Malaria and Malnutrition: Kwashiorkor Associated with Low Levels of Parasitaemia.

Background: The relationship between protein energy malnutrition (PEM) and malaria is controversial. While most studies demonstrate that PEM is associated with greater malaria morbidity, some indicate that PEM may in fact have a protective effect. PEM is differentiated into three subgroups: kwashiorkor (marked protein deficiency), marasmus (calorie deficiency), and kwashiorkor/marasmus.

What works and why? Evaluation of a community nutrition programme in Kenya.

Objective: To investigate the nutritional impact of a community-based programme that focused on social cohesion and action.

Design: The change in nutritional status of children aged 12–60 months was examined over a period of 3 years in Makueni District in Eastern Province of Kenya in six communities in which an intervention programme of Participatory Learning and Action was introduced and in ten communities in which only basic preparations were made but no intervention was started.

Setting: The intervention was part of the Government of Kenya Community Based Nutrition Programme and was supported by the Government of Denmark.

Social capital and healthy urbanization in a globalized world.

This paper critically reviews the extent in which social capital can be a resource to promote health equity in urban contexts. It analyzes the concept of social capital and reviews evidence to link social capital to health outcomes and health equity, drawing on evidence from epidemiological studies and descriptive case studies from both developed and developing countries. The findings show that in certain environments social capital can be a key factor influencing health outcomes of technical interventions.

In vitro transformation of monocytes and dendritic cells into endothelial like cells.

Our in vitro data indicate that peripheral blood monocytes or monocyte-derived immature dendritic cells under appropriate culture conditions transdifferentiate into endothelial-like cells (ELC), which are characterized by the expression of endothelial markers and the formation of tube-like structures. Dependent on the culture conditions a mixed macrophage/endothelial or an endothelial phenotype could be induced. A similar pattern of development could be seen in CD14+ monocyte-derived ELC and ELC grown from CD34+ precursor cells or from dendritic cells generated from CD34+ cells.

Randomized study to evaluate the use of high-dose therapy as part of primary treatment for "aggressive" lymphoma.

Purpose: This trial of the German High-Grade Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma Study Group compares the use of high-dose therapy (HDT) as part of primary treatment with cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (CHOP) plus etoposide followed by involved-field (IF) radiotherapy in a randomized, multicenter, phase III study.

Patients And Methods: Three hundred twelve patients with "aggressive" non-Hodgkin's lymphoma aged View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Exposure to armament wastes and leukemia: a case-control study within a cluster of AML and CML in Germany.

An unusually high incidence of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) concentrated in a specific locality of a region in Germany motivated a descriptive incidence study in that region which showed a near 10-fold increased risk of CML among males but not among females (Kolb G, Becker N, Scheller S, Zugmaier G, Pralle H, Wahrendorf J, Havemann K. Increased risk of acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) and chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) in a County of Hesse, Germany, Soc Prev Med 1993;38:190-195). Since a serious environmental contamination of areas in this locality with armament wastes containing toluene-derivatives has been known for a long time, the hypothesis arose that TNT production and the related severe contamination of soil and water might be responsible for the observed higher risk.

Dendritic cells derived from peripheral monocytes express endothelial markers and in the presence of angiogenic growth factors differentiate into endothelial-like cells.

CD14-positive monocytes obtained from human peripheral blood were cultured with GM-CSF and IL-4. During the early culture phase immature dendritic cells (DCs) developed which not only expressed CD1a, HLA-DR and CD86, but also expressed the endothelial cell markers von Willebrand factor (vWF), VE-cadherin and VEGF receptors Flt-1 and Flt-4. Further maturation of DCs was achieved by prolonged cultivation with TNFalpha.

Endothelial-like cells derived from human CD14 positive monocytes.

In the present study, we show that endothelial-like cells (ELCs) can develop from human CD14-positive mononuclear cells (CD14 cells) in the presence of angiogenic growth factors. The CD14 cells became loosely adherent within 24 h of culture and subsequently underwent a distinct process of morphological transformation to caudated or oval cells with eccentric nuclei. After 1 week in culture the cells showed a clear expression of endothelial cell markers, including von Willebrand factor (vWF), CD144 (VE-cadherin), CD105 (endoglin), acetylated low-density lipoprotein (AC-LDL)-receptor, CD36 (thrombospondin receptor), FLT-1, which is vascular endothelial cell growth factor (VEGF) receptor-1, and, to a weaker extent, KDR (VEGF receptor-2).

Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma protocols in the treatment of patients with Burkitt's lymphoma and lymphoblastic lymphoma: a report on 58 patients.

Lymphoblastic lymphoma (LBL) and Burkitt's lymphoma belong to the very aggressive lymphomas requiring intensive therapy. We retrospectively analyzed 29 patients with Burkitt's lymphoma and 29 patients with LBL who received induction therapy with a CHOP-like lymphoma protocol. Patients with Burkitt's lymphoma (with a median age of 54.

Contiguous pattern spreading in patients with Hodgkin's disease.

Background: In 1966, Rosenberg and Kaplan hypothesized that Hodgkin's disease (HD) arises at a discrete primary site and subsequently spreads in a predictable manner via functionally contiguous lymph nodes. However, their results were not statistically evident. It was our aim to describe the spreading in the lymphatic system more precisely and to confirm their postulate.

Frequent detection of ras and p53 mutations in brush cytology samples from lung cancer patients by a restriction fragment length polymorphism-based "enriched PCR" technique.

RFLP-mediated PCR has been successfully applied as a reliable tool in the detection of ras mutations in many cancers and provides a basis for "mutant-enriched PCR" protocols. We have, therefore, modified this technique to the sensitive detection of K-ras codon 12 and also p53 "hot spot" mutations, which, frequently in lung cancer, affect codons at the positions 157, 175, 245, 248, 249, and 273. With a high sensitivity of 1 mutant allele in 10(4) normal alleles, our enrichment assay allows the detection of oncogene alleles when only a few tumor cells are present within a normal cell population.

Differential expression and biological activity of the heparin-binding growth-associated molecule (HB-GAM) in lung cancer cell lines.

The growth of human lung cancer cells is regulated positively and negatively by a variety of growth factors through autocrine as well as paracrine mechanisms. In the present report, we studied the differential role and expression of a neuropolypeptide growth factor in 26 lung cancer cell lines. Expression of the heparin-binding growth-associated molecule (HB-GAM) in 12 small cell lung cancer (SCLC) cell lines was compared to that in 14 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines.

Control of proteinase expression by phorbol-ester- and Fos-dependent pathways in human non-small-cell lung-cancer cells.

Activation of protein kinase C- (PKC) and Fos/Jun-dependent signal transduction pathways are thought to be major effects of oncogene action in different tumor systems including human non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). We have previously shown that the phorbol ester analogue phorbol-myristate-acetate (PMA), which is a potent activator of PKC, can induce squamous-type cellular differentiation and the expression of proteinases, such as plasminogen activators and pro-cathepsin L, in several NSCLC cell lines. To investigate the PMA-dependent effect on proteinase secretion in more detail, we have now analysed the role of a downstream transmitter of PKC activity in this process, namely Fos, which is part of the AP-1 transcription factor in the nucleus.

Phenotypic analysis of receptor-ligand pairs on B-cells in B-chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Whole-blood three-color immunofluorescence analysis was used to investigate the role of CD5/CD72 and CD21/CD23 receptor-ligand pair formation on B-chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) cells as well as sCD23 and bcl-2 oncoprotein expression in disease progression and activity and total tumor mass in B-cell chronic leukemia (B-CLL) patients. Thirty-four patients with B-CLL and 19 controls were included in the study. The majority of B-cells in B-CLL patients coexpressed CD5 and CD72 as well as the CD23 antigen.

Nuclear localization of insulin-like growth factor binding protein 3 in a lung cancer cell line.

Considerable evidence exists that lung cancer cell lines produce large amounts of insulin-like growth factor-binding proteins (IGFBPs). In addition, these cells are subject to an autocrine or paracrine growth control by insulin-like growth factors (IGFs). We now demonstrate by immunocytochemistry with IGFBP-3 antibodies that nuclei of a lung cancer cell line distinctly immunostain for IGFBP-3.

Preferential histiotypic expression of CD44-isoforms in human lung cancer.

The CD44 transmembrane glycoprotein is expressed in most adult tissues and in the majority of neoplasias. Due to alternative splicing, this cell adhesion molecule exists in multiple isoforms some of which have been associated with specific types of tumours as well as with increased tumour metastasis. In this study, we have looked at the level and type of CD44 expression in lung cancer which represents a histologically heterogenous form of cancer composed of small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) and non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC), the latter subgroup comprising adenocarcinoma (ADC), bronchio-alveolar carcinoma (BAC), large cell carcinoma (LCC), and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).

[Value of radiotherapy in disseminated high-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma].

Background: Radiotherapy is part of the treatment protocols in localized low-grade lymphomas as well as localized high-grade lymphomas adjunct to polychemotherapy. Integration of radiotherapy into the treatment of disseminated high-grade lymphomas is controversial.

Patients And Method: The current literature and our own experience with radiotherapy as part of the treatment of disseminated high-grade lymphomas will be discussed.

Soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 in patients with lung cancer and benign lung diseases.

Intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) expression correlates with tumour progression in patients with malignant melanoma or renal cell carcinoma. To assess the value of soluble ICAM-1 (sICAM-1) for lung cancer patients, sICAM-1 was determined by means of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Sera from 147 patients with lung cancer, from 75 patients with benign lung diseases and from 108 healthy adults were investigated for sICAM-1 expression.

Chronic eosinophilic leukaemia (CEL): a distinct myeloproliferative disease.

Chronic eosinophilic leukaemia has not yet been clearly defined, mainly due to the fact that it has not been conclusively shown as a monoclonal disease which should be separated from chronic myelogenous leukaemia, acute myelogenous leukaemia with eosinophilia (AML, FAB M4Eo), and the idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome. We report a patient with a white blood cell count of 17.6 x 10(9)/l with 74% eosinophils, normal platelet count and haemoglobin.