The manuscript was published with permission of the Director of VIDO as manuscript Tanespimycin cell line number 529. The authors do not have any conflicting interests.

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“Citation Ticconi C, Rotondi F, Veglia M, Pietropolli A, Bernardini S, Ria F, Caruso A, Di Simone N. Antinuclear autoantibodies in women with recurrent pregnancy loss. Am J Reprod Immunol 2010; 64: 384–392 Problem  To investigate the possibility that antinuclear antibodies (ANA) are involved in recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL). Methods  Case–control study carried out on 294 women (194 cases and 100 controls) in two University hospitals. The presence, the serum titers and the indirect

immunofluorescence (IIF) patterns of ANA were determined in women with RPL and in control women. Results  Antinuclear antibodies at titers ≥ 1:80 were detected in 97 (50%) women with RPL and in 16 (16%) control women. Elevated ANA titers (≥1:180) were detected only in RPL women, whereas all control women had ANA titers no greater than 1:80. No differences could be detected in the IIF patterns between RPL and control women. No differences in ANA positivity MS 275 could be detected according to the type (primary or secondary) or number (>2 versus ≥3) of losses. Conclusions  ANA could be of some value in identifying women with RPL with potential, although still not fully defined, immune abnormalities. “
“Eosinophils are multi-functional leucocytes that play a role in inflammatory processes including allergy and infection. Although bone marrow (BM) inflammatory cells are the main source

of eosinophil-basophil (Eo/B) differentiation-inducing cytokines, a recent role has been GPX6 demonstrated for cytokine induction through Toll-like receptor (TLR)-mediated signalling in BM progenitors. Having previously demonstrated that cord blood (CB) progenitors induce Eo/B colony-forming units (CFU) after lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation, we sought to investigate the intracellular mechanisms by which LPS induces Eo/B differentiation. Freshly isolated CD34-enriched human CB cells were stimulated with LPS (and/or pharmacological inhibitors) and assessed for alterations in haematopoietic cytokine receptor expression and signalling pathways by flow cytometry, Eo/B CFU in methylcellulose cultures, and cytokine secretion using Luminex assays. The LPS stimulation resulted in a significant increase in granulocyte–macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF)-responsive, as opposed to interleukin-5-responsive, Eo/B CFU, which also correlated with significant increases in CD34+ cell GM-CSFRα expression.