Granulopoiesis inhibition in acute inflammation: comparative studies in healthy and leukaemic mice

It was demonstrated previously that mice undergoing an inflammatory reaction induced by subcutaneous (SC) implantation of copper rods, produce humoral factors that initially enhance, but subsequently inhibit, diffusion chamber (DC) granulopoiesis. This provided evidence that granulopoiesis is under the control of both humoral stimulators and inhibitors. In order to test the granulopoietic regulatory mechanism in leukaemic mice, we investigated the regulatory role of granulopoietic humoral inhibitors during in vivo granulopoiesis. We noticed that mice suffering from acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) are unable to augment the production of these humoral inhibitory factors when acute inflammation is induced, since no change in DC cell content was observed with or without prior inflammation. Moreover, unlike healthy mice, the serum of leukaemic mice withdrawn during the inhibition phase of acute inflammation did not show any inhibitory activity toward granulocyte—monocyte (GM) colony growth in vitro. Our results also show that increased levels of normal humoral inhibitors do not influence the proliferation and/or differentiation of leukaemic cells implanted in diffusion chamber cultures

Thyroid carcinoma in the United Arab Emirates: perspectives and experience of a tertiary care hospital

BACKGROUNDAlthough the distribution of thyroid carcinoma in the Arab Gulf States has been described, no previous study has examined the characteristic clinicopathologic features of thyroid carcinoma cases in the United Arab Emirates.METHODSThe medical records of 135 patients with thyroid carcinoma diagnosed over a 15-year period (1991–2005) at Tawam Hospital, the national referral oncology center in the UAE, were retrospectively studied and the cases classified according to the histologic classification of the World Health Organization (WHO).RESULTSSeventy-eight patients (58%) were diagnosed before the age of 45 years with an overall peak incidence in the fourth and fifth decades. The female to male ratio was 2.4:1. Eighty-four percent had papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), while follicular thyroid carcinoma (FTC), anaplastic thyroid carcinoma and medullary carcinoma comprised 14%, 1.4% and 0.6%, respectively. The conventional classical variant of papillary carcinoma was the most common type. Three-quarters of the papillary carcinomas presented as multinodular goiter, while one-fifth presented as a solitary thyroid nodule. Minimal invasive follicular carcinoma was the most common variant of follicular carcinoma.CONCLUSIONThyroid carcinoma in the United Arab Emirates seems to be more common among females and female gender may be a risk factor. Age <45years can be considered an important prognostic factor as well as a possible risk factor. PTC predominates the histologic pattern of thyroid carcinoma, which is usually associated with an iodide-sufficient area

Acute inflammation effects on in vivo granulopoiesis: Comparative studies in health and leukaemic mice

SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Acute inflammation effects on in vivo granulopoiesis: comparative studies in healthy and leukaemic mice.

Mice undergoing an inflammatory reaction, induced by subcutaneous implantation of copper rods, elaborate two kinds of humoral stimulatory factors: the diffusible granulopoietic stimulator (DGS) that enhances diffusion chamber (DC) granulopoiesis, and the serum colony stimulating factor (CSF) that stimulates in vitro granulocyte-monocyte colony growth. We demonstrate here that mice suffering from acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) are unable to augment the production of these humoral stimulatory factors when acute inflammation is induced. Moreover, our results show that increased levels of normal humoral stimulatory factors (DGS and CSF) do not influence the proliferation and/or the differentiation of leukaemic cells implanted in DC.Comparative StudyJournal Articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Churg-Strauss syndrome presenting as an abdominal mass in a non-asthmatic child.

A 2-year-old boy presented with an abdominal mass and was diagnosed as Churg-Strauss syndrome (CSS). There was no history of asthma. He developed fatal gastro-intestinal disease, despite treatment with corticosteroids and cyclophosphamide. CSS is extremely rare in young children and gastro-intestinal involvement might carry a worse prognosis than in adults