Article
Cell Biology
Gianluca Bagnato, Antonio Giovanni Versace, Daniela La Rosa, Alberta De Gaetano, Egidio Imbalzano, Marianna Chiappalone, Carmelo Ioppolo, William Neal Roberts, Alessandra Bitto, Natasha Irrera, Alessandro Allegra, Giovanni Pioggia, Sebastiano Gangemi
Summary: Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation has shown improved outcomes in the treatment of severe systemic sclerosis, but there are still challenges such as accurate patient selection and pre-transplant analysis.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Wahid Boukouaci, Pauline Lansiaux, Nathalie C. Lambert, Christophe Picard, Emmanuel Clave, Audrey Cras, Zora Marjanovic, Dominique Farge, Ryad Tamouza
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the clinical response of patients with Systemic Sclerosis (SSc) after autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT) and the molecules HLA-E and HLA-G. The study found a correlation between high expression of HLA-E and HLA-G molecules and better clinical response, as well as a correlation between high imputed expression levels of HLA-C alleles and lower disease severity. Further research is needed in larger patient cohorts.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Michael Gernert, Hans-Peter Tony, Matthias Froehlich, Eva Christina Schwaneck, Marc Schmalzing
Summary: This study investigated the use of immunosuppressive medication (IS) after autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (aHSCT) in systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients. The results showed that approximately 60% of SSc patients required IS after aHSCT for disease control. Rituximab was found to be an effective treatment option. Long-term data suggested that aHSCT is safe.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biology
Mariona Baliu-Pique, Vera van Hoeven, Julia Drylewicz, Lotte E. van der Wagen, Anke Janssen, Sigrid A. Otto, Menno C. van Zelm, Rob J. de Boer, Jurgen Kuball, Jose A. M. Borghans, Kiki Tesselaar
Summary: The study found that in patients after autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (autoHSCT), the production rates of most T- and B-cell subsets increased significantly, but accompanied by an increase in cell loss rates, which persisted even after cell numbers normalized.
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Paul Gressenberger, Philipp Jud, Gabor Kovacs, Sonja Kreuzer, Hans-Peter Brezinsek, Katharina Guetl, Viktoria Muster, Ewald Kolesnik, Albrecht Schmidt, Balazs Odler, Gabriel Adelsmayr, Peter Neumeister, Luka Brcic, Sabine Zenz, Kurt Weber, Thomas Gary, Marianne Brodmann, Winfried B. Graninger, Florentine C. Moazedi-Fuerst
Summary: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a difficult-to-treat autoimmune disease characterized by vascular damage and organ fibrosis. Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT) may be considered for high-risk SSc patients, but the need for additional immunosuppressive therapies such as rituximab (RTX) post-AHSCT remains unclear. This report highlights the potential efficacy of RTX in SSc patients who do not respond well to AHSCT, with improved clinical symptoms and organ functions observed after RTX treatment.
JOURNAL OF PERSONALIZED MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Bo Broens, Conny J. van der Laken, Gerben J. C. Zwezerijnen, Esther J. Nossent, Lilian J. Meijboom, Julia Spierings, Jeska K. de Vries-Bouwstra, Jacob M. van Laar, Alexandre E. Voskuyl
Summary: Positron emission tomography (PET) is a promising technique for evaluating systemic sclerosis associated interstitial lung disease (SSc-ILD), particularly in severe diffuse cutaneous SSc (dcSSc) patients eligible for autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (aHSCT). This article discusses the potential benefits of using PET in early severe dcSSc and ILD patients in the context of aHSCT, as well as the potential value of other PET tracers in ILD assessment and understanding the mechanisms of aHSCT in the lung.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Cell Biology
Daniel Levin, Mohammed S. Osman, Caylib Durand, Hyein Kim, Iman Hemmati, Kareem Jamani, Jonathan G. Howlett, Kerri A. Johannson, Jason Weatherald, Matthew Woo, Jason Lee, Jan Storek
Summary: Systemic sclerosis is a complex connective tissue disease with limited efficacy from conventional therapies. Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation shows promise but comes with associated risks. Patient selection, efficacy, and toxicity are vital considerations for treatment.
Article
Rheumatology
Julia Z. Adamska, Amin Zia, Michelle S. Bloom, Leslie J. Crofford, Daniel E. Furst, Ellen Goldmuntz, Lynette Keyes-Elstein, Maureen D. Mayes, Peter McSweeney, Richard A. Nash, Ashley Pinckney, Beverly Welch, Zelda Z. Love, Keith M. Sullivan, William Robinson
Summary: Myeloablative autologous HSCT resets the IGH repertoire to a more naive state characterized by increased IgM isotype antibodies, providing a possible mechanism for the superior treatment effect of HSCT over CYC in dcSSc.
ANNALS OF THE RHEUMATIC DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Rheumatology
Joao R. Lima-Junior, Lucas C. M. Arruda, Maynara S. Goncalves, Juliana B. E. Dias, Daniela A. Moraes, Dimas T. Covas, Belinda P. Simoes, Maria Carolina Oliveira, Kelen C. R. Malmegrim
Summary: The study evaluated the reconstitution of different B cell subsets in SSc patients treated with AHSCT, finding that naive B cell frequencies increased while memory B cell frequencies decreased post-treatment. Some suppressive B cell functions were also observed to recover after AHSCT.
Article
Rheumatology
Matthew M. K. Woo, Daniel Levin, Dorothy Y. Li, Joel David, Michelle Buresi, Milli Gupta, Yasmin Nasser, Christopher N. Andrews, Caylib Durand, Mohammed S. Osman, Kareem Jamani, Jason Weatherald, Kerri A. Johannson, Jonathan G. Howlett, Iman Hemmati, Hyein Kim, Michael Curley, Jan Storek
Summary: This study shows that autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) has no measurable beneficial effect on esophageal motility in patients with unmeasurable peristalsis. However, in patients with measurable peristalsis, HCT appears to stabilize and partially normalize motility, unless relapse occurs.
CLINICAL RHEUMATOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Rheumatology
S. T. Panopoulos, M. G. Tektonidou, V-K Bournia, K. Laskari, P. P. Sfikakis
Summary: The study compared the disease outcomes of systemic sclerosis patients undergoing HSCT or conventional treatment, finding that prompt HSCT could significantly improve survival rates.
CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL RHEUMATOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Gopika Punchhi, Rainbow Negus, Hammad Saif, Sharon Pritchard, Olivia Owen, Aman Sehmbi, Caroline Hamm
Summary: Measles outbreaks have raised concerns about fatal infections in immunocompromised patients. A retrospective study found significant differences in measles, mumps, and rubella immunity between autologous and allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients. A large proportion of autologous transplant patients were on contraindicated medications at two years post-transplant.
Article
Neurosciences
Daehwan Kim, Subin Kim, Ashley Sung, Neetika Patel, Nathan Wong, Michael J. Conboy, Irina M. Conboy
Summary: The research demonstrates that the conditioned medium from ALS patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) has significant neuroprotective effects, attenuates various aspects of ALS pathology, improves neuro-muscular health, and delays paralysis and disease progression. Mitochondrial stabilization and downregulation of inflammatory genes may contribute to the neuroprotective mechanism of the iPSC-conditioned medium.
TRANSLATIONAL NEURODEGENERATION
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Iulia Szabo, Laura Muntean, Tania Crisan, Voicu Rednic, Claudia Sirbe, Simona Rednic
Summary: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a rare connective tissue disease with heterogeneous clinical phenotypes characterized by microangiopathy, immune dysfunction, and fibrosis. Epigenetic mechanisms and miRNAs play crucial roles in SSc pathogenesis, offering potential as biomarkers and therapeutic targets.
Article
Clinical Neurology
Monica I. Schlatter, Soumya S. Yandamuri, Kevin C. O'Connor, Richard J. Nowak, Minh C. Pham, Abeer H. Obaid, Callee Redman, Marie Provost, Peter A. Mcsweeney, Michael L. Pearlman, Michael T. Tees, James D. Bowen, Richard A. Nash, George E. Georges
Summary: The safety and response to high-dose chemotherapy (HDIT) and autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) were assessed in a patient with severe refractory myasthenia gravis (MG), and the treatment was found to be effective and well-tolerated.
ANNALS OF CLINICAL AND TRANSLATIONAL NEUROLOGY
(2023)
