Case reports: continuous corticosteroids for refractory poorly differentiated lymphocytic lymphoma.

Two patients with stage IV poorly differentiated lymphocytic lymphoma became refractory to intensive combination chemotherapy that contained intermittent corticosteroids. Both patients had evidence of bone marrow replacement and leukemia. Continuous corticosteroids were substituted and produced remissions for more than 1 year for both patients.

Transforming growth factor beta 1 messenger RNA in Reed-Sternberg cells in nodular sclerosing Hodgkin's disease.

Aims: To determine the cellular origin of the most potent cytokine present in Hodgkin's disease, transforming growth factor (TGF) beta, the polycellular population of Hodgkin's tissue was studied using in situ hybridisation.

Methods: A biotin labelled oligo-complementary DNA (cDNA) was constructed according to the previously determined sequence for TGF beta 1 cDNA. Forty three frozen and paraffin wax embedded tissue samples replaced by Hodgkin's disease or non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, three Reed-Sternberg cell lines, one Ki1 positive lymphoma cell line, and an epithelial cell line were studied for expression of TGF beta 1 messenger RNA (mRNA) as well as secretion of the TGF beta 1 protein and expression of the CD30 epitope.

Treatment of human immunodeficiency virus-associated Hodgkin disease. Is there a clue regarding the cause of Hodgkin disease?

Background: The occurrence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-associated Hodgkin disease (HD) offers a unique opportunity to study the cause of HD and compare HIV-HD with the well-characterized HIV-non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL).

Methods: Eight patients with HIV-HD and 17 with HIV-NHL were treated.

Results: The complete remission (CR) rate in HIV-HD was 100% with mechlorethamine, vincristine, procarbazine, and prednisone or doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine (median survival, > 38.

High molecular weight transforming growth factor beta is excreted in the urine in active nodular sclerosing Hodgkin's disease.

To measure the in vivo secretion of high molecular weight (HMW) transforming growth factor (TGF)beta by Reed-Sternberg cells from patients with nodular sclerosing Hodgkin's disease, we studied the urine samples from untreated patients. The urinary proteins did not promote the proliferation of NIH-3T3 cells in monolayer culture and contained similar amounts of total TGF activity when compared with normal controls. Urinary proteins from 24 different control and test urines were analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting.

Neutralizing antibodies against transforming growth factor beta potentiate the proliferation of Ki-1 positive lymphoma cells. Further evidence for negative autocrine regulation by transforming growth factor beta.

Activated lymphocytes and malignant lymphoma cells derived from them (Ki-1 positive lymphoma cells) share similar mechanisms of proliferation. To further examine the inhibitory role of endogenous transforming growth factor beta (TGF beta) in Ki-1 positive lymphoma cells, the authors studied anti-TGF beta antibodies and measured their effect on proliferation. A monoclonal antibody (T1A5) prepared against a unique antigenic epitope of high molecular weight Hodgkin's TGF beta and a polyclonal rabbit antibody prepared against highly purified 25,000 D porcine platelet TGF beta 1 were used.

Interleukin-4 is an autocrine growth factor secreted by the L-428 Reed-Sternberg cell.

Recent evidence indicates that Reed-Sternberg (RS) cells from many cases of Hodgkin's disease have features of activated lymphocytes and that lymphokines from activated lymphocytes induce proliferation of L-428 RS cells. It is shown here that a lymphokine similar to a lymphokine secreted by activated lymphocytes is secreted by L-428 cells. This lymphokine has a molecular weight approximately equal to 68,000 daltons, identical to glycosylated recombinant interleukin-4 (rIL-4), and cross-reacts with monoclonal anti-IL-4 in Western immunoblotting.

Production of monoclonal antibodies that detect Hodgkin's high molecular weight transforming growth factor-beta.

High molecular weight transforming growth factor-beta (TGF beta) is a physiologically active TGF secreted by nodular sclerosing Reed-Sternberg cells. Five monoclonal murine antibodies were prepared that distinguished Hodgkin's TGF beta from platelet-derived TGF beta using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, neutralization of biologic activity, and Western blotting. These monoclonal antibodies directed at unique antigenic determinants (epitopes) of Hodgkin's TGF beta will allow further characterization of the role of Hodgkin's TGF beta in Hodgkin's disease and related entities.

Immunohistochemical evidence of a role for transforming growth factor beta in the pathogenesis of nodular sclerosing Hodgkin's disease.

Transforming growth factor beta (TFG-beta) is a multifunctional growth factor that promotes the growth of fibroblasts, collagen synthesis and angiogenesis, and stimulates monocyte migration and activation, but suppresses the growth and differentiation of immune lymphocytes and killer cells. Previously we demonstrated biologic activity for TGF-beta in supernatants of fresh Hodgkin's disease (HD) cell cultures and the cell line L428 derived from nodular sclerosing HD. This study was undertaken to find evidence of TGF-beta activity directly in tissues affected by HD.

L-428 nodular sclerosing Hodgkin's cell secretes a unique transforming growth factor-beta active at physiologic pH.

Nodular sclerosing Hodgkin's disease is characterized by dense collagen fibrosis. Although transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) is an important bifunctional growth factor for fibroblasts and is stored and released by many cells, it requires acidification to pH 2.0-3.

L-428 Reed-Sternberg cells and mononuclear Hodgkin's cells arise from a single cloned mononuclear cell.

The L-428 cell line derived from nodular sclerosing Hodgkin's disease was verified to be a human female cell line with surface marker and morphologic characteristics similar to native Hodgkin's cells. Single cells were cloned and subcloned twice to determine the characteristics of the clonogenic L-428 Hodgkin's cell (resulting in a 10% cloning efficiency). Both mononuclear L-428 cells and classical Reed-Sternberg cells arose from solitary cells.

Acute tumor lysis syndrome in non-Hodgkin lymphoma induced by dexamethasone.

Acute tumor lysis syndrome developed in a 30-year-old man with non-Hodgkin lymphoma after dexamethasone administration. To the best of our knowledge, this case is the first one reported following single agent corticosteroid treatment.

Production of transforming growth factor-beta activity by Ki-1 positive lymphoma cells and analysis of its role in the regulation of Ki-1 positive lymphoma growth.

The growth of activated human T lymphocytes in response to interleukin-2 (IL-2) is suppressed by transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta). This study presents data that show a diminished response of two human lymphoma cell lines to physiologic regulation by TGF-beta. Cell line L-428 was derived from the malignant pleural effusion of a patient with far advanced nodular sclerosing Hodgkin's disease and has been shown to have clonal gene rearrangements characteristic of both B and T lymphocytes.

The Hodgkin's cell in nodular sclerosis does not release interleukin-1.

Cell cultures were established from lymph nodes from eight patients with nodular sclerosing Hodgkin's disease and 12 controls. The patient cultures were demonstrated to produce a transforming growth factor for fibroblasts; none of the control cultures produced this transforming growth factor. The serum-containing and serum-free conditioned media were also tested for interleukin-1 activity produced by these cultures.

Localization of the restriction fragment length polymorphism D14S1 (pAW-101) to chromosome 14q32.1 leads to 32.2 by in situ hybridization.

The restriction fragment length polymorphism D14S1 is delineated by the cloned, single-copy DNA fragment pAW-101. This cloned fragment can therefore serve as a useful marker for gene linkage studies, and the exact location on the gene map is of great interest. pAW-101 was 3H-labeled and hybridized in situ to normal, prometaphase chromosome preparations.

cis-diamminedichloroplatinum(II) nephrotoxicity: tubular function after rescue with sodium diethyldithiocarbamate in rats.

Sodium diethyldithiocarbamate (DDTC) administered following cis-diamminedichloroplatinum(II) (DDP) has been reported to attenuate structural renal damage and elevation of blood urea nitrogen in rats. Since DDP damages primarily proximal tubular epithelium in this species, we compared proximal tubular function, glomerular function, and histology in male Sprague-Dawley rats treated with DDP followed by either DDTC or 0.9% NaCl solution (NS) rescue.

Potentiation of fibroblast growth by nodular sclerosing Hodgkin's disease cell cultures.

Cell cultures were established from 8 lymph nodes replaced by nodular sclerosing Hodgkin's disease. Serum-containing and serum-free conditioned media from these cultures potentiated fibroblast growth and were found to be consistently more potent than fibroblast growth factor, 100 ng/ml, every other day. Both a proliferative response and transformation-like growth were observed using BALB/c 3T3 cells, human diploid fibroblasts, and human embryonic fibroblasts as target cells.

Oat-cell carcinoma with fibrosis: evidence for release of a growth substance.

Recent work demonstrates that transformed cells can produce mitogenic agents capable of stimulating fibroblast proliferation. Also, work with normal cells and tissue has recently demonstrated that, among other cells, macrophages and platelets contain and elaborate potent mitogens capable of stimulating fibroblast proliferation. An unusual oat-cell carcinoma associated with large amounts of fibrous tissue was studied.

Combined idiopathic neutropenia and thrombocytopenia: evidence for an immune basis for the syndrome.

We report a case of combined idiopathic immune neutropenia and immune thrombocytopenia (thromboneutropenia). Therapy with prednisone was ineffective. Treatment with vincristine raised the patient's platelet count but did not increase the neutrophil count.

Prednisone in treatment of allergen-associated angio-immunoblastic lymphadenopathy.

Angio-immunoblastic lymphadenopathy with dysproteinaemia (A.I.L.