemotherapy.