Research

Early-onset primary antibody deficiency resembling common variable immunodeficiency challenges the diagnosis of Wiedeman-Steiner and Roifman syndromes.

Sci Rep. 2017 Jun 16;7(1):3702

Authors: Bogaert DJ, Dullaers M, Kuehn HS, Leroy BP, Niemela JE, De Wilde H, De Schryver S, De Bruyne M, Coppieters F, Lambrecht BN, De Baets F, Rosenzweig SD, De Baere E, Haerynck F

Abstract
Syndromic primary immunodeficiencies are rare genetic disorders that affect both the immune system and other organ systems. More often, the immune defect is not the major clinical problem and is sometimes only recognized after a diagnosis has been made based on extra-immunological abnormalities. Here, we report two sibling pairs with syndromic primary immunodeficiencies that exceptionally presented with a phenotype resembling early-onset common variable immunodeficiency, while extra-immunological characteristics were not apparent at that time. Additional features not typically associated with common variable immunodeficiency were diagnosed only later, including skeletal and organ anomalies and mild facial dysmorphism. Whole exome sequencing revealed KMT2A-associated Wiedemann-Steiner syndrome in one sibling pair and their mother. In the other sibling pair, targeted testing of the known disease gene for Roifman syndrome (RNU4ATAC) provided a definite diagnosis. With this study, we underline the importance of an early-stage and thorough genetic assessment in paediatric patients with a common variable immunodeficiency phenotype, to establish a conclusive diagnosis and guide patient management. In addition, this study extends the mutational and immunophenotypical spectrum of Wiedemann-Steiner and Roifman syndromes and highlights potential directions for future pathophysiological research.

PMID: 28623346 [PubMed – in process]

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Targeting PI3K-AKT-mTOR by LY3023414 inhibits human skin squamous cell carcinoma cell growth in vitro and in vivo.

Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2017 Jun 13;:

Authors: Zou Y, Ge M, Wang X

Abstract
Abnormal activation of PI3K-AKT-mTOR signaling is detected in human skin squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). LY3023414 is a novel, potent, and orally bio-available PI3K-AKT-mTOR inhibitor. Its activity against human skin SCC cells was tested. We demonstrated that LY3023414 was cytotoxic when added to established (A431 line) and primary (patient-derived) human skin SCC cells. LY3023414 induced G0/1-S arrest and inhibited proliferation of skin SCC cells. Moreover, LY3023414 induced activation of caspase-3/-9 and apoptosis in skin SCC cells. Intriguingly, LY3023414 was yet non-cytotoxic nor pro-apoptotic to normal human skin cells (melanocytes, keratinocytes and fibroblasts). At the molecular level, LY3023414 blocked PI3K-AKT-mTOR activation in skin SCC cells, as it dephosphorylated PI3K-AKT-mTOR substrates: P85, AKT and S6K1. In vivo studies showed that oral administration of LY3023414 at well-tolerated doses inhibited A431 xenograft tumor growth in severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) mice. AKT-mTOR activation in LY3023414-treated tumors was also largely inhibited. Together, these results suggest that targeting PI3K-AKT-mTOR by LY3023414 inhibits human skin SCC cell growth in vitro and in vivo, establishing the rationale for further clinical testing.

PMID: 28623128 [PubMed – as supplied by publisher]

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A Nationwide Study of Severe and Protracted Diarrhoea in Patients with Primary Immunodeficiency Diseases.

Sci Rep. 2017 Jun 16;7(1):3669

Authors: Lee WI, Chen CC, Jaing TH, Ou LS, Hsueh C, Huang JL

Abstract
Diarrhoea lasting longer than 14 days and failing to respond to conventional management is defined as severe and protracted diarrhoea (SD). In this study, we investigated the prevalence, pathogens and prognosis of SD in primary immunodeficiency diseases (PIDs). Among 246 patients with predominantly paediatric-onset PIDs from 2003-2015, 21 [Btk (six), IL2RG (four), WASP, CD40L, gp91 (three each), gp47, RAG2 (one each)] and five [CVID (four), SCID (one)] without identified mutations had SD before prophylactic treatment. Detectable pathogens included pseudomonas, salmonella (six each), E. coli, cytomegalovirus, coxsackie virus and cryptosporidium (one each), all of whom improved after a mean 17 days of antibiotics and/or IVIG treatment. Seven (7/26; 27.0%) patients died [respiratory failure (four), lymphoma, sepsis and intracranial haemorrhage (one each)]. The patients with WAS, CGD and CD40L and SD had a higher mortality rate than those without. Another five males with mutant XIAP, STAT1, FOXP3 (one each) and STAT3 (two) had undetectable-pathogenic refractory diarrhoea (RD) that persisted >21 days despite aggressive antibiotic/steroid treatment and directly resulted in mortality. For the patients with RD without anti-inflammatory optimization, those with mutant XIAP and FOXP3 died of Crohn’s-like colitis and electrolyte exhaustion in awaiting transplantation, while transplantation cured the STAT1 patient.

PMID: 28623282 [PubMed – in process]

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Tuberculosis masked by immunodeficiency: a review of two cases diagnosed with chronic granulomatous disease.

Tuberk Toraks. 2017 Mar;65(1):56-59

Authors: Nacaroğlu HT, Bahçeci Erdem S, Gülez N, Ünsal Karkıner CŞ, Devrim İ, Genel F, Köker MY, Can D

Abstract
Chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) is a genetically heterogeneous primary immunodeficiency that is characterized by recurrent and life-threatening infections resulting from defects in phagocyte nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase system and granuloma formation due to increased inflammatory response. The most commonly involved organs are the lungs, skin, lymph nodes, and liver due to infection. It may present with recurrent pneumonia, hilar lymphadenopathy, empyema, abscess, reticulonodular patterns, and granulomas due to lung involvement. In recent years, mycobacterial disease susceptibility has been reported in CGD cases. This article presents two male cases, one of whom is aged 18 months and the other is aged 5 years, who were diagnosed with CGD and tuberculosis during examination due to extended pneumonia. This report is presented because CGD should be considered not only in the presence of skin abscesses and Aspergillus infections, but also in the differential diagnosis for cases with BCG-itis and/or tuberculosis. It should be kept in mind that mycobacterial infections can occur during the course of the disease.

PMID: 28621249 [PubMed – in process]

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The role of IL-6 in host defence against infections: immunobiology and clinical implications.

Nat Rev Rheumatol. 2017 Jun 15;:

Authors: Rose-John S, Winthrop K, Calabrese L

Abstract
IL-6 is a pleiotropic cytokine with broad-ranging effects within the integrated immune response. One of the roles of IL-6 is to support immunocompetence, defined as the ability of a host to respond to infections. Understanding the precise role of this cytokine in immunocompetence requires a critical appraisal of data derived from both preclinical and clinical studies. Primary immunodeficiency diseases involving IL-6 or its signalling pathways reveal that IL-6 is critical in the defence against numerous types of pathogens. Studies of IL-6 signalling in preclinical models reveal that selective inhibition of either classic IL-6 signalling or IL-6 trans-signalling has differential effects on the host response to different types of infections. Knowledge of such variation might inform bioengineering of new IL-6-targeting molecules and potentially enable modulation of their toxicity. Clinical studies of IL-6 inhibitors, mainly tocilizumab, reveal that their use is associated with an increased rate of both serious and opportunistic infections generally in the range observed with other non-IL-6 directed biologic therapies. Targeting IL-6 has several other important clinical implications related to diagnosis, management and prevention of infectious diseases.

PMID: 28615731 [PubMed – as supplied by publisher]

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Multiparametric Whole Blood Dissection: A one-shot comprehensive picture of the human hematopoietic system.

Cytometry A. 2017 Jun 13;:

Authors: Basso-Ricci L, Scala S, Milani R, Migliavacca M, Rovelli A, Bernardo ME, Ciceri F, Aiuti A, Biasco L

Abstract
Human hematopoiesis is a complex and dynamic system where morphologically and functionally diverse mature cell types are generated and maintained throughout life by bone marrow (BM) Hematopoietic Stem/Progenitor Cells (HSPC). Congenital and acquired hematopoietic disorders are often diagnosed through the detection of aberrant frequency or composition of hematopoietic cell populations. We here describe a novel protocol, called “Whole Blood Dissection” (WBD), capable of analyzing in a single test-tube, hematopoietic progenitors and all major mature cell lineages composing either BM or peripheral blood (PB) through a multiparametric flow-cytometry analysis. WBD allows unambiguously identifying in the same tube up to 23 different blood cell types including HSPC subtypes and all the major myeloid and lymphoid lineage compartments at different stages of maturation, through a combination of 17 surface and 1 viability cell markers. We assessed the efficacy of WBD by analyzing BM and PB samples from adult (n = 8) and pediatric (n = 9) healthy donors highlighting age-related shift in cell composition. We also tested the capability of WBD on detecting aberrant hematopoietic cell composition in clinical samples of patients with primary immunodeficiency or leukemia unveiling expected and novel hematopoietic unbalances. Overall, WBD allows unambiguously identifying >99% of the cell subpopulations composing a blood sample in a reproducible, standardized, cost-, and time-efficient manner. This tool has a wide range of potential pre-clinical and clinical applications going from the characterization of hematopoietic disorders to the monitoring of hematopoietic reconstitution in patients after transplant or gene therapy. © 2017 The Authors. Cytometry Part A Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of ISAC.

PMID: 28609016 [PubMed – as supplied by publisher]

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Cancer in primary immunodeficiency diseases: Cancer incidence in the United States Immune Deficiency Network Registry.

J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2017 Jun 09;:

Authors: Mayor PC, Eng KH, Singel KL, Abrams SI, Odunsi K, Moysich KB, Fuleihan R, Garabedian E, Lugar P, Ochs HD, Bonilla FA, Buckley RH, Sullivan KE, Ballas ZK, Cunningham-Rundles C, Segal BH

Abstract
BACKGROUND: We evaluated the overall and site-specific incidence of cancer in subjects with primary immunodeficiency diseases (PIDD) enrolled in the United States Immune Deficiency Network (USIDNET) registry compared with age-adjusted cancer incidence in the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Program (SEER) database. We hypothesized that subjects with PIDD would have an increased incidence of cancer due to impaired immune function.
METHODS: Overall and site-specific cancer incidence rates were evaluated in subjects with PIDD (n = 3,658) enrolled in the USIDNET registry from 2003-2015, and compared with age-adjusted incidence rates in the SEER database.
RESULTS: We observed a 1.42-fold excess relative risk of cancer in subjects with PIDD compared to the age-adjusted SEER population (p<0.001). Men with PIDD had a 1.91-fold excess relative risk of cancer compared to the age-adjusted male population (p<0.001), while women with PIDD had similar overall cancer rates compared to the age-adjusted female population. Of the four most common malignancies in men and women in SEER (lung, colon, breast, and prostate cancers), we found no significant increase in these diagnoses in subjects with PIDD. Significant increases in lymphoma in both men (10-fold increase, p<0.001) and women (8.34-fold increase, p<0.001) with PIDD were observed.
CONCLUSIONS: Excess incidence of cancer occurred in subjects with PIDD. An excess of lymphoma in specific PIDD populations principally drove this increased incidence, while no increased risk of the most common solid tumor malignancies was observed. These data point to a restricted role of the immune system in protecting from specific cancers.

PMID: 28606585 [PubMed – as supplied by publisher]

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Comparison of Bone Mineral Density in Common variable immunodeficiency and X-Linked Agammaglobulinaemia Patients.

Endocr Metab Immune Disord Drug Targets. 2017 Jun 11;:

Authors: Mohebbi A, Azizi G, Tavakolinia N, Karimipour M, Kiaee F, Yazdani R, Ebrahimi SS, Rafiemanesh H, Ziaee V, Abolhassani H, Aghamohammadi A, Abbasi F, Sayarifard F, Ebrahimi M, Tafaroji J

Abstract
BACKGROUND: Primary antibody deficiency (PAD) is the most common group of primary immunodeficiency disorders, resulting from different defects in development and function of B cell lineage. Common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) and X-linked agammaglobulinemia (XLA) are two of the major types of PADs. Optimal growth and subsequently bone health could potentially compromise due to the interference of several factors in PAD with childhood onset. In the present study, our aim was to evaluate bone mineral density (BMD) of patients with CVID and XLA.
METHODS: BMD of 37 CVID and 19 XLA patients was examined. Total BMD was determined by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and the calculated scores were compared internally and externally with age-sex matched and ethnic-specific reference. Related factors associated with bone density including immune-related complications, serum calcium, phosphate, total alkaline phosphatase, 25(OH) vitamin D and parathyroid hormone levels were recorded.
RESULTS: The median age at the time of study was 20 years among all patients and was not statistically different between CVID and XLA groups and the mean of body mass index (BMI) was 19.4±4.6 kg/cm². Thirty-eight (67.9%) of total patients had normal BMD and 18 (32.1%) patients had a low BMD. BMI was positively correlated with BMD at lumbar spine and femoral neck. The number of low BMD patients in CVID (40.5%) group was more than the XLA (15.8%).
CONCLUSION: Beside nutritional, gastrointestinal and infectious complications which are shared in both groups of patients, CVID patients are more prone to alteration of BMD due to association with lymphoproliferative and endocrine diseases. Therefore routine evaluation of bone density and treatment adjustment should be considered in all PAD patients particularly in CVID patients.

PMID: 28606051 [PubMed – as supplied by publisher]

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Pseudomonas aeruginosa Liver Abscess as the First Manifestation of X-Linked Agammaglobulinemia With a Novel Mutation.

J Investig Allergol Clin Immunol. 2017;27(2):129-131

Authors: Muñoz-Miguelsanz MA, Álvarez Morales T, Martín García JA, Martínez Gallo M, Santos Pérez JL

PMID: 28398200 [PubMed – indexed for MEDLINE]

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Novel Combined Immune Deficiency and Radiation Sensitivity Blended Phenotype in an Adult with Biallelic Variations in ZAP70 and RNF168.

Front Immunol. 2017;8:576

Authors: Chinn IK, Sanders RP, Stray-Pedersen A, Coban-Akdemir ZH, Kim VH, Dadi H, Roifman CM, Quigg T, Lupski JR, Orange JS, Hanson IC

Abstract
With the advent of high-throughput genomic sequencing techniques, novel genetic etiologies are being uncovered for previously unexplained Mendelian phenotypes, and the underlying genetic architecture of disease is being unraveled. Although most of these “mendelizing” disease traits represent phenotypes caused by single-gene defects, a percentage of patients have blended phenotypes caused by pathogenic variants in multiple genes. We describe an adult patient with susceptibility to bacterial, herpesviral, and fungal infections. Immunologic defects included CD8(+) T cell lymphopenia, decreased T cell proliferative responses to mitogens, hypogammaglobulinemia, and radiation sensitivity. Whole-exome sequencing revealed compound heterozygous variants in ZAP70. Biallelic mutations in ZAP70 are known to produce a spectrum of immune deficiency that includes the T cell abnormalities observed in this patient. Analyses for variants in genes associated with radiation sensitivity identified the presence of a homozygous RNF168 variant of unknown significance. RNF168 deficiency causes radiosensitivity, immunodeficiency, dysmorphic features, and learning difficulties syndrome and may account for the radiation sensitivity. Thus, the patient was found to have a novel blended phenotype associated with multilocus genomic variation: i.e., separate and distinct genetic defects. These findings further illustrate the clinical utility of applying genomic testing in patients with primary immunodeficiency diseases.

PMID: 28603521 [PubMed – in process]

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