Clinical presentation of young people (10–24 years old) with brain tumors: results from the international MOBI-Kids study

Journal of Neuro-Oncology - We used data from MOBI-Kids, a 14-country international collaborative case–control study of brain tumors (BTs), to study clinical characteristics of the tumors in...     

Cross-reactivity of influenza A (H3N2) hemagglutination-inhibition antibodies induced by an inactivated influenza vaccine

The antigenic drift of influenza A (H3N2) virus in 2003-2004 necessitated a change in the vaccine from the A/Panama to the A/Wyoming strain for the 2004-2005 season. Using hemagglutination inhibition, we therefore tested antibodies in sera of 39 individuals (mean age 64.6 years) at the end of the 2003-2004 season for cross-reactivity to vaccine strains and H3N2 antigens subject to antigenic drift. Antibodies against both A (H3N2) Panama and Wyoming developed in 5/13 (38.5%) unvaccinated individuals, whereas, 22/26 (84.6%) vaccinees developed antibodies to Panama and 21/26 (80.8%) to Wyoming. None of these individuals suffered an influenza episode that season. The results suggest that the elderly might develop protective levels of cross-reactive A (H3N2) Wyoming HI antibodies following vaccination with the Panama strain. Such strains, like the ones included in the 2003-2004 influenza vaccine, might be expected to provide a broad-spectrum antibody response that could be effective even in the face of single season antigenic drift.     

Immune response to influenza vaccine in the elderly: Association with nutritional and physical status

Aim: To investigate the distribution of hemagglutination inhibition (HI) titers before and after influenza vaccination and to examine the relationship between physical and nutritional factors and the change in HI titer after influenza vaccination in the elderly. Methods: Pre‐post‐vaccination HI titers were determined from 203 individuals aged 65 years or older residing in a nursing home. For the assessment of physical and nutritional status, information was retrieved from care records. Results: The immune response to vaccination was assessed as good in 122 subjects based on a fourfold rise or more in HI titer after vaccination for at least one of three vaccine strains. In univariate logistic regression analysis with poor versus good immune response as the dependent variable, factors found to be significantly associated with a poor immune response were disability, a combination of body mass index less than 18.5 and bodyweight loss in 6 months or 5% or more, mid‐upper‐arm circumference of less than 80%, arm muscle circumference of less than 80% and total protein of less than 6.5 g/dL. Physical and nutritional indicators might be useful in identifying individuals who are unlikely to have a good immune response to influenza vaccination. In a multivariate analysis, the association remained significant for a low level of activities of daily living and a combination of body mass index of less than 18.5 and bodyweight loss in 6 months of 5% or more. Conclusion: Elderly individuals with poor physical and nutritional status tended to respond poorly to influenza vaccination. A low level of activities of daily living and a combination of being underweight and having had recent bodyweight loss are good indicators of a poor immune response. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2011; 11: 63–68.     

Electron microscopic findings of human auricular appendages

Summary Auricular appendages were obtained from 20 patients ranging in age from 4 to 64 years with chronic heart diseases at the time of operation and observed with an electron microscope. Myo-endocardial fibrosis was seen in the majority of cases. Proliferation of smooth muscle cells was noticed in the areas of thickened myo-endocardial spaces. These smooth muscle cells played an important role in the production of ground substance, collagen, and elastic fibers in the fibrotic lesions.Microfibrils and elastic tissue were also observed in close association with the basement membrane of cardiac muscle cells and capillaries.Cytoplasmic filaments were observed both dispersed and aggregated in bundles in the endothelial cells on the thickened endocardium.On leave of absence from Second Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Gunma University, Maebashi, Japan.     

Ultrastructural study of hemangiomas. 4. Cavernous hemangioma of the liver

Seven cases of cavernous hemangioma of the liver found accidentally at autopsy were studied by electron microscope. The structures of the hemangioma consisted of capillaries and the intervening stromal cells. The endothelial cells contained pinocytotic vesicles, scattered ribosomes, rough endoplasmic reticulum, and Golgi apparatus. A distinct basement membrane was present beneath the endothelial cells, and multilaminated arrangement of the basement membrane was sometimes observed beneath the endothelial cells. The endothelial cells also contained numerous cytoplasmic filaments, but contained sparse specific endothelial granules. The internal elastic lamina was hardly seen at all in the hemangioma. The stromal cells showed typical smooth muscle cells, modified smooth muscle cells, and fibroblast-like cells. Elastic tissue as well as collagen fibers was present within the intervening stroma. Neither adventitia nor nerve fibers were found in the cavernous hemangioma. It is thought that cavernous hemangioma of the liver may be of a hamartomatous nature.