{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,12]],"date-time":"2025-10-12T02:30:48Z","timestamp":1760236248481,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":35,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"11","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,11,4]],"date-time":"2021-11-04T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1635984000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Biomolecules"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: B-cell depletion therapy was demonstrated to be a valid and safe alternative as an adjuvant in oral-pharyngeal pemphigus vulgaris (OPV) patients. We aimed to assess its effects on anti-desmoglein (Dsg) 1 and 3 and leukocytes subsets profile in these patients\u2019 population. Methods and Materials: We evaluated the immunologic profile of 10 OPV patients treated with RTX as adjuvant by using the ELISA testing for anti-Dsg-1 and -3 titers and the immunophenotyping for B and T-cell lymphocyte subpopulations and compared them with the PDAI score for clinical remission. Results: A significant difference in medians between baseline, end of RTX therapy, and 6 months after RTX therapy was observed in Dsg-3 titer (p &lt; 0.001), in the CD8 (p = 0.009), and CD20 counts (p &lt; 0.001). Multiple comparisons after Bonferroni adjustment confirmed such significant differences mainly between baseline and the end of RTX therapy and baseline and 6 months after RTX therapy. Only the anti-Dsg-3 titer at the end of RTX therapy demonstrated a slight positive correlation with the PDAI score at baseline (p = 0.046, r = 0.652). Conclusions: B-cell depletion adjuvant therapy in OPV patients demonstrated a significant impact on anti-Dsg-3 titer and B and T-cell lymphocyte subpopulations profile.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/biom11111634","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,11,4]],"date-time":"2021-11-04T09:11:32Z","timestamp":1636017092000},"page":"1634","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Immunocytometric Analysis of Oral Pemphigus vulgaris Patients after Treatment with Rituximab as Adjuvant"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"11","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7655-3523","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Giulio","family":"Fortuna","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Glasgow Dental School & Hospital, School of Medicine, Dentistry and Nursing, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G2 3JZ, UK"},{"name":"D.eb.RA. Mexico Foundation, Otom\u00ed #211, casi esq. P. El\u00edas Calles Colonia Azteca, Guadalupe N.L., Monterrey 67150, Mexico"},{"name":"Federico Navarro Institute, School of Orgonomy \u201cPiero Borrelli\u201d, Corso Umberto I, 35, 80138 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0739-5650","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Elena","family":"Calabria","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Neurosciences, Reproductive Sciences and Dentistry, Federico II University of Naples, via Pansini 5, 80131 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8517-9411","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Massimo","family":"Aria","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Economics and Statistics, Federico II University of Naples, via Cinthia, Monte Sant\u2019Angelo, 80126 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5091-6979","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Amerigo","family":"Giudice","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Dentistry, Department of Health Sciences, Magna Graecia University of Catanzaro, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Michele Davide","family":"Mignogna","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Neurosciences, Reproductive Sciences and Dentistry, Federico II University of Naples, via Pansini 5, 80131 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,11,4]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1038\/nrdp.2017.26","article-title":"Pemphigus","volume":"3","author":"Kasperkiewicz","year":"2017","journal-title":"Nat. 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