Fourier synthesis optical diffraction tomography for kilohertz rate volumetric imaging.

Many biological and soft matter processes occur at high speeds in complex three-dimensional (3D) environments, and developing imaging techniques capable of elucidating their dynamics is an outstanding challenge. Here, we introduce Fourier synthesis optical diffraction tomography (FS-ODT), a quantitative phase imaging approach capable of recording the 3D refractive index at kilohertz rates. FS-ODT introduces computational strategies that multiplex tens of illumination angles in a single tomogram, markedly increasing the volumetric imaging rate.

Immunotherapies Targeting CD123 and CD303: A New Frontier in Treating Blastic Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cell Neoplasm.

Blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN) is a rare and aggressive hematologic malignancy characterized by the overexpression of CD123 and CD303 surface antigens. These molecular markers play a crucial role in diagnosing diseases and developing targeted therapies. Traditional treatment options for BPDCN have demonstrated limited effectiveness, highlighting the need for new and innovative therapeutic strategies.

Spectral scanning and fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) enable separation and characterization of C. elegans autofluorescence in the cuticle and gut.

Caenorhabditis elegans gut and cuticle produce a disruptive amount of autofluorescence during imaging. Although C. elegans autofluorescence has been characterized, it has not been characterized at high resolution using both spectral and fluorescence lifetime-based approaches.

Enhancing Dendritic Cell Cancer Vaccination: The Synergy of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Combined Therapies.

Dendritic cell (DC) cancer vaccines are a promising therapeutic approach, leveraging the immune system to fight tumors. These vaccines utilize DCs' ability to present tumor-associated antigens to T cells, triggering a robust immune response. DC vaccine development has progressed through three generations.

The Dysregulation of the Monocyte-Dendritic Cell Interplay Is Associated with In-Hospital Mortality in COVID-19 Pneumonia.

The monocyte-phagocyte system (MPS), including monocytes/macrophages and dendritic cells (DCs), plays a key role in anti-viral immunity. We aimed to analyze the prognostic value of the MPS components on in-hospital mortality in a cohort of 58 patients (M/F; mean age ± SD years) with COVID-19 pneumonia and 22 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. We measured frequencies and absolute numbers of peripheral blood CD169 monocytes, conventional CD1c and CD141 (namely cDC2 and cDC1), and plasmacytoid CD303 DCs by means of multi-parametric flow cytometry.

Breakthrough in Blastic Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cell Neoplasm Cancer Therapy Owing to Precision Targeting of CD123.

Blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN) is a rare and aggressive hematologic cancer originating from the malignant transformation of plasmacytoid dendritic cell precursors. This malignancy progresses rapidly, with frequent relapses and a poor overall survival rate, underscoring the urgent need for effective treatments. However, diagnosing and treating BPDCN have historically been challenging due to its rarity and the lack of standardized approaches.

Potential clinical implications of CD4CD26 T cells for nivolumab treated melanoma patients.

Background: Nivolumab is an anti-PD1 antibody that has dramatically improved metastatic melanoma patients' outcomes. Nevertheless, many patients are resistant to PD-1 inhibition, occasionally experiencing severe off-target immune toxicity. In addition, no robust and reproducible biomarkers have yet been validated to identify the correct selection of patients who will benefit from anti-PD-1 treatment avoiding unwanted side effects.

Dendritic Cell and Cancer Therapy.

Dendritic cells (DCs) are acknowledged as the most potent professional antigen-presenting cells (APCs), able to induce adaptive immunity and support the innate immune response [...

Nivolumab serum concentration in metastatic melanoma patients could be related to outcome and enhanced immune activity: a gene profiling retrospective analysis.

Background: Nivolumab is an anti-PD-1 antibody approved for treating metastatic melanoma (MM), for which still limited evidence is available on the correlation between drug exposure and patient outcomes.

Methods: In this observational retrospective study, we assessed whether nivolumab concentration is associated with treatment response in 88 patients with MM and if the patient's genetic profile plays a role in this association.

Results: We observed a statistically significant correlation between nivolumab serum concentration and clinical outcomes, measured as overall and progression-free survival.

Liquid Biopsy Is a Promising Tool for Genetic Testing in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis.

Liquid biopsy, which allows the isolation of circulating cell-free (ccf) DNA from blood, is an emerging noninvasive tool widely used in oncology for diagnostic and prognosis purposes. Previous data have shown that serum cfDNA discriminates idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) from other interstitial lung diseases. Our study aimed to measure plasma levels of ccfDNA in 59 consecutive therapy-naive and clinically stable IPF patients.

A bird's eye view on the role of dendritic cells in SARS-CoV-2 infection: Perspectives for immune-based vaccines.

Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) is a complex disorder caused by the pandemic diffusion of a novel coronavirus named SARS-CoV-2. Clinical manifestations vary from silent infection to severe pneumonia, disseminated thrombosis, multi-organ failure, and death. COVID-19 pathogenesis is still not fully elucidated, while increasing evidence suggests that disease phenotypes are strongly related to the virus-induced immune system's dysregulation.

Disruption of a ∼23-24 nucleotide small RNA pathway elevates DNA damage responses in .

Endogenous RNA interference (RNAi) pathways regulate a wide range of cellular processes in diverse eukaryotes, yet in the ciliated eukaryote, , the cellular purpose of RNAi pathways that generate ∼23-24 nucleotide (nt) small (s)RNAs has remained unknown. Here, we investigated the phenotypic and gene expression impacts on vegetatively growing cells when genes involved in ∼23-24 nt sRNA biogenesis are disrupted. We observed slower proliferation and increased expression of genes involved in DNA metabolism and chromosome organization and maintenance in sRNA biogenesis mutants Δ, Δ, and Δ.

Dendritic Cells Are the Intriguing Players in the Puzzle of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Pathogenesis.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is the most devastating progressive interstitial lung disease that remains refractory to treatment. Pathogenesis of IPF relies on the aberrant cross-talk between injured alveolar cells and myofibroblasts, which ultimately leads to an aberrant fibrous reaction. The contribution of the immune system to IPF remains not fully explored.

The subtle interplay between gamma delta T lymphocytes and dendritic cells: is there a role for a therapeutic cancer vaccine in the era of combinatorial strategies?

Human gamma delta (γδ) T cells represent heterogeneous subsets of unconventional lymphocytes with an HLA-unrestricted target cell recognition. γδ T cells display adaptive clonally restricted specificities coupled to a powerful cytotoxic function against transformed/injured cells. Dendritic cells (DCs) are documented to be the most potent professional antigen-presenting cells (APCs) able to induce adaptive immunity and support the innate immune response independently from T cells.

Circulating dendritic cells are severely decreased in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis with a potential value for prognosis prediction.

Dendritic cells (DCs) accumulate in the lung of patients affected by idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). We measured the frequencies of circulating conventional CD1c + and CD141+ cells (namely, cDC2 and cDC1) and of plasmacytoid CD303+ DCs in a cohort of 60 therapy naive IPF patients by flow cytometry. Peripheral levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and of pro-inflammatory and Th1/Th2 polarizing cytokines were also analyzed.

Frequency of circulating CD8+CD73+T cells is associated with survival in nivolumab-treated melanoma patients.

Background: PD-1 blocking agents, such as nivolumab, have demonstrated clear anti-tumor effects and clinical benefits in a subset of patients with advanced malignancies. Nonetheless, more efforts are needed to identify reliable biomarkers for outcome, to correctly select patients who will benefit from anti-PD-1 treatment. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of peripheral CD8+T cells expressing CD73, involved in the generation of the immune suppressive molecule adenosine, in predicting outcome after nivolumab treatment in advanced melanoma patients.

Severe depletion of peripheral blood dendritic cell subsets in obstructive sleep apnea patients: A new link with cancer?

Recent evidence suggests that alterations of the immune responses are associated with the inflammatory nature of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and of its related co-morbidities. In this scenario, we asked whether circulating dendritic cell (DC) subsets may be possible players as their role has not yet been detailed. The frequency distribution of peripheral blood myeloid (mDC1 and mDC2) and plasmacytoid (p) DCs was investigated by mean of multi-parametric flow cytometry in 45 OSA patients (mean age: 53 yrs; M = 29) at the time of the first diagnosis and compared to 30 age- and sex-matched healthy controls.

Circulating dendritic cells deficiencies as a new biomarker in classical Hodgkin lymphoma.

No robust biomarkers have been yet validated to identify the recurrence of disease in classical Hodgkin Lymphoma (cHL) patients upon induction treatment. The relevance of the inflammatory microenvironment in cHL prompted us to investigate the key immunomodulator myeloid dendritic cells type-1 (mDC1), type-2 (mDC2) and plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDC). Blood DC levels were assessed in 52 newly diagnosed patients through multiparametric flow-cytometry.

Empowering dendritic cell cancer vaccination: the role of combinatorial strategies.

Dendritic cells (DCs) are bone marrow-derived immune cells that play a crucial role in inducing the adaptive immunity and supporting the innate immune response independently from T cells. In the last decade, DCs have become a hopeful instrument for cancer vaccines that aims at re-educating the immune system, leading to a potent anti-cancer immune response able to overcome the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). Although several studies have indicated that DC-based vaccines are feasible and safe, the clinical advantages of DC vaccination as monotherapy for most of the neoplasms remain a distant target.

Proteins that control the geometry of microtubules at the ends of cilia.

Cilia, essential motile and sensory organelles, have several compartments: the basal body, transition zone, and the middle and distal axoneme segments. The distal segment accommodates key functions, including cilium assembly and sensory activities. While the middle segment contains doublet microtubules (incomplete B-tubules fused to complete A-tubules), the distal segment contains only A-tubule extensions, and its existence requires coordination of microtubule length at the nanometer scale.

Trisomy 21 Represses Cilia Formation and Function.

Trisomy 21 (T21) is the most prevalent human chromosomal disorder, causing a range of cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, and neurological abnormalities. However, the cellular processes disrupted by T21 are poorly understood. Consistent with the clinical overlap between T21 and ciliopathies, we discovered that T21 disrupts cilia formation and signaling.

Hematologic neoplasms: Dendritic cells vaccines in motion.

Dendritic cells (DCs) are bone-marrow-derived immune cells accounted for a key role in cancer vaccination as potent antigen-presenting cells within the immune system. Cancer microenvironment can modulate DCs maturation resulting in their accumulation into functional states associated with a reduced antitumor immune response. In this regard, a successful cancer vaccine needs to mount a potent antitumor immune response able to overcome the immunosuppressive tumor milieu.

Dendritic cells in hematological malignancies.

Dendritic cells (DCs) are bone-marrow-derived immune cells accounted for a crucial role in initiating and modulating the adaptive immune response and supporting the innate immune response independently from T cells. While functioning as the most effective antigen-presenting cells within the immune system, DCs can otherwise induce tolerance in central and peripheral lymphoid organs acting therefore as suppressors rather than stimulators of the immune response. Within mechanisms regulating antitumor immunity, DCs can capture antigens from viable or damaged tumor cells and present the processed peptides to T-cells to prompt the generation and maintenance of an effective tumor-specific T-cell response.