Articles: disease.
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Pol. Arch. Med. Wewn. · Feb 2025
Increased turnover of non-malignant T lymphocytes in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia may affect clinical progression.
A unique feature of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is the increased number of circulating T cells preventing malignant B cells from undergoing apoptosis. Dysregulated expression of p27Kip1 and cyclin D2 (G1 phase regulators controlling lymphocyte survival) was examined in leukemic B cells but not non-malignant T cells. ⋯ CLL progression is associated with increased T-cell turnover triggered by dysregulated expression of G1 regulators, suggesting the involvement of the non-malignant T-cell compartment in disease pathogenesis and clinical outcomes.
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For decades after the identification of mpox in humans in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in 1970, the disease was largely confined to the rural areas of Central and West Africa and thus did not garner broad attention. On August 13, 2024, mpox was declared a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security (PHECS) by the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), a notice that was followed the next day by a declaration of a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) by the World Health Organization. ⋯ The high mpox disease burden in Africa, especially in the DRC - with a rising number of cases, high case fatality rate, and high degree of spread to other previously mpox-free African countries - is cause for increased international concern. Case detection, contact tracing, public health measures, and affordable vaccines are needed to implement interventions in the DRC to reduce the risk of global spread of the virus.
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Vaccine-induced immune thrombocytopenia and thrombosis (VITT) is associated with antibodies that target platelet factor 4 (PF4) and are heparin-independent. VITT antibodies are implicated in acute, transient prothrombotic disorders that are triggered by adenoviral vector vaccines against coronavirus disease 2019 or by adenovirus infection. ⋯ The antibody clonotype profiles and binding epitopes on PF4 were different from those observed with the acute disorders occurring after vaccination or viral infection, features that reflect distinct immunopathogenesis. Treatment strategies besides anticoagulation alone are needed for the chronic disorders, referred to as VITT-like monoclonal gammopathy of thrombotic significance. (Funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and others.).
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Hemochromatosis is an inheritable condition that mainly affects White populations of European descent. Most patients remain asymptomatic, but others develop advanced organ damage that reduces quality of life and long-term survival. ⋯ Primary care and hospital medicine physicians play an essential role in early identification of this disease, which can be accomplished via standard hematologic testing. Early diagnosis and therapeutic phlebotomy improve clinical outcomes.