Cutaneous plasmacytosis associated with lung and anal carcinomas

Cutaneous plasmacytosis is a rare disorder characterized by a benign proliferation of mature plasma cells that appears as multiple dark-brown to purplish skin lesions, often associated with polyclonal hypergammaglobulinaemia. We present the case of a 55-year-old Caucasian man who suffered from a cutaneous plasmacytosis associated with two different carcinomas. Cutaneous plasmacytosis seems to be a reactive process because most cases reported are not associated with any apparent underlying disease. Nevertheless, because few reported cases were associated with malignancies, screening of additional neoplasms would be justified.     

Pesticide-related health problems and farmworkers

1. Migrant and seasonal farmworkers are primarily ethnic minorities who are excluded from federal laws that protect other workers. Farmworkers live and work under substandard conditions that place them at increased risk of pesticide-related illness. 2. Agriculture uses 80% of all pesticides in the U.S. Handlers who mix, load and apply pesticides as well as workers cultivating and harvesting crops sprayed with them are at risk of acute poisoning or even death from their exposures. Drift and run-off of agricultural pesticides pollute the air, soil and water, creating additional hazards to workers' families, community residents, and the environment. 3. Chronic effects, including cancer in adults and children, adverse reproductive outcomes, delayed neuropathy and neurobehavioral effects, are also associated with occupational and environmental exposure to pesticides.     

Alterations of paraoxonase and platelet-activating factor acetylhydrolase activities in patients on peritoneal dialysis.

OBJECTIVE: The more atherogenic lipid profile seen in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients cannot fully explain the increased incidence of atherosclerosis in this population. Oxidative modification of low-density lipoproteins (LDL) is considered to play a central role in the atherogenic process, whereas high-density lipoprotein (HDL) protects LDL from oxidation. On the other hand, it has been suggested that the LDL and HDL of PD patients are more resistant to oxidation than those of control subjects, while PD-HDL equally protects LDL from oxidation compared to control-HDL. Two HDL-associated enzymes have been shown to protect both LDL and HDL from oxidation: paraoxonase (PON1) and HDL-associated platelet-activating factor acetylhydrolase (HDL-PAF-AH). Furthermore, low PON1 activity and high total plasma PAF-AH concentration, which represents mainly the LDL-associated enzyme, have been shown to be independent risk factors for coronary artery events in the general population. However, there are limited data regarding possible alterations of these enzymes in PD patients. The aim of our study was to examine the possible alterations of PON1 and PAF-AH activities in patients undergoing PD. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study. SETTING: A university medical center. PARTICIPANTS: 56 PD patients of Caucasian origin and 86 matched controls were studied. MEASUREMENTS: In all subjects, serum PON1 activity toward paraoxon (paraoxonase) and phenylacetate (arylesterase), as well as total serum and HDL-PAF-AH activities were measured; PON1 genetic polymorphisms known to influence PON1 activity (Q192R and M55L) were determined. RESULTS: The PD patients exhibited significantly increased serum PON1 (paraoxonase) and PON1 (arylesterase) activities compared to controls, regardless of the PON1 polymorphisms or the levels of HDL cholesterol. Additionally, PD patients had significantly elevated activities of total serum PAF-AH and HDL-PAF-AH, independently of the levels of LDL or HDL cholesterol. The ratio of HDL-PAF-AH/ total PAF-AH, which has recently been suggested to be a potential marker of atherogenicity, was decreased in these patients compared to controls. Moreover, no difference in the prevalence of PON1 polymorphisms between PD patients and controls was found. CONCLUSION: The elevated activities of PON1 and HDL-PAF-AH could explain the increased resistance of PD-HDL to oxidation; the higher activity of total PAF-AH and the decreased HDL-PAF-AH/ total PAF-AH ratio could contribute to the increased incidence of atherosclerosis in these patients.     

Arachidonic acid metabolites in CSF in hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy of newborn infants

The aim of this study was to evaluate the cerebral synthesis of eicosanoids in the asphyctic newborn and to investigate the relation between the prostanoid profiles in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and the appearance and severity of hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE). Levels of 6-keto-PGF _1-α, TXB₂, PGE₂ and PGF_2-α in CSF were measured in 40 full term newborns during the first day of life. Thirty of these newborns had birth asphyxia and were divided into three groups: 10 without HIE, 12 with mild HIE and 8 with moderate-severe HIE. They were compared to a control group of 10 non-hypoxic newborns. Determinations of the metabolites in CSF were performed by RIA and expressed as pg/ml (mean ± SD). The CSF TXB₂ (thromboxane A₂ metabolite) in asphyxiated newborns was always higher than in the control group (28.12 ± 10.6), and related to the severity of HIE ( p = 0:005): without HIE (50.84 ± 16.4; p = 0:02), mild HIE (80.65 ± 12.64; p ± 0:01) and moderate-severe HIE (178.14 ± 20.5; p < 0:01). The CSF 6-keto-PGF _1-α (prostacyclin metabolite) in asphyxiated newborns was always higher than in the control group (80.55 ± 12.56), but indirectly related to the severity of HIE: without HIE (240.95 ± 28.12; p < 0:01), mild HIE (183.65 ± 30.1; p < 0:01) and moderate-severe HIE (140.55 ± 25.12; p < 0:01). In the moderate-severe HIE group, the increase in TXB₂ was higher than the rise in 6-keto-PGF _1-α.     

Occurrence of the t(2;5)(p23;q35) in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

Primary CD30(Ki-1)-positive anaplastic large-cell lymphoma (ALCL) is considered by some to be a distinct clinicopathologic entity associated with the t(2;5) (p23;q35). However, the specificity of t(2;5) for ALCL has not been carefully studied. Therefore, we performed a detailed analysis of all cases of ALCL with abnormal cytogenetics results in the Nebraska Lymphoma Study Group registry, as well as all other cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma with t(2;5) in the registry. We found the t(2;5) in only five of 10 cases of ALCL, four of whom were young patients. However, we also found the t(2;5) in 11 other cases of nonanaplastic lymphoma, including eight children with typical peripheral T-cell lymphomas of various types. The t(2;5) was also found in three older adults with B-cell lymphomas of various types. Thus, the t(2;5) was not specific for CD30+ ALCL. However, t(2;5) may define a clinicopathologic entity in children and young adults characterized by variable morphologies with a T-cell or indeterminate phenotype, CD30-positivity, nodal disease with frequent extranodal involvement, advanced stage, and an excellent response to therapy, including bone marrow transplantation for relapsed disease. The clinical relevance of the t(2;5) in older patients requires further study.