[Bilateral primary renal Burkitt lymphoma presenting with acute renal failure].

We report the case of a 12 year-old girl who presented with acute renal failure with massive infiltration in both kidneys due to a Burkitt lymphoma that was diagnosed by percutaneous renal biopsy. This case fulfilled all the diagnostic criteria of Malbrain et al. to be considered as primary renal non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Potential for cytokine and product manipulation to improve the results of autologous stem cell transplantation for rheumatoid arthritis.

The eradication of autoreactive T cells by high dose therapy and stem cell transplantation and the resultant alterations in the immunologic network, thymic reeducation, and peripheral tolerance provide treatment mechanisms for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. One outcome of autologous stem cell transplantation is a significant decrease in the CD4:CD8 ratio due to a loss in CD4+ cells and a depression in T cell function. Mechanistically, the loss of T cell function is associated with an increased frequency of circulating monocytes, their expression of Fas ligand (FasL), and a high frequency of apoptotic CD4+ T cells.

Activation-induced T cell apoptosis by monocytes from stem cell products.

We recently found that mobilized peripheral blood stem cell (PSC) products (from both cancer patients and normal donors) contain high levels of CD14+ monocytes, which can inhibit the proliferation of allogeneic and autologous T cells. We found in our studies that using CD14+ monocytes from mobilized PSC products (from normal and cancer patient donors), normal apheresis products or normal peripheral blood (PB) can affect lymphocyte function and apoptosis-dependent T cell activation. However, it appears that the apoptosis is dependent on the frequency of monocytes, which is increased by both mobilization and apheresis.

Mechanisms of immune dysfunction in stem cell transplantation.

High dose therapy (HDT) and stem cell transplantation (SCT) results in alterations in the immunologic network, thymic re-education and the induction of peripheral tolerance. The changes to the immunoregulatory cascade and tolerance induction associated with autotransplants have been investigated in a series of studies focused on leukocyte reconstitution and function following HDT and autologous SCT. In these studies, we observed a significant decrease in the CD4:CD8 T cell ratio post-transplantation compared to normal peripheral blood (PB) donors due to a decrease in CD4+ cells.

Growth factor mobilization and modulation of progenitor cell adhesion to stromal cells: role of VLA-4.

Cellular interactions between hematopoietic progenitor cells and bone marrow (BM) stromal cells are mediated by cell adhesion molecules (CAM). In agreement with previous studies, our flow cytometric analysis of isolated CD34+ cells showed that VLA-4 expression was significantly (p < 0.001) higher on steady-state BM than on CD34+ cells from growth factor-mobilized peripheral stem cell (PSC) products.

Impaired T and NK cell response of bone marrow and peripheral blood stem cell products to interleukin (IL)-2.

The function of steady-state and interleukin (IL)-2-co-cultured mononuclear cells differs significantly between bone marrow (BM) products, growth factor-mobilized peripheral blood stem cell (PSC) products and normal peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). The natural killer (NK) cell activity and T cell proliferative response of PSC products from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) patients are significantly higher than that of BM products and similar to normal PBMC. However, following a five-day co-culture with IL-2 (100 IU/ml), the NK activity of PSC, PBMC, and BM products (lytic units) was increased 176-, 40-, and 14-fold, respectively, compared to that observed prior to IL-2 culture.

Fas-FasL-mediated CD4+ T-cell apoptosis following stem cell transplantation.

We report the preferential expression of Fas on CD4+ T cells and Fas ligand (FasL) on monocytes and their potential role in the selective loss of CD4+ T cells in breast cancer patients undergoing high-dose chemotherapy and peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PSCT). A high frequency of apoptotic CD4+ T cells (28-51%) is observed during the first 100 days after PSCT concomitant with a significant increase in monocyte frequency and FasL expression (11.6-23%) on monocytes.

Expression of interleukin-10 in isolated CD8+ T cells and monocytes from growth factor-mobilized peripheral blood stem cell products: a mechanism of immune dysfunction.

Previous reports showed the abnormal activation of immune cells in growth factor-mobilized peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) products, which might be responsible for depressed T cell responsiveness to mitogens compared with normal peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). In the present study, the mRNA expression levels of interleukin (IL)-2, IL-4, IL-10, and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) were significantly higher in CD4+ and CD8+ T cells from mobilized PBSC products compared with CD4+ and CD8+ cells from normal peripheral blood (PB). The mRNA expression levels of IL-4 and IL-10 were significantly higher in CD8+ compared with CD4+ cells from PBSC products.

Comparison of monocyte-dependent T cell inhibitory activity in GM-CSF vs G-CSF mobilized PSC products.

This study compares the immune properties of peripheral blood stem cell (PSC) products mobilized with different hematopoietic growth factors (HGFs) as well as apheresis products and peripheral blood leukocytes (PBL) from normal individuals. We found that monocytes in mobilized PSC products appear to inhibit T cell function independent of whether granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) or granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) was used for mobilization. In addition, the GF used to mobilize the stem cell product may be less important to the CD4:CD8 ratio than the extent of prior chemotherapy, as we found an inverse correlation between chemotherapy and the CD4:CD8 ratio.

Chylopericardium of neoplastic aetiology.

Here we present the case of a 30-year-old man diagnosed with a dysgerminoma with mediastinal involvement, who developed an isolated chylopericardium during treatment. The purpose of this paper is to review the etiology, diagnosis and new approaches to the treatment of chylopericardium.

IL-2 expansion of T and NK cells from growth factor-mobilized peripheral blood stem cell products: monocyte inhibition.

The expansion of T and natural killer (NK) cells in growth factor-mobilized peripheral blood stem cell (PSC) products with interleukin-2 (IL-2) requires a reduction in monocyte frequency. Monocytes are enriched with stem cells during apheresis and, in this series of growth factor-mobilized PSC products from breast cancer patients, represented 36 +/- 6% of the cells in the product. Immunophenotyping studies revealed that monocytes inhibited the proliferation of NK cells (CD56+ and CD3- CD8+ CD56+ cells) and T cells (CD3+, CD4+, and CD8+ cells) during IL-2 co-culture for 7, 14, or 21 days.

Enhancement of adenovirus-mediated gene transfer to human bone marrow cells.

Adenovirus infection of CD34+ hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells is dependent on the multiplicity of infection (MOI), time of incubation, the volume in which the co-incubation occurs and the presence or absence of growth factors. Studies revealed that a brief co-incubation (1-8 hours), resulted in low levels of transgene expression, suggesting that adenovirus infection of CD34+ cells occurs slowly, and optimal transduction requires a 24 hour exposure to adenovirus. Infection by Ad/beta-gal or Ad/p53 at a MOI of 500:1 provided a high transduction efficiency but inhibited hematopoietic function.

Restoration of T and NK cell function in GM-CSF mobilized stem cell products from breast cancer patients by monocyte depletion.

Rapid immune reconstitution is observed following autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PSCT) as compared to autologous bone marrow transplantation (ABMT), although it is depressed compared to that observed in normal individuals. The immune dysfunction occurs despite the restoration of normal lymphoid cell numbers and may be associated with the immunologic characteristics of the infused peripheral blood stem cell (PSC) product. We report herein that the in vitro T cell proliferation and NK activity in PSC products of breast cancer patients are significantly increased following the removal of CD14+ monocytes (33 +/- 2% of the PSC product) by carbonyl iron magnetic cell isolation (CI).

[Clinico-morphologic reconsideration of anaplastic lymphoma. Retrospective study of 60 patients with aggressive clinical course and multiple recurrences].

Purpose: To identify anaplastic large cell lymphoma Ki-1+ (ALCL-Ki-1+) among a group of patients with aggressive Hodgkin's disease (HD) and to know the biological behaviour of the neoplasia (ALCL-Ki-1+).

Patients And Methods: Biopsies and clinical data of sixty patients with previous morphological diagnosis of HD lymphocytic depletion (LD), syncytial variant of nodular esclerosis (NE-II) and other subtypes of HD with aggressive clinical features were reviewed. A morphological, immunohistochemical (IHQ), proliferative and flow cytometric (FCM) studies were performed in lymph node biopsies.

[T-cell-rich B-cell lymphoma: multifactorial study of 4 cases].

Purpose: With the correlational study of four cases in several areas (clinic, morphoimmunologycal, ultrastructural and genetic) we try to valorate the still controversial entity known as T-cell rich B-cell lymphoma (TRBL), and stablish some useful clues in order to settle down the differential diagnosis between TRBL, Hodgkin's disease (HD), and T-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (TNHL).

Patients And Methods: Cases proceeded from Oncology Department, and had been firstly misdiagnosed either as HD (3 cases) or as TNHL (1 case). Biopsies were processed and stained in routine way, H&E, Giemsa and Wilder.

[Large-cell anaplastic lymphomas: a genetic and immunophenotypic study].

Purpose: To characterize from a genetic point of view a group of non-Hodgkin's anaplastic large-cell lymphomas (ALCL) by Southern blot and PCR methods with different probes (molecular study) and with direct or post 24-78 hours cultures with GTC banding techniques (cytogenetic). To correlate the results to the immunophenotype performed with a complete panel of monoclonal antibodies (MoAb) according to avidin-biotine and alkaline phosphatase (APAAP) methods.

Material And Methods: Sixty cases of ALCL were reviewed and only 19 selected (with frozen or fresh material) because a complete immunohistologic and genotypic correlation had been done.

[Expression of latent membrane protein (LMP) in large-cell anaplastic lymphomas].

Purpose: The presence of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-encoded latent membrane protein (LMP) was investigated in 40 cases of lymphoproliferative diseases which include Hodgkin's disease (HD), anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) of B and T-cell nature.

Material And Methods: All cases were immunophenotyped in paraffin-embedded lymph node tissues, with a complete panel of monoclonal antibodies against B-cells, T-cells, histiocytes, activation and proliferation markers and classified as: 24 anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL, 8 classical type and 16 ALCL-HD related), 10 lymphocyte predominant HD (LP, 5 classical type and 5 with ALCL areas), 4 NHL (two T-Cell type and 2 T-cell rich B-cell NHL). Immunohistochemistry techniques were performed ABC-complex and phosphatase alkaline anti-phosphatase alkaline (APAAP).