Adv Exp Med Biol
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The aim of this study was to investigate lung function in patients with gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD) who present respiratory symptoms suggestive of the possibility of co-morbid asthma. The study encompassed 20 patients (9 women and 11 men; age range from 11 to 68 years) diagnosed with GERD and presenting with chronic cough and other non-specific periodic respiratory complaints. The control group consisted of closely gender and age-matched 20 subjects without any gastrointestinal or respiratory symptoms. ⋯ There were, however, decreases in forced expired volume in 1 s, forced vital capacity, and in maximal instantaneous forced expiratory flows in the GERD patients compared with the healthy subjects. We conclude that cough accompanying GERD is unlikely to be associated with the presence of co-morbid asthma, but rather suggests a mild airway inflammation developing as a sequel of GERD. The corollary is that chronic cough should prompt physician's attention to consider diagnostic work-up toward the possibility of GERD.
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Glioblasotmas are the most common primary central nervous system tumor and typically have a dismal prognosis. Immunotherapy has been a promising experimental treatment. Understanding brain tumor immunobiology is critical to designing glioblasotma immunotherapies. ⋯ The antigenic underpinnings of brain tumor immunotherapy including glioma-associated and glioma-specific antigens are discussed. Finally, the molecular and cellular facets of glioma-mediated immunosuppression are outlined. The role of multiple cell types (glioma cells, glioma-infiltrating monocytes, regulatory T cells and myeloid derived suppressor cells) in mediating local and systemic immunosuppression in glioma patients is evaluated.
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Immunological effector cells and molecules have been shown to access intracranial tumor sites despite the existence of blood brain barrier (BBB) or immunosuppressive mechanisms associated with brain tumors. Recent progress in T-cell biology and tumor immunology made possible to develop strategies of tumor-associated antigen-specific immunotherapeutic approaches such as vaccination with defined antigens and adoptive T-cell therapy with antigen-specific T cells including gene-modified T cells for the treatment of patients with brain tumors. ⋯ Nevertheless, treatment with lymphocytes that are engineered to express tumor-specific receptor genes is a promising immunotherapy against glioma, based on the significant efficacy reported in the trials for patients with other types of malignancy. Overcoming the relative difficulty to apply immunotherapeutic approach to intracranial region, current advances in the understanding of human tumor immunology and the gene-therapy methodology will address the development of effective immunotherapy of brain tumors.