Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a degenerative disease of the retina and a leading cause of irreversible vision loss. We investigated the systemic differences in the frequency of T helper (Th) 1 and Th17 cells in patients with non-exudative and exudative AMD and compared to age-matched controls. Flow cytometry was used to determine the systemic frequency of Th1 (CD4+CXCR3+IL12RB2+) and Th17 (CD4+CCR6+IL23R+) cells, and percentage of CD4+ T-cells expressing CXCR3, IL12RB2, CCR6, IL23R, and co-expressing CXCR3 and CCR6. The frequency of Th1 cells and CXCR3+ CD4+ T-cells was lower in patients with exudative AMD. A significant age-dependent decrement in Th1 was observed in controls, but not in non-exudative or exudative AMD. This may be related to the CXCR3+ CD4+ T-cells, which showed similar pattern in controls, but not in non-exudative or exudative AMD. No significant group differences were observed for the frequency of Th17 cells. Correlation networks found several differences between controls and AMD. These data suggests the involvement of the adaptive immune system in AMD and supports the notion of AMD as a systemic disease. Our observations warrant further investigation into the role of the adaptive immune system in the pathogenesis of AMD.

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Background and AimsCompiling evidence has emerged for the relevance of flow cytometric assessment as a valuable part of the diagnostic work‐up of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). This study aimed at evaluating the implementation of a simple flow cytometric scoring system (FCSS), the Ogata score, in a routine diagnostic laboratory.MethodsA total of 35 patient samples with a clinical suspicion of MDS were retrospectively assessed using the FCSS. The accuracy of the FCSS was evaluated on the basis of the final diagnoses of the patients.ResultsThe final diagnoses included 17 MDS, 4 other myeloid cancers, and 14 reactive changes. Thirty‐two of 35 (91%) were correctly scored by the FCSS. All 3 incorrect scores were from samples classified as “other myeloid cancers.” Of the initial pathological evaluation of the bone marrows, 20% were inconclusive or incorrect. All inconclusive samples were correctly scored using the FCSS.ConclusionThe FCSS evaluated here has high accuracy and low complexity. Cases with inconclusive pathological evaluation will especially potentially benefit from adding the Ogata score to the diagnostic work‐up. The system will be feasible to implement in most flow cytometry laboratories without the need for supplemental antibody panels. It should be emphasized that the FCSS, in our hands, provided poor discrimination between MDS and other myeloid clonal diseases.

Aggressive NK-cell leukemia is a rare malignancy mostly seen in younger Asians with a rapid clinical course and poor prognosis. Here, we describe a 69 years old Caucasian woman presenting with massive leukemization of neoplastic NK-cells. The cells were abnormal in morphology and surface marker expression and this clearly distinguished them from their normal counterpart. They were large and variable in shapes with irregular folding of the nuclei. By flow cytometry, their light scatter characteristics resembled normal monocytes. They showed bright expression of CD56 and CD2 but markedly decreased expression of CD7. They also expressed CD25. The patient presented with general malaise, including high fever, abdominal pain, signs and haemophagocytosis, and she quickly deteriorated and died 11 days after hospitalization. The origin of the leukemic cells of aggressive NK-cell leukemia is most likely the relatively scarce population of CD56bright NK-cells, primarily residing lymph nodes and tonsils. The immunophenotype of the case presented here support this, adding CD25 expression which is not earlier addressed in this entity.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s40064-015-1553-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.