Presumed isolated inflammation of the superior oblique muscle in idiopathic orbital myositis

Objective

To describe isolated involvement of the superior oblique muscle in association with idiopathic orbital myositis.

Design

A case report with review of the literature.

Participant

A 57-year-old man with acquired strabismus participated.

Intervention

Oral steroid therapy was administered.

Main outcome measures

Clinical and radiographic features before and after treatment were measured.

Results

Computed tomographic scanning showed isolated enlargement of the superior oblique muscle consistent with orbital myositis. Clinical and radiographic abnormalities quickly improved after oral steroid therapy.

Conclusions

Orbital pseudotumor may present as a myositis isolated to the superior oblique muscle. This extremely rare condition has been reported in only three patients, each of whom lacked early diagnosis or treatment. Early recognition may improve chances for a successful clinical outcome.     

CD59 cross-linking induces secretion of APO2 ligand in overactivated human T cells

Jurkat cells and the derived TCR / CD3-defective subline, J.RT3.T3.5 undergo activation induced cell death (AICD) when stimulated with phytohemagglutinin (PHA). Since J.RT3.T3.5 cells do not express antigen receptor, we searched for the molecules that could be ligated by PHA and induce AICD in this cell line. We show here that the glycosylphosphatidylinositol linked CD59 molecule is expressed at the surface of Jurkat and J.RT3.T3.5 cells, and when cross-linked by specific antibodies can induce cell death. The toxicity of supernatants from PHA-stimulated Jurkat or J.RT3.T3.5 cells was prevented by a combination of the blocking anti-Fas mAb SM1 / 23 and anti-APO2L / TRAIL mAb 5C2. However, toxicity of supernatants from anti-CD59 stimulated cells was specifically prevented by the anti-APO2L blocking antibody. Anti-CD59 cross-linking induced AICD also in normal human T cell blasts, which secreted toxic molecules into the supernatant. The toxicity of these supernatants on Jurkat cells was fully prevented by the anti-APO2L blocking antibody, showing that CD59 crosslinking induces the preferential release of APO2L also in normal T cells. The possible physiological and / or pathological consequences of this observation are discussed.     

Case of recurrent paracoccidioidomycosis in female. 10 years after initial treatment

This report describes a case of recurrence of chronic paracoccidioidomycosis 10 years following the initial diagnosis. A 56-year-old female was admitted to the Dental Clinic of the Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná complaining of oral soreness. Mulberry-like ulcerations were observed on the gingiva, right labial comissura, and vermillion of the lip. The patient reported persistent chronic cough, weight loss, appetite loss and fever. The anamnesis revealed that the patient had developed and been treated for paracoccidioidomycosis 10 years earlier. A biopsy was performed and microscopic examination revealed microabscesses, collections of macrophages organized into granulomas, multinucleated giant cells and Paracoccidioides brasiliensis. The patient was treated with Itraconazole and, the oral lesions disappeared within 3 months. Persistent follow-up examination in patients with a history of paracoccidioidomycosis is essential in the management of this disease.     

Resistance to apoptosis correlates with a highly proliferative phenotype and loss of Fas and CPP32 (caspase-3) expression in human leukemia cells

Apoptosis induced by effector cells of the immune system or by cytotoxic drugs is a main mechanism mediating the prevention or elimination of tumoral cells. For instance, the human T-cell leukemia Jurkat is sensitive to Fas-induced apoptosis and to activation-induced cell death (AICD), and the promonocytic leukemia U937 is sensitive to Fas- and TNF-induced apoptosis. In this work, we have analyzed the mechanisms of resistance to physiological or pharmacological apoptosis in human leukemia by generating highly proliferative (hp) sub-lines derived from Jurkat and U937 cells. These hp sub-lines were resistant to Fas- and TNF-induced apoptosis, as well as to AICD. This was due to the complete loss of Fas and TNFR surface expression and, in the case of Jurkat-derived sub-lines, also of CD3, CD2 and CD59 molecules. The sub-lines also completely lacked the expression of the apoptotic protease CPP32, present in parental cells. Moreover, these sub-lines were no longer sensitive to doxorubicin-induced apoptosis, which was efficiently blocked by the general caspase inhibitor Z-VAD-fmk in the parental cell lines. These data suggest a molecular mechanism for the development of resistance of leukemic cells to physiological and pharmacological apoptosis inducers, giving rise to highly proliferative tumoral phenotypes. These results also indicate that Fas and CPP32 could be useful prognostic markers for the progression and/or therapy outcome of human leukemias. Int. J. Cancer 75:473–481, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

水兵职业能力倾向测验的建构、信度效度研究及常模制定

目的　为选拔安置水面舰艇士兵编制“水兵职业能力倾向测验”(简称 SVAT)。方法　通过依据相应的理论、借鉴相关的文献、工作分析等方法确定 SVAT的结构及内容 ;经实测后 ,进行结构及内容分析 ,并做信度和效度检验。结果　测验总体难度为 0 .60 3 ,试题的总区分度为 0 .441 ;各分量表间存在中、低度相关 ( 0 .2 1 1～ 0 .43 1 ) ,与总分的相关较高 ( 0 .80 3～0 .92 7) ;按 1 3个特质进行因素分析得 5个特征值 >1的因素即适应、承受、化解、支持、才能 5因素。 SVAT的 a系数为0 .889,分量表为 0 .80 6～ 0 .863 ;间隔 1个月 SVAT的重测相关为 0 .864,各分量表为 0 .80 1～ 0 .83 0。被试的 SVAT总分和所有分量表得分在高综合素质与低综合素质士兵之间存在显著性差异 ,被试的 SVAT总分及一些分量表得分在义务兵与专业军士之间也存在显著性差异。 SVAT总分高的士兵的工作业绩及实际能力优于 SVAT总分低的士兵 ;制定出了选拔安置水面舰艇专业军士 (含淘汰水面舰艇不合格现役义务兵 )的参考常模。结论　SVAT包含了水面舰艇水兵基本职业能力倾向的测量内容 ;量表的结构合理 ,内部一致性及稳定性较好 ,达到了心理测量学的基本要求 ;并且有选拔安置水面舰艇专业军士的参考常模 ,所以 SVAT量表可以作为选拔安置