Search

To access publisher full text version of this article. Please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links field, OBJECTIVE: Behcet's disease (BD) is a multisystemic disease, with vasculitic lesions in the oral and genital mucosa, eyes, joints, skin and brain. We have previously found that gammadelta T cells are increased in peripheral blood of BD patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the extent of gammadelta T cells in oral biopsies from BD patients with special emphasis on the restriction of Vgamma and Vdelta usage. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Expression of Vgamma and Vdelta chains on peripheral blood gammadelta T cells from 31 BD patients and 19 healthy controls was analysed by flow cytometry and the expression of Vgamma and Vdelta chains in nine ulcerated and eight non-ulcerated oral mucosa from BD patients and non-ulcerated oral mucosa from three healthy controls was analysed by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Vgamma9 and Vdelta2 were the predominant chains expressed in peripheral blood of BD patients, although other Vgamma and Vdelta chains were also expressed. The presence of gammadelta T cells was only observed in the ulcerated oral mucosa but not in the non-ulcerated mucosa from the BD patients, and not in the non-ulcerated mucosa from the healthy controls. These gammadelta T cells showed no preferential expression of any of the Vgamma or Vdelta chains. CONCLUSION: These data suggest a polyclonal rather than oligoclonal activation of the gammadelta T cells. This may indicate that during repeated inflammation of the oral mucosa, the gammadelta T cells are responding to a wide variety of antigenic stimuli with consequent expansion of gammadelta T cells expressing various Vgamma and Vdelta chains and that different antigenic stimuli or responses may be responsible for the clinical heterogeneity of the disease.

Modern approaches: moderate physical activity, a functional food-rich diet, reduction of body weight, control of blood pressure and blood lipids by drug therapy, cessation of tobacco and alcohol use, for health promotion and prevention of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) have only partial benefit on future risk of these diseases, despite the high health budget in high-income countries. Holistic approaches to health education and holistic health may provide better health and may be more successful in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and other chronic diseases. There is evidence that psychosocial stress, late night sleep and late night eating, as well as sleep deprivation, deficiency of nutrients such as omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins and flavonoids can have adverse effects on brain-body mechanisms, resulting in obesity and insulin resistance, leading to CVDs and other chronic diseases. However, active prayer, kirtan krea, verbalization, yogasan and meditation, along with Mediterranean style-functional food-rich diet as well as nutraceuticals and herbs may be protective against NCDs. © 2017 Nova Science Publishers, Inc.