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Biomedical subjects

M C Bene

Publications and source records attributed to M C Bene.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Proposals for the immunological classification of acute leukemias. European Group for the Immunological Characterization of Leukemias (EGIL).

Criteria for the immunological classification of acute leukemias are proposed by a recently established European group designated EGIL. The main aims of EGIL are to establish guidelines for the characterization of acute leukemias based on marker expression and provide a uniform basis for the diagnosis of the various types of these hemopoietic malignancies which should be helpful for future multinational clinical and laboratory investigations. Within the two major types (B and T cell lineage) of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), several groups are delineated according to the degree of cell differentiation. Within the acute myeloid leukemias (AML), only three subtypes as defined by the FAB classification: M0-AML, M6-AML and M7-AML, can be unequivocally defined by immunological markers; prospective studies are undertaken to see whether characteristic immunological profiles are associated with particular AML subtypes defined by specific cytogenetic abnormalities. Criteria for the definition of biphenotypic acute leukemia (BAL) are devised and a scoring system is outlined aimed to distinguish BAL from those acute leukemias with expression of a marker from another lineage. In addition, an uncommon subset of acute leukemias with no evidence of lymphoid or myeloid differentiation is recognized and the useful panel of markers to investigate and establish the cell nature of the acute leukemias is outlined. EGIL will focus in the future on testing the reproducibility of the proposed guidelines, particularly those for BAL, assessing their clinical value within a framework of multicentric trials and setting up uniform methodological criteria.

Acute Disease↗

Immunohistological analysis of macrophages, B-cells, and T-cells in the mouse lung.

BACKGROUND: Numerous studies have described the anatomy of the large lymphoid aggregates of bronchus-associated lymphoid tissue (BALT) in rabbits and rats. Less work has been performed on other immunocompetent areas of the respiratory tract, and available data again mostly describe rabbit or rat tissues. Little is known therefore of the microanatomy of the mouse lung immune system. METHODS: We report a study, devised in order to establish the immunohistological characteristics of normal healthy mice lungs, performed on whole lungs from 22 mice of various strains and/or ages. Snap frozen tissues were serially sectioned and analysed using histochemistry and immunohistological techniques. Scattered macrophages, IgA plasma cells, B and T cells were enumerated in each sample. RESULTS: The largest population was that of macrophages. B-cells were numerous in all mice but 3 adults. T-cells were always present, L3T4+ often more numerous than Lyt2+ cells. Small lymphoid aggregates, composed of B or T cells (L3T4+ and Lyt2+) were seen in all mice, in the vicinity of a bronchiole and a vein. In 12/22 mice, a peculiarly elongated para-esophageal lymph node with large peripheral B-cell nodules and medullary T-cells was observed. In the five strains of mice studied, large variations were noted, affecting all the cell types studied, and related either to age or strain. CONCLUSION: Besides providing a qualitative description and quantitative analysis of immunocompetent cells, this work reports age and strain-related variations in these cells' distribution. These data could be relevant for studies involving the analysis of mice respiratory immune responses to environmental antigens.

Aging↗

Comparative immunohistochemical characteristics of human choroid plexus in vascular and Alzheimer's dementia.

Autoimmune alterations are indirectly supported in Alzheimer's disease by the demonstration of circulating antibodies directed to the epithelial basement membrane (BM) of the choroid plexus. We used immunohistochemical methods to compare the characteristics of choroid plexuses obtained postmortem from 15 patients. Six had a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, five had multi-infarct dementia (MID), and one suffered from mixed dementia. Similar tissue from three age-matched, non-demented controls was studied as well. Age-related psammoma bodies, lipofucsin, and flattened epithelial cells were present in all cases. Specific alterations were evident in Alzheimer's disease patients only. These were comprised of pseudolinear deposits of immunoglobulin (Ig)G and coarse deposits of C1q along the thickened and segmented epithelial BM, and were associated with IgM in five cases. Although no lymphoid infiltration was demonstrated, MHC Class II+ macrophages were observed in the plexus stroma, and numerous epithelial cells were class II+. These observations suggest that immune alterations, possibly of autoimmune origin, may be involved in Alzheimer's disease, leading to severe lesions of the choroid plexus. Such anomalies could be responsible for some of the alterations of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) production or composition noted in this disease.

Aged↗

Antibody-producing cells in peripheral blood and tonsils after oral treatment of children with bacterial ribosomes.

The efficacy of ribosomal preparations as mucosal immunostimulants was examined in the peripheral blood and tonsils of 14 children, before and after 28 days of oral treatment with D-53, a preparation of ribosomes from Klebsiella pneumoniae, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae and Streptococcus pyogenes. Tonsils from 10 untreated children were used as controls. Immunofluorescence and ELISAspot were performed to analyse variations in the numbers of immunoglobulin-containing and immunoglobulin-secreting B-cells. Both isotypic and antigenic specificities of these two types of cells were investigated. Significant differences were observed after treatment in the peripheral blood as well as between tonsils from treated and untreated children. In the peripheral blood a significant increase in immunoglobulin-secreting cells directed against antigenic specificities of D-53 was the major change. In tonsils, higher numbers of specific immunoglobulin-containing and secreting cells, and higher numbers of IgA-secreting cells were induced in treated children. These data support the efficacy of D-53 as an oral immunostimulant.

Administration, Oral↗

Microparticle-enhanced nephelometric immunoassay of anti-thyroid peroxidase autoantibodies in thyroid disorders.

Crude thyroid peroxidase extracted from human thyroid microsomes was covalently bound onto polyacrylic and polyfunctional copolymerized microparticles. We observed agglutination of the thyroid peroxidase-microparticle conjugate with 13 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) specific for epitopes on four different antigenic domains of human thyroid peroxidase (TPO; EC 1.11.1.7), after addition of anti-mouse immunoglobulins. We quantified agglutination by measuring with a specially designed nephelometer the light scattered by the conjugates. This allowed us to develop a microparticle-enhanced nephelometric immunoassay for human anti-TPO autoantibodies (aAbs) with defined epitopic specificity, based on the ability of aAbs to inhibit mAb-induced agglutination. Applied to patients with autoimmune thyroid diseases, this assay confirmed the polyclonality of anti-TPO aAbs and their preferential reactivity toward epitopes located on the A and B antigenic domains of the TPO molecule. The same specificities seem to be present in patients with Hashimoto thyroiditis or Graves disease.

Autoantibodies↗

CD2 + CD19 + acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in 16 children and adults: clinical and biological features. Groupe d'Etude Immunologique des Leucémies (G.E.I.L.).

A small population of CD2 + CD19 + lymphoid cells have been suggested to be common lymphoid progenitors. CD2 + CD19 + biphenotypic ALL account for less than 2% of ALL. We analysed the clinical and laboratory features of a series of 16 patients with CD2 + CD19 + ALL. The incidence of tumoural syndrome was comparable to a previously published series of pre B-ALL but significantly different from that of T-ALL. The mean age of the 11 children of this series was 101 +/- 46 months, and differed significantly from that of children with pre B-ALL (P < 0.01). Complete remission was obtained for all patients except two adults. Only three relapses have been observed. Regardless of the presence of CD2 +, the 16 ALL could be classified as pre B-ALL, according to the nomenclature used by the GEIL. Nine samples could be analysed by Southern blotting. Seven had rearranged IGH genes, usually on both chromosomes. IGK rearrangement was observed in three cases. Only one case had rearranged both TCRG and TCR beta. The patterns observed here and those reported previously follow that of the pre B-ALL which confirms the engagement of most CD2 + CD19 + biphenotypic ALL in the B-lineage.

Adult↗

Prophylactic use of ganciclovir for allogeneic bone marrow transplant recipients.

Ganciclovir which has proved effective in the treatment of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection was given prophylactically to 40 bone marrow transplant (BMT) patients pre and post-transplant in seropositive patients and post-transplant in seronegative patients with a seropositive donor. All patients were transfused with screened blood products and 33 received CMV hyperimmune globulin. They were compared with an historical control group consisting of 39 patients who had received significantly more unscreened blood products (p = 0.01) and less HLA-mismatched marrow transplants (p = 0.05). Toxicity of ganciclovir was hematological-neutropenia was responsible for cessation of the drug in seven patients and transfusion requirements were significantly higher in the ganciclovir group. Non-hematological toxicity did not occur in any patient. Only one patient (2.5%) experienced symptomatic CMV infection and no patient developed CMV pneumonitis. In contrast, in the control group, 23 (59%) patients had clinical symptoms of CMV infection (p < 0.0001) and 4 (10%) experienced CMV pneumonitis (p < 0.01). Ganciclovir significantly reduced the incidence of positive CMV antigenemia (7.5% in the treated group vs 72% in the control group; p < 0.01). However, ganciclovir delivery did not result in an improved overall survival due to a higher rate of regimen-related deaths and chronic GVHD mostly in patients transplanted from an HLA-mismatched donor. The prophylactic administration of ganciclovir abrogates CMV pneumonitis and considerably reduces the incidence of CMV infection in BM recipients at high risk of developing this disease after transplantation.

Adolescent↗

Peripheral B cells with intracytoplasmic mu chains in HIV infection.

Besides the major alteration of T lymphocytes, B-cell anomalies have been reported in HIV infection, related to late stages of B-cell maturation, and considered to result from the dysregulation of T/B interactions. Because T cells are also involved in the control of lymphopoiesis and/or because of specific alterations of the B lineage, anomalies of B-cell maturation could occur in HIV-infected patients. We investigated the presence of immature pre-B lymphocytes, characterized by cytoplasmic mu chains, in 35 peripheral blood samples from healthy controls, 82 from HIV-positive/non-AIDS patients, and 45 from AIDS patients. Significant numbers of such cells were observed in 48% of HIV-seropositive patients and in 40% of the patients with AIDS disease. The presence of pre-B cells correlated with higher numbers of CD8+ and/or CD57+ cells and of peripheral lymphocytes. These data suggest that B-cell dysregulation in HIV infection may lead to the abnormal release of immature B cells in the peripheral blood. This observation may be interpreted as a sign of bone marrow activity.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

Multiphenotypic acute leukemias: clinicopathologic correlations and response to therapy.

Multiphenotypic acute leukemias (MAL), defined by the coexpression on most blast cells of antigens classically attributed to different lineages, remain a rare event. We isolated a series of 26 such cases from a cohort of 1565 leukemic patients whose cells were immunophenotyped at diagnosis. Markers of B and myeloid lineage (BM) were associated in 16 cases (62%), 3 coexpressed B and T markers (BT), and T-cell and myeloid antigens (TM) were found in 7 (27%). A tumoral syndrome was observed in 69% of the patients, without significant differences between the immunophenotypic subgroups. Median event free survivals in the three immunophenotypic subgroups as defined were respectively 24 months for BM-MAL, 4 months for TM-MAL and 7 months for BT-MAL respectively. The poorer prognosis of TM-MAL was significantly different from that of BM-MAL (p < 0.001). This concurred with the poorer prognosis associated with CD7 expression or absence or CD10, both characteristic features of TM-MAL.

Acute Disease↗

NARES: a model of inflammation caused by activated eosinophils?

Twenty patients were selected on the basis of perennial rhinitis, the absence of allergy and with an eosinophil count higher than 20% of total leucocytes in nasal secretions (NARES). Nasal endoscopy with biopsies from the middle turbinate and sinus CT were performed. Biopsies were processed for histological examination and for immunofluorescence. The clinical progress during treatment was scrutinized. An acute congestive aspect of the nasal mucosa was noted in 4 cases, and micropolyposis in 9 cases. Sinus CT showed opacity of the ethmoidal cells in 87% of cases (maxillary sinuses: 75%; frontal sinus: 46%; sphenoidal sinus: 31%). An eosinophilic infiltrate of the nasal mucosa was constituted in 9 cases: In 6 cases, the cells expressed the Fc epsilon RII receptor, recognized by the monoclonal antibody Bb10. Anti-H1 drugs usually failed to result in a clinical improvement and local eosinophilia was not changed. Local corticoids were more effective but not sufficient in some cases, so that oral corticotherapy was needed. Ethmoidectomy was performed in three cases. NARES seems to evolve in three stages: (1) migration of eosinophils from the vessels to the secretions; (2) retention of eosinophils in the mucosa which might be linked to activation of unknown origin; (3) nasal polyposis. Numerous interactions between irritation of the epithelium, release of substance P, and eosinophils, lead to the hypothesis of a neurogenic origin of NARES.

Adult↗

[Peripheral blood cells secreting specific antibodies after oral stimulation with a ribosomal vaccine].

This investigation was designed to investigate mechanisms underlying oral immunization in humans after ingestion of the ribosomal vaccine D53. Immunofluorescence and ELISA (Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay) spot techniques were used for peripheral blood studies. The first part of the investigation was a double-blind placebo-controlled study of 12 healthy volunteers; counts of cells containing immunoglobulins and cells producing specific antibodies were higher in the individuals given the oral ribosomal vaccine than in the placebo-treated controls. In the second part of the investigation, analysis of the kinetics of apparition of the immunoglobulin-containing and specific antibody-producing cells suggested prompt stimulation of Peyer patch B lymphocytes following ingestion of the vaccine. Lastly, a study of 5 children given the vaccine on a long-term basis demonstrated increased counts of both above-described cell types after one month treatment.

Administration, Oral↗

[New concepts of the course of cholesteatoma from the immunohistological study of 96 samples].

The immunohistological characteristics of retraction pockets, cholesteatoma matrix and granulomatous tissue have been compared. Langerhans cells, epidemic folds and sub-epithelial tissue were labelled with specific markers (HLA II, adhesion receptors, KI 67). The junction between epidermis and sub-epithelial tissue of middle ear mucosa appeared as the most inflammatory area, displaying characteristics of delayed type hypersensitivity phenomenon. CD1+ Langerhans cells appear to express class II molecules only in the vicinity of polymorphonuclear infiltrates. Epidemic proliferation seems to able place mainly in the deepest recesses of the epidermis.

Acute Disease↗

Drug assay in ground tissues: example of ketoprofen diffusion into tonsillar tissue.

Ketoprofen was assayed in tissues of surgical patients after mechanical grinding of the tissue in liquid nitrogen; the fine powder obtained allowed the drug to be determined by HPLC in the same way as for liquid samples. The method was applied to the study of ketoprofen diffusion into the tonsillar tissue of 15 patients after a single intramuscular injection of ketoprofen (100 mg). A correction was made for blood contamination after hemoglobin determination.

Adolescent↗