Interleukin 5 activity in sera from patients with eosinophilia

Sera from 10 patients with eosinophilia contained eosinophil colony stimulating factor (Eo-CSF) activity. Using anti murine (m) interleukin-5 (IL-5) antibody, we demonstrated that this activity was mainly derived from IL-5. Administration of prednisolone to patients decreased both Eo-CSF activity in sera and the number of eosinophils in blood. These results extend our recent study demonstrating that T cells from eosinophilic patients produce IL-5 with IL-2 stimulation and may support the speculation that IL-5 is an important factor which induces eosinophilia.     

Leukocytoclastic vasculitis: another condition that mimics syphilis

Syphilis, a disease that in the past was associated with significant morbidity and lethality rates, has resurged in recent years principally as a consequence of changes in risk behavior. An epidemiological group that is commonly affected is the HIV-infected population. The characteristics of the disease and its progression may differ in these patients. The present report describes a case of an HIV-positive male patient, who developed florid secondary syphilis: in addition to syphilitic roseola, he also presented with bilateral panuveitis and involvement of the central nervous system. Investigation revealed the prozone phenomenon and histological examination of the skin lesions showed the presence of leukocytoclastic vasculitis. This finding is extremely rare and few cases have been documented.     

Telemedicine model for training non-medical persons in the early recognition of melanoma

A Web-based educational model, called JUTE, was developed for the early diagnosis of melanoma. It was compared with a control Website composed of information available on the Internet for teaching undergraduate medical students. The JUTE model was designed to allow the student linear navigation of the main topics that were assumed to be important in learning to make a diagnosis. The rate of success in correctly deciding to refer pigmented lesions to a dermatologist was compared among 34 new medical students who were randomly divided into two groups. There was no significant difference between the JUTE and control groups in the pre-test. When comparing the pre- and post-tests, the number of correct decisions increased significantly only in the JUTE group. In the JUTE group there was a slight but significant improvement when comparing decisions about thin melanoma before and after the training. The educational approach chosen for the JUTE Website appears to be useful for teaching the early recognition of melanoma and could be used for larger educational campaigns of skin cancer prevention.     

Neutrophil-associated IgG and neutrophil-binding IgG in autoimmune neutropenia

Neutrophil-associated IgG (NAIgG) and neutrophil-binding IgG in sara (NBIgG) of 77 patients with neutropenia suspected to be caused by autoimmune mechanisms (group A) and 31 patients with aplastic anemia or myelodysplastic syndrome (group B) were assayed by flow cytometry. Auto-NBIgG was elevated in 32% of the patients in group A, particularly in about 70% of those with collagen diseases or ITP, but the level was normal in group B. Elevated NAIgG with normal auto-NBIgG levels was found in 27% of the patients in group A and in 64% of the patients in group B. The assay of auto-NBIgG was useful for detection of anti-neutrophil autoantibodies and for the diagnosis of autoimmune neutropenia. In addition, the level of NAIgG may be non-specifically elevated in non-immune neutropenia.