A M Dickinson

..Future directions - including the role of pharmacogenomics, use of the research results for individualized medicine, and interpretation of data - will also be discussed...

..This review will summarise the latest research concerning this area of predicting HSCT outcome and indicate the potential clinical use of the results...

..Non-HLA gene polymorphisms have been shown to influence outcome after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Results were derived from heterogeneous, small populations and their value remains a matter of debate...

..The clinical relevance and interpretation of non-HLA genetics, and how these could be used alongside clinical risk factors in HSCT, are also discussed...

..By the comparative use of an in vitro human skin explant model, initial results suggest that certain cytokine gene polymorphisms may be associated with more severe disease...

..The potential of these non-HLA genetics to aid in predicting GVHD and post-transplant survival and the relevance of this information to the clinic are reviewed...

..This review summarises some of the studies and relates the results to their potential for improving HSCT outcome by predicting transplant-related mortality and GvHD...

..This review gives an overall perspective of the current field of non-HLA genetics with regard to HSCT outcome, clinical relevance and potential application of the results to clinical management of HSCT...

..Analysis of VDR genotype in prospective BMT donors may identify individuals who have greater transplant-related mortality, and also allow appropriately restricted use of increased immunosuppressive prophylaxis...

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..Assessment of cytokine genotype may potentially allow more accurate prediction of GVHD and appropriate adjustment of GVHD prophylaxis, as well as indicating novel areas for future studies of GVHD pathogenesis...

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..By the comparative use of an in vitro human skin explant model, initial results suggest that certain polymorphisms may be associated with more severe disease...

..Their proposed role in peptide binding and antigen presentation could suggest a potential role in the alloreactive process that leads to graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) after bone marrow transplantation...

..The differences observed with some B-CLL cases in the production of TNF alpha, IL4 and IL10 by peripheral blood T-cells may suggest survival mechanisms for the leukaemic cells in these patients...

..49 and r=0.76, respectively). The significant differences observed in the production of IL4 by B-CLL B- and T-lymphocytes may suggest a paracrine function of IL4 in B-CLL...

..Genotypic associations of IL-1 gene family polymorphisms with disease features may reflect characteristics of stressed rather than normal control circuits for cytokine production...

..Responder cells producing high TNF-alpha following allogeneic stimulation appeared to be less sensitive to IL-10 modulation of GvHR...

..The model has also the potential to aid the development of novel prophylaxis and treatment for GVHD...

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..The present study compared colony formation and endothelial cell differentiation of these two cell types from umbilical cord blood (UCB)...

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..It is also unknown whether Treg modulation of GVH histopathologic damage relies on their presence during effector T-cell priming, or whether allogeneic Treg are safe to use clinically...

..However, quantification of CD38 is superior to the percentage positivity and should be used clinically in conjunction with other variables of predictive value to identify B-CLL patients that are likely to progress...

..The meeting was introduced and chaired by Professor Anne Dickinson, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK...

..At 100 d, all transplants achieve at least 90% LC donor chimerism and over half achieve 100%. Complete donor chimerism is associated with prior acute cutaneous GVHD, suggesting a role for allogeneic T cells in promoting LC engraftment...

..In conclusion, there is reduced intracellular IL2, TNFalpha and IFNgamma and increased cytoplasmic IL4 production by activated PB T-cells in patients with HL. The CD3+CD8+ sub-population is responsible for the increased levels of IL4...

..These results highlight the potential of new therapeutic antibodies active against tissue DC to control graft-versus-host reactions...

..Both loci could therefore function as independent disease association markers. The polymorphisms of the IL-1alpha gene could be used to predict chronic GVHD in HLA-matched sibling transplants alongside clinical risk factors...

..Further studies in a larger cohort of patients, using other methods to detect apoptosis in conjunction with the TUNEL assay, may give additional insight into the complex immunopathophysiology of GVHD...

..These results provide the first in situ dissection of GvH effects by mHag-specific CTLs and show that ubiquitously expressed mHags are the prime targets of GvH disease...

..Our results showed that UCB contained MSCs which are only resident in the CD34(-) fraction. The MSCs could be induced to differentiate into at least three lineage cell types, adipocytes, osteoblasts and chondrocytes...

..It has been suggested that dendritic cells (DCs) are more resistant to ECP-induced apoptosis and might be directly modulated by ECP. We tested this hypothesis using in vitro Psoralen/UVA (PUVA) treatment as an in vitro model of ECP...

..These results suggest that immunosuppression is a general property of stromal cells and that dermal Fb may provide an alternative and accessible source of cellular therapy...

..These results demonstrate that GLA induces apoptosis in B-CLL B- and T-cells cells in vitro and that they are more susceptible to GLA-induced apoptosis than normal peripheral blood B- and T-cells...

..Human fetal cord blood contains a population of cells that may differentiate toward both an endothelial and a smooth muscle phenotype in culture...

..Assessment for CD31 gene status may be of value in pretransplant assessment of bone marrow transplant recipients and donors for prediction of likely transplant-related complications...

..This novel and simple method may be used for functional selection of unrelated stem cell donors and for the identification of patients who are at risk for acute GvHD grades II-IV...

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..New molecular markers of GVHR might help to further increase the predictive value of the assay...

..Our data further support an interaction between gastrointestinal defense mechanisms, activation of the innate immune system, and specific transplant-related complications...

..2% (P = .04). Multivariate analysis proved recipient but not donor NOD2/CARD15 variants to be a novel independent risk factor for BO development, and NOD2/CARD15 typing may help identify patients at increased risk for BO...

..T cell-depleted haploidentical transplantations are successful if there is no HLA-identical donor. Methods to remove T lymphocytes include addition of anti-CD52 antibodies and CD34(+) HSC selection...

..This suggests that, unlike conventional class I molecules, CD1a does not function as a transplantation antigen and does not require matching in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation...

..We aimed to study the role of DNA methylation as an inducer of HOX gene silencing in leukemia...