Relationship of serotonergic antidepressants and need for blood transfusion in orthopedic surgical patients.

Background: Several reports of various bleeding problems associated with the use of serotonergic antidepressants have been published. However, no information concerning the effect of these drugs on perioperative blood loss and blood transfusion requirements during orthopedic surgery is available. The objective of this study was to determine the association between use of serotonergic antidepressants and perioperative blood loss and transfusion in orthopedic surgical patients.

Anaphylaxis after first exposure to ceftriaxone.

Unlabelled: Life-threatening anaphylaxis developed in a 5-y-old boy with septic shock within minutes of receiving his first intravenous injection of ceftriaxone. Hypersensivity could not be demonstrated by skin testing and ceftriaxone-specific IgE. However, an in vivo, controlled, intravenous challenge was clearly positive.

Splenic abscess caused by Peptostreptococcus species, diagnosed with the aid of abdominal computerized tomography and treated with percutaneous drainage and antibiotics: a case report.

We describe herein a 63-year-old patient with a splenic abscess due to Peptostreptococcus spp., diagnosed with the aid of abdominal computerised tomography and treated with ultra-sound guided percutaneous drainage and antibiotics. The bacteriological characteristics of splenic abscesses are discussed.

Severe mycobacterial and Salmonella infections in interleukin-12 receptor-deficient patients.

Interleukin-12 (IL-12) is a cytokine that promotes cell-mediated immunity to intracellular pathogens by inducing type 1 helper T cell (TH1) responses and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) production. IL-12 binds to high-affinity beta1/beta2 heterodimeric IL-12 receptor (IL-12R) complexes on T cell and natural killer cells. Three unrelated individuals with severe, idiopathic mycobacterial and Salmonella infections were found to lack IL-12Rbeta1 chain expression.

Multicentre in-vitro evaluation of the susceptibility of Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae and Moraxella catarrhalis to ciprofloxacin, clarithromycin, co-amoxiclav and sparfloxacin.

Seven laboratories, including a reference laboratory, tested the susceptibility of Moraxella catarrhalis, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae strains to ciprofloxacin, clarithromycin, co-amoxiclav and sparfloxacin with the Etest. A total of 976 strains were collected. The results with ciprofloxacin and sparfloxacin were consistent for all laboratories, while those with clarithromycin and co-amoxiclav were not.

Defects in monocyte polarization and dendritic cell clustering in patients with Graves' disease. A putative role for a non-specific immunoregulatory factor related to retroviral p15E.

A depressed chemotactic responsiveness of monocytes and a depressed cluster capability of dendritic cells have been found in diseases such as chronic purulent infections of the respiratory tract and in various types of malignancies. These impairments in monocyte and dendritic cell function could be ascribed to the action of a low molecular weight factor (LMWF; less than 25 kDa) circulating in the serum of the patients. The factor, which seems to be a non-specific immunoregulatory factor, shares a structural homology with p15E, the capsular protein of murine and feline leukaemogenic retroviruses.

Dendritic cells and class II MHC expression on thyrocytes during the autoimmune thyroid disease of the BB rat.

The BB rat is a well-established model for spontaneous thyroid autoimmune disease. Since antigen presentation in thyroid autoimmunity is still a matter of debate, we studied the presence of antigen-presenting dendritic cells in the thyroid of the BB/O rat during the development of the disease in relation to the presence of other leucocytes and the aberrant expression of class II MHC determinants by thyrocytes. Thyroid glands, as well as thyroid-draining lymph nodes, were investigated in enzyme histochemistry and immune histochemistry.

A diminished adherence of blood lymphocytes of patients with thyroid autoimmune disease to high endothelial venules in the thyroid and the thyroid-draining lymph nodes.

The function of high endothelial venules (HEVs), present in the T-cell area of lymphoid tissue is to attract lymphocytes to secondary lymphoid organs ("homing"). In Graves' disease, sporadic goitre and lymphocytic thyroiditis HEVs develop in the thyroid. To study the "homing" of peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) of healthy individuals and thyroid patients to the thyroid area we studied the adherence of PBL of such individuals to HEVs present in Hashimoto's goitres and to HEVs in thyroid draining lymph nodes.

Dendritic cells and scavenger macrophages in pancreatic islets of prediabetic BB rats.

Insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) is an autoimmune disease whose notorious pathologic feature is insulitis accompanied by destruction of beta-cells. In this morphological study, we examined the pancreatic events during the onset of diabetes in spontaneously diabetic BB/Organon rats. Dendritic cells were the first cells to accumulate around the islets, followed by lymphocytes.

Accessory cells with a morphology and marker pattern of dendritic cells can be obtained from elutriator-purified blood monocyte fractions. An enhancing effect of metrizamide in this differentiation.

Human monocytic cell fractions obtained by counterflow elutriation centrifugation (with regard to specific monocyte/macrophage characteristics: 82-88% were positive for nonspecific esterase; 86-94% for CD14) were cultured (overnight, 37 degrees C) under nonadhering conditions (polypropylene tubes). Thirty to 40% of the cells were found to differentiate into large, monocytoid cells with a dendritic morphology. These cells expressed a marker of active dendritic cells RFD1 in 76-89% and were also positive for class II MHC antigens as identified by OKIa (95-97%).

Intrathyroidal dendritic cells, epitheloid cells, and giant cells in iodine deficient goiter.

Immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence were performed on thyroid sections of 44 consecutive patients undergoing thyroid surgery for goiter due to iodine deficiency. Sections were compared with specimens from ten individuals without goiters from the same endemic area, with specimens from ten sporadic nontoxic goiter patients, and with specimens from an area with sufficient iodine supply from nine healthy subjects. Cells were characterized using monoclonal antibodies to the CR3 receptor (CD11b) and the p150/95 antigen (CD11c) present on macrophages, to HLA-DR, to antigen presenting cells (RFD1), to T helper (CD4) and to T suppressor/cytotoxic cells (CD8), and with a polyclonal antibody to human cytokeratin.

High endothelial venules present in lymphoid cell accumulations in thyroids affected by autoimmune disease: a study in men and BB rats of functional activity and development.

High endothelial venules (HEVs) derive their name from the cuboidal high walled shape of the endothelial cells and are found in T-cell areas of a wide variety of lymphoid tissues. The function of HEVs is to attract lymphocytes to lymphoid tissues, and they are thus of importance in lymphocyte recirculation. We investigated the immunohistochemical presence and localization of HEVs in thyroid tissue obtained at surgery from 13 patients with Graves' disease and 3 patients with Hashimoto's disease using the monoclonal antibody HECA 452, which reacts with an epitope on human HEVs.

Anti-CD27 monoclonal antibodies identify two functionally distinct subpopulations within the CD4+ T cell subset.

Anti-CD27 monoclonal antibodies react with a cell surface molecule expressed on medullary thymocytes and a large subpopulation (75%) of peripheral blood T lymphocytes. This study was undertaken to analyze the functional capacities of CD27+ and CD27- subpopulations within the CD4+ subset. In addition, we investigated whether CD27 subpopulations belong to two mutually exclusive T cell sublineages.

Evidence that leukocyte function-associated antigen-1 is involved in recirculation and homing of human lymphocytes via high endothelial venules.

We report the results of mAb inhibition studies of human lymphocyte-high endothelial venule interaction in vitro. These studies in which T cells from both normal donors and from a LFA-1-deficient patient were used indicate that in addition to a system of organ-specific 90-kDa "homing" receptors on lymphocytes, LFA-1 is also involved in lymphocyte recirculation and homing.

Intrathyroidal dendritic cells.

The presence, marker pattern, and ultrastructure of antigen-presenting dendritic cells were studied in normal thyroid glands from 9 subjects (6 obtained at surgery; 3 at autopsy) and in the thyroid glands form 13 patients with Graves' hyperthyroidism, 10 patients with simple nontoxic goiter, and 1 patient with Hashimoto's disease (all obtained at surgery). The immunohistochemical characterization of the cells was carried out using the monoclonal antibodies OKIa (class II MHC determinants), RFD1 and L25. These latter monoclonal antibodies react strongly with active dendritic cells in T-cell areas of secondary lymphoid organs (the interdigitating cells in lymph nodes and spleen).

Anti-HLA-class II monoclonal antibodies inhibit polyclonal B cell differentiation in vitro at the accessory cell level.

We produced and characterized a panel of anti-HLA class II monoclonal antibodies (mAb) to study the inhibition of T cell-dependent B cell differentiation. The newly produced mAb belonged to different isotypes and subclasses, and recognized at least two different nonpolymorphic HLA class II determinants. We found that anti-HLA class II mAb inhibited the pokeweed mitogen (PWM)- and interleukin 2-driven T cell-dependent IgM synthesis, but did not affect the phorbol myristate acetate-, phytohemagglutinin-, anti-T3- or PWM-induced T cell proliferation.

Dendritic cells in autoimmune thyroid disease.

Dendritic cells form a morphologically distinct class of cells characterized by shape, reniform nucleus, absent to weak acid-phosphatase activity and strong Class II MHC determinant positivity. Functionally they are the most efficient cells in antigen presentation to T-lymphocytes which indicates their role in the initiation of an immune response. Using immunehistochemical techniques we studied the presence of dendritic cells in normal Wistar rat and human thyroids, in thyroids of BBW rats developing thyroid autoimmunity and in Graves' goitres.

Continuous therapy with sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim in patients with chronic granulomatous disease.

In a retrospective study, the effect of long-term treatment with sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim was evaluated in nine male patients with chronic granulomatous disease. During this treatment, a marked reduction was observed in the number of infectious episodes, the number of causative agents, and the number of surgical interventions. Furthermore, a significant reduction in days of hospitalization per year was found.

IgG antibodies to HTLV-III associated antigens in patients with AIDS and at risk for AIDS in The Netherlands.

Thirty-nine homosexual males, 11 of whom suffered from AIDS and 13 from Lymphadenopathy Syndrome (LAS), 18 healthy hemophiliacs and 12 healthy blood donors, not belonging to any AIDS risk group, were tested for IgG antibodies to Human T-lymphotropic retrovirus type III (HTLV-III) by indirect immunofluorescence. All tested people were from the area of Amsterdam or from elsewhere in The Netherlands. Five of 11 AIDS patients, 8 of 13 LAS patients and 5 of 15 healthy homosexuals had antibodies to HTLV-III.