Characterization of soluble factors from cultures of premalignant cervical epithelium.

Purpose: Immune responses within the cervical microenvironment are likely to play an important role in the natural history of premalignant lesions but the pattern of this response and how it is regulated has not been documented in detail.

Methods: Explants of premalignant cervical epithelium were cultured in vitro for 24 hours. The culture supernatants were assayed for the presence of IL-1alpha, IL-10, IL-12 and TNF-alpha by ELISA.

The antigen-presenting environment in normal and human papillomavirus (HPV)-related premalignant cervical epithelium.

The activation of HPV-specific T cells within the cervical microenvironment is likely to play an important part in the natural history of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). The extent and the type of T cell activation will depend critically on the expression of MHC, costimulatory cell surface molecules and cytokines by keratinocytes and Langerhans cells within the cervical lesion. Expression of MHC class II (HLA-A-DR and -DQ), costimulatory/adhesion molecules (CD11a/18, CD50, CD54, CD58 and CD86) and cytokines (tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and IL-10) was therefore investigated by immunohistochemistry in normal squamous epithelium (n = 12), low-grade (n = 23) and high-grade (n = 18) squamous intraepithelial lesions of the cervix.

Differential regulation of HLA-DQ expression by keratinocytes and Langerhans cells in normal and premalignant cervical epithelium.

Keratinocytes in normal ectocervix did not express major histocompatibility complex class II molecules. In low-grade intraepithelial lesions expression was confined to HLA-DR, while in high-grade disease there was expression of HLA-DR and occasional expression of HLA-DQ. HLA-DR was expressed constitutively on the majority of Langerhans cells.

Antigenic and genomic diversity of human rotavirus VP4 in two consecutive epidemic seasons in Mexico.

In the present investigation we characterized the antigenic diversity of the VP4 and VP7 proteins in 309 and 261 human rotavirus strains isolated during two consecutive epidemic seasons, respectively, in three different regions of Mexico. G3 was found to be the prevalent VP7 serotype during the first year, being superseded by serotype G1 strains during the second season. To antigenically characterize the VP4 protein of the strains isolated, we used five neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) which showed specificity for VP4 serotypes P1A, P1B, and P2 in earlier studies.

Serotype specificity of the neutralizing-antibody response induced by the individual surface proteins of rotavirus in natural infections of young children.

The relative contribution of the rotavirus surface proteins, VP4 and VP7, to the induction of homotypic as well as heterotypic neutralizing antibodies (NtAbs) in natural infections was studied. The NtAb titers of paired sera from 70 infants with serologically defined primary rotavirus infections were determined with a panel of rotavirus reassortants having one surface protein from a human rotavirus (serotypes G1 to G4 for VP7 and P1A and P1B for VP4) and the other surface protein from a heterologous animal rotavirus strain. A subset of 37 children were evaluated for epitope-specific antibodies to the two proteins by an epitope-blocking assay.

PCR detection of the human papillomavirus: improved DNA recovery from frozen biopsies.

1. One of the main obstacles to the reliable detection of human papillomavirus in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia is that a minute quantity of infected tissue is often all that is available. 2.

Cathepsin E expression by normal and premalignant cervical epithelium.

We have investigated the expression of the aspartic proteinase cathepsin E and HLA-DR and the presence of HPV16 in normal squamous epithelium (n = 8) and low-grade (n = 21) and high-grade (n = 14) intraepithelial squamous lesions of the uterine cervix. Immunohistochemistry of cervical biopsies revealed that up-regulation of cathepsin E expression was related to increasing severity of the cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). Up-regulation of protein was associated with increased message as assessed by in situ hybridization.

Regulation of cathepsin E expression during human B cell differentiation in vitro.

Cathepsin E is an aspartic proteinase which has been implicated in antigen processing in the class II major histocompatibility complex pathway. In this study we show that cathepsin E, measured at both the protein and message level, is up-regulated late in human B cell activation. The implications of this observation in terms of cathepsin E function are discussed.

[Treatment of acute coronary dissection by angioplasty during diagnostic catheterization by the Sones' technique].

Male, 50 year-old, white, who underwent coronary arteriography and exhibited proximal dissection of the left anterior descending coronary artery induced by the Sones catheter with subsequent acute vessel occlusion. The patient was immediately treated by balloon angioplasty with excellent outcome.

[Control of diarrheal diseases in Mexico and Latin America].

Oral rehydration therapy (ORT), has been considered the major advance in the treatment of the diarrheal diseases, and has been the single most important factor in the decrease of mortality and decreased morbidity in childhood diarrheal. ORT, is not limited to the administration of oral rehydration solution; it also includes feeding techniques and community education and participation. In order to promote ORT, national programs have been developed and promoted in educational centers in strategic areas of the Latin America countries, where medical and paramedical staff attend.

A method for the analysis of ambiguous segmentations of images.

In this correspondence we are interested in how interpretation and context restrictions can guide the analysis of ambiguous segmentations of images in computer vision systems. The final objective is to find image segments that can be interpreted (classified) such that their interpretations do not conflict with interpretations given to related segments. In the case that we have several possible labels for each segment, some of this ambiguity can be reduced by means of a relaxation process.

[Acute non-bacterial interstitial tubular nephritis].

With the idea in mind to review the etiologic characteristics and evolution of nonbacterial acute tubulointerstitial nephritis, 29 cases seen at the Hospital Infantil de México between 1972 and 1978 were studied. The ages of patients fluctuated from 3 months to 14 years; 18 of them were males. The disease was associated with the administration of nephrotoxic agents, fundamentally antibiotics, being in order of frequency; gentamicin, kanamycin, ampicillin and streptomycin.

[Glomerulonephritis with mesangial IgA deposit (IgA mesangiopathy?)].

Clinical correlations and evolution were studied in 34 biopsies from patients with the following diagnosis: Henoch-Schönlein purpura in 17, monosymptomatic hematuria in 11, idiopathic nephrotic syndrome in 3, and Fanconi Syndrome, Systemic lupus erythematosus and tubulointerstitial nephritis, one for each diagnosis respectively. All these biopsies showed anti-IgA mesangial deposits, by immunofluorescence techniques with variable morphology by light microscopy. Endo and extracapillary proliferation was the most frequent lesions.

[Idiopathic nephrotic syndrome with diffuse mesangial proliferation].

The clinicopathologic correlation of 18 cases of idiopathic nephrotic syndrome (INS) with diffuse mesangial proliferation (MP), (over 3 cells per intercapillary space) showed clinical characteristics similar to INS with minimal glomerular lesions (MGL) in relation to age at onset, sex, period of evolution, intensity of proteinuria, hypercholesterolemia, hypoalbuminemia and edema. However, there was a greater incidence of cases with arterial hypertension, hematuria, azotemic retention and positive glomerular immunofluorescence. Out of the 18 cases, 10 were corticosensitive (group I) and 8 were corticoresistant (group II).

[Immunopathological prediction index of frequent relapses in children with lipoid nephrosis].

Forty-four renal biopsies were performed in the same number of selected patients with the diagnosis of lipoid nephrosis. Immunopathologic studies were carried out in all the biopsies. Positive immunofluorescence to immunoglobulins, complement/or fibrin was found in 21 cases (48%).

[Immunopathological study in membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis].

In 39 renal percutaneous biopsies, practiced to 31 patients with membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (GMP) with subendothelial deposits (DSE), a study with immunofluorescence technique and light microscopy was carried out. In all cases, heavy granular deposits of C3 were detected in the loops of the glomerular capillaries and in a variable proportion of cases, deposits of IgM, IgA, C3PA (factor B) and C1q of similar aspect and localizacion were found. These findings suggest immunologic pathogenesis.

[Phagocytosis in patients with splenectomy].

Phagocytosis was evaluated in nine patients with splenctomy undergoing renal transplant, eight renal transplanted patients without splenectomy, three immunodepressed patients with terminal renal failure, four patients with splenectomy and six healthy volunteers. For phagocytosis evaluation, neutrophils adhered to glass were used. They were cover with 4% latex and albumin containing culture medium with or without phagocytosis stimulating tetrapeptide extracted from IgG in each case.