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Biomedical subjects

M Salamon-Looijen

Publications and source records attributed to M Salamon-Looijen.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

[Osseous echinococcosis].

Hydatid disease is caused by the parasitic tapeworm Echinococcus. The larval stage of this parasite can thrive in many parts of the body, most frequently in the liver. Primary bone location is very rare, accounting for less than 2% of all hydatid lesions. We report on a case of left-sided extended pelvic infestation. The destruction of the hip joint, os pubis, large parts of the ileum and the femoral head made pelvic resection and prosthetic replacement necessary. Recurrence of a hydatid cyst 5 years later in the left groin originating from the proximal femur was treated with second femoral resection and new total hip replacement. Because of instability, the primarily inserted polyacetal pelvic replacement had to be exchanged for a custom-made device fabricated with the aid of computer-aided design (CAD) techniques. This surgical procedure was combined with chemotherapy (mebendazole). The necessity of radical resection in osseus hydatid disease is discussed.

Antinematodal Agents↗

Detection of immunoglobulin heavy-chain gene rearrangement at the single-cell level in malignant lymphomas: no rearrangement is found in Hodgkin and Reed-Sternberg cells.

Hodgkin and Reed-Sternberg (HRS) cells, the neoplastic cells of Hodgkin's disease (HD), represent only a minority of the cellular infiltrate in affected tissue. Therefore, rearrangements of the immunoglobulin heavy-chain (IgH) gene detected in DNA extracted from an entire Hodgkin's lymph node cannot be attributed to the HRS cells and cannot be used as an argument for the B-cell origin of HRS cells. We developed a new method for the amplification of rearranged DNA of the IgH gene from single cells. Using 6 "forward primers" which were constructed corresponding to consensus sequences of the 6 known families of the IgH variable (V) region (framework region I) and a mix of 2 "reverse primers" corresponding to consensus sequences of the different joining (J) segments, rearrangements of all 6 V-families were detected in human peripheral blood lymphocytes. Rearranged IgH DNA could be amplified from single cells of B-cell lymphoma-cell lines and from 13 patients with B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. However, analysis of HRS cells isolated from lymph nodes of 13 patients with Hodgkin's disease did not show any rearrangement of the IgH gene locus. These findings, obtained by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) on isolated single HRS cells, contrast with previous studies that used Southern-blot analysis of entire tissues affected by Hodgkin's disease. We conclude that the neoplastic HRS cells in Hodgkin's disease--with the possible exception of the nodular paragranuloma subtype--are probably not derived from B cells.

B-Lymphocytes↗

Whipple's disease with aortic regurgitation requiring aortic valve replacement.

Cardiac involvement in Whipple's disease is well established. However, clinical consequences beside antibiotic therapy have rarely been reported. Our observation of a middle-aged man with increasing dyspnea, fatigue, chest pain, and dizziness leading to admission to a cardiology department demonstrates that cardiac symptoms may represent the main symptoms in patients with Whipple's disease. The diagnosis was not made prior to upper endoscopy, performed because of diarrhea, and revealed Whipple's agent now classified as Tropheryma whippelii, which is a PAS-positive rod-shaped bacterium in the macrophages of the intestinal lamina propria. The aortic valve was replaced after the intestinal symptoms were resolved by antibiotic treatment reducing the number of infectious agents in the duodenal mucosa. Histological analysis of the aortic valve demonstrated the presence of PAS-positive rod shaped material as the most likely cause of aortic insufficiency. Five months after valve replacement, the patient had completely recovered from intestinal and cardiac symptoms. Still under antibiotic treatment 16 months later, no more PAS-positive macrophages were detectable in the intestinal mucosa.

Aortic Valve↗