Changes in the regulatory T-lymphocyte counts in HIV-infected patients with a discordant response to antiretroviral therapy

We examined HIV‑infected patients with different efficiency of immune system restoration during the course of antiretroviral therapy. The study showed that against the background of low CD4+ T‑cell counts, subject with a discordant immunologic response (patients with less than 350 CD4+ T‑cells per µl of blood after more than two years of treatment) develop a regulatory CD4+ T‑cell (Treg) deficiency. Furthermore, in these patients, the immunodeficiency is accompanied by an increase in the Treg frequency. Accumulation of regulatory T‑cells in the blood of HIV‑infected subjects with discordant response to the treatment indicates a high viability of this T‑cell subset.

An old disease, a new diagnosis; A 49 year-old man with nephrotic syndrome

Background: IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is a systemic immune-mediated disease that typically manifests as fibro-inflammatory masses that can affect nearly any organ system. Case Report: We present here a case of a 49-year old man with forgotten old disease (Mikulicz disease) with membranous nephropathy (MN). Conclusions: This entity is currently included within the spectrum of IgG4-related disease. The development of renal disease shortly after the suspension of rituximab suggests another probable pathway involved. To our knowledge the transforming growth factor may be responsible for existing pattern of fibrosis in this disease. The lack of response or at least partial response to rituximab can be explained by greater involvement of regulatory T lymphocyte in the pathophysiology of this entity.

Age-Dependent Changes in Regulatory T Lymphocyte Development and Function: A Mini-Review

The generation and function of immuno-suppressive regulatory T lymphocytes (Treg), which can differentiate in the thymus (tTreg) or in the periphery (pTreg), are regulated in an age-dependent manner. tTreg are produced at high levels in the first weeks of age, when they expand and colonize secondary lymphoid organs and peripheral tissues to protect the organism from autoimmune diseases and to promote tissue repair. Once this population of Treg is operational in the periphery, at puberty, thymic output of Treg declines, but self-reactive tTreg generated early on in life are maintained over time and play a major role in preserving homeostasis of the immune system. Extra-thymic pTreg differentiation declines later on in life. pTreg generated throughout life mainly protect the organism from chronic inflammation and the semi-allogeneic fetus from rejection. In this review, age-dependent modulation of the production and function of these two populations of Treg is described.