Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0024312 (lymphopenia)
 4,859 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Zinc deficiency is a common nutritional problem observed both in human and in animal populations that has profound effects on host defense mechanisms. Using the young adult mouse as a model, it has been demonstrated that a moderate period of suboptimal zinc causes thymic atrophy, lymphopenia, and alterations in the proportions of the various subsets of lymphocytes and mononuclear phagocytes. As a result, antibody-mediated responses to both T cell-dependent and T cell independent antigens are significantly reduced. Cytolytic T cell responses, natural killer (NK) cell activity, and delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) reactions are also depressed. Suboptimal zinc during in utero development of mice causes persistent states of immunodeficiency in the offspring that can even be transferred to subsequent generations. In regard to human immunological consequences of zinc deficiency, patients with the genetic disorder of zinc absorption, acrodermatitis enteropathica, also exhibit atrophic thymuses, lymphopenia, anergic DTH responses, and reduced NK cell activity. Patients suffering from sickle cell anemia or uremia with associated deficiencies in zinc exhibit similar immune deficiencies. An additional outcome of these studies has been shown to be an essential cofactor for thymulin, one of the thymic hormones. Furthermore, addition of zinc salts to culture can polyclonally activate lymphocytes as well as augment responses to mitogens in adjuvant-like manner.
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PMID:Interrelationships between zinc and immune function. 348 44

The results of more than three decades of work indicate that zinc deficiency rapidly diminishes antibody- and cell-mediated responses in both humans and animals. The moderate deficiencies in zinc noted in sickle cell anemia, renal disease, chronic gastrointestinal disorders and acrodermatitis enteropathica; subjects with human immunodeficiency virus; children with diarrhea; and elderly persons can greatly alter host defense systems, leading to increases in opportunistic infections and mortality rates. Conversely, short periods of zinc supplementation substantially improve immune defense in individuals with these diseases. Mouse models demonstrate that 30 d of suboptimal intake of zinc can lead to 30-80% losses in defense capacity. Collectively, the data clearly demonstrate that immune integrity is tightly linked to zinc status. Lymphopenia and thymic atrophy, which were the early hallmarks of zinc deficiency, are now known to be due to high losses of precursor T and B cells in the bone marrow. This ultimately leads to lymphopenia or a failure to replenish the lymphocytic system. Glucocorticoid-mediated apoptosis induced by zinc deficiency causes down-regulation of lymphopoiesis. Indeed, zinc itself can modulate death processes in precursor lymphocytes. Finally, there is substantial evidence that zinc supplementation may well reduce the impact of many of the aforementioned diseases by preventing the dismantling of the immune system. The latter represents an important area for research.
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PMID:The dynamic link between the integrity of the immune system and zinc status. 1080 51

Patients with sickle cell disease (N = 3) and thalassemia (N = 1) with high-risk features received hematopoietic stem cell transplantations (HCT) to induce stable (full or partial) donor engraftment. Patients were 9-30 years of age. Fludarabine, rabbit anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG), and 200 cGy total body irradiation were administered pre-transplant. Patients received bone marrow (N = 3) or peripheral blood stem cells (N = 1) from HLA-identical siblings, followed by mycophenolate mofetil and cyclosporine for post-grafting immunosuppression. Significant lymphopenia, but only moderate neutropenia and thrombocytopenia developed post transplant. No grade IV nonhematological toxicities or acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) were observed. At 3 months after transplantation, three of four patients had evidence of donor myeloid chimerism (range, 15-100%). However, after post transplant immunosuppression was discontinued, graft rejection occurred in all but one patient. This patient is now doing well 27 months post transplant with full donor engraftment. One patient died after a second transplant, and another patient experienced a stroke as her graft was being rejected. These results suggest that stable donor engraftment after nonmyeloablative HCT is difficult to achieve among immunocompetent patients with hemoglobinopathies and that new approaches will need to be developed before wider application of this transplantation method for hemoglobinopathies.
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PMID:Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for multiply transfused patients with sickle cell disease and thalassemia after low-dose total body irradiation, fludarabine, and rabbit anti-thymocyte globulin. 1553 1

Erythema infectiosum (fifth disease) is the most common clinical presentation of acute parvovirus B19 infection in infancy. In healthy adults, most cases of infection are asymptomatic or accompanied by a flu-like syndrome like headaches and myalgia. Haematological manifestations are dominated by transient aplasia of erythroid progenitor cells which remains asymptomatic in most of non immunocompromised patients. Patients with sickle cell disease, thalassemia or other disorders associated with shortened red blood cell survival are at particular risk for marked anemia or red blood cell aplasia. In immunosuppressed patients, anemia may be chronic because of persistent viral load. Neutropenia, lymphopenia or thrombocytopenia have also been reported in acute parvovirus B19 infection. Mechanisms of these cytopenias are not yet elucidated. We present two patients with thrombopenia and/or neutropenia but without anemia due to acute parvovirus B19 infection.
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PMID:[Neutropenia and/or thrombocytopenia due to acute parvovirus B19 infection]. 1941 Dec 38