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Biomedical subjects

G Rechavi

Publications and source records attributed to G Rechavi.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources
PubMed1991

Kaposi's sarcoma among AIDS patients: transmissible venereal tumour by cell engraftment?

The epidemiologic findings of Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) among patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) suggest that human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is insufficient for the development of KS. It was speculated that another sexually transmitted infection is responsible for the markedly increased incidence of KS among patients who acquired HIV infection through sexual intercourse. However, no such contributing infectious agent was consistently identified. The canine transmissible venereal tumour (TVT) is a malignant tumour that can be transplanted by viable cells across major histocompatibility complex (MHC) barriers. Recent findings suggest that all canine TVTs originated from the same tumour and were transferred from one animal to the other during sexual intercourse. It is suggested that, in analogy with the canine TVT model, the characteristics of KS epidemic among AIDS patients may be explained by transmission and engraftment of viable malignant cells during intercourse.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1991

Bone marrow cell populations mimicking common acute lymphoblastic leukemia in infants with stage IV-S neuroblastoma.

Immunophenotyping of bone marrow mononuclear cells of 2 infants with stage IV-S neuroblastoma revealed the presence of many lymphoblasts and immature lymphocytes. Immunophenotyping showed that a high percentage of bone marrow cells were positive for the HLA-DR, CD19, CD20 and CD10 phenotype, similar to common acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells. Within 6 months of follow-up, without any treatment, complete regression of the tumors was observed. The coexistence of these two unusual populations will be discussed.

Bone Marrow↗
PubMed1990

Chromosomal aberrations suggestive of mutagen-related leukemia after 21 years of "therapeutic" radon exposure.

A 68-year-old woman with acute myelomonocytic leukemia, who was treated annually for 21 consecutive years by "therapeutic" low-dose radon gas radiation because of spondyloarthritis, is described. The karyotype of the malignant clone was 45,XX, -17, -18,del(5)(q15q33), +t(17;18)(q11.2q23). In 45% of the metaphases, the modal number was between hyperdiploid to near tetraploid. Double minute chromosomes were demonstrated in 60% of the cells. These chromosomal aberrations are suggestive of mutagen-related leukemia.

Aged↗
PubMed1990

Infantile idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura.

Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) in childhood is a benign disease, as only 10% to 20% of the patients have a chronic course. A retrospective study of 57 ITP patients ranging in age from four months to two years revealed that 30% of them proceeded to chronicity. Unlike ITP in the general pediatric population, chronic infantile ITP was characterized by male predominance, a high frequency of preceding viral infections, and lack of responsiveness to any of the known modalities of treatment.

Child↗
PubMed1990

Pineal germinoma with unilateral blindness. Seeding of germinoma cells in optic nerve sheath.

A 13-year-old boy presented with blindness and loss of the papillomacular bundle in the left eye, bilateral papilledema sparing the area of axonal loss, and Parinaud's syndrome. Computerized tomography (CT) revealed an enlarged kinked left optic nerve and enlarged optic canal as well as a tumor in the pineal area producing hydrocephalus. Magnetic resonance (MR) scans showed multiple spinal metastases. The histological diagnosis was germinoma. On completion of four courses of chemotherapy with cis-platin, vinblastine, and bleomycin, repeated CT of orbita and MR imaging of the spine demonstrated the disappearance of the tumor surrounding the left optic nerve and of the spinal metastases. This is believed to be the first case report of seeding of germinoma into the perioptic arachnoid space.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Rearrangements in the p53 gene in Philadelphia chromosome positive chronic myelogenous leukemia.

Molecular structural analysis of the p53 gene in patients with Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) indicates a significant incidence of gene rearrangements in patients at either accelerated phase or blastic crisis. Southern blot analysis of genomic DNA hybridizing with either genomic or cDNA p53 specific probes indicated that 30% of the CML patients at blastic crisis phase exhibited rearrangements, mostly mapping downstream to the first non-coding exon. This is compatible with the observation that the progression of CML from the chronic to the acute phase involves frequent aberrations in chromosome 17, to which the p53 oncogene has been mapped. Therefore, we suggest that one of the pathways of development of CML to the acute phase is associated with aberrations in the p53 nuclear oncogene.

Blast Crisis↗
PubMed1989

Biologic and cytogenetic characteristics of leukemia in infants.

Clinical features, leukemic cell characterization, chromosomal findings, and treatment outcome were analyzed in a retrospective study of 30 cases with acute leukemia of infancy, 24 infants with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), and six cases with acute nonlymphoblastic leukemia (ANLL). Extensive bulky disease with organomegaly, central nervous system (CNS), and skin involvement were prominent features at diagnosis with a higher frequency in ANLL as compared to ALL. Four of six ANLL patients were classified as monocytic or myelomonocytic. In the ALL group nine of 24 (36%) were non-L1 morphology and six of 17 (33%) were common ALL antigen (CALLA) negative, the majority of them (five of six) were included in the non-L1 group. Immunophenotyping revealed four cases with early B-cell (three patients: Ia+B4+, and one patient: Ia+) and two cases with T-cell. Mixed lineage leukemia was found in five infants. Heavy chain immunoglobulin gene rearrangement was present in six cases tested, two CALLA+, two with Ia+B4+, and two were undifferentiated mixed lineage leukemia. Chromosomal aberrations were detected in ten of 18 patients, mostly in ANLL and CALLA negative ALL. Translocations were detected in six patients, involving 4q21-23 and 11q23 in three and two cases, respectively. The probability of five-year DFS were 27% for the whole group. The worst prognosis was observed in infants younger than 6 months of age, in whom the leukemia cell characteristics was compatible with stem cell: ANLL, very early pre-B, or undifferentiated mixed type. The chromosomal aberrations found in all cases included translocation with the seemingly nonrandom breakpoints at 4q21 and 11q23, and breakpoints that corresponded to known fragile sites. This finding may be suggestive of an underlying genetic predisposition associated with the poor prognosis of leukemia of infancy.

Female↗
PubMed1989

Hypothesis: the removal of VH gene downstream sequences is required for its expression in mature B cells.

In immunoglobulin producing cells only the rearranged VH gene is expressed, while all the other germline VH genes are silent. On the other hand, it was shown that unrearranged VH gene segments are expressed at a high level in the early stages of B lymphocyte differentiation. This expression is independent of the Ig heavy chain enhancer element. It seems, therefore, that unrearranged VH gene expression is depressed in mature B cells by a mechanism that will not operate on the rearranged functional heavy chain gene. We have shown that a highly conserved DNA segment is present upstream to several mouse and human VH genes. DNA sequencing downstream to germline genes revealed a DNA element related to the one described at the 5' of the VH genes. A model is proposed in which the 5' and 3' conserved segments are functional in the regulation of VH gene expression. The model suggests the existence of a protein in mature B cells which recognizes the 5' and 3' conserved DNA elements and prevents germline VH gene expression by binding to these segments. VH-D-JH joining results in the deletion of the 3' flanking sequences of the rearranged VH gene but not of other upstream VH genes. This would result in the release of promoter suppression in the case of the rearranged gene, while all other VH genes would remain transcriptionally silent.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Immunoglobulin heavy chain gene rearrangements in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia: correlation with clinical stage.

A search for a correlation between the clinical stage of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) and the pattern of immunoglobulin heavy chain gene rearrangements was undertaken. DNA samples from the leukaemic cells of 38 CLL patients were analysed by Southern blot hybridization. Using probes for the immunoglobulin heavy chain J (JH) and C mu regions a marked heterogeneity of the hybridization patterns was observed in both regions. The number of JH hybridization bands varied from one to four and more than two were found in 58% of the patients. In 42% of the patients no germline JH genes were found. One to three additional C mu bands were observed in 34%, but the germline was preserved in all samples. There was no correlation between the clinical stage and the number of hybridizing JH bands; however, a significant correlation was found between the loss of JH germline band or a C mu multiband pattern and advanced stage of the disease. The genetic events in the immunoglobulin genes observed in advanced CLL patients are assumed to result from clonal evolution and tumour progression.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Aplastic crisis due to human B19 parvovirus infection in red cell pyrimidine-5'-nucleotidase deficiency.

Two siblings with chronic hemolytic anemia due to red cell pyrimidine-5'-nucleotidase (P-5'-N) deficiency, presented within a few days of each other with a febrile illness and pancytopenia. The cause of the aplastic crisis was an acute infection with human B19 parvovirus (B19 HPV) as proven by immunoelectron microscopy and DNA hybridization. This is the first report on the association of B19-HPV-related aplastic crisis with P-5'-N deficiency.

5'-Nucleotidase↗
PubMed1989

A search for bcl1, bcl2, and c-myc oncogene rearrangements in chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Three cellular or putative oncogenes: c-myc, bcl1, and bcl2 were previously found to be rearranged in some B cell malignancies due to chromosomal translocations. Data concerning the role of such genetic rearrangements in B-CLL are very scanty and limited to few cases in which bcl1 rearrangements were found. We studied DNA samples from 38 cases of B-CLL by Southern blot technique in order to find out the existence and frequency of such events. No bcl1 or bcl2 rearrangements were found in any of the studied cases; thus, involvement of these genes in CLL must be rare. In one patient who had an aggressive and resistant disease, c-myc rearrangement was found.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Differential mRNA stability to reticulocyte ribonucleases correlates with 3' non-coding (U)nA sequences.

The stabilities of different mRNA species were analyzed in a reticulocyte lysate system under protein-synthesizing conditions. In all cases examined the relative mRNA degradation by reticulocyte ribonucleases as well as by the interferon-modulated (2'-5') (A)n-dependent endonuclease correlated with the extent of (U)nA sequences within the 3' non-coding region. The experimental data presented indicate that according to their stabilities at least three major mRNA groups may be identified: (a) (U)nA-poor mRNAs (e.g. globin) are essentially stable and are only slightly degraded by the (2'-5')(A)n-dependent endonuclease; (b) mRNA species with intermediate (U)nA levels (e.g. Ig alpha and Ig mu heavy-chain mRNAs) are partially degraded by general ribonuclease activity and further degraded by the (2'-5')(A)n-dependent endonuclease and (c) (U)nA-rich mRNA species (such as c-myc and non-skeletal actin mRNAs) are inherently unstable and are extremely sensitive to degradation by general ribonuclease activity. A survey of mRNA nucleotide sequences demonstrated that without exception (U)nA-rich stretches appeared more frequently within the 3' non-coding region than in the coding or 5' non-coding regions. A comparison of 3' non-coding region sequences from 92 different mRNAs revealed that transiently expressed mRNAs, such as the interleukins, nerve growth factor, epidermal growth factor receptor, c-myc, c-fos, c-myb and several other oncogenes as well as interferons alpha, beta and gamma were exceptionally (U)nA-rich. It is postulated that differential mRNA stability may be partly determined by the primary nucleotide sequence and in particular by (U)nA sequences within the 3' non-coding region. This may represent a novel post-transcriptional strategy employed by the cell to selectively retain or destroy discrete mRNA species.

Animals↗