Undifferentiated connective tissue disease with antibodies to Ro/SSa: clinical features and follow-up of 148 patients.

Objective: To evaluate the clinical and serologic profile, the rate of progression to well defined CTD and the possible predictors of disease evolution in patients affected by UCTD with antibodies anti-RoISSA.

Methods: 148 patients diagnosed as UCTD were retrospectively evaluated. Antibodies to SSA/Ro were determined by counter-immunoelectrophoresis and ELISA.

Intraepithelial gamma/delta-positive T lymphocytes and intestinal villous atrophy.

We have evaluated the expression of different molecular forms of T cell antigen receptor (TcR) in duodenal biopsies of pediatric patients with different forms of villous atrophy: celiac disease, autoimmune enteropathy, intractable diarrhea of unknown origin, and severe cow milk intolerance. A panel of monoclonal antibodies recognizing alpha/beta and gamma/delta TcR (and gamma/delta TcR subsets) was used for immunostaining. The results showed an increase of T cells with gamma/delta-type TcR in celiac patients and also in patients with other forms of villous atrophy with respect to normal controls.

Infiltrating gamma/delta T-cell receptor-positive lymphocytes in Hashimoto's thyroiditis, Graves' disease and papillary thyroid cancer.

In the present study we have evaluated the expression of different molecular forms of the antigen receptor (TcR) on lymphocytes derived from thyroid tissue of patients with Graves' disease, Hashimoto thyroiditis and papillary cancer both in situ by APAAP technique and on isolated lymphocytes by indirect immunofluorescence. A panel of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) recognizing alpha/beta and gamma/delta TcR-positive subsets was used. The results showed that the large majority of T-cells in thyroid infiltrates were alpha/beta TcR+, gamma/delta TcR+ ones being very rare or nearly absent, whatever the disease (autoimmune or neoplastic).