The immune system plays a major role in human homeostasis, yet a body’s unique individuality complicates the diagnostic forecasting of unfavourable physiological states and diseases. Studying the immunophenotypic features of winterers of the Ukrainian Antarctic Expeditions before, during, and after their assignments might shed some light on the possible place of immune accentuations in the development of certain physiological states. To determine the natural-killer (NK) cytotoxicity and the immunophenotype in 52 applicants who wanted to take part in an expedition and nine participants who had come back, we used flow cytofluorometry. Blood serum samples taken before, during, and after the expeditions were also tested for hormones, anti-infective, anti-parasitic, and autoimmune antibodies. The high absolute and relative numbers of NK lymphocytes, high NK cytotoxicity, and high expression of HLA-DR on the CD3+CD8+ lymphocytes were correlated with a person’s unfavorable health status during the expedition. In Antarctica, cortisol levels sharply increased, yet they normalized upon return. In most winterers, there were no significant health complications during the expeditions. Neither reactivated nor primary viral infections were registered, as well as clinical autoimmune ones. Upon return, the winterers had significantly lower leukocytes and lymphocytes and increased expression of activation markers (HLA-DR) on the T-cells. The found risk factors can characterize the polar researchers’ immunophenotypes yet require validation on larger samples. The expedition environment causes increased stress, entailing, however, neither clinical manifestations nor elements of immunosuppression. The polar researchers bear the consequences of the prolonged stress that inhibit leucopoiesis as late as six months after their return, which should be considered while reviewing applications for the next season.
Aim: NKp46 is an NK cell receptor uniquely expressed by NK cells and a small subset of innate lymphoid cells. In our previous studies, we suggested a tight connection between the activity of NK cells and the expression of NKp46 and supported the clinical significance of NKp46 expression in NK cells in women with reproductive failures. In this study, we investigated the expression of NKp46 in NK cells in the peripheral blood of women in early pregnancy and analyzed its association with pregnancy loss. Methods: In a blinded study, we examined blood samples and analyzed the subsequent pregnancy outcomes from 98 early pregnant women (5th–7th week of gestation—w.g.) and 66 women in the 11th–13th week of pregnancy who served as controls. We studied the expression of NKp46 and the levels of anti-cardiolipin antibodies (aCL). The results of aCL were shared with the clinic, while the expression of NKp46 was blinded and not analyzed until the end of the study. Results: A misbalance in the NKp46+NK cells subpopulations was associated with an unfavorable ongoing pregnancy. A decreased level of NKp46high cells (<14%) was strongly associated with miscarriage. A decreased level of the double-bright subpopulation (NKp46hightCD56++) also was a negative prognostic factor for the pregnancy course, but its increased level (>4%) was strongly associated with a successful pregnancy course. Conclusions: Our results showed that accentuated levels of NKp46+NK cells lead to a negative prognosis for early pregnancy courses in women.
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