MSS D Multispectral Scanner System

The development and acceptance testing of the 4-band Multispectral Scanners to be flown on LANDSAT D and LANDSAT D Earth resources satellites are summarized. Emphasis is placed on the acceptance test phase of the program. Test history and acceptance test algorithms are discussed. Trend data of all the key performance parameters are included and discussed separately for each of the two multispectral scanner instruments. Anomalies encountered and their resolutions are included

Management of mixed cryoglobulinemia with rituximab: evidence and consensus-based recommendations from the Italian Study Group of Cryoglobulinemia (GISC)

Cryoglobulinemic vasculitis (CV) or mixed cryoglobulinemic syndrome (MCS) is a systemic small-vessel vasculitis characterized by the proliferation of B-cell clones producing pathogenic immune complexes, called cryoglobulins. It is often secondary to hepatitis C virus (HCV), autoimmune diseases, and hematological malignancies. CV usually has a mild benign clinical course, but severe organ damage and life-threatening manifestations can occur. Recently, evidence in favor of rituximab (RTX), an anti-CD 20 monoclonal antibody, is emerging in CV: nevertheless, questions upon the safety of this therapeutic approach, especially in HCV patients, are still being issued and universally accepted recommendations that can help physicians in MCS treatment are lacking. A Consensus Committee provided a prioritized list of research questions to perform a systematic literature review (SLR). A search was made in Medline, Embase, and Cochrane library, updated to August 2021. Of 1227 article abstracts evaluated, 27 studies were included in the SLR, of which one SLR, 4 RCTs, and 22 observational studies. Seventeen recommendations for the management of mixed cryoglobulinemia with rituximab from the Italian Study Group of Cryoglobulinemia (GISC) were developed to give a valuable tool to the physician approaching RTX treatment in CV

CD5/CD20 expression on circulating B cells in HCV-related chronic hepatitis and mixed cryoglobulinemia

The role of CD5(+) B cells in patients with HCV infection and HCV-related disorders, including mixed cryoglobulinemia (MC), has been addressed in previous reports with conflicting results. We established a correlation between CD5/CD20 expression on circulating B lymphocytes, characterizing monoclonal B cell lymphocytosis (MBL), and clinical features in a cohort of 45 patients with chronic HCV hepatitis [without MC: 23 patients (MC-group); with MC: 22 patients (MC+ group)], and 45 HCV-negative healthy subjects as controls. By flow cytometry analysis, three B cells phenotypes were singled out: 1) CD5(+) CD20(dim) (CLL-like phenotype); 2) CD5(+) CD20(bright) (atypical phenotype); and 3) CD5-CD20(+) phenotype. CD5(+) CD20(bright) cells were reduced in MC-patients (p = 0.049). CD5(+) CD20(dim) B cells were significantly higher in group B than in the control group (p = 0.003). ROC curve analysis in MC+ patients showed the highest positive likelihood ratio at >= 7.35% (p = 0.008) for CLL-like phenotype and at <= 63.6% (p = 0.03) for the CD5-CD20(+) B cell phenotype. HCV infection was associated with a higher frequency of CLL-like (odds ratio = 16, p = 0.002) and a lower frequency of atypical (odds ratio: 3.1, p = 0.02) and CD5-CD20(+) (odds ratio: 11, p = 0.01) phenotypes. The association with higher levels of CLL-like phenotype progressively increased from group of MC-patients (odds ratio: 9.3, p = 0.04) to the group of MC+ patients (odds ratio: 25.1, p = 0.0003).Conclusions: The occurrence of a CLL-like pattern may allow to identify HCV-infected patients at risk of developing MC and eventually non-Hodgkin lymphoma, who should require a closer surveillance and a longer follow-up

A Case of Erythrodermic Psoriasis Successfully Treated with Risankizumab

Matteo Megna,* Angelo Ruggiero,* Antonia Salsano, Giuseppe Lauletta, Antonio Portarapillo, Ginevra Torta, Fabrizio Martora, Luca Potestio Section of Dermatology, Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Luca Potestio, Section of Dermatology, Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples Federico II, Via Pansini, 5, Naples, 80131, Italy, Tel +39 - 081 -7462457, Fax +39 - 081 - 7462442, Email [email protected]: Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory cutaneous disease, affecting up to 3% of the worldwide population. Several clinical phenotypes can be distinguished. Among these, erythrodermic psoriasis (EP) is a rare and severe variant (less than 3% of cases), characterized by severe generalized erythema and scaling affecting at least 90% of the body surface area. EP is often a life-threatening condition, since several systemic symptoms (tachycardia, fever, fatigue, lymphadenopathy, dehydration, serum electrolyte disturbances) can be associated. Thus, a prompt and appropriate treatment is mandatory. Unfortunately, EP treatment is challenging. Indeed, the reduced prevalence of EP makes clinical trials feasibility difficult, leading to the absence of established guidelines. So, the treatment of EP is often derived from moderate-to-severe psoriasis management which relies on the use of conventional systemic drugs (cyclosporine, dimethyl fumarate, methotrexate, retinoids) and biologic agents. However, conventional systemic drugs are often contraindicated for patients’ comorbidities, or their use is characterized by reduced efficacy and various adverse events (AEs). The recent development of biologic drugs, which showed excellent results in terms of effectiveness and safety in plaque psoriasis, made these drugs an ideal weapon in EP management, despite their use in EP is still off-label. Among these, risankizumab, a humanized immunoglobulin G1 monoclonal antibody targeting the p19 subunit of the IL23, is one of the latest biologics approved for the management of moderate-to-severe psoriasis. Herein, we reported the first case of a caucasian patient affected by EP successfully treated with risankizumab, reaching PASI100 response after 16 weeks of treatment, without experiencing AEs.Keywords: erythrodermic psoriasis, treatment, risankizuma

Virological analysis and phenotypic characterization of peripheral blood lymphocytes of hepatitis C virus-infected patients with and without mixed cryoglobulinaemia

In clinical and pathological terms hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected patients can be subdivided into two main groups with and without mixed cryoglobulinaemia (MC). Involvement of blood mononuclear cells by HCV has potentially important implications. To this end, HCV-RNA levels in peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) preparations of 20 chronically HCV-infected patients with MC were measured and compared with those found in a group of 20 patients without MC matched for age, serum HCV-RNA, infectious genotype, source and presumable duration of infection. Phenotypic abnormalities of PBL subsets in each group of patients were determined by cell surface marker expression and compared. Results showed a significant enrichment of HCV-RNA in PBL of MC patients compared with a non-MC group (P = 0·01). Different distribution of HCV-RNA was accompanied by evidence of an increased frequency of circulating B cells. These data indicate that MC patients are characterized distinctly by a higher quota of cell-associated viral load