immunity therapy

In recent years, due to advancements in medical conditions and the development of scientific research, the fundamental research of TCM antitumor treatments has progressed from the cellular level to the molecular and genetic levels. Previous studies have demonstrated the significant role of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in antitumor therapy through various mechanisms and pathways. Its mechanism of action is closely associated with cancer biology across different stages. This includes inhibiting tumor cell proliferation, blocking invasion and metastasis to surrounding tissues, inducing tumor cell apoptosis, inhibiting tumor angiogenesis, regulating immune function, maintaining genome stability, preventing mutation, and regulating cell energy metabolism...

Biological nanoparticles, or bionanoparticles, are small molecules manufactured in living systems with complex production and assembly machinery. The products of the assembly systems can be further engineered to generate functionalities for specific purposes. These bionanoparticles have demonstrated advantages such as immune system evasion, minimal toxicity, biocompatibility, and biological clearance. Hence, bionanoparticles are considered the new paradigm in nanoscience research for fabricating safe and effective nanoformulations for therapeutic purposes...

INTRODUCTION: Regorafenib remains the standard and widely used second-line strategy for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). There is still a lack of large-scale multicenter real-world evidence concerning the concurrent use of regorafenib with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI). This study aims to evaluate whether combining regorafenib with ICI provides greater clinical benefit than regorafenib monotherapy as second-line therapy for advanced HCC under real-world circumstances. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study included 208 patients from five medical facilities...

Despite the exciting promise of cancer immunotherapy in the clinic, immune checkpoint blockade therapy and T cell-based therapies are often associated with low response rates, intrinsic and adaptive immune resistance, and systemic side effects. CRISPR-Cas-based genome editing appears to be an effective strategy to overcome these unmet clinical needs. As a safer delivery platform for the CRISPR-Cas system, non-viral nanoformulations have been recently explored to target tumor cells and immune cells, aiming to improve cancer immunotherapy on a gene level...

The term "inflammatory bowel disease," which includes Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), refers to a chronic inflammatory condition of the digestive system. There are many different treatment options, such as corticosteroids, biologics, 5-aminosalicylate, and immune-suppressants, but none of them can maintain the disease remission for a longer period, which is the ultimate goal of treatment. Furthermore, they have numerous serious side effects like nephrotoxicity, infertility, congestive heart failure, myopathy, etc...

The multifaceted biological defense system modulating complex immune responses against pathogens and foreign materials plays a critical role in tissue homeostasis and disease progression. Recently developed biomaterials that could specifically regulate immune responses, nanoparticles, graphene, and functional hydrogels have contributed to the advancement of tissue engineering as well as disease treatment. The interaction between innate and adaptive immunity, collectively determining immune responses, can be regulated by mechanobiological recognition and adaptation of immune cells to the extracellular microenvironment...

Pulmonary sarcomatoid carcinoma (PSC), a rare subtype of non-small cell lung cancer, is highly malignant and has a poor prognosis. Treatments for PSC are presently limited. Traditional treatments provide fewer benefits to PSC patients and are associated with early recurrence and metastasis. Surgical intervention is the preferred option for early-stage PSC patients, whereas chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy, and other targeted therapies are recommended for advanced PSC patients. Targeted therapy is only effective in a small number of PSC patients...

Patients with pituitary neuroendocrine tumors (PitNETs) often experience neuropsychiatric disorders due to factors such as hormonal imbalances, and inadequate management of medications, surgeries, and radiation therapies. Commonly observed disorders include depression, anxiety, and cognitive dysfunction, which significantly impact patients' quality of life and prognosis. PitNETs have a significant presence of immune cells within the tumor microenvironment (TME), predominantly macrophages and T lymphocytes. These immune cells secrete a variety of cytokines, growth factors, and chemokines, which regulate the biological behaviors of PitNETs, including tumor initiation, proliferation, migration, invasion, and angiogenesis...

BACKGROUND: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, systemic, polyarticular autoimmune inflammatory disease that destroys the capsule and synovial lining of joints. Antirheumatic treatment reduces disease activity and inflammation, but not all patients respond to treatment. Naturopathy, a research-based complementary and alternative medicine, may be useful in these patients, but there is little data on the effect of Naturopathy interventions on inflammation and disease activity in RA...

The field of immunotherapy, particularly immune checkpoint blockade (ICB), holds immense potential in mitigating the progression of cancer. However, the challenges of insufficient tumor antigen production and the immunosuppressive state in the tumor microenvironment substantially impede patients from deriving benefits. In this research, we present a tumor-microenvironment-modulation manganese-based nanosystem, PEG-MnMOF@PTX, aiming to improve the responsiveness of ICB. Under acidic conditions, the released Mn2+ accomplishes multiple objectives...

BACKGROUND: Although there is no specific therapy for COVID-19, it is recommended that patients with severe SARS-CoV-2 infection are treated with corticosteroids and anti-IL-6 receptor monoclonal antibodies. Both COVID-19 itself and the treatment modalities mentioned above have suppressive effects on the immune system which may lead to an increased susceptibility to other infections. In patients with latent tuberculosis (TB) reactivation of TB infection after recovery from severe COVID-19 has been described...

CASE DESCRIPTION: We describe a case of a patient treated with pembrolizumab (an immune checkpoint inhibitor) for metastatic scalp melanoma. He had a previous history of colorectal cancer, prostatic cancer and chronic polymyalgia rheumatica. The patient was known to have a stable ascending aortic aneurysm of 4.5 cm. However, he developed a rapid expansion of the ascending aortic aneurysm with the size crossing the threshold for surgery. The patient was referred to the cardiothoracic surgery service for intervention and he subsequently underwent surgery...

BACKGROUND: Autoimmune diseases are not contraindications for immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) therapy in patients with cancer. However, immune-related adverse events (irAEs) are frequently observed in patients receiving ICIs including dermatitis, thyroiditis, colitis, and pneumonitis. Thrombocytopenic purpura, aplasia, and haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) are rarely observed during ICIs. CASE DESCRIPTION: We report the case of a male patient with pre-existing untreated HLA B27 and ankylosing spondylitis with gastric cancer and liver metastases...

This study aims to explore the influence of coinfection with HCV and HIV on hepatic fibrosis. A coculture system was set up to actively replicate both viruses, incorporating CD4 T lymphocytes (Jurkat), hepatic stellate cells (LX-2), and hepatocytes (Huh7.5). LX-2 cells' susceptibility to HIV infection was assessed through measurements of HIV receptor expression, exposure to cell-free virus, and cell-to-cell contact with HIV-infected Jurkat cells. The study evaluated profibrotic parameters, including programed cell death, ROS imbalance, cytokines (IL-6, TGF- β , and TNF- α ), and extracellular matrix components (collagen, α -SMA, and MMP-9)...

BACKGROUND: Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is a common and aggressive renal cancer with high mortality when metastasized. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are pivotal in ccRCC evolution; however, their significance in forecasting prognosis and guiding therapy is undetermined. METHOD: We used Weighted Correlation Network Analysis to identify modules correlated with CAFs in bulk RNA-seq data. We also screened fibroblast marker genes in single-cell RNA-seq data and upregulated genes in TCGA tumor samples and defined genes identified in all three analyses as CAFs-related genes (CRGs)...

This case describes the benefits of perioperative chemo-immunotherapy for advanced gastric cancer and incomplete pyloric obstruction, supplemented with nutritional support. Early parenteral nutrition to stabilize nutritional status and mitigate nutrition impact symptoms, and in addition, throughout the chemo-immunotherapy perioperative period also maintained oral nutrition support and a tailored dietary plan. Above nutritional support maintained the patient's physical condition during immunotherapy. Eventually, this combination therapy plan leads to a partial response...

INTRODUCTION: Pompe disease, a lysosomal storage disorder, is characterized by acid α-glucosidase (GAA) deficiency and categorized into two main subtypes: infantile-onset Pompe disease (IOPD) and late-onset Pompe disease (LOPD). The primary treatment, enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) with recombinant human GAA (rhGAA), faces challenges due to immunogenic responses, including the production of anti-drug antibody (ADA), which can diminish therapeutic efficacy. This study aims to assess the effectiveness of immune tolerance induction (ITI) therapy in cross-reactive immunologic material (CRIM)-positive Pompe disease patients with established high ADA levels...

BACKGROUND: Mortalin/GRP75 is a ubiquitous mitochondrial chaperone related to the cytosolic heat shock protein 70. It protects cells from various types of damages and from senescence. Our goal was to determine whether COVID-19 patients have circulating mortalin in their blood and to assess its prognostic value in anticipating disease severity. METHODS: Mortalin was determined by ELISA in the sera of 83 COVID-19 patients enrolled in the study. Patients were categorized into 4 groups: critical patients who died (FATAL) or required intensive care and survived (ICU), patients of mild severity (hospitalized but not critical) who required nasal oxygen support (HOSP+O2 ), and patients who did not need oxygen therapy (HOSP)...

Cancer is a very aggressive disease and one of mankind's most important health problems, causing numerous deaths each year. Its etiology is complex, including genetic, gender-related, infectious diseases, dysbiosis, immunological imbalances, lifestyle, including dietary factors, pollution etc. Cancer patients also become immunosuppressed, frequently as side effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and prone to infections, which further promote the proliferation of tumor cells. In recent decades, the role and importance of the microbiota in cancer has become a hot spot in human biology research, bringing together oncology and human microbiology...

Malignancies represent a persisting worldwide health burden. Tumor treatment is commonly based on surgical and/or non-surgical therapies. In the recent decade, novel non-surgical treatment strategies involving monoclonal antibodies (mAB) and immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) have been successfully incorporated into standard treatment algorithms. Such emerging therapy concepts have demonstrated improved complete remission rates and prolonged progression-free survival compared to conventional chemotherapies...