Kaposi sarcoma following postmastectomy lymphedema

Classical Kaposi sarcoma (KS) usually appears on lower extremities accompanied or preceded by local lymphedema. However, the development in areas of chronic lymphedema of the arms following mastectomy, mimicking a Stewart–Treves syndrome, has rarely been described. We report an 81‐year‐old woman who developed multiple, erythematous to purple tumors, located on areas of post mastectomy lymphedema. Histopathological examination evidenced several dermal nodules formed by spindle‐shaped cells that delimitated slit‐like vascular spaces with some red cell extravasation. Immunohistochemically, the human herpesvirus type 8 (HHV‐8) latent nuclear antigen‐1 was detected in the nuclei of most tumoral cells confirming the diagnosis of KS. Lymphedema could promote the development of certain tumors by altering immunocompetence. Although angiosarcoma (AS) is the most frequent neoplasia arising in the setting of chronic lymphedema, other tumors such as benign lymphangiomatous papules (BLAP) or KS can also develop in lymphedematous limbs. It is important to establish the difference between AS and KS because their prognosis and treatment are very different. Identification by immunohistochemistry of HHV‐8 is useful for the distinction between KS and AS or BLAP.     

Effect of dietary olive oil, corn oil and medium-chain triglycerides on the lipid composition of rat red blood cell membranes

The effects of dietary olive oil, corn oil and medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) on factors that characterized erythrocyte membrane lipid fluidity were studied. Weanling rats were fed for 3 or 5 wk high fat diets (10%) containing olive oil, corn oil or a mixture of MCT with olive oil or corn oil. Total phospholipids and phosphatidylcholine of erythrocyte ghosts obtained from olive oil-fed animals, as compared to those fed corn oil, showed an increase in long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) of the (n-6) and (n-3) series and a decrease in saturated fatty acids. The addition of MCT to the olive oil diet induced an increase in palmitic, palmitoleic and delta-5,8,11-eicosatrienoic acids and a decrease in long-chain PUFA of the (n-6) series in erythrocyte membrane phospholipids. Conversely, rats fed a mixture of MCT and corn oil, as compared to those fed exclusively corn oil, showed increase in long-chain PUFA of the (n-6) and (n-3) series, with no changes in saturated fatty acid levels. The cholesterol/phosphorus molar ratio showed only a slight increase with MCT supplementation. Olive oil feeding induced important changes in fatty acid composition of erythrocyte membrane phospholipids as compared to corn oil feeding without modifying the cholesterol/phosphorus ratio and MCT feeding slightly affected red blood cell membrane lipid composition.     

Using polymerase chain reaction to human papillomavirus in oral and pharyngolaryngeal carcinomas

Purpose: Increasingly, evidence has shown that human papillomavirus (HPV) plays a role in the induction of certain carcinomas. The presence of HPV sequences in 56 previously untreated oral and pharyngolaryngeal carcinomas was examined by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR).Materials and Methods: After DNA extraction, samples underwent 40 replication cycles with specific oligonucleotide primers corresponding to sequences from the E6 open-reading frame of HPV-6b, HPV-16, and HPV-18. To determine the E6 genomic integration, positive samples were processed with specific primers for the corresponding HPV L1 genes. Genomic HPV DNA cloned into PBR 322 was used as positive control.Results: HPV E6 DNA of the 6b and 16 types was detected in 14 patients (25%). The L1 gene was not present.Conclusion: Detected HPV E6 DNA might be integrated into the cell genome in the positive cases as indicated by the absence of the L1 gene-coding for the viral capside. Histological and clinical parameters, such as tumor location, degree of differentiation, stage, recurrence, and survival rates, were unrelated to the presence of HPV.     

Transcatheter closure of the patent arterial duct using the Flipper coil in a premature infant weighing 1,400 g: a case report.

A symptomatic 1,400 g premature triplet underwent successful transcatheter coil embolization of patent arterial duct using the umbilical artery. One 3 mm x 3 cm Flipper coil was used with no angiographic residual shunt. To the best of our knowledge, this is one of the smallest preterm infants to undergo this transcatheter procedure.     

Monoamine oxidases and alcoholism. II. Studies in alcoholic families

Thirty-five alcoholic families have been studied to investigate the relationship between DNA markers at the monoamine oxidase (MAO) loci and (1) platelet activity levels and (2) alcoholism. A quantitative linkage analysis failed to reveal any evidence that the variation in activity levels cosegregates with the DNA markers. A sib-pair analysis did not reveal a significant excess of MAO haplotype sharing among alcoholic sibs, although the deviation from random sharing was in the direction consistent with an X-linked component. A reanalysis of platelet MAO activity levels in a subset of these families revealed that the lower levels previously found in alcoholics is more likely due to the differences between males and females. Only among males and only when a “broad” definition of alcoholism is used (and MAO activity levels are transformed to normality) does it appear that alcoholics have depressed activities compared to nonalcoholics. Finally, when the confounding due to gender difference is removed, no differences between type I and type II alcoholics are found in these families. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Treatment of ABO Hemolytic Disease with Synthetic Blood Group Trisaccharides

Thirteen infants, 10 with A-O and 3 with B-O hemolytic disease of the newborn (ABO-HDN), were treated with synthetic A or B blood group trisaccharides (ATS, BTS) which cause dissociation of maternal antibody bound to infant red cells. The clinical outcome was compared with that of a control group of 21 infants treated with phototherapy during the preceding year. Exchange transfusion was required in 2 out of 13 infants in the experimental group and in 7 in the control group. A randomized prospective controlled study is necessary to confirm these results.     

Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole versus pentamidine for Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in AIDS patients: results of a large prospective randomized treatment trial.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinical efficacy and safety of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) with pentamidine in the therapy of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) in patients with AIDS. PATIENTS, PARTICIPANTS: TMP-SMX (TMP, 20 mg/kg/day plus SMX, 100 mg/kg/day) was compared with pentamidine (4 mg/kg/day), both administered intravenously for 21 days in a prospective randomized treatment trial of 163 patients diagnosed with PCP between November 1984 and May 1988. RESULTS: Ninety-two evaluable patients received TMP-SMX as initial therapy; 68 received pentamidine. Failure to complete therapy was common. Of those receiving TMP-SMX, 39 (42%) required change in therapy because of failure to respond, and an additional 31 (34%) because of drug toxicity. This compared with 27 (40%; P = 0.733) and 17 (25%; P = 0.235), respectively, in the pentamidine-treated group. The overall survival rates were similar in the two groups, 62 out of 92 (67%) initially administered TMP-SMX versus 50 out of 68 (74%) initially administered pentamidine (P = 0.402). The survival rates for patients requiring a change in therapy because of failure to respond was 46% (18 out of 39) for the TMP-SMX group compared with 56% (15 out of 27) for the pentamidine group. When a change in therapy was made because of toxicity, survival rates were 97% (30 out of 31) for those receiving TMP-SMX versus 94% (16 out of 17) for those receiving pentamidine. CONCLUSION: TMP-SMX and pentamidine are of equivalent efficacy as initial therapies for PCP in patients with AIDS.     

Molecular epidemiology of adenoviruses isolated from hospitalized children with severe lower acute respiratory infection in Santiago, Chile

Genome analysis was performed on 69 adenovirus isolates from pharyngeal secretions of young children hospitalized with severe lower acute respiratory disease in Santiago, Chile, between 1984 and 1986. As expected, most isolated strains belonged to subgenus B (68.1%). Among the isolates of 1984, Ad7c was the dominant genotype (12 out of 23). The majority of isolates of 1986 were of the recently described genomic variant 3f.     

Helicobacter pylori binds to CD74 on gastric epithelial cells and stimulates interleukin-8 production

The pathogenesis associated with Helicobacter pylori infection requires consistent contact with the gastric epithelium. Although several cell surface receptors have been suggested to play a role in adhesion, the bacterium-host interactions that elicit host responses are not well defined. This study investigated the interaction of H. pylori with the class II major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-associated invariant chain (Ii; CD74), which was found to be highly expressed by gastric epithelial cells. Bacterial binding was increased when CD74 surface expression was increased by gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) treatment or by fibroblast cells transfected with CD74, while binding was decreased by CD74 blocking antibodies, enzyme cleavage of CD74, and CD74-coated bacteria. H. pylori was also shown to bind directly to affinity-purified CD74 in the absence of class II MHC. Cross-linking of CD74 and the engagement of CD74 were verified to stimulate IL-8 production by unrelated cell lines expressing CD74 in the absence of class II MHC. Increased CD74 expression by cells increased IL-8 production in response to H. pylori, and agents that block CD74 decreased these responses. The binding of H. pylori to CD74 presents a novel insight into an initial interaction of H. pylori with the gastric epithelium that leads to upregulation of inflammatory responses.