Expression of V beta gene segments by Sezary cells.

The T-cell receptor V beta repertoire expressed by Sezary cells was determined in a series of 16 patients whose samples have been shown to contain a majority of tumor cells. By using anti-V beta monoclonal antibodies, polymerase chain reaction analysis of expressed V beta, and, in selected cases, nucleotide sequencing, we have shown that the expressed V beta segments belong to five V beta families (V beta 5, V beta 6, V beta 8, V beta 13, and V beta 18), which contain a large fraction of the T-cell receptor V beta repertoire and do not share significant similarities in complementary determining region 4. V beta segments from these five families were also found to be strongly expressed by CD4 + CD7- peripheral blood cells obtained by fluorescence-activated cell sorting from two healthy donors.

Assessment of clonal evolution at Ig/TCR loci in acute lymphoblastic leukaemia by single-strand conformation polymorphism studies and highly resolutive PCR derived methods: implication for a general strategy of minimal residual disease detection.

Junctional sequences of immunoglobulin (Ig)/T-cell receptor (TCR) gene rearrangements are used as patient-specific PCR targets for the detection of minimal residual disease (MRD) in acute lymphoblastic leukaemias (ALLs). Clonal evolution of gene rearrangements is a major pitfall of this strategy. Using high-resolution PCR-based analyses (including denaturing gel electrophoresis and single-stranded conformation polymorphism (SSCP)) we have compared Ig/TCR gene rearrangements at presentation and relapse in a series of ALLs.

Cord blood T lymphocytes lack constitutive perforin expression in contrast to adult peripheral blood T lymphocytes.

Perforin is the cytolytic pore-forming protein, which alone can be responsible for the lethal hit in one of the killing mechanisms used by natural killer (NK) cells or cytotoxic T lymphocytes. In this study, perforin expression was investigated in cord blood (CB) lymphocytes to determine their killing potential in vivo. The majority of CB CD3- NK cells had the protein.

Hereditary thrombocytopenias in childhood.

Thrombocytopenia is generally known in its most severe form as acquired immunologic disease. However, in some cases thrombocytopenia is constitutional and may or may not be associated with thrombocytopathy. This review focuses on the clinical and biologic diagnostic criteria of genetic thrombocytopenia, with specific emphasis on the clinical value of the platelet life span and wishes to reiterate the necessity of their identification, as an excessively rapid diagnosis of ITP may be a source of treatment failure.

Different ratios of the piperacillin-tazobactam combination for treatment of experimental meningitis due to Klebsiella pneumoniae producing the TEM-3 extended-spectrum beta-lactamase.

We evaluated the pharmacokinetics and therapeutic efficacies of piperacillin and tazobactam, a beta-lactamase inhibitor, given either alone or in different combinations (80:10, 200:10, and 80:25 mg/kg/h), in experimental meningitis due to a strain of Klebsiella pneumoniae producing the TEM-3 extended-spectrum beta-lactamase. Treatment was administered intravenously as a 7-h constant infusion preceded by a bolus of 20% of the total dose. The mean (+/- standard deviation) rates of penetration into the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of infected animals were 6.

Vinorelbine versus vinorelbine plus cisplatin in advanced non-small cell lung cancer: a randomized trial.

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to assess the possible benefit of the combination vinorelbine (NVB)-cisplatin (DDP) in comparison with NVB alone in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), not treated previously. It also involved confirmation of the efficacy of vinorelbine as monotherapy.

Patients And Methods: In this phase III trial, 231 eligible patients were stratified by centre and randomized to receive either NVB alone, 30 mg/m2/week or the combination of NVB 30 mg/m2/week and DDP 80 mg/m2/3 weeks.

Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans of the chest and the shoulder: wide and deep excisions with immediate reconstruction.

Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans is a rare malignant tumor of the skin. The only satisfactory treatment is surgical and consists of a wide excision. In our department, we have established the limits of the excision required to be a margin of 5 cm on the surface, whereas in the depth, we excise the first healthy anatomical structure encountered.

Isotretinoin and acne in practice: a prospective analysis of 188 cases over 9 years.

A total of 188 acne patients (113 male and 75 female) with a mean age of 25 years (range 15-42 years) were treated with isotretinoin in doses ranging from 0.5 to 1 mg/kg. The study lasted 9 years.

Changes in serum immunoglobulin patterns in adults with common variable immunodeficiency.

Striking variations of serum immunoglobulin class and IgG subclass levels were observed in five patients with common variable immunodeficiency. They occurred mainly in untreated patients or, in those patients who received substitutive therapy, could not be merely due to replacement. They result in major changes in the immunoglobulin deficiency patterns, such as a shift from profound hypoimmunoglobulinaemia to IgA/IgG2/IgG4 deficiency or to isolated IgG2 deficiency.

Tumoral nasopharyngeal lymphoid hyperplasia in human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients.

Two patients presented with a large tumoral nasopharyngeal lesion with obstructive symptoms, which suggested a malignant tumor. They were black men of Caribbean origin who were infected with human immunodeficiency virus 1. In both cases, histologic examination revealed intense but benign lymphoid follicular hyperplasia, and immunohistochemical studies were consistent with its polyclonal nature.

Peripartum cardiomyopathy in a rural Nigerian hospital.

In a rural hospital in Northern Nigeria in 1985 seventeen patients were admitted who met with the criteria of peripartum cardiomyopathy. Local habits played an important part in the course of the disease. Physical examination with an emphasis on bloodpressure and the condition of the heart was most reliable in establishing the diagnosis and assessing the treatment.

Subcutaneous eosinophilic necrosis associated with refractory anemia with an excess of myeloblasts.

We followed up over a period of 10 months a Cambodian patient in whom refractory anemia with excess blasts was discovered after the onset of fever and chronic dermatologic involvement. Violaceous, firm, and painful subcutaneous nodules (1-3 cm in diameter) were present on the arms, legs, trunk, scalp, neck, and chin and were associated with violaceous infiltrating plaques on the face and forehead. The microscopic examination of repeated biopsy specimens showed a predominantly lobular panniculitis characterized by an extensive eosinophilic necrosis, leukocytoclasia, and fibrinoid deposits within a few vessels.

The iatrogenic leukaemias induced by radio- and/or chemotherapy.

A short review, limited to recently published series of data, has been compiled on the 'therapy-induced' secondary malignancies. Their frequency, peak of incidence, haematological and clinical criteria, the influence of age, treated primary disease, choice of drug(s) and modality of prescription and the role of genetic and environmental factors are analyzed. The risk varies between 0.