Antinuclear antibodies and elevated anti-Epstein-Barr virus titers in cancer patients.

One and one-half percent of human sera from patients seen at a clinic for treatment of cancer contained antibodies to the nuclei of chick kidney cells by indirect immunofluorescence tests. In the group of sera containing antinuclear antibodies, the geometric mean titer to Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) capsid antigen was significantly elevated. Sera obtained from normal adults or from patients with similar histological types of tumors that possessed no antinuclear antibodies contained lower levels of anti-EBV antibodies. The elevated titers to EBV were correlated with the presence or absence of antinuclear antibodies and not with a particular type or site of neoplastic disease.     

RNA type C virus antigens in hamster cells transformed by carcinogenic DNA viruses and chemicals.

The passive hemagglutination inhibition technique was used to test serologically for the presence of Syrian hamster type C virus antigen(s) (SHCVA) in a wide variety of normal and transformed hamster cells and tissues. SHCVA could not be detected in normal tissues or nonneoplastic tissues of tumor-bearing Syrian hamsters. Normal hamster embryo cells or cells transformed in vitro by simian adenovirus, by chemical alone, or doubly transformed by simian adenovirus and chemical did not contain SHCVA; however, SHCVA was found in a majority of tumors resulting from transplantation of these in vitro-transformed cells. No consistent pattern was observed in the capacity of individual transformed cell lines to produce SHCVA-positive or -negative tumors. When cells of a given transformed line were inoculated at 4 sites on each of 8 hamsters, SHCVA-positive tumors were found not to be randomly distributed but rather to be clustered on a few animals. SHCVA could be detected in only a few primary tumors induced by inoculation of carcinogenic DNA viruses; however, both the incidence and titer of SHCVA were significantly increased in a variety of transplanted tumors. These data suggest that SHCVA may be introduced into transplanted, transformed hamster cell tumors during passage in the host animal. Alternatively, in vivo conditions may allow expression of viral antigens not found under in vitro conditions; however, if this is true, only certain animals appear to be capable of activating SHCVA.     

Epidemiological findings and electron microscopic observations in human leukemia and canine contacts

Three temporally and geographically restricted cases of acute lymphatic leukemia in children, in which two of the three patients had an unusual and suspicious history of canine contact, were investigated. Subsequent epidemiological studies showed a high frequency of dog contact and of dog bite in 100 leukemic, 48 lymphomatous, and 194 nonneoplastic control children. Thirty percent of the leukemic children had no history of dog contact or dog bite. Thin-section electron microscopy studies of dog specimens revealed the presence of murine leukemia virus-like particles in specimens from control dogs, tumorous dogs and non-tumorous dogs associated with human leukemics. A higher incidence of such particles was found in the blood and urine of associated dogs than of tumorous or control dogs. These findings neither prove nor disprove an etiological relationship between dogs and cases of human leukemia. It is hoped that they will stimulate others to consider animal contacts with reference to human neoplastic disease.     

Peritonitis: laparoscopic approach

Background

Spontaneous rupture of the spleen is an uncommon dramatic abdominal emergency that requires immediate diagnosis and prompt surgical treatment to ensure the patients survival. Infections have been cited in most cases involving splenic rupture but are rare in hematological malignancies despite frequent involvement of the spleen.

Methods and Materials

We present a case of a splenic rupture caused by infiltration of B-cell lymphoma. A 43 year old gentleman presented with a 1 day h/o left upper quadrant pain; nausea and vomiting for 2 days with associated dizziness and anorexia. The CT showed abnormal spleen 20 × 11 cm with free fluid in the abdomen and enlarged retroperitoneal LNs. The patient underwent a splenectomy after initial resuscitation and the operative finding was that of a massively enlarged spleen with areas of tumor extruding through the splenic capsule.

Result and conclusion

Although the spleen is often involved in hematological malignancies, splenic rupture is an infrequent occurrence. In a recent literature review 136 cases were of splenic rupture secondary to hematological malignancy were identified. Acute leukemia and non Hodgkin lymphoma were the frequent causes followed by chronic myelogeneous leukemia. Male sex, adulthood, severe splenomegaly and cytoreductive chemotherapy were factors more often associated with splenic rupture. Emergency splenectomy remains the cornerstone treatment for splenic rupture. We present a case report of a "spontaneous splenic rupture" and discuss the presentation, etiology and treatment options along with discussion of relevant literature     

Biomedical interfaces: titanium surface technology for implants and cell carriers

Titanium and its alloys have become key materials for biomedical applications, mainly owing to their compatibility with human tissues and their mechanical strength. Effects of surface topography on cell and tissue response have been investigated extensively in the past, while (bio)chemical surface modification and its combination with designed topographies have remained largely unexplored. The following report describes some of the strategies used or intended to modify titanium surfaces, based on biological principles, with a focus on ultrathin biomimetic adlayers. One of the visions behind such approaches is to achieve improved healing and integration responses after implantation for patients, especially for those suffering from deficiencies, for example, diabetes or osteoporosis, two diseases that have increased drastically in our society during the last century.     

Phenotypic diversity of natural killer (NK) populations in patients with NK-type lymphoproliferative disease of granular lymphocytes

Using monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs) termed GL183 and EB6, directed to a novel family of natural killer (NK) specific triggering molecules, four functional subsets of NK cells have been recently defined (GL183+EB6-; GL183+EB6+; GL183-EB6+; GL183-EB6-). In healthy individuals, all these subsets are represented in variable portion. The expression of EB6 and GL183 surface antigens has been analyzed in a series of 14 patients with lymphoproliferative disease of granular lymphocytes (LDGL) characterized by a chronic CD3-CD16+ lymphocytosis. Our data showed that in 11 of 14 cases, the proliferation was specifically sustained by one of the four possible subsets of granular lymphocytes (GLs) (seven cases: EB6-GL183-; three cases: EB6+GL183-; one case: EB6-GL183+). In the remaining three cases, a pattern was demonstrated that is consistent with that of healthy individuals (ie, the presence of all four subsets). When expressed on GL surfaces, in the majority of cases tested both EB6 and GL183 MoAbs behave as functional surface molecules as assessed in the redirected killing of P815 target cells. We also provided evidence that EB6+GL183+ proliferating cells show a definite (type 1) in vitro NK specificity as do their normal counterparts. The unique expansion of a defined subset of NK cells in most patients with LDGL suggests that the pathologic noxa leading to GL proliferation selectively acts on a specific subset of NK lymphocytes.