Objective To evaluate the clinical manifestations and responses to treatment of adult onset Still's disease (AOSD).Methods One hundred and four AOSD patients were retrospectively analyzed with clinical features and treatment responses.Results The major clinical features were:spiking fever (100%),evanescent maculopapular rash (95%),polyarthralgia (90%),sore throat (78%),lymphadenectasis (66%),hepatosplenomegaly (57%),hydmhymenitis (30%),neutrephilia (98%),liver dysfunction (62%),increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate (96%) and hyperferritinaemia (99%).Reactive lymphnodes hyperplasia was shown in all patients underwent lymphnode biopsy.94% and 66% patients were treated with glucocorticoid and immune suppressants.Those treated with ≥40 mg/d prednisone or its equivalent dosage achieved quicker remission and less relapses.Conclusion Patients who present with spiking fever,polyarthralgia,maculopapular rash,sore throat and predominant neutrophilia should be considered the possibility of AOSD after tumor or infection are excluded.Glucoeorticoid and immune suppressive drugs are effective medications for AOSD.

OBJECTIVETo study the anti-tumor immunotherapeutic effect induced by the suicidalcancer vaccine FC/TK, and to evaluate the safety of this vaccine.

METHODSThe suicidal cancer vaccine, named FC/TK, was prepared by fusion of suicide gene (HSVI,-TK gene) -modified ovarian carcinoma NuTu-19 cells with rat bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (DCs). The morphology of FC/TK was evaluated by scanning electron microscopy. The stimulatory effect of FC/TK on T cells was determined by T cell proliferation assay. In immunotherapeutic studies in vivo, Fischer344 rats were injected subcutaneously with NuTu-19 cells, followed by treatment of FC/TK on days 7 and 14, compared to controls treated with irradiated FC/TK, FC or PBS, respectively. Tumor incidence and volume were measured in 90 days after challenge. To determine the killing effect of FC/TK in vivo, TUNEL assays were applied to detect apoptotic cell death in spleen of vaccinated rats with prodrug ganciclovir administration.

RESULTSFC/TK cells were of irregular shape with surface membrane processes. Compared to the control groups, FC/TK significantly promoted T cell proliferation (P <0.01). The rats vaccinated with FC/TK and FC significantly inhibited the tumor growth compared to rats vaccinated with irradiated FC/TK (P <0.05) or with PBS ( P <0.01). The immunotherapeutic effect induced by FC/TK was similar to that using FC. Fluorescence microscopy showed that fluorescein-stained FC/TK cells migrated into spleen also showed to be TUNEL-positive, suggesting that the FC/TK cells were killed by ganciclovir in vivo.

CONCLUSIONOur data indicate that suicidal cancer vaccine is an effective and safe therapy for ovarian carcinoma and may serve as a broadly applicable approach for other cancer vaccines in the future.

Animals ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Cancer Vaccines ; immunology ; Cell Fusion ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Dendritic Cells ; cytology ; immunology ; Female ; Ganciclovir ; pharmacology ; Genes, Transgenic, Suicide ; Herpesvirus 1, Human ; enzymology ; genetics ; Immunotherapy ; methods ; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning ; Microscopy, Fluorescence ; Neoplasms, Experimental ; enzymology ; pathology ; therapy ; Ovarian Neoplasms ; enzymology ; pathology ; therapy ; Rats ; Rats, Inbred F344 ; Survival Analysis ; T-Lymphocytes ; drug effects ; metabolism ; pathology ; Thymidine Kinase ; genetics ; metabolism ; Transfection