The Golgi apparatus, long recognized for its roles in protein processing and vesicular trafficking, has recently been identified as a crucial contributor to innate immune signaling pathways. This review discusses our expanding understanding of the Golgi apparatus’s involvement in initiating and activating these pathways. It highlights the significance of membrane connections between the Golgi and other organelles, such as the endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria, endosomes, and autophagosomes. These connections are vital for the efficient transmission of innate immune signals and the activation of effector responses. Furthermore, the article delves into the Golgi apparatus’s roles in key immune pathways, including the inflammasome-mediated activation of caspase-1, the cGAS-STING pathway, and TLR/RLR signaling. Overall, this review aims to provide insights into the multifunctional nature of the Golgi apparatus and its impact on innate immunity.

Polymeric nanoparticles have been introduced as a delivery vehicle for active compounds in a broad range of medical applications due to their biocompatibility, stability, controlled release of active compounds, and reduced toxicity. The oral route is the most used approach for delivery of biologics to the body. The homeostasis and function of oral cavity tissues are dependent on the activity of stem cells. The present work focuses, for the first time, on the interaction between two types of polymeric nanoparticles, poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) or PLGA and PLGA/chitosan, and two stem cell populations, oral keratinocyte stem cells (OKSCs) and stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHEDs). The main results show that statistical significance was observed in OKSCs uptake when compared with normal keratinocytes and transit amplifying cells after 24 h of incubation with 5 and 10 µg/mL PLGA/chitosan. The CD117⁺ SHED subpopulation incorporated more PLGA/chitosan nanoparticles than nonseparated SHED. The uptake for PLGA/chitosan particles was better than for PLGA particles with longer incubation times, yielding better results in both cell types. The present results demonstrate that nanoparticle uptake depends on stem cell type, incubation time, particle concentration, and surface properties.

Hepatitis B, a persistent inflammatory liver condition, stands as a significant global health issue. In Romania, the prevalence of chronic hepatitis B virus (CHB) infection ranks among the highest in the European Union. The HLA genotype significantly impacts hepatitis B virus infection progression, indicating that certain HLA variants can affect the infection’s outcome. The primary goal of the present work is to identify HLA alleles and specific amino acid residues linked to hepatitis B within the Romanian population. The study enrolled 247 patients with chronic hepatitis B; HLA typing was performed using next-generation sequencing. This study’s main findings include the identification of certain HLA alleles, such as DQB1*06:03:01, DRB1*13:01:01, DQB1*06:02:01, DQA1*01:03:01, DRB5*01:01:01, and DRB1*15:01:01, which exhibit a significant protective effect against HBV. Additionally, the amino acid residue alanine at DQB1_38 is associated with a protective role, while valine presence may signal an increased risk of hepatitis B. The present findings are important in addressing the urgent need for improved methods of diagnosing and managing CHB, particularly when considering the disease’s presence in diverse population groups and geographical regions.

Salivary biomolecules are considered important modulators of the oral microflora, with a potential subsequent impact on dental health. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between salivary enzymatic activity and carious experience in children. The carious experience of a sample of 22 school children was evaluated by calculating dmf/DMF indices, following WHO recommendations. Unstimulated whole saliva was collected, and salivary alpha-amylase levels, total protease activity, and matrix metalloproteinase levels (MMP-8 and MMP-9) were measured. The data were analyzed using parametric and nonparametric tests. Our findings revealed no significant relationship between the investigated salivary parameters and the carious experience in permanent teeth (DMFT/DMFS scores). Carious indices scores for primary teeth (dmft and dmfs) were positively associated with MMP-8 levels (r = 0.62, p = 0.004 and r_s = 0.61, p = 0.006, respectively) and MMP-9 levels (r = 0.45, p = 0.05 and r_s = 0.48, p = 0.039, respectively) and negatively associated with alpha-amylase levels (r_s = −0.54, p = 0.017 and r_s = −0.59, p = 0.006, respectively). Although with a marginal significance, PEK−054 levels positively correlated with dental caries, while for PFU−089, a negative correlation was observed. These results suggest that salivary alpha-amylase and MMP-8 and MMP-9 levels may be considered potential indicators of carious experience in children. Further studies with a prospective design are needed in order to elucidate the role of these biomolecules in caries development.

This review focuses on the new relevant biomarkers proposed for the diagnosis of different types of allograft rejections. The immune response against the transplanted tissues can lead to rejection. Kidney allograft rejection occurs when the recipient component's immune system reacts against the donor's cells. MicroRNAs, dd-cf DNA, CD103 markers, CXCR3 chemokine receptor, IP-10, KIR genes, HLA antibodies, the perforin and granzyme B molecules – the constant assessment of all these parameters could prevent acute rejection episodes and kidney injuries. In this way, both immune response and tissue destruction biomarkers are essential for the long-term survival of kidney-transplanted patients. They also contribute to personalizing treatments, precisely personalized immunosuppressive regiments.

Background and Aims: Celiac disease is characterized by an inappropriate T-cell-mediated response to gluten in small bowel in genetically predisposed individuals, carriers of the DQ2 and/or DQ8 haplotypes of the human leukocyte antigen. The aim of our study was to asses HLA typing in adult patients with celiac disease, in their first degree relatives and in a healthy control group. Methods: We conducted a prospective observational study on three cohorts: 117 patients diagnosed with celiac disease, 41 first-degree relatives of celiac patients and 57 asymptomatic healthy volunteers. Low resolution HLA typing for DQ alleles was performed in all study subjects with DNA extracted from peripheral blood, using SSP HLA-DQB1 kit (Innotrain Diagnostik GmbH, Germany). Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) was used only in 18 patients for typing confirmation of DQB1 and DQA1 loci and whole gene sequencing. Results: Prevalence of HLA-DQ2 was significantly higher in the CD group compared to the healthy subjects group (95.6% vs 29.8%, p <0.001), with no statistically significant differences in HLA-DQ8 and combined HLA-DQ2/DQ8 prevalences.Several HLA DQA1 and DQB1 alleles (HLA-DQA1* 05:01, HLA-DQB1*02:01, HLA-DQB1*02:02) and haplotypes (DQA1*02:01-DQB1*02:02,DQA1*05:01-DQB1*02:01) were strongly associated with celiac disease in our group: OR 4.28, 4.28, 4.67 and 5.43 and 4.28 respectively. Predominantly, patients presented with typical symptoms and iron deficiency anemia. 95.5% of them had histological Marsh type modifications ≥3a. A relatively poor response to gluten-free diet was observed and 9.4% developed complications (refractory celiac disease, enteropathy-associated T cell lymphoma, intestinal adenocarcinoma), with a death rate of 6.8%. 23% associated other autoimmune diseases.Screening adherence for 1st degree relatives was very low: only 16%. Familial screening diagnosed 4 cases of asymptomatic celiac disease. 32 relatives (78%) had HLA-DQ2 haplotype, 5 carried HLA-DQ8, 4 didn’t carry any risk haplotype. Conclusions: This study demonstrated a higher prevalence of the HLA-DQ2 genotype in patients with celiac disease compared to the healthy population but not of HLA-DQ8 or combined HLA-DQ2/DQ8. Alleles HLA-DQA1* 05:01, HLA-DQB1*02:01, HLA-DQB1*02:02 and haplotypes (DQA1*02:01-DQB1*02:02,DQA1*05:01-DQB1*02:01) were strongly associated with celiac disease in our cohort.