| Budget Amount *help |
¥3,340,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥240,000)
Fiscal Year 2011: ¥1,040,000 (Direct Cost: ¥800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥240,000)
Fiscal Year 2010: ¥800,000 (Direct Cost: ¥800,000)
Fiscal Year 2009: ¥1,500,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,500,000)
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| Research Abstract |
The thymus has been implicated as a possible site of origin that triggersautoimmunity in myasthenia gravis(MG). Although several groups have suggestedthat the decrease in thenumber of regulatory T(Treg) cells contributes to theonset of MG, the exact role of Treg cells in MG remains unclear. To addressthis point, we examined the number and distribution of Treg cells in a largenumber of patients with MG. Immunohistofluorescence analysis of Foxp3 alongwith CD4 and CD8 was performed inthymic sections of MG(+) and MG(-) patients. Foxp3 CD4 CD8 cells were predominantly found in the thymic medulla and theirnumber declined with age. There was no significant difference in the number orthe distribution of Foxp3 CD4 CD8 cells in the thymus between MG(+) and MG(-) patients. The cellularity of Treg cells in the thymus and circulation is notdiminished in patients with myasthenia gravis.
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