Expression of the CD6 T lymphocyte differentiation antigen in normal human brain

Antigens shared by the immune and central nervous systems (CNS) have been described repeatedly. The present study reports the expression of the CD6 lymphocyte differentiation antigen in normal human brain evidenced by immunohistochemistry and Northern blot analysis. A panel of various anti-CD6 monoclonal antibodies (mabs) tested on serial cryostat sections identified CD6-positive cells randomly scattered in parenchyma of all examined brain areas. Northern blot analysis with a highly sensitive cRNA probe revealed a 3.1 kb CD6-specific mRNA in various brain regions, especially in basalganglia and cortex cerebellum. Staining with mabs raised against different hematopoietic cell types, as well as hybridization with probes specific for the ß- and y-T cell receptor (TCR) chains support the notion that CD6 is expressed by original brain cells. The nature of the CD6-positive cell type and possible functions of shared antigens in immune and nervous systems are discusse

THE CELLULAR RECEPTOR (CD4) OF THE HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS IS EXPRESSED ON NEURONS AND GLIAL CELLS IN HUMAN BRAIN

The peculiar tropism of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) for T helper lymphocytes can be explained by a specific interaction between the virus and the CD4 molecule on these cells (1, 2). The tropism for T lymphocytes, however, can hardly account for the early brain infection observed in some AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) patients (3, 4). Since CD4 is also expressed on virus-susceptible non-T cell lines we wondered whether an additional expression site of CD4 could be demonstrated in neural tissue (5). To this end, CD4 expression in brain was analyzed with several different anti-CD4 mAbs, and using a CD4-specific cDNA probe in Northern blot analyses . CD4' cells and CD4-specific mRNA were found in the cerebellum, thalamus, and pons. The reactive cells could be identified as neurons as well as glial cells

Prospective cohort study using the breast cancer spheroid model as a predictor for response to neoadjuvant therapy--the SpheroNEO study

Background Aim of this prospective study was to predict response to neoadjuvant therapy in breast cancer patients using an in vitro breast cancer spheroid model. Methods Three-dimensional spheroids were directly generated from fresh breast tumor biopsies of 78 patients eligible for neoadjuvant therapy. Cell survival was measured after in vitro exposure to the equivalent therapeutic agents in the breast cancer spheroid model. Treatment results in vitro were correlated with pathological complete response (pCR, i.e. ypT0 ypN0) determined at surgery. Results A mean cell survival of 21.8 % was found in the breast cancer spheroid model for 22 patients with pCR versus 63.8 % in 56 patients without pCR (P = .001). The area under the receiver operator characteristic curve to predict pCR was 0.86 (95 % CI: 0.77 to 0.96) for cell survival in vitro compared to 0.80 (95 % CI: 0.70 to 0.90) for a combined model of conventional factors (hormone- and HER2 receptor, and age). A cutoff at 35 % cell survival for the spheroid model was proposed. Out of the 32 patients with values below this threshold, 21 patients (65.6 %) and one patient (2.2 %) with a cell survival greater than 35 % achieved pCR respectively; (sensitivity 95.5 % (95 % CI: 0.86 to 1.00); specificity 80.4 % (95 % CI: 0.70 to 0.91)). Extent of residual disease positively correlated with increased cell survival (P = .021). Conclusion The breast cancer spheroid model proved to be a highly sensitive and specific predictor for pCR after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer patients

Cutis marmorata teleangiectatica congenita egy eset kapcsán = Cutis marmorata telangiectatica congenita – case report

A cutis marmorata teleangiectatica congenita ritka, általában veleszületett, generalizált vagy lokális cutan érfejlődési rendellenesség, amit jellegzetes tünetek alapján diagnosztizálnak (a bőr tartós márványozottsága, teleangiectasia, phlebectasia, esetleg ulceratio, atrophia), és amely hajlamot mutat klinikai javulásra. Az irodalom eddig közel 300 betegről számolt be. A szerzők jelen dolgozatukban bemutatnak egy esetet, amelyben a klinikai tünetek (a skalpon tág vénák, kétoldali bőrulceratio, testszerte márványozott bőr, a mellkason teleangiectasia) alapján cutis marmorata teleangiectatica congenitát diagnosztizáltak, egyéb társuló rendellenesség nélkül. Az eset kapcsán a szerzők az irodalmat is áttekintik. | Cutis marmorata telangiectatica congenita is a rare, usually congenital, localized or generalized cutaneous vascular abnormality characterized by a persistent cutis marmorata pattern, spider naevus-like telangiectasia and ulceration or atrophy of the involved skin, which frequently improves with age. Approximately 300 cases have been reported worldwide. The authors present a case of cutis marmorata telangiectatica congenita with typical clinical findings: phlebectasia of the scalp with ulceration, almost generalized persistent cutis marmorata, telangiectasia. No associated anomalies were detected. The relevant literature is also reviewed

Extrém alacsony gesztációs korú koraszülöttek életkilátásai = Life expectancy of extremely preterm infants

Optimális esetben a 24–28. gesztációs hét közötti, igen éretlen újszülöttek olyan szülészeti intézményben születnek, ahol neonatalis intenzív centrum működik, így mind az akut, mind a hosszú távú ellátásukat magas színvonalon biztosítják. A PTE OEKK ÁOK Szülészeti és Nőgyógyászati Klinikán 2000. január 1. és 2004. december 31. között 7499 újszülött született. A koraszülési frekvencia 20% (1499/7499), ezen belül az extrém alacsony gesztációs korúak aránya (≦28. gesztációs hét) 18% (272/1499), míg a 25. gesztációs hét alattiaké 3,2% (48/1499) volt. A túlélés a gesztációs hetek emelkedésével fokozatosan javul. Az életben maradt koraszülöttek későbbi életkilátásai és társadalmi beilleszkedése függ az olyan maradandó károsodásoktól, mint a látáscsökkenés, halláskárosodás, somatomentalis fejlődés zavarai, krónikus tüdőbetegség. A klinikán vizsgált alacsony gesztációs korú csoportban az összes fogyatékkal élő betegek aránya 15,3%. Döntő többségük a 25. gesztációs hétnél korábban született koraszülöttek közül kerül ki. A 26. gesztációs héttől a koraszülöttek több mint fele tartós károsodás nélkül éli túl az extrém éretlenség társuló problémáit. Megállapították, hogy a korai koponya-ultrahangvizsgálattal, szemészeti szűréssel, otoacusticus emissio mérésével jól prognosztizálhatók a maradandó károsodások, így lehetővé válik a korai kezelés. | Extremely preterm infants [gestational age (GA) between 24–28 weeks] should be delivered optimally in an institute where neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is available and their short- and long-term care is ensured. At the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical School, University of Pécs, 7499 infants were born between 1st of January, 2000 and 31st of December, 2004. During this period the rate of preterm deliveries was 20% (1499/7499). Among preterm infants the incidence of extremely preterm babies (GA 28 weeks or less) was 18% (272/1499), the rate of profoundly preterm infants (GA less than 25 weeks) was 3.2% (48/1499). Advancing with gestational age the survival rate is increasing. At the department, the rate of handicapped infants among extremely premature babies was 15.3%. The majority of the handicapped infants were profoundly preterm, meanwhile, more than 50% of infants born at the 26 gestational weeks were free of symptoms influencing social activities. It is important to stress the prognostic value of the screening for hearing loss (otoacustic emission), visual problems, and intracranial bleeding for the early detection and cure of the possible complications of prematurity

What you extract is what you see: Optimising the preparation of water and wastewater samples for in vitro bioassays

The assessment of water quality is crucial for safeguarding drinking water resources and ecosystem integrity. To this end, sample preparation and extraction is critically important, especially when investigating emerging contaminants and the toxicity of water samples. As extraction methods are rarely optimised for bioassays but rather adopted from chemical analysis, this may result in a misrepresentation of the actual toxicity. In this study, surface water, groundwater, hospital and municipal wastewater were used to characterise the impacts of common sample preparation techniques (acidification, filtration and solid phase extraction (SPE)) on the outcomes of eleven in vitro bioassays. The latter covered endocrine activity (reporter gene assays for estrogen, androgen, aryl-hydrocarbon, retinoic acid, retinoid X, vitamin D, thyroid receptor), mutagenicity (Ames fluctuation test), genotoxicity (umu test) and cytotoxicity. Water samples extracted using different SPE sorbents (Oasis HLB, Supelco ENVI-Carb+, Telos C18/ENV) at acidic and neutral pH were compared for their performance in recovering biological effects. Acidification, commonly used for stabilisation, significantly altered the endocrine activity and toxicity of most (waste)water samples. Sample filtration did not affect the majority of endpoints but in certain cases affected the (anti-)estrogenic and dioxin-like activities. SPE extracts (10.4 × final concentration), including WWTP effluents, induced significant endocrine effects that were not detected in aqueous samples (0.63 × final concentration), such as estrogenic, (anti-)androgenic and dioxin-like activities. When ranking the SPE methods using multivariate Pareto optimisation an extraction with Telos C18/ENV at pH 7 was most effective in recovering toxicity. At the same time, these extracts were highly cytotoxic masking the endpoint under investigation. Compared to that, extraction at pH 2.5 enriched less cytotoxicity. In summary, our study demonstrates that sample preparation and extraction critically affect the outcome of bioassays when assessing the toxicity of water samples. Depending on the water matrix and the bioassay, these methods need to be optimised to accurately assess water quality