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Biomedical subjects

T Gallart

Publications and source records attributed to T Gallart.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Recombinant alpha 2-interferon in the treatment of B chronic lymphocytic leukemia in early stages.

Ten previously untreated patients with early B cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) (seven in Rai's stage 0, three in stage I) were given recombinant alpha 2-interferon (alpha 2IF) (2 X 10(6) U/m2 intramuscularly three times a week for a minimum of 14 weeks) to assess its effectiveness. All patients were evaluable for response to therapy and toxicity. No complete response was achieved. In all cases a definite, although transient reduction in the absolute number of peripheral blood lymphocytes was observed. In eight patients an increase in the absolute number of granulocytes was detected. None of the patients experienced severe hematologic toxicity. Fatigue, malaise, and fever were the more common side effects, but all patients were able to finish their treatment as planned. The results of this pilot study suggest that low doses of recombinant alpha 2-IF have some activity in early and previously untreated B-CLL and that further studies of IF effectiveness in B-CLL seem warranted.

Adult↗

Transient immunologic defect in a case of Listeria rhombencephalitis.

We report a case of Listeria rhombencephalitis in a previously healthy 60-year-old man. Listeria rhombencephalitis is a rare but well-defined clinical syndrome of lower brain-stem involvement caused by Listeria monocytogenes. Contrary to other listerioses, rhombencephalitis has been mainly observed in patients without predisposing conditions. In our case, however, findings of a detailed immunologic study, performed three months and one year, respectively, after clinical onset of Listeria rhombencephalitis manifestations, showed a transient cellular immunity defect, not associated with any other apparent disease.

Encephalitis↗

"Spontaneous" complete remissions in chronic lymphocytic leukemia: report of three cases and review of the literature.

"Spontaneous" complete remissions (SCR) are a rare event in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). In this article, we report three cases of SCR observed in a series of 285 patients followed at a single institution during the last 15 years. SCR was documented by clinical and hematologic data, including bone marrow biopsy, and immune cell markers. A delay of 0.9-1.6 years between "clinical" and "clonal" remission was observed. A review of other cases of SCR in CLL is also performed.

Aged↗

Cellular infiltrate in renal graft rejection: T lymphocyte subsets detected by monoclonal antibodies.

We have examined the interstitial cellular infiltrate using monoclonal antibodies against T cells (Cris 1), helper/inducer T cells (OKT4) and suppressor/cytotoxic T cells (OKT8) by indirect immunofluorescence in renal biopsies taken from 14 transplanted patients during clinical episodes suggestive of acute (n = 9), chronic (n = 2) and no rejection (n = 3). Infiltrating T cells and T cell subsets were found to be significantly increased during all types of rejection (n = 11) as compared to no rejection (n = 3). Two types of biopsies could be distinguished according to the predominance of T cell subsets. In some biopsies (n = 6), OKT8+ cells were significantly more numerous that OKT4+ cells. In the remaining biopsies (n = 5), OKT4+ cells were more common that OKT8+ cells, the OKT4/OKT8 ratio being significantly higher. No association was observed between HLA mismatch and predominating T cell subset, neither for type nor outcome of graft rejection. Our results suggest that the OKT4+ cells may play a more important role than previously reported in renal graft rejection.

Adolescent↗

Lymphocyte subpopulations in Spanish parenteral drug addicts.

Lymphocyte subpopulations were studied in 29 symptom-free Spanish prisoners who were active parenteral drug abusers. In 16/29 drug addicts (55%) the helper-inducer/suppressor-cytotoxic ratio (Leu 3a/Leu 2a) was less than 1. None of these 16 patients had lymphopenia and only 2 had a reduction in the number of Leu 3a cells. In drug addicts the number of lymphocytes (p less than 0.01) and the number and percentage of Leu 2a cells (p less than 0.001) were significantly raised. The addicts also had a higher absolute number of T cells when measured by their ability to react with the Leu 4 antibody (p less than 0.01). However, the E-rosette forming cells were significantly reduced. Thus the E-rosette test may lead to an overestimation of "null" cells. Furthermore drug addicts had a higher percentage (p less than 0.001) of Leu 7 positive cells (NK and K cells), but a normal percentage of B and phagocytic cells. Five drug addicts had generalized persistent lymphadenopathies, and 2 had skin anergy. We believe that most of the immunologic abnormalities seen in these apparently healthy drug abusers can be explained by an antigenic overload.

Adolescent↗

Early T-cell features in blast crisis of Ph1-positive chronic myeloid leukaemia.

A patient with Ph1-positive chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) presented in extramedullary blast crisis. Whereas the peripheral blood and bone marrow features were consistent with the chronic phase of CML, study of the enlarged lymph nodes demonstrated massive replacement by Ph1-positive blast cells of lymphoblastic morphology. Such blast cells showed diffuse acid phosphatase positivity, were positive for TdT, and had an enzyme pattern (adenosin-deaminase, purine-nucleosidephosphorilase and lactate-dehydrogenase) typical of immature T-cells. To further characterize the phenotype of the blast cells, they were analyzed for surface markers using a panel of monoclonal antibodies selected to identify differentiation antigens of T cells, B cells and myeloid cells. The results of the latter analysis were consistent with an early T-cell origin of the blast cells, since they were positive for TdT, CRIS1 (T1), E rosettes and OKT10, and were negative for OKT3, Leu3 and OKT8. These features demonstrate that T-cell markers may also be expressed in blast crisis of CML and provide evidence that T-cells may share a common stem cell with myeloid and B-cells in CML.

Adenosine Deaminase↗

Multiple myeloma with monoclonal IgG and IgD of lambda type exhibiting, under treatment, a shift from mainly IgG to mainly IgD.

A patient with multiple myeloma (MM), who initially presented with a predominant IgG lambda and a minor IgD lambda paraprotein pattern, is described. After chemotherapy, levels of the IgD lambda protein increased and the IgG lambda levels decreased. The following results were obtained when serum IgD was predominant. In the bone marrow, there were three plasma cell populations: a major one containing only delta chains, a minor one containing only gamma chains, and another minor one containing both delta and gamma chains. All these plasma cell populations contained lambda chains. Stimulation of circulating mononuclear cells with pokeweed mitogen (PWM) achieved differentiation of circulating B lymphocytes into plasma cells: 30% with only cytoplasmic delta lambda chains and 10% with only cytoplasmic gamma lambda chains. These IgG-containing plasma cells showed cytoplasmic reactivity with rabbit antiserum raised against monoclonal IgD which was shown to contain specificities recognizing both delta chains and idiotypic determinants present in both serum IgD lambda and IgG lambda. Circulating B lymphocytes were 'monoclonal': almost all expressed surface delta lambda chains, and a small proportion of them expressed both delta gamma and lambda chains. High levels of IgD were detected in the supernatants of all cultures, but high concentrations of IgG were only detected in those from PWM-stimulated cultures with very low levels of IgM and IgA. These findings suggest that plasma cells producing either IgD or IgG were derived from a common B-cell clone. Double paraproteinaemia exhibiting a shift in immunoglobulin production from IgG to IgD has not been previously described.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗

[Essential mixed cryoglobulinaemia and hepatitis B virus (author's transl)].

Essential mixed cryoglobulinaemia is a nosological entity described by Meltzer and Franklin in 1966 and characterized by asthenia, arthralgias, purpura, glomerulonephritis and mixed IgM-IgG cryoglobulinaemia. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) markers were studied in the sera and cryoprecipitates of 6 patients with the syndrome. Five (83,3%) had at least one HBV marker and three (50%) had HBsAg either in the serum or in the cryoprecipitate. HBV therefore seems to be involved in the pathogenesis of essential mixed cryoglobulinaemia in a large number of cases.

Cryoglobulinemia↗

Autoantibodies against nuclear envelope-associated proteins in primary biliary cirrhosis.

An antinuclear immunofluorescence pattern displaying a thin ring confined to the nuclear envelope was assessed in sera from 38 patients with primary biliary cirrhosis and in sera from a control group of 277 patients with other antinuclear antibody-positive diseases. This rim-like antinuclear reactivity was present in sera from 20 primary biliary cirrhosis patients (52.6%) but in only two patients from the control group (0.7%) (p less than 0.001). Furthermore, this autoantibody was present in three of four primary biliary cirrhosis patients without antimitochondrial antibodies. Presence of this rim-like pattern in primary biliary cirrhosis did not correlate with the presence of associated autoimmune diseases nor with other clinical, biochemical, nor histological features of the disease. The antigenic specificity of sera displaying this antinuclear immunofluorescence pattern was characterized by Western blot analysis using an antigenic extract containing nuclear envelope proteins purified from rat liver. Sixteen of the 20 positive sera showed a common pattern of reactivity with a set of nuclear envelope-associated proteins approximately 200 kD in size. In conclusion, sera from primary biliary cirrhosis patients showing a rim-like fluorescent nuclear pattern have antinuclear autoantibodies that react specifically with components of the nuclear envelope. The high specificity of these new autoantibodies in primary biliary cirrhosis indicate that they might be a serological marker of the disease, particularly useful in patients without antimitochondrial antibodies.

Antibody Specificity↗