The human leucocyte P30 antigen: properties and assessment of value as a clonal marker

FMC3 and FMC29 are monoclonal antibodies which react with a 30,000 Dalton molecule expressed on the lymphocyte surface membrane. The molecule is a protein which does not appear to be N-glycosylated. The antigen, which is also expressed intracellularly, does not appear to be a marker of differentiation or maturation. Polyclonal cell populations, such as peripheral blood lymphocytes, show a bimodal distribution of surface antigen density, whilst monoclonal cell populations analysed quantitatively showed unimodal antigen density distributions. This suggests the antigen may be a clonal marker.     

Development of monoclonal mouse antibodies specific for allergenic components in ryegrass (Lolium perenne) pollen

The development of monoclonal mouse antibodies against ryegrass (Lolium perenne) pollen allergens is described. Hybridoma colonies secreting antibodies specific for allergenic components were detected using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Positive colonies were cloned and expanded. The pollen components with which the monoclonal antibodies interact were identified and characterised following sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and electrophoretic transfer to nitrocellulose. In this paper six monoclonal mouse antibodies are described. Three antibodies interact with a single molecule of between 30,000 and 35,000 daltons. One antibody interacts with a component of 16,000 daltons whereas the remaining two antibodies react with more than one component, one reacting with two components at 28,000 and 30,000, and the other with five components having molecular weights between 18,000 and 71,000 daltons.     

Cardiac pathology in the hypertensive diabetic rat. Biventricular damage with right ventricular predominance.

The hypertensive-diabetic rat is a new small animal model of cardiomyopathy characterized by ventricular damage. To determine the extent of pathology in this model, quantitation of light microscopic changes in hearts from 15 hypertensive-diabetic rats and 15 age-matched controls was performed. The fraction of myocardium involved by interstitial fibrosis, myocyte necrosis, replacement fibrosis, vascular sclerosis and perivascular fibrosis was computed separately for right and left ventricles. Spontaneously dying as well as deliberately killed hypertensive-diabetic rats were studied. Spontaneously dying animals had higher systolic blood pressures compared with rats killed deliberately. Body weights were lower and lung weights higher in the former group. Left and right ventricular necrosis and fibrosis were increased in spontaneously dying compared with deliberately killed rats. The degree of right ventricular necrosis and fibrosis paralleled that in the left ventricle, but was, unexpectedly, several times greater in magnitude. Thus, quantitative histology in the hypertensive-diabetic rat reveals more cardiac necrosis and fibrosis, in either ventricle, from spontaneously dying animals compared with deliberately killed rats. This damage, coupled with major functional alterations in the viable myocardium, may lead to congestive heart failure or arrhythmia.     

Human Leucocyte Differentiation Antigen nomenclature: update on CD nomenclature. Report of IUIS/WHO Subcommittee

The 7th International Workshop on Human Leucocyte Differentiation Antigens (HLDA7) studied a number of newly characterised molecules relevant to human leucocyte differentiation and function. The HLDA organisation, which devised and continues to maintain the CD nomenclature, is responsible, under the auspices of IUIS and WHO, for the nomenclature of all leucocyte differentiation markers. The 7th Workshop redefined a number of (principally carbohydrate) molecules, and assigned CD names to approximately 80 new molecules. This update lists, in tabular form, the redefined and newly assigned names, together with antibodies, which have been confirmed under Workshop conditions as specific for the new and redefined molecules. The major features of the cellular expression patterns are summarised, and a LocusLink accession number provided to enable the reader to access more detailed information through http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/LocusLink.     

Speaking personally: monoclonal antibodies as diagnostic reagents

It is 10 years since Kohler & Milstein published the first paper describing the laboratory production of a monoclonal antibody. In those 10 yr monoclonal antibodies have caused a revolution in Immunology and in some branches of Pathology. After a surprisingly slow initial reaction, the scientific community has embraced the new technique enthusiastically, indeed overenthusiastically. Inevitably, excessive enthusiasm was followed by disappointment. There can be no doubt that monoclonal antibodies provide opportunities for major improvements in diagnostic specificity and resolving power. It is equally clear that monoclonal antibodies do not solve all analytical problems, and have a few problems of their very own. This brief review presents one man's assessment of the place of monoclonal antibodies as diagnostic reagents and discusses the properties of the antibodies and the parameters of the assay which most influence the successful use of diagnostic tests based on monoclonal antibodies.     

A simple technique for evaluation of methods of cell separation

A simple method is described for labelling cells with fluorescein and using them in artificial mixtures to assess cell separation procedures. The method facilitates the examination of the variables in a separation procedure. It is thus possible to tailor a separation procedure (for example panning with monoclonal antibody) to suit the specific requirements of the experiment.     

Detecting antibodies with similar reactivity patterns in the HLDA8 blind panel of flow cytometry data

The blind panel collected for the 8th Human Leucocyte Differentiation Antigens Workshop (HLDA8; ) included 49 antibodies of known CD specificities and 76 antibodies of unknown specificity. We have identified groups of antibodies showing similar patterns of reactivity that need to be investigated by biochemical methods to evaluate whether the antibodies within these groups are reacting with the same molecule. Our approach to data analysis was based on the work of Salganik et al. (in press) [Salganik, M.P., Milford E.L., Hardie D.L., Shaw, S., Wand, M.P., in press. Classifying antibodies using flow cytometry data: class prediction and class discovery. Biometrical Journal].     

Weekly Cisplatin induction chemotherapy in high-risk cervical-cancer patients with bulky tumor - a phase-ii study

In this study we evaluated efficacy and toxicity of a neoadjuvant chemotherapy regimen before radiation therapy or surgery in high-risk cevical cancer patients. Between January 1988 and July 1993, 37 out of 40 consecutive patients with bulky cervical carcinoma (>40 mm) received chemotherapy consisting of six (range 4-9) weekly courses of cisplatin (1 mg/kg), followed by radical surgery and/or radiotherapy. Thirty-six patients completed the planned sequence of treatment. Overall response rate was 65% after induction chemotherapy (complete 0% and partial 65%) and 73% (complete 57% and partial 16%) after definitive treatment. After a median follow-up of 23 (range 4-61) months the median duration of response was 29, 19 and 11 months for complete partial and non-responders respectively. Toxicities from induction chemotherapy were mild to moderate, reversible and tolerable and did not affect the subsequent application of the definitive treatment. The proposed cisplatin neoadjuvant chemotherapy regimen gave positive results in a good number of cases with low toxicity and without interfering with the definitive radio-surgical treatment of this group of high-risk patients. The number of cisplatin courses for best effect remains to be established.     

The impact of patient management guidelines on the care of breast, colorectal, and ovarian cancer patients in Italy

The impact of a national education program based on the dissemination of written guidelines for the treatment of breast, colorectal, and ovarian cancer was investigated in Italy. Through a survey of 770 physicians exploring their knowledge and attitudes and a review of medical records of 1,483 patients assessing current clinical practice, this study examined whether 1) the guidelines reached the target population of physicians, 2) they were effective in shaping doctors' opinions, and 3) care patterns conformed with the guidelines. Overall, the net effect of the intervention appeared to be limited in terms of actual diffusion, attributable influence, and impact. As for diffusion, only 60%, 47%, and 44% of doctors were aware of breast, colorectal, and ovarian cancer guidelines, respectively. Although doctors who were aware of the guidelines had more appropriate opinions than those who were not, overall agreement with recommendations was often unsatisfactory. With reference to guidelines recommendations, quality of care was far from optimal, especially in relation to diagnosis and staging. Marked variations in compliance with recommendations emerged with values ranging from 37% to 89%, from 48% to 82%, and from 10% to 97% for breast, colorectal, and ovarian cancer, respectively, and this held true even in hospitals where the larger awareness of the guidelines might have been expected to result in better quality care. It was concluded that any thorough assessment of the impact of educational interventions should include a careful analysis of the strategy and process of dissemination. The availability of clinically relevant messages must also be realistically considered before deciding whether the "guidelines approach" is the strategy most likely to succeed.     

An Analysis of Approaches to the Management of Endometrial Cancer in North America: A CTF Study

Objective.The aim of this study was to define the clinical–therapeutical approach to endometrial cancer now being followed in some of the most important centers of reference for gynecological cancer in North America by means of a questionnaire.Study design.The questionnaire focused on four principal areas: (1) surgical staging and therapy; (2) adjuvant treatment; (3) treatment modifications; and (4) management of advanced stages (FIGO III–IV).Results.There were 48 evaluable responses (77%) received by the end of December 1994 which were considered for this analysis. Lymphadenectomy is utilized routinely in 26/48 centers (54.2%) and in selective clinical–pathological conditions in another 21/48 centers (43.5%). In the majority of centers (31/48; 64.6%) radical surgery is utilized for selected indications such as cervical involvement. Only 3/48 (6.2%) centers consider the vaginal approach totally inappropriate. The great majority (40/48; 83.3%) of the centers considered postsurgical adjuvant therapy to be necessary in FIGO Stage Ic. Brachytherapy is routinely performed in 3 centers (6.2%) in postsurgical management of Stage I endometrial cancer, while the majority of the centers (31/48; 64.6%) perform brachytherapy of the vaginal vault in certain clinical–pathological conditions. A wide variety of treatments are used for advanced stages (FIGO III–IV).Conclusions.It emerges that some controversial aspects exist on endometrial cancer treatment, and these conflicting data need a large-scale multicenter randomized clinical trial.