Diagnosis, Differential ; Humans ; Killer Cells, Natural ; pathology ; Leukemia, Lymphoid ; diagnosis ; pathology

OBJECTIVETo report a case of blastic natural killer cell leukemia with an aggressive clinical course.

METHODSThe characteristics of blastic NK cell leukemia and its treatment were discussed with review of literatures.

RESULTSAfter combination chemotherapy and spinal cord segmental radiotherapy, the patient entered hematological remission, but the extramedullary lesion remained unchanged.

CONCLUSIONBlastic NK cell leukemia has an aggressive clinical course with poor response to treatment and unfavorable prognosis.

Adult ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Humans ; Killer Cells, Natural ; pathology ; Leukemia, Lymphoid ; pathology ; therapy ; Leukemic Infiltration ; Male

A depressed level of natural killer (NK) activity is one of the various immunologic abnormalities in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Interleukin-15 (IL-15), an immunotherapeutic candidate in HIV infection, increases NK activity and induces the excretion of CC-chemokines from divergent immune cells, but the mechanisms of NK activity enhancement by IL-15 stimulation is not clearly established in HIV infection. This study examined whether CC-chemokines, which are known to increase NK activity, are secreted adequately in HIV-infected individuals, and also investigated whether P-glycoprotein is involved in NK activity enhancement after IL-15 administration. NK activity increased with IL-15 stimulation in NK cells of HIV-infected individuals, as it does in normal NK cells. IL-15 stimulates NK cells to secrete CC-chemokines, such as, macrophage inflammatory protein-1alpha (MIP-1alpha), macrophage chemotactic protein-1alpha (MCP-1alpha) and regulated upon activation, normal T cells expressed and secreted (RANTES) in both HIV-infected individuals and controls with no significant difference. P-glycoprotein expression and function is decreased in HIV-infected individuals and restored only in NK cells of HIV-infected individuals after IL-15 stimulation. P-glycoprotein may play a role in the mechanism of increased NK cell activity in HIV-infected individuals after IL-15 stimulation.
HIV Infections/physiopathology* ; HIV Infections/pathology ; Human ; Interleukin-15/pharmacology* ; Killer Cells, Natural/physiology* ; Killer Cells, Natural/drug effects* ; P-Glycoprotein/physiology* ; Recombinant Proteins/pharmacology

The activity of the NK cells in patients with preeclampsia was studied to investigate the pathogenesis of preeclampsia. By using MTT and 51Cr releasing technique, the proliferation and killing ability of the NK cells in maternal and umbilical blood from preeclampsia patients (n = 18) and normal third trimester pregnant women (n = 18) were detected. The NK-92 cell line was as the positive control. The results showed that the NK cell counts of umbilical blood in preeclampsia patients and normal third trimester pregnant women were significantly greater than those of maternal blood (both P<0.05). Compared with that in normal third trimester pregnant women, the proliferative ability of the NK cells in preeclampsia patients was apparently increased (P<0.05). Compared with that in maternal blood, the proliferative ability of the NK cells in umbilical blood from both preeclampsia patients and normal third trimester pregnant women was dramatically increased. The killing ability of the NK cells in preeclampsia patients was significantly higher than that in normal third trimester pregnant women (P <0.05). It was suggested that both number and function of the NK cells in preeclampsia women were increased, and that in umbilical blood was greater than that in maternal blood, speculating that the function of the NK cells may affect the maintenance of the maternal and fetal immune tolerance during pregnancy.
Cytotoxicity, Immunologic/*immunology ; Fetal Blood/cytology ; Immune Tolerance ; Killer Cells, Natural/*immunology ; Killer Cells, Natural/pathology ; Pre-Eclampsia/blood ; Pre-Eclampsia/*immunology ; Pregnancy Trimester, Third

Natural killer cells (NKs) have a great potential for cancer immunotherapy because they can rapidly and directly kill transformed cells in the absence of antigen presensitization. Various cellular sources, including peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), stem cells, and NK cell lines, have been used for producing NK cells. In particular, NK cells that expanded from allogeneic PBMCs exhibit better efficacy than those that did not. However, considering the safety, activities, and reliability of the cell products, researchers must develop an optimal protocol for producing NK cells from PBMCs in the manufacture setting and clinical therapeutic regimen. In this review, the challenges on NK cell-based therapeutic approaches and clinical outcomes are discussed.
Humans ; Immunotherapy ; methods ; Killer Cells, Natural ; immunology ; Neoplasms ; pathology ; therapy ; Treatment Outcome

Natural killer T cells are innate-like and tissue-resident lymphocytes, which recognize lipid antigens and are enriched in the liver. Natural killer T cells play important roles in infections, tumors, autoimmune diseases, and metabolic diseases. In this study, we summarize recent findings on biology of natural killer T cells and their roles in hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus infection, autoimmune liver diseases, alcoholic liver disease, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Controversial results from previous studies are discussed, and indicate the dynamic alteration in the role of natural killer T cells during the progression of liver diseases, which might be caused by changes in natural killer T subsets, factors skewing cytokine responses, and intercellular crosstalk between natural killer T cells and CD1d-expressing cells or bystander cells.
Animals ; Autoimmune Diseases ; immunology ; Humans ; Liver ; pathology ; Liver Diseases ; immunology ; Natural Killer T-Cells ; immunology

Apoptosis ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Humans ; Immunophenotyping ; Killer Cells, Natural ; immunology ; Lymphoma, T-Cell ; immunology ; pathology ; Nose Neoplasms ; immunology ; pathology

Objective: To investigate the clinicopathologic features of primary adrenal NK/T cell lymphoma (PANKL). Methods: Six cases of PANKL were collected at Henan Provincial People's Hospital from January 2000 to December 2021. The clinicopathologic features including morphology, immunophenotype, treatment and prognosis were retrospectively analyzed, and relevant literature was reviewed. Results: There were two males and four females. The median age was 63 years (ranged from 57 to 68 years). The tumors involved bilateral adrenal glands in 4 cases and unilateral adrenal gland in 2 cases. The main clinical symptom was low back pain without obvious cause. Serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) is elevated in five cases. The imaging feature was rapidly enlarging mass initially confined to unilateral/bilateral adrenal glands. Morphologically, the lymphoid cells were mainly medium-sized with a diffuse growth pattern. Coagulative necrosis and nuclear fragmentation were common. Angioinvasion was seen. Immunophenotypically, the neoplastic cells were positive for CD3, CD56 and TIA-1 while CD5 was negative in 5 cases. All cases were positive for EBER by in situ hybridization with more than 80% proliferative activity by Ki-67. Four cases received chemotherapy, one case underwent surgery, and one case underwent surgery with chemotherapy. Follow-up was done in 5 cases; one case was lost to follow-up. Three patients died with a median survival of 11.6 months (3-42 months). Conclusions: PANKL is rare with highly aggressive clinical presentation and poor prognosis. Accurate diagnosis entails correlation of histomorphology, immunohistochemistry, EBER in situ hybridization and clinical history.
Male ; Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Lymphoma, T-Cell, Peripheral/pathology* ; Killer Cells, Natural/pathology* ; Prognosis ; Immunophenotyping

This study was aimed to investigate the proliferation activities and phenotype changes of DC, CIK and DC-CIK, and their cytotoxicity against hepatocarcinoma cells in co-culture of DC with CIK. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMNC) were isolated from healthy adult donors. After incubation of PBMNC for 2 hours, DCs were induced from adherent cells by some cytokines and CIKs were generated from non-adherent cells. Mature DCs were harvested after incubation for 9 days, and then were co-cultured with CIK at ratio of 1:5 for 3 days. The cytotoxicity activity against SMMC-7721 hepatocellular carcinoma cell line was detected by MTT assay. The results showed that CIK cells were able to lyse SMMC-7721 hepatocellular carcinoma cells at low ratios of effector to target. This effect was significantly enhanced by co-culture with DCs. It is concluded that CIK cells have high lytic activity against 7721 hepatocellular carcinoma cell line, which can be enhanced by co-culture with DC. DC-CIK cells are highly effective immune cells.
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; immunology ; pathology ; Cells, Cultured ; Coculture Techniques ; Cytotoxicity, Immunologic ; Dendritic Cells ; cytology ; immunology ; Humans ; Killer Cells, Lymphokine-Activated ; cytology ; immunology ; Liver Neoplasms ; immunology ; pathology

Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is recognized as a multifactorial cell-specific autoimmune disorder, and its pathogenesis is still not very clear. Traditional concept suggests that the platelet destruction mediated by autoantibodies is the pathophysiology mechanism of ITP, while many studies in recent years have shown that the abnormities of T lymphocyte, dendritic cell (DC), natural killer cell (NK), cytokine, programmed cell death (PCD), oxidative stress (OS), infection, pregnancy and drugs etc play an important role in the pathogenesis of ITP. Since the study of ITP has made a series of important achievements in recent years, this review focuses on the latest advance of studies on pathogenesis of ITP.
Apoptosis ; Autoantibodies ; blood ; Cytokines ; blood ; Dendritic Cells ; pathology ; Humans ; Killer Cells, Natural ; pathology ; Oxidative Stress ; Purpura, Thrombocytopenic, Idiopathic ; physiopathology ; T-Lymphocytes ; pathology