Anti-gamma-globulin and antinuclear factors in chronic bronchitis. Relation to disease course and hyperglobulinemia.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to L Bonomo.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Sixty-three patients with non-small cell bronchogenic carcinoma were prospectively and independently assessed by computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) before surgery. Images were interpreted by four radiologists who had no knowledge of other imaging studies, except chest x-ray, and were blinded to surgical findings. The data were compared with pathologic and histologic findings. The accuracies of CT and MRI in determining tumor classification and assessing mediastinal and hilar lymph node metastases were compared. Sensitivity of CT in determining T factor was 78%, and specificity was 96%. The values for MRI were 84% and 96%, respectively. There was no significant difference between CT and MRI in staging tumors. MRI is more accurate than CT in diagnosing mediastinal invasion in staging superior sulcus tumors and complex tumors. There was no significant difference between the accuracies of CT and MRI in detecting mediastinal node metastases; the sensitivities were 82% and 90%, respectively, and specificities were 88% and 93%, respectively.
PURPOSE: To compare magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) with digital angiography for diagnosis of subclavian steal syndrome. METHODS: A comparison study between MRA and digital contrast arteriography was carried out in 10 patients with suspected subclavian steal syndrome. Two of these patients were studied by MRA before and after percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA). MRA was obtained on a 1.5 tesla superconductive magnet with linear head coil using a fast low angle shot (FLASH 2D) sequence in the axial plane as well as a fast imaging with steady state precession (FISP 3D) with velocity compensation gradient echo sequence in the coronal plane. The coronal images were used as source data for the construction of projection images with the use of a maximum-intensity pixel algorithm. The images were rotated from -45 degrees to 45 degrees in 15 degrees steps. RESULTS: All 10 patients had evidence of proximal subclavian artery obstruction and flow reversal in the ipsilateral vertebral artery. On MRA, consistent visualization of the affected vertebral artery in the FLASH 2D sequences and nonvisualization in the FISP 3D sequences was interpreted as an indirect sign of subclavian steal. The subclavian artery obstruction could not be assessed due to field size limits of MRA. CONCLUSION: MRA allows determination of flow reversal in the diagnosis of subclavian steal.
A new case of IgE myeloma is described. Patient G.M., a 60-year-old woman, complained with a 3-months' history of generalized bone pain, weight loss, profound weakness and severe anemia. A bone survey revealed multiple lytic lesions, and a heavy replacement by plasma cells was disclosed in the bone marrow examination of a sternal sample. In addition, an IgE serum M-component and gamma-type Bence Jones proteinuria were identified by immunochemical studies. The disease course was rapid, death occurring within 6 months of clinical onset. A molecular weight of 188,500 daltons was calculated for the purified protein G.M., whereas the molecular weights of its subunits were found to be 72,000 for the epsilon chains and 43,000 for the gamma chain dimers. This case is compared with 15 reported cases of IgE monoclonal gammapathy, an expanding clinical and laboratory spectrum emerging from the review of the literature.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Cryoglobulins are serum proteins with heterogeneous etiopathogenetic and immunochemical properties. What they have in common is temperature-dependent insolubility, in that at temperatures below 37 degrees C (often around 4 degrees C) they precipitate, and then redissolve at 37 degrees C. When the etiopathogenesis of the cryoglobulinemia is unknown, which is true for many patients, the condition is called idiopathic or essential cryoglobulinemia, whereas it is termed secondary whenever it appears to be associated with one of several diseases. Cryoglobulinemia has indeed been found in patients with lymphoproliferative and autoimmune disorders, liver diseases, infectious (viral, bacterial, fungal and parasitic) diseases, and so on. Cryoglobulins are usually classified according to their immunochemical properties as single-type monoclonal, mixtures of a monoclonal Ig with non-immunoglobulin material (DNA, lipoprotein, complement), mixed with one monoclonal Ig or mixed polyclonal, in which constitutive Ig fractions are polyclonal. As compared with normal Ig, cryoimmunoglobulins have sometimes been found to exhibit a peculiar amino acid structure of their heavy chains, less often of their light chains as well, and to have a lower carbohydrate content. Such structural abnormalities may contribute to their loss of solubility at low temperatures, possibly associated to the steric changes induced by the low temperature, causing the precipitate to form. The most common clinical features of cryoglobulins are correlated with vasculitis in the various organs and sometimes with increased viscosity of the plasma. Signs and symptoms include purpura, ulcers of the extremities, arthralgia, proteinuria, hepatic damage, abdominal pain, congestive heart failure, mental confusion, oligo-anuria, hemorrhagic diathesis, and coma. Pyroglobulins are also serum proteins with temperature-dependent insolubility. However, although they precipitate out of serum heated at 56 degrees C for half an hour, they do not resolubilize when the serum is returned to 37 degrees C. Pyroglobulins have been mainly found in patients with lymphoproliferative diseases (especially Waldenström's macroglobulinemia, with or without cryoglobulinemia), systemic lupus erythematosus, and neoplasia. So far, only single monoclonal IgG, IgM or IgA pyroglobulins have been described. Since they precipitate only at 56 degrees C, pyroglobulins do not cause clinical symptoms and they are usually discovered by chance.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
According to the various case series, both myelomatous and non-myelomatous paraproteinemias are associated with a second malignant neoplasia in a frequency that ranges between 10 and 22%. This association, with a frequency higher than that statistically expected, is 2 to 4 times higher when compared to the association between two tumors of other origin. The association paraproteinemia-neoplasia was found in 10% of cases of our series of 311 paraproteinemias. In this series epithelial neoplasias are associated with paraproteinemias more frequently than lymphoreticular neoplasias. As far as the Ig class is concerned, there appears to be a prevalence of IgM paraproteinemias, which accounts for 22.5%, while it is only 9% in the general survey of paraproteinemias. The prevalence of the IgM class should be related to the high degree of association (approximately 50%) between the IgM paraproteinemias and lymphoreticular neoplasias. The frequent association with a second neoplasia, common to other malignancies of the B-cell line (chronic lymphocytic leukemia, myeloma), must be considered a greater risk in the prognostic evaluation of a paraproteinemia. This should make us more cautious in affirming the 'benignancy' of every non-myelomatous paraproteinemia.
Carcinoma of the endometrium is the most common invasive gynecologic malignancy of the female genital tract. Clinically, patients with endometrial carcinoma present with abnormal uterine bleeding. The role of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in endometrial carcinoma is disease staging and treatment planning. MRI has been shown to be the most valuable imaging mod-ality in this task, compared with endovaginal ultrasound and computed tomography, because of its intrinsic contrast resolution and multiplanar capability. MRI protocol includes axial T1-weighted images; axial, sagittal, and coronal T2-weighted images; and dynamic gadolinium-enhanced T1-weighted imaging. MR examination is usually performed in the supine position with a phased array multicoil using a four-coil configuration. Endometrial carcinoma is isointense with the normal endometrium and myometrium on noncontrast T1-weighted images and has a variable appearance on T2-weighted images demonstrating heterogeneous signal intensity. The appearance of noninvasive endometrial carcinoma on MRI is characterized by a normal or thickened endometrium, with an intact junctional zone and a sharp tumor-myometrium interface. Invasive endometrial carcinoma is characterized disruption or irregularity of the junctional zone by intermediate signal intensity mass on T2-weighted images. Invasion of the cervical stroma is diagnosed when the low signal intensity cervical stroma is disrupted by the higher signal intensity endometrial carcinoma. MRI in endometrial carcinoma performs better than other imaging modalities in disease staging and treatment planning. Further, the accuracy and the cost of MRI are equivalent to those of surgical staging.
We describe two cases of thrombosed extrahepatic portal vein aneurysms diagnosed by sonography, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging. Portal vein aneurysm is a rare clinical entity that has been described as a focal dilatation that can affect intra- and extrahepatic portal branches. Although usually asymptomatic, thrombosis can lead to portal hypertension. Clinical and imaging characteristics are discussed, in addition to a review of the literature.
The in vitro effects of human high-density, low-density and very-low-density lipoproteins on plaque-forming cell generation and natural killer cytotoxicity were evaluated in 40 aged donors. Lipoprotein pretreatment led to a significant inhibition in plaque-forming cell capacity displayed by either peripheral blood mononuclear cells or purified lymphocytes. As far as natural killer cytotoxicity is concerned, such pretreatment decreased the number of natural killer cells bound to targets, while the lytic efficiency was unaffected in both 51Cr-release and agarose-single-cell cytotoxic assays. These data suggest a role for lipoproteins in the impairment of cell-mediated immunity in elderly individuals.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.