SUMMARY
Complement activation in 73 renal transplant biopsies was investigated by indirect immunoperoxidase staining using MoAbs reactive with complement‐split products. Intense deposition of ...complement fragments C4d and C3d in peritubular capillaries, indicating activation of the classical pathway, could be detected in the majority of transplanted kidneys with cell‐mediated rejections. Abundant deposition of complement‐split products was observed in 22 early biopsies from patients with high ‘immunological risk’ (i.e. previous, rejected transplants and/or circulating antibodies against HLA‐antigens). Despite negative results in the crossmatch before transplantation and paucity of immunoglobulins in transplant biopsies, antibodies directed against endothelial cell antigens should be considered as a possible cause of classical complement activation.
The antigen defined by MAb 17-1A, raised against colorectal cancer cells and currently used in immunotherapy trials, is a 37 kDa protein containing N-linked glycans as demonstrated by inhibition of ...glycosylation with tunicamycin. The 17-1A antigen (17-1A Ag) is broadly distributed in normal epithelial tissues and is also found in various types of carcinoma. Quantitative differences in expression between normal and malignant tissues were only apparent in gastric carcinomas. After immunizing mice with fresh colon carcinoma tissue, 4 MAbs were obtained that showed the same tissue reaction pattern as MAb 17-1A and recognized the 17-1A Ag as judged from precipitation and immunoblotting experiments. MAbs M72 and M74 reacted with an anti-idiotypic serum directed against the original MAb 17-1A and were able to block 17-1A binding. In contrast, M77 and M79 are directed against a different epitope. This makes them potentially interesting for passive immunotherapy in regimens involving a combination of MAbs.
By means of 3 cases with infield soft tissue carcinomas after radiotherapy for breast cancer, symptoms and therapy are described. Consequences for treatment planning and patient's information before ...radiotherapy for breast cancer are discussed.
Three of 1,025 patients with breast cancer irradiated from 1984 to 1997 suffered from infield secondary soft tissue sarcomas. The latency periods were 61, 49 and 59 months. Two patients had been treated with breast-conserving therapy (computerized planning, 50 Gy to reference point, 5 times 2 Gy/week, 5-MV photons), 1 patient received a local boost dose of 15 Gy (10-MeV electrons), patient 3 radiotherapy of the thoracic wall and regional lymph nodes after mastectomy using 12-MeV electrons (thoracic wall) and 5-MV photons (lymph node areas) to 50 Gy, 5 times 2 Gy/week. No adjuvant chemotherapy was given. All sarcomas were very extensive, all patients died from local progression and/or distant failure after 17, 13 and 12 months.
The incidence of spontaneous sarcomas of the breast is about 0.06%, after operation and radiotherapy 0.09 to 0.45%. No correlations to radiotherapy technique and no risk factors were found. Radiation dose could play a role, but there are very sparse data about this.
Secondary soft tissue sarcomas are very rare, but familiar complications of radiotherapy. Only early diagnosis leads to a chance for cure. Because of unclear correlations to the treatment parameters and rareness of this event, in our opinion no regular information to the patient receiving radiotherapy for breast cancer is mandatory.
For optimal physical development, it is important that babies, toddlers and infants explore their environment and interact with the world around them. In the first three years of their lives they ...undergo the largest rate of physical development. From the very beginning, they need to be encouraged to move and never be prevented from being physically active.
Since 2009 the networking program “Fostering a healthy lifestyle in young families with children aged 0–3” has been running throughout Bavaria. So far two already published photo-flyers focusing on nutrition during the first year and the two following years were successfully used by the regional offices to instruct parents. Consequently the need for a similar medium to encourage physical activity emerged, as existing material was not satisfying. Clear photos subtitled by short descriptive text send unmistakable messages. Photos also address the reader emotionally and strongly motivate imitation. The photo-flyer is in colour, DIN A4, 8 pages gate-folded and supports the managers in the regional offices throughout Bavaria.
The success of the photo-flyer has to be shown in the above described program with young parents as well as in the study “Healthy living in pregnancy (GeliS)”, a multicentre cluster randomised controlled trial in which the participating mothers were also taught after giving birth. Moreover, the photo-flyer will be used to teach families of low socio-economic levels and other ethnic origins. Feedback of parents will be used to optimize the material.
We successfully simplified and reduced the complexity of physical activity in everyday life. The photo-flyer shows a wide variety of physical activity, easy to copy. The photos are attractive and highly aesthetic. It hits the pulse of our busy times by efficiently visualizing the required information. Moreover it rounds up the already available material used in the program.
Dialkyldiaza-18-crown-6 lariat ethers having twin n-octyl, n-decyl, n-dodecyl, n-tetradecyl, n-hexadecyl, 1-oxodecyl and 1-oxododecyl side arms were prepared and studied. Cation transport in ...liposomes mediated by these compounds showed discontinuous activity that correlated with toxicity to the bacteria E. coli and B. Subtilis, and the yeast S. Cerevisiae. Transport, toxicity and membrane depolarization studies all suggest that side chain length affords very different interactions in a bilayer membrane compared with bulk phases. An explanation for activity in terms of carrier transport and restricted transverse relaxation is proposed.
The morphology of kidneys from heart (n = 55) and bone marrow (n = 112) transplant recipients treated either with cyclosporine (CSA) or conventional immunosuppression was investigated at autopsy. The ...major findings were: In the bone marrow transplant recipients glomerular collapse, tubular atrophy, interstitial fibrosis, striped form, CSA-associated arteriolopathy and thrombi in glomeruli and/or arterioles were more often found in the CSA group as compared to conventional immunosuppression. In the heart transplant recipients glomerular collapse and obsolescence, tubular atrophy and intimal fibrosis in arteries were more frequent in the CSA group. Vascular interstitial toxicity known to be associated with CSA treatment from renal transplant patients was found in 54% (25% severe) of the bone marrow and 19.5% (9.7% severe) of the the heart transplant recipients. The prevalence of vascular interstitial toxicity in bone marrow versus heart transplant recipients is possibly due to higher CSA dosage and pretreatment with cytostatic drugs and irradiation. Analyses of the lesions from early stages to the full picture of vascular interstitial toxicity suggests that CSA causes a form of thrombotic microangiopathy with focal glomerular and/or arteriolar thrombosis followed by typical CSA-associated arteriolopathy which results in interstitial fibrosis with tubular atrophy.
Frozen sections of 52 breast carcinomas were examined for the presence and nature of a leukocytic infiltrate. The number of "common leukocyte (T200-) antigen"-bearing cells was remarkably high in the ...stromal compartment of the carcinomas, whereas the tumor foci themselves were usually infiltrated only sparsely. Approximately 80% of these T200+ stromal cells carried the myelomonocyte lineage-associated antigens M-M522 and 63D3 and exhibited "non-specific esterase" activity. More than 2/3 of the stromal monocytic cells expressed the T4 antigen as verified by monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) directed against different T4-associated epitopes. A T-cell analysis showed that T4+ cells clearly outweighed the total number of T cells as defined by anti-T3 and anti-TII antibodies. In addition, a correlation became apparent between the HLA-DR phenotype and the T lymphocyte content of tumor cell areas in the sense that densely infiltrated tumor areas were invariably HLA-DR+.
A solitary synchronous distant metastasis of newly diagnosed non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) occurs in only a small number of patients. The available literature suggests a significant rise in ...long-term survival for these patients when resection of the bronchial carcinoma and the metastasis are feasible and performed. To demonstrate a multidisciplinary concept, we present the case of a patient with a peripheral NSCLC and a solitary synchronous intraocular metastasis. To our knowledge, this concept with curative intention has not been published before regarding a patient with an intraocular metastasis.
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