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C F Barker

Publications and source records attributed to C F Barker.

262 records · Page 15Linked to original sources

Cellular immunity delimits adenoviral gene therapy strategies for the treatment of neoplastic diseases.

BACKGROUND: Adenoviral gene therapy is a promising new approach for the treatment of neoplastic diseases. To design rational clinical trials and distinguish the effects of therapeutic transgene expression from those caused by viral infection alone, the immune response to the vector must be understood. In these experiments, we further define cellular immunity to recombinant adenovirus. METHODS: The immune response to hepatic adenoviral gene transfer was studied in infected mice by depleting T cells with an anti-CD3 antibody, measuring splenocyte cytokine production, determining the impact of transgene expression on inflammation, and assessing liver MHC protein expression. RESULTS: The cellular immune response to recombinant adenovirus is (1) averted by T lymphocyte depletion, (2) marked by a TH1 response with increased IL-2 production, (3) directed against both the transgene product and viral proteins, and (4) associated with increased hepatocyte MHC Class I expression. CONCLUSIONS: It is necessary to take into consideration the constraints imposed by the immunogenicity of recombinant adenovirus and its transient transgene expression in the clinical application of adenoviral gene transfer for the treatment of cancer.

Adenoviruses, Human↗

Aspergillus thyroiditis.

A case of fatal disseminated aspergillosis in a renal transplant patient is presented. The initial manifestation of the disease was consistent with thyroiditis. Autopsy findings are shown and support this unique presentation. The diagnosis of aspergillosis is difficult to make and may require pulmonary biopsy. Early diagnosis and treatment with amphotericin B are the keys to successful management of the disease.

Adult↗

Acute renal allograft rejection: difficulty in diagnosis of histologically mild cases by MR imaging.

To determine the ability of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging to diagnose various degrees of acute allograft rejection (AR), 33 MR examinations in 28 patients were obtained. Surface coils were used in 21 examinations. Seventeen examinations were correlated with biopsy results, which were graded as absent (n = 7), mild (n = 6), or severe (n = 4) AR. Corticomedullary differentiation (CMD) on T1 weighted images was graded as absent/poor versus distinct, and images were also evaluated for visibility of intrarenal vessels. For serial examinations, renal volume was measured and compared. The MR results were correlated with radionuclide interpretations in 22 cases. Diminished CMD was most common with AR (7 of 12) but was also seen with acute tubular necrosis (2 of 6) and cyclosporin toxicity (2 of 3). All four cases of severe AR had diminished CMD. In contrast, only one of six cases of mild AR had diminished CMD (p less than 0.05). Four of five cases of mild AR by radionuclide scan were correctly diagnosed. Visualization of intrarenal vessels was best with surface coils, but this did not contribute to differential diagnosis. Renal volume was increased in rejecting allografts. Magnetic resonance is a promising modality for investigation of renal allografts but is not a sensitive or specific modality for the diagnosis of mild AR.

Graft Rejection↗