Expression of the proliferation-associated nuclear protein MIB-1 and its relationship with microvascular density in bone marrow biopsies of patients with myelodysplastic syndromes.

The myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are a group of disorders characterized by dysplastic hemopoiesis and an increased risk of leukemic transformation. The process of angiogenesis has been implicated in the pathogenesis and evolution of MDS. In this study the proliferative activity and extent of angiogenesis was examined in bone marrow samples from 54 patients with MDS in relation to clinicopathologic features.

Bone marrow microvascular density and angiogenic growth factors in multiple myeloma.

There is evidence that angiogenesis plays an important role in the progression of multiple myeloma (MM). Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) are cytokines that potently stimulate angiogenesis. We evaluated the microvascular density (MVD) of bone marrow biopsies (after immunostaining with anti-CD34 antibodies) and serum levels of HGF and TNF-alpha in 43 patients with newly diagnosed MM.

Defective natural killer cell activity of peripheral blood lymphocytes correlates with the degree of neutropenia in patients with chronic idiopathic neutropenia of adults.

Natural killer cell activity (Nka) of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) against K562 cell targets was assessed in 66 patients with chronic idiopathic neutropenia of adults (CINA) using the 16-h 51Cr-release assay. It was found that CINA patients exhibited significantly lower Nkr than normal subjects, which strongly correlated with the degree of neutropenia and the numbers of circulating neutrophils. Patients' NKa was increased by recombinant human interleukin-2 (rhIL-2) or recombinant human interferon-alpha (rhIFN-alpha), but the values obtained did not reach the respective NKa values found in normals.

Systemic mastocytosis: a rare cause of noncirrhotic portal hypertension simulating autoimmune cholangitis--report of four cases.

Four patients with systemic mastocytosis, two men and two women, are presented. Three of them (patients 1, 2, and 4) developed portal hypertension and ascites without histological evidence of cirrhosis in liver biopsy. The remaining patient (patient 3) had severe bone lesions with multiple vertebral fractures.

Inhibition of mitogen-induced cellular cytotoxicity by serum from patients with multiple myeloma.

Mitogen-induced cellular cytotoxicity (MICC) of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) against K562 cell targets was assessed in 24 patients with multiple myeloma (MM) using the 24 hours 51Cr-release assay. We found that PBMCs from MM patients exhibited normal MICC values when cells were isolated, washed and cultured in vitro in the absence of patients' serum. Patients' serum inhibited MICC of normal PBMCs stimulated by PHA.