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N Pimpinelli

Publications and source records attributed to N Pimpinelli.

63 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

Classic and immunodeficiency-associated Kaposi's sarcoma. Clinical, histologic, and immunologic correlations.

The evolutionary modifications of the clinical, histomorphologic, and immunopathologic features of both classic and immunodeficiency (ID)-associated Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) were investigated in relation to the immune status of the patients. The histologic picture was similar in the classic and ID-associated forms of the tumor. In classic KS, a variably dense reactive infiltrate was present, and its amount was inversely related to the age of the lesions; conversely, a scarce reactive infiltrate, with the absence of CD4+ cells, was always evidenced in ID-associated KS lesions, even when the immune status of the patient showed no abnormalities. This evidence supports the hypothesis that a specific impairment of skin-associated lymphoid tissue may be crucial to the development of ID-associated KS.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

Langerhans cell histiocytosis of the vulva: an ultrastructural study.

Langerhans cells histiocytosis (LCH) is a proliferative disorder of Langerhans cells. The lesions are normally characterized by infiltration of eosinophils, neutrophils, lymphocytes, plasma cells, and Langerhans cells. The specific cells of LCH contain Birbeck granules, express the phenotype of Langerhans cells but with markers fixed at an early stage of activation, and are functionally defective in antigen-presenting ability. The disease most often affects children; when it occurs in older patients, anal and groin involvement is quite common and vulvar lesions can be found in older females. The authors report a case of a 64-year-old woman with LCH of the vulva and diabetes insipidus. An immunohistochemical and ultrastructural study of the vulvar lesions showed an infiltrate in which antigenically and morphologically mature Langerhans cells, monocytoid cells, and cells with an intermediate phenotype between monocytes and Langerhans cells were concurrently observed. Although the clinical and histological aspects of LCH are well established, the pathogenetic mechanism of lesions is not yet known. The finding of an infiltrate composed by Langerhans cells and many putative precursors of these cells suggests the hypothesis of an in situ differentiation of Langerhans cells from immature monocytoid precursors.

Antigens, CD↗

Polymerase chain reaction analysis of T-cell receptor gamma gene rearrangements in cutaneous B-cell lymphomas.

PCR analyses of T-cell receptor (TCR) gamma gene rearrangements in B-lymphoid neoplasms have shown lineage infidelity and double rearrangements involving both immunoglobulin heavy chain (igH) and TCRgamma genes. In order to investigate if this event is also a feature of cutaneous B-cell malignancies, we tested for clonal TCRgamma rearrangements a panel of immunophenotypically and genotypically well characterized cutaneous B cell lymphomas (CBCL). Fifteen samples of frozen CBCL biopsies were selected for the study. Diagnoses were established by routine histology and immunohistochemistry. Each of these cases displayed clonal igH gene rearrangement. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis of the TCRgamma rearrangements followed by high-resolution polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was utilized for detection of clonal TCRgamma rearrangements. In our investigation, none of the cases of CBCL investigated by PCR showed the presence of clonal TCRgamma gene rearrangements. These data indicate that double rearrangements involving both igH and TCRgamma genes are not a feature of CBCL and confirm the B cell lineage specificity of this group of cutaneous lymphoid neoplasms.

DNA Primers↗