Effects of hormones on development and function of lymphoid tissues. Synergistic action of thyroxin and somatotropic hormone in pituitary dwarf mice.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to C D Baroni.
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The histogenesis and relationship of so-called "granulomatous thymoma" to Hodgkin's disease is still a matter of controversy. Three of these lesions were selected from 43 thymomas and their clinico-pathological patterns are described. Two cases were diagnosed as Hodgkin's disease of the mediastinum because of the absence of epithelial structures of thymic origin. In one case, together with the morphological aspects of Hodgkin's disease, we noticed epithelial structures indicating a primary neoplastic lesion in the thymus. Accordingly we conclude that the term "Hodgkin's disease of the thymus" must be limited only to those lesions of the mediastinum in which structures of thymic origin are present. Other mediastinal Hodgkin's lesions, even in the presence of clinical, radiological and surgical evidence of thymic origin but in which it is not possible to observe such thymic structures, must be classified as Hodgkin's disease localized to the anterior mediastinum.
An histogenetic classification of lymphomas is discussed, and diagnostic criteria are proposed for these neoplasms, based primarily on their histological features and assessment of the predominant cell population in the individual lymphomas. Limitations of space ane experience have precluded more comprehensive discussions on the morphology of malignant lymphomas in relation to their immunological, functional and clinical features, prognosis and response to therapeutic agents. Since we are aware that the proposed classification and histological criteria are incomplete and imperfect if the malifnant lymphomas are considered as static entities, we wish to conclude our paper by quoting a statement made by Rappaport23: '...the clinical usefulness of any classification of reticular neoplasms is limited by their often unpredictable behaviour'.
Persistent generalized lymphadenopathy (PGL) is a reactive lymphadenitis affecting HIV-positive patients; furthermore, PGL is often a prodrome of AIDS-related complex and AIDS. In the present review the authors describe the histology and the immunohistochemistry of lymph nodes of patients affected by PGL. Histologic alterations of lymph nodes with PGL are classified according to three main types: follicular hyperplasia without or with follicular fragmentation, follicular involution and follicular depletion. Immunohistology demonstrates a peculiar infiltration of CD3+/CD4+ and CD3+/CD8+ lymphocytes in germinal centers; CD3+/CD8+ are often grouped in small clusters centered by a newly formed small blood vessel. Accessory follicular dendritic reticulum cells (FDRCs) of germinal centers are characterized by a positive staining for p24 and p19 HIV major core antigens. In germinal centers, FDRCs undergo progressive lysis in follicular involution and in follicular depletion. Other viral antigens, such as EBV, are infrequently seen in lymph nodes from HIV-positive patients. Paracortical areas of lymph nodes are often characterized by prominent postcapillary venule proliferations and by hyperplasia of the endothelial cells which are HLA-DR positive, often p19 and p24 positive, and occasionally express HIV genome. In conclusion, in PGL the histologic changes correlate well with the immunohistologic features; accordingly, PGL might be considered the result of abnormal immune reactions to several stimuli still incompletely known.
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The Lukes and Collins system of classification was applied to 151 cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma who had bone marrow biopsies taken immediately after histologic diagnosis. Incidence and histologic pattern of bone marrow involvement at the time of initial diagnosis were determined for each subtype of lymphoma. Thirty-three patients (21.8%) had bone marrow involvement. The frequency of bone marrow involvement was high for undefined and convoluted lymphocyte lymphomas (66.6%) and low to intermediate for follicular centre cell (20.3%) and small lymphocyte lymphomas (20.0%). Within the FCC lymphomas the non-cleaved cell type had a higher incidence of marrow involvement than the cleaved cell type (41.6% vs 8.9%). The follicular and diffuse histologic patterns in the diagnostic node did influence the incidence of marrow invasion in the non-cleaved cell type (75% vs 25%). A low incidence of marrow involvement was observed for the immunoblastic lymphomas (14.2%); evidence of marrow infiltration was never observed in patients with true histiocytic lymphomas.
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BACKGROUND AND METHODS: A significant correlation between bone marrow (BM) histology, survival and disease progression (DP) probability has been observed by several authors in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). The prognostic value of BM histologic patterns on survival and disease progression probability was investigated in 335 B-CLL patients. RESULTS: Actuarial survival probability estimated by univariate analysis proved to be significantly influenced by stage (p < 0.0001), BM histology (p = 0.01), and by the following parameters: anemia (p = 0.0005), splenomegaly (p < 0.001), CLL-related symptoms (p < 0.01), thrombocytopenia (p < 0.01), number of involved nodal areas (p = 0.01) and peripheral lymphocyte count over 30 x 10(9)/L (p < 0.05). In this series we did not detect a discriminating prognostic effect for BM histology within the individual stages. Cox multivariate regression analysis failed to demonstrate a significant value for BM histology, while stage and anemia emerged as the best prognostic variables. Actuarial DP free probability in 294 untreated patients with A and B stages was significantly related to stage (p < 0.00001) and to BM pattern (p = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Despite the clear correlation between the D pattern of BM involvement and advanced and early progressive disease, we were unable to demonstrate an independent prognostic value for BM histology. These findings suggest that stage emerged as the best predictive factor of survival probability in our B-CLL patients.
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Non-Hodgkin lymphomas affecting extranodal tissues can be primitive or secondary. The area most frequently involved is the gastrointestinal tract. MALT-type lymphomas are B-cell lymphomas characterized by small cells originating from the lymphoid tissue of the mucosa. The criteria for a correct diagnosis of extranodal lymphomas are morphological, but include immunophenotypic and immunogenotypic analysis. Gastrointestinal lymphomas consist of B-cell and T-cell lymphomas. B cell-lymphomas include: small cell B-lymphomas, large cell B-lymphomas, immunoproliferative small intestinal disease; multiple lymphomatous polyposis, follicular lymphomas, B-cell lymphomas centrocytic type. T-cell lymphomas include enteropathy-associated and non enteropathy-associated lymphomas.
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The lymph nodes involved in classic Hodgkin's disease (HD), i.e. mixed cellularity (MC) and nodular sclerosis (NS) subtypes, usually contain few (1-2%) Reed-Sternberg (RS) cells scattered in a background of lymphocytes, eosinophils, plasma cells and neutrophils. CD4+ T-lymphocytes are increased in number, express activation markers and cluster around RS cells. The presence of eosinophilia in most HD patients and the presence of hyper-IgE in a subset of them may suggest that activated lymph node T cells release large amounts of IL5 and IL4, respectively. METHODS: The expression of four T-cell-associated cytokine genes, i.e. interleukin (IL)2, IL4, IL5 and interferon (IFN)-gamma, in frozen sections of 14 HD (7 MC, 7 NS) and 10 reactive lymph nodes was investigated by qualitative and quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). T-cell clones were also raised from purified CD4+ lymphocytes of one HD lymph node and one reactive lymph node and tested for IL2, IL4, IL5 and IFN-gamma secretion in culture supernatants by immunoassays. RESULTS: The transcripts of all the cytokine genes were detected in every lymph node irrespective of the HD or reactive nature. HD or reactive lymph node-derived CD4+ T-cell clones released the four cytokines according to a predominant T-helper (Th)0-type pattern. In more than half of the lymph nodes of either HD or reactive nature, there was a predominance of IL4 over IFN-gamma mRNA production (Th2-type pattern). In the remaining HD or reactive lymphadenopathies, either a balanced IL4/IFN-gamma mRNA ratio (Th0-type pattern) or a predominance of IFN-gamma over IL4 mRNA expression (Th1-type pattern) was observed. INTERPRETATION AND CONCLUSIONS: The overall pattern of cytokine gene expression in classic HD is similar to that detected in reactive lymph nodes. Further studies are needed to determine whether differences in the absolute concentrations of cytokines released in HD versus reactive lymph nodes and the long-standing course of HD versus the self-limiting nature of reactive adenopathies may explain certain peculiar features of HD, such as eosinophilia, for example.