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Active specific immunotherapy is a promising but investigational modality in the management of cancer patients. Currently, several different cancer vaccine formulations such as peptides, proteins, antigen-pulsed dendritic cells, whole tumor cells, etc. in combination with various adjuvants and carriers are being evaluated in clinical trials (1-3). To determine the optimal cancer vaccine strategy, a surrogate immunological end-point that correlates with clinical outcome needs to be defined, since it would facilitate the rapid comparison of these various formulations. Traditional immunological assays such as ELISA, proliferation and cytotoxicity assays can detect immune responses in vaccinated...
Apheresis refers to an extracorporeal therapy which aims at removing pathological constituents from the patients’ blood. Due to the development of new techniques as well as the discovery of novel autoimmune antibodies, it is increasingly recognized as an important therapeutic option for a variety of autoimmune-mediated neurological disorders, including multiple sclerosis, myasthenia gravis, autoimmune encephalitis, Guillain–Barré syndrome, and many others. Therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) constitutes the standard method of apheresis for most indications, while immunoadsorption (IA) offers a more specific, low-risk alternative. Both methods aim at removing auto-antibodies from the blood. Evidence for most neurological diseases is still low. Interestingly, more recent developments suggest that apheresis is not limited to the removal of autoantibodies but may also be useful in neurodegenerative and possibly even in acute vascular disorders.
Most of the world is happily witnessing a decline in the burden of COVID-19 disease after the global efforts to develop, produce, and deploy anti-SARS-CoV2 vaccines to massive country-level vaccination campaigns. At the same time, this decline is coming at the cost of a silent public crisis due to the rise in the number of people suffering from the post-COVID-19 syndrome (commonly known as long COVID). These people experience a wide set of symptoms, such as persistent fatigue, post-exertional malaise after minimal physical or mental effort, and unrefreshing sleep, representing a substantial healthcare burden worldwide. Some of these people also comply with the current criteria for the diagnosis of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), a complex disease often stigmatized by society and neglected by research funders over the years.
Es gibt eine stetig wachsende Anzahl chronisch kranker Patienten mit immer komplexeren Beschwerdemustern. Diese Erkrankungen können als multisystemische "Ganzkörper"-Erkrankungen bezeichnet werden. Zu diesen gehören: •Myalgische Enzephalomyelitis / Chronisches Erschöpfungs-Syndrom / ME/CFS, •die Multiple Chemikalien Sensitivität / MCS und •das Fibromyalgie-Syndrom / FMS sowie zahlreiche verwandte Ausprägungen, z.B. das Mastzell-Aktivierungssyndrom, umweltbedingte Erkrankungen, die Borreliose oder Autoimmun-Erkrankungen. International spricht man mittlerweile von "hidden diseases", "verborgenen / unsichtbaren Erkrankungen", die allesamt einen hohen Komplexitätsgrad aufweisen. Die...
This ground-breaking book explores and explains the day-to-day realities of living long-term with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME). ME is an acquired complex disorder characterised by a variety of symptoms affecting multiple systems of the body. Marked fatigue and weakness, sickness, cognitive dysfunction and symptom flare-up can follow any physical or cognitive exertion. It is estimated that there are 17-24 million sufferers worldwide. The author has lived with moderately severe ME for the last 18 years. Utilising autoethnography as a methodology and drawing on multidisciplinary social science theory, the book tells the story of the author’s own lived experiences of the illness, and how she...
Myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) are serious, debilitating conditions that affect millions of people in the United States and around the world. ME/CFS can cause significant impairment and disability. Despite substantial efforts by researchers to better understand ME/CFS, there is no known cause or effective treatment. Diagnosing the disease remains a challenge, and patients often struggle with their illness for years before an identification is made. Some health care providers have been skeptical about the serious physiological - rather than psychological - nature of the illness. Once diagnosed, patients often complain of receiving hostility from their health...