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Biomedical subjects

A M Florena

Publications and source records attributed to A M Florena.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Immunophenotypic profile and role of adhesion molecules in splenic marginal zone lymphoma with bone marrow involvement.

Splenic Marginal Zone Lymphoma (SMZL), with or without villous lymphocytes (VL+/-), is a low-grade lymphoproliferative disorder with constant involvement of the bone marrow (BM). Different BM infiltration patterns, mainly intra-sinusoidal, interstitial and nodular, have been described. Adhesion molecules (AMs) constitute a heterogeneous group of antigenic receptors playing a major role in leukocyte recruitment, in lymphocyte homing and in cellular-mediated immune response. Evolution and pattern of the BM infiltrate could be influenced by a variable expression of AM on SMZL lymphocytes. The degree and pattern of BM infiltration and the immunohistochemical expression of AM (H-CAM, BL-CAM, L-selectin, PSGL-1, E-selectin, ICAM-1, VCAM-1 and Beta-1 integrin) among the different infiltration patterns were evaluated in BM biopsies of 38 patients with SMZL and graded according to a semi-quantitative score ranging from 0-4 and based on the percentage of positive cells. An intra-sinusoidal infiltration was constantly observed, alone or in conjunction with other patterns. H-CAM and BL-CAM showed a moderate-to-high degree of positivity in the intra-sinusoidal infiltrate (median expression grade-3) and were expressed in the neoplastic lymphocytes independently from the pattern. PSGL-1 was mostly expressed in the perisinusoidal region and in case of interstitial infiltration (grade-2). ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 were selectively expressed in the nodules as a reticular meshwork located in the core region (grade-2); VCAM-1 was also expressed in the perinodular endothelia. E-selectin, L-selectin and beta-1 integrin proved constantly negative. These data suggest that different expression of AM can influence the modality of BM infiltration in SMZL.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Megakaryocytic features useful for the diagnosis of myeloproliferative disorders can be obtained by a novel unsupervised software analysis.

An unsupervised method for megakaryocyte detection and analysis is proposed, in order to validate supplementary tools which can be of help in supporting the pathologist in the classification of Philadelphia negative chronic myeloproliferative disorders with thrombocytosis. The experiment was conducted on high power magnification photomicrographs taken from hematoxylin-and-eosin 3 micrometer thick sections of formalin fixed, paraffin embedded bone marrow biopsies from patients with reactive thrombocytosis or chronic myeloproliferative disorders. Each megakaryocyte has been isolated in the photos through an image segmentation process, mainly based on mathematical morphology and wavelet analysis. A set of features (e.g. area, perimeter and fractal dimension of the cell and its nucleus, shape complexity via elliptic Fourier transform, and so on) is used to characterize the disorders and discriminate between essential thrombocythemia and idiopathic myelofibrosis. Features related to the general contour of the cell like cytoplasmic area and perimeter are good markers in distinguishing between normal or reactive and pathologic megakaryocytes while nuclear features and global circularity are helpful in the differential diagnosis between ET and prefibrotic IMF. The method proposed should be considered as a fast preprocessing tool for the diagnostic phase and its use can be extended to solve different object recognition problems.

Bone Marrow Cells↗
PubMed2005

Oral lichenoid drug reaction by lithium in a patient with bipolar disorder.

Bipolar disorder (BD) is a psychiatric disease characterized by recurrent and alternated episodes of depression and mania. For the treatment of BD, anticonvulsants drugs as lithium, carbamazepine and oxcarbazepine can be used. These drugs can be associated with potential adverse effects: weight gain, tremors, thyroid abnormalities, and cognitive, gastrointestinal, cardiac or dermatological problems. We describe a case of BD with oral lichenoid drug reaction probably because of the mood stabilizers.

Antimanic Agents↗
PubMed2004

CD27 distinguishes two phases in bone marrow infiltration of splenic marginal zone lymphoma.

AIMS: To investigate CD27 expression in splenic marginal zone lymphoma (SMZL), an indolent low-grade B-cell lymphoma with constant involvement of the bone marrow, especially with an intrasinusoidal pattern. It is not clear if the neoplastic clone is composed of virgin or somatically mutated B cells. CD27 is reported to be a hallmark of memory B cells. METHODS AND RESULTS: We evaluated 64 bone marrow biopsy specimens (BMBs) from 36 patients with SMZL for the expression of CD27. For comparison, splenectomy specimens of patients with traumatic splenic rupture or with SMZL were used. All BMBs showed lymphomatous infiltration. When located in the marrow sinusoids, neoplastic cells were CD27- in all cases and therefore corresponded to naive B cells. In nodular/interstitial infiltration, the cells were CD27+ and therefore corresponded to memory B cells. No difference in immunohistochemical expression of B and T antibodies was found between intrasinusoidal and interstitial/nodular infiltration. CD27 was constantly expressed in the splenic marginal zone of normal spleen, surgically removed for trauma, and in seven out of 10 spleens with SMZL. CONCLUSION: We propose the existence of two different phases of neoplastic progression with, first, expansion of a virgin B clone in the bone marrow and, following exposure to antigen, a re-colonization of the bone marrow.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Splenectomy influences bone marrow infiltration in patients with splenic marginal zone cell lymphoma with or without villous lymphocytes.

BACKGROUND: Splenic marginal zone cell lymphoma (SMZL) is a low grade B-cell lymphoma in which patients can have circulating villous lymphocytes and can show a peculiar intrasinusoidal bone marrow (BM) infiltration. Splenectomy is the reported treatment of choice for these patients. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of splenectomy on patients with BM lymphomatous infiltration. METHODS: BM biopsies of 16 patients with SMZL were studied morphologically and immunohistochemically. In 12 patients, BM biopsies were taken before and after splenectomy. Four patients did not undergo splenectomy, and their BM biopsies were performed with an approximately 1 year interval. RESULTS: BM infiltration ranged from 10% to 40% of overall cellularity and was mostly of the intrasinusoidal type. After splenectomy, BM infiltration tended to become frankly nodular and showed an increase in tumor burden. Nonsplenectomized patients showed an unmodified picture. CONCLUSIONS: Splenectomy seems to induce important changes in patients with BM infiltration, probably through the lack of microenvironmental factors on circulating cells. These effects suggest reconsidering the role of splenectomy in the treatment of patients with SMZL.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Response to low-dose oral methotrexate and prednisone in two patients with angio-immunoblastic lymphadenopathy-type T-cell lymphoma.

INTRODUCTION: AILD-type T-cell lymphoma is characterized by very poor prognosis in most patients and the response rate to conventional chemotherapy is unsatisfactory. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two patients (a 65 year old female and a 67 year old male) with AILD-type lymphoma who did not respond to conventional treatment with steroids or aggressive chemotherapy were treated with Methotrexate and Prednisone. Both patients received a weekly dose of MTX (10 mg/m(2)) that was administered orally in combination with PDN at an initial dose (15 mg/day), given on a daily basis. RESULTS: Both patients responded rapidly showing marked improvement with no major side effects. Complete clinical remission was recorded in the two patients who were treated with this combination after conventional chemotherapy had failed to produce any improvement. CONCLUSION: Our observations in two patients with refractory/relapsed AILD-type lymphoma who were given low-dose oral MTX as salvage treatment, suggest that this agent has immunosuppressive effects that can be beneficial for treating patients with AILD-type T-cell lymphoma. Pilot clinical trials are needed to verify its efficacy in this setting.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1996

Bilateral hairy polyp of the oropharynx.

Hairy polyp of the nasopharynx is an unusual but well-recognized entity, generally presenting as a single mass at birth or in the first year of life. We describe the clinico-pathological features of a previously unreported bilateral hairy polyp in an adult and briefly discuss the pathogenesis of this condition.

Female↗
PubMed1996

Intrasinusoidal bone marrow infiltration: a possible hallmark of splenic lymphoma.

A particular type of lymphomatous bone marrow infiltration defined as intrasinusoidal and occurring in seven patients with splenomegaly and mild to moderate thrombocytopenia is reported. Immunocytochemistry highlighted the intrasinusoidal pattern and showed a mature B-cell phenotype. Four patients underwent splenectomy and a diagnosis of splenic marginal cell lymphoma was made. The disease course seems to be chronic and quite indolent. All patients are alive and well; follow-up ranges from 2 to 42 months. The value of bone marrow biopsy as a primary diagnostic tool in splenic marginal zone lymphomas is discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Immunophenotypical comparison of Gaucher's and pseudo-Gaucher cells.

An immunohistochemical study on bone marrow biopsies and spleens of patients with Gaucher's disease and chronic myeloid leukemia was performed to investigate the immunophenotype of Gaucher's cells and pseudo-Gaucher cells. A panel of antibodies was used which were reactive on paraffin-embedded tissues and directed against different hematopoietic lineage cells. Gaucher's cells and pseudo-Gaucher cells expressed a very similar immunophenotype and displayed an intense reaction for the monocytic antibodies tested, thus confirming their common origin and that they belong to the same system. The expression of HLA-DR antigens was much stronger in Gaucher's than in pseudo-Gaucher cells. This last finding, together with other serological data, suggests that Gaucher's cells could not behave simply as phagocytic cells but might play an active role in the chronic stimulation of the immune system that sometimes occurs in patients with Gaucher's disease.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

[Intestinal carcinoid. A propos of a case].

In this paper the authors report a case of carcinoid neoplasm in a rare localization like sigmoid colon. They describe the clinical and biological aspects of this kind of tumors, with particular regard to the tumor site and its biochemical products. A rational and prompt clinical approach to this neoplasm is considered important for the good chance of long survivals, achievable in the case of early diagnosis.

Aged↗
PubMed1995

Giant cell tumor of the ovary. Immunohistochemical evidence of origin from stromal ovarian cells.

Giant cell tumor (GCT) of the ovary is a rare condition, found almost invariably in the context of a mucinous tumor and presenting a microscopic picture indistinguishable from GCT of bone. We describe a case of GCT in the wall of a serous cyst of the ovary. An immunohistochemical study was performed using a panel of antibodies to epithelial, mesenchymal and leukocyte antigens. Mononuclear and giant tumor cells were positive for vimentin; CD 68 and LCA were found only in giant cells whereas actin was only found in mononuclear tumor cells. The immunophenotypic profile of the stromal cells of the residual ovary was identical to that of mononuclear tumor cells. The presented data suggest that GCT of the ovary is probably a non-neoplastic lesion of the mesenchymal stromal cells that react against substances of the associated tumor or cyst.

Actins↗
PubMed1994

[Immunophenotyping of early-phase chronic myeloid leukemia and leukemoid reaction].

Early chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and leukemoid reaction (LR) sometimes show similar histological pictures. In order to assess the efficacy of immunohistochemistry in the discrimination of the two forms, twenty bone marrow (BM) trephines of patient with CML and twenty with LR were immunostained and studied. A wide spectrum of antibodies effective on paraffin-embedded tissues (NP 57 anti-neutrophil elastase, Leu M1, MAC 387, KP1, Y2/51, LCA, UCHL1, L26, BerH2 and Glycophorin A) and directed against granulopoietic, erythropoietic, megakaryocytic, monocytic and lymphoid cells was tested by means of the alkaline phosphatase anti-alkaline phosphatase (APAAP) method. Expression of neutrophil elastase in CML and LR showed a different pattern of reactivity in normal and neoplastic granulocytic cells and Y2/51 put in evidence significant discrepancies of megakaryocytes in the two groups. Moreover, a greater number of histiocytic, lymphoid and erythropoietic cells were detected in LR after immunostaining with KP1, LCA, UCHL1, L26 and Glycophorin A. The different immunophenotypical pictures observed, suggest the value of immunohistochemistry as a supplementary diagnostic tool for the differential diagnosis between early CML and LR.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Morphometric study of the bone marrow in polycythemia vera following interferon-alpha therapy.

Bone marrow cellularity and extent of fibrotic change were determined in nineteen patients with polycythemia vera, treated with interferon-alpha (IFN) for 1 year. The cellularity was evaluated with an interactive semiautomatic method using Leitz TAS plus microscope: in particular, number and size of megakaryocytes were evaluated after immunostaining with Y2/51 (CD 61); reticulin content was studied by light microscope with a semiquantitative method. Before IFN therapy mean cellularity was 80.5% (+/- 13.7). After 6 and 12 months mean cellularity was 75.4% and 68.4% respectively. Six months after cessation of IFN therapy the cellularity was 69.1%. A decrease of the number, density and morphometrical parameters of megakaryocytes was also remarked. Reticulin fibrosis was mild in 13 cases and moderate in 6 cases before IFN therapy. Reticulin content was unmodified during therapy in all cases but two, in which fibrosis changed from mild to moderate. In conclusion IFN therapy is to be considered a good method in polycythemia vera for the control of proliferative activity of bone marrow but with IFN therapy one cannot determine regression of marrow fibrosis.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Immunohistochemical evaluation of bone marrow lymphoid nodules in chronic myeloproliferative disorders.

One hundred and seventy bone marrow biopsies from patients with chronic myeloproliferative disorders (CMPDs) were evaluated for the presence of lymphoid nodules (LNs) and were immunostained using a panel of monoclonal antibodies (UCHL1, 4KB5 and L26) recognizing different lymphocyte antigens. LNs were found in 35% of cases of idiopathic thrombocythaemia, 24.6% of myelofibrosis/osteomyelosclerosis, 18.2% of polycythaemia vera 12.1% of chronic myeloid leukaemia and 19.2% of borderline cases. Varying degrees of immunohistochemical positivity for the three antibodies tested were found. LNs were always made up of variable proportions of both T- and B-lymphocytes with a prevalence of T-cells. This latter observation suggests that bone marrow LNs in CMPDs could be an expression of reactivity.

Aged↗