Predicting hemolytic disease of the newborn: a comparison of the monocyte monolayer assay and the chemiluminescence test

The ability of the monocyte monolayer assay (MMA) and the chemiluminescence test (CLT) to predict the clinical significance of alloantibodies associated with hemolytic disease of the newborn (HDN) was assessed by the use of 22 well-characterized antisera– predominantly anti-D–from alloimmunized pregnant women. Seventeen sera were obtained before delivery from women whose infants were antigen positive for the antibody specificities identified in the maternal serum. With testing of these 17 sera by MMA, 10 results were in agreement with the presence or absence of HDN, but there were 5 false- positive and 2 false-negative results. With the CLT, 16 results were in agreement with the presence or absence of HDN, and there was 1 false- negative result. Five sera were obtained from women whose infants were antigen negative for the antibody specificities identified in the maternal serum. The CLT and the MMA were both subject to false-positive results with these sera. These results suggest that the CLT may be more valuable than the MMA as a noninvasive test for predicting the clinical significance of alloantibodies in HDN.     

Iron promotes DEN initiated GST-P foci in rat liver

Diethylnitrosamine (DEN) was administered to rats as a single dose, which is known not to give rise to liver tumours without subsequent promotion. Iron dextran (Fe/Dex) was then administered parenterally to the animals, to induce iron overload. At 3 and 6 months after the final Fe/Dex treatments, livers were examined quantitatively for the numbers of the placental form of glutathione-S-transferase (GST-P) expressing foci, the area occupied by these foci and their size distribution. The results demonstrate that iron not only increased the number of foci after DEN initiation in the rat liver, but that the area occupied by these lesions increased significantly between 3 and 6 months after initiation. There is no evidence that iron increased the number of GST- P expressing foci present in rats not exposed to DEN. This indicates that iron did not act as an initiator in this rodent model of liver cancer. The increase in the area of the liver occupied by the foci in iron and DEN treated rats was due to an increase in the size of the foci, as well as to an increase in the number of foci. This is the first demonstration that iron can act as a promoter of DEN initiated hepatocytes. It also demonstrates that fibrogenesis is not an absolute requirement for the promotion, by iron, of liver foci in the rat, and that this could also be the case for iron overload in man. Iron may also act as a promoter of already initiated hepatocytes in the development of human liver cancer, as it does in the rat.      

Does diabetes increase cell death in the heart?

Indian Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery -     

Verstoß einer privaten Krankenversicherung gegen das Rechtsberatungsgesetz durch Einzug abgetretener Patientenforderungen

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Neutrophil dermatosis of the dorsal hands

Neutrophil dermatosis of the dorsal hands (NDDH) is a recently described skin manifestation regarded as a subset of acute febrile neutrophilic dermatotis (Sweet syndrome). We describe 5 cases with pustular and ulcerative plaques and/or bullae and vesicles of the dorsal hands. Three of the patients also had skin changes at sides other than the hands. Associated conditions were found in two patients, one patient treated with hemo-dialysis for chronic glomerulonephritis, and one patient had suffered from a streptococcal tonsillitis prior to the eruption. Two of the patients had fever, two had neutrophil leucocytosis in peripheral blood and two had elevated sedimentation rates. Histological findings showed signs of vasculitis in biopsies from two of the patients. NDDH is discussed on the basis of prior case reports concerning the subject, and it is concluded that Neutrophil dermatosis of the dorsal hands should be regarded as a localized variety of Sweet syndrome.