A study of patent thickets

Report analysing whether entry of UK enterprises into patenting in a technology area is affected by patent thickets in the technology area

WHO bone marrow features and European clinical, molecular, and pathological (ECMP) criteria for the diagnosis of myeloproliferative disorders.

Contains fulltext : 53124.pdf (publisher's version ) (Closed access)The bone marrow criteria defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) are based on characteristic increase and clustering of morphologically abnormal enlarged megakaryocytes as a pathognomonic clue to describe three distinct phenotypic entities of myeloproliferative disorders (MPDs): (1) essential thrombocythemia (ET), (2) early and overt polycythemia vera (PV) and (3) prefibrotic, early fibrotic, and fibrotic chronic idiopathic myelofibrosis (CIMF-0, 1, 2 and 3). Based on established WHO bone marrow features, and the use of new molecular and laboratory markers including JAK2(V617F) mutation, endogenous erythroid colony (EEC) formation and serum erythropoietin (EPO), we present updated European clinical, molecular and pathological (ECMP) criteria for the differential diagnosis of true ET, PV and CIMF. As compared to the WHO bone marrow features, each of the laboratory and molecular markers are not sensitive enough for the diagnosis and classification of the three prefibrotic MPDs. The proposed WHO/ECMP criteria reduce the platelet count to the upper limit of normal (>400x10(9)l(-1)) as inclusion criterion for the diagnosis of thrombocythemia in true ET, early stages of PV and prefibrotic CIMF. The combined use of WHO and ECMP criteria differentiate PV from congenital and acquired erythrocytosis, true ET from reactive thrombocytosis and separates true ET from CIMF-0/1 mimicking ET. Only half of the patients with true ET and CIMF carry the JAK2(V617F) mutation (sensitivity 50%). Early PV mimicking ET is featured by the presence of JAK2(V617F) mutation, EEC, low serum EPO levels, normal hematocrit, and increased bone marrow cellularity due to increased erythropoiesis ("forme fruste" PV) when WHO/ECMP criteria are applied. The combination of JAK2(V617F) PCR test and increased hematocrit is diagnostic for PV (sensitivity 95%, specificity 100%). The degree of JAK2(V617F) positivity of granulocytes is related to disease stage: heterozygous in true ET and early PV and mixed hetero/homozygous to homozygous in overt and advanced PV and CIMF. Bone marrow histology assessment should remain the gold standard criterion for the diagnosis and staging of the MPDs true ET, PV and CIMF and its differentiation from primary or secondary erythrocytosis, reactive thrombocytosis and thrombocythemias associated with atypical MPD, myelodysplastic syndromes, and chronic myeloid leukemia,. The proposed WHO/ECMP criteria allow a cross talk between clinicians, pathologists and scientists to much better characterize the nature and natural history of each of the WHO/CMP defined early and overt MPDs

The 2001 World Health Organization and updated European clinical and pathological criteria for the diagnosis, classification, and staging of the Philadelphia chromosome-negative chronic myeloproliferative disorders.

Item does not contain fulltextThe clinical criteria according to the Polycythemia Vera Study Group (PVSG) do not distinguish between essential thrombocythemia (ET), thrombocythemia associated with early-stage polycythemia vera (PV) and prefibrotic chronic idiopathic myelofibrosis (CIMF). The criteria only classify the advanced stage of PV with increased red cell mass. The classification of myeloproliferative disorders (MPDs), proposed by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2001, is a compromise of the clinical PVSG and WHO bone marrow criteria, and excludes early stages of ET and PV. The updated European clinical and pathological criteria combine the WHO bone marrow criteria with established and new clinical, laboratory, biological, and molecular MPD markers. This allows clinicians and pathologists to diagnose early-stage MPD and to differentiate ET, PV, and prefibrotic chronic idiopathic myelofibrosis (CIMF). Depending on laboratory tests and diagnostic criteria used, the population of the MPD patients defined as ET, PV, and CIMF are heterogeneous at the clinical, laboratory, and biological and pathological levels. The recent discovery of the JAK2 V617F mutation, which is the cause of a distinct trilinear MPD in its manifold clinical manifestations during long-term follow-up, increases the specificity of a positive JAK2 V617F polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test for the diagnosis of MPD (near 100%), but only half of the ET and CIMF patients according to the PVSG (sensitivity 50%) and the majority of PV patients (sensitivity 95%) are JAK2 V617F positive. A comparison of the laboratory features of JAK2 V617-positive and JAK2 wild-type ET patients clearly showed that JAK2 V617-positive ET is characterized by higher values for hemoglobin, hematocrit, and neutrophil counts; lower values for serum erythropoietin (EPO) levels, serum ferritin, and mean corpuscular volume; and by increased cellularity of the bone marrow in biopsy material. This indicates that JAK2 V617-positive ET patients, diagnosed according to the PVSG criteria, represent a "forme fruste of PV" consistent with early PV mimicking ET (JAK2 V617F trilinear MPD). In contrast, the JAK2 wild-type ET patients had significantly higher platelet counts and usually had a clinical picture of ET with normal serum EPO levels, PRV-1 expression, and leukocyte alkaline phosphatase score, and a typical WHO ET bone marrow picture. The clinical and pathological data on JAK2 V617F-positive MPD patients suggest that the JAK2 V617F mutation defines one disease entity with several sequential steps of ET, PV, and secondary myelofibrosis during long-term follow-up, and that the wild-type JAK2 MPDs may represent another distinct entity with a related but different molecular etiology. MPD-specific markers such as serum EPO, endogenous erythroid colony formation (EEC), and JAK2 V617F have high specificities, but the sensitivities are not high enough to detect the early stages of the MPDs, ET, PV, and prefibrotic CIMF. Bone marrow histopathology in addition to clinical, laboratory, biological, and molecular markers, including the JAK2 V617 PCR test, serum EPO, PRV-1, EEC, LAP score, peripheral blood parameters, and spleen size on echogram will detect the early stages of MPD and allows diagnostic differentiation of the three primary MPDs (ET, PV, and CIMF) in both JAK2 V617F-positive and JAK2 wild-type MPD patients

CD4 is a critical component of the receptor for human herpesvirus 7: interference with human immunodeficiency virus.

In this study, we demonstrate that the glycoprotein CD4, a member of the immunoglobulin superfamily, is a critical component of the receptor for human herpesvirus 7 (HHV-7), a recently discovered T-lymphotropic human herpesvirus. A selective and progressive downregulation of the surface membrane expression of CD4 was observed in human CD4+ T cells in the course of HHV-7 infection. Various murine monoclonal antibodies to CD4 and the recombinant soluble form of human CD4 caused a dose-dependent inhibition of HHV-7 infection in primary CD4+ T lymphocytes. Moreover, radiolabeled HHV-7 specifically bound to cervical carcinoma cells (HeLa) expressing human CD4. A marked carcinoma cells (HeLa) expressing human CD4. A marked reciprocal interference was observed between HHV-7 and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the retrovirus that causes the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and also uses CD4 as a receptor. Previous exposure of CD4+ T cells to HHV-7 dramatically interfered with infection by both primary and in vitro-passaged HIV-1 isolates. Reciprocally, persistent infection with HIV-1 or treatment with the soluble form of gp120, the CD4-binding envelope glycoprotein of HIV-1, rendered CD4+ T cells resistant to HHV-7 infection. These data indicate that CD4 is critically involved in the receptor mechanism for HHV-7. The antagonistic effect between HHV-7 and HIV could be exploited to devise therapeutic approaches to AIDS

CD4 is a critical component of the receptor for human herpesvirus 7: Interference with human immunodeficiency virus

In this study, we demonstrate that the glycoprotein CD4, a member of the immunoglobulin superfamily, is a critical component of the receptor for human herpesvirus 7 (HHV-7), a recently discovered T-lymphotropic human herpesvirus. A selective and progressive downregulation of the surface membrane expression of CD4 was observed in human CD4+ T cells in the course of HHV-7 infection. Various murine monoclonal antibodies to CD4 and the recombinant soluble form of human CD4 caused a dose-dependent inhibition of HHV-7 infection in primary CD4+ T lymphocytes. Moreover, radiolabeled HHV-7 specifically bound to cervical carcinoma cells (HeLa) expressing human CD4. A marked reciprocal interference was observed between HHV-7 and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the retrovirus that causes the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and also uses CD4 as a receptor. Previous exposure of CD4+ T cells to HHV-7 dramatically interfered with infection by both primary and in vitro-passaged HIV-1 isolates. Reciprocally, persistent infection with HIV-1 or treatment with the soluble form of gp120, the CD4- binding envelope glycoprotein of HIV-1, rendered CD4+ T cells resistant to HHV-7 infection. These data indicate that CD4 is critically involved in the receptor mechanism for HHV-7. The antagonistic effect between HHV-7 and HIV could be exploited to devise therapeutic approaches to AIDS

Productive Infection of Primary Macrophages with Human Herpesvirus 7

Here we demonstrate replication of human herpesvirus 7 (HHV-7), a T-lymphotropic virus, in macrophages. Productive replication was lost after 2 weeks, but HHV-7 DNA was detected up to 1 month after infection. Thus, macrophages become infected by HHV-7 and might play an important role as a viral reservoir, as has been demonstrated for human immunodeficiency virus type 1