We have performed this study to define the usefulness of an anti-human progenitor cell antigen-1(anti-CD34) to distinguish some kinds of soft tissue tumors in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues. Sixty three cases of vascular, fibrohistiocytic, neural and other tumors were immunostained for CD34 using the streptavidin-biotin immunoperoxidase method. All of the vascular tumors including hemangiomas, epithelioid hemangioendotheliomas, hemangiopericytomas, and lymphangiomas revealed strong CD34 positivity along the cytoplasmic membranes. Among the fibrohistiocytic lesions, all of five examples of dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans showed diffuse, strong, and linear staining along the cytoplasmic processes. In contrast, none of the benign fibrous histiocytomas and malignant fibrous histiocytomas expressed CD34. CD34-positive cells with delicate dendritic processes could be identified within the normal nerves, neuromas, neurofibromas, and Antoni B areas of neurilemomas. However, all of the malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors were uniformly negative. In addition, an epithelioid sarcoma and four cases of leiomyosarcoma revealed focal, weak positivity with anti-CD34. In conclusion, this study demonstrated variable anti-CD34 staining pattern of certain fibrohistiocytic, muscle, and neural tumors and confirmed the potential usefulness of anti-CD34 in differentiating fibrous histiocytoma from dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans. It's also helpful to diagnose epithelioid hemangioendothelioma from other epithelioid-type tumors.
Antibodies, Monoclonal/*diagnostic use ; Antigens, CD34/diagnostic use/*immunology ; Evaluation Studies ; Formaldehyde ; Human ; Immunohistochemistry ; Paraffin Embedding ; Soft Tissue Neoplasms/*diagnosis/pathology ; Tissue Fixation

A field applicable diagnostic technique, the dipstick assay, was evaluated for its sensitivity and specificity in diagnosing human Schistosoma mansoni infection. A monoclonal antibody (mAb) against S. mansoni adult worm tegumental antigen (AWTA) was employed in dipstick and sandwich ELISA for detection of circulating schistosome antigen (CSA) in both serum and urine samples. Based on clinical and parasitological examinations, 60 S. mansoni-infected patients, 30 patients infected with parasites other than schistosomiasis, and 30 uninfected healthy individuals were selected. The sensitivity and specificity of dipstick assay in urine samples were 86.7% and 90.0%, respectively, compared to 90.0% sensitivity and 91.7% specificity of sandwich ELISA. In serum samples, the sensitivity and specificity were 88.3% and 91.7% for dipstick assay vs. 91.7% and 95.0% for sandwich ELISA, respectively. The diagnostic efficacy of dipstick assay in urine and serum samples was 88.3% and 90.0%, while it was 90.8% and 93.3% for sandwich ELISA, respectively. The diagnostic indices of dipstick assay and ELISA either in serum or in urine were statistically comparable (P>0.05). In conclusion, the dipstick assay offers an alternative simple, rapid, non-invasive technique in detecting CSA or complement to stool examinations especially in field studies.
Animals ; Antibodies, Helminth/diagnostic use/isolation & purification ; Antibodies, Monoclonal/diagnostic use/isolation & purification ; Antigens, Helminth/*blood/*urine ; Diagnostic Tests, Routine/*methods ; Humans ; Immunoassay/methods ; Parasitology/*methods ; *Point-of-Care Systems ; Schistosoma mansoni/immunology/*isolation & purification ; Schistosomiasis mansoni/*diagnosis ; Sensitivity and Specificity

We detected pregnancy related new molecule, human chorionic gonadotropin related protein (hCGRP) in the urine of a pregnant women by using a monoclonal antibody against the human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). This study examined the effectiveness of urinary hCGRP quantification in diagnosing ectopic pregnancy. This study included 40 normal pregnant women and 25 patients with ectopic pregnancy. Patients' serum and urinary intact whole hCG (i-hCG) and hCGRP concentrations were measured using sandwich ELISA and the ratio of hCGRP to i-hCG was calculated. Statistical analysis was performed using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) 10.0. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed to evaluate the cut-off value to discriminate ectopic pregnancies from normal intrauterine pregnancies. Urinary hCGRP and hCGRP/i-hCG ratio in ectopic pregnancy group (14 +/- 6.6 ng/mL, 4.6 +/- 1.9%, respectively) were significantly lower than those of normal pregnancy group (149 +/- 10.2 ng/mL, 29.7 +/- 1.9%, respectively; p<0.001). Based on ROC curve analysis, a cut-off point of urinary hCGRP/i-hCG ratio <16.2% discriminated between ectopic pregnancy and normal pregnancy with a sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of 92.0%, 90.0%, 32.6%, and 99.5%, respectively. Urinary hCGRP/i-hCG ratio measurement may be effective in diagnosing ectopic pregnancy.
Adult ; Antibodies, Monoclonal/immunology ; Chorionic Gonadotropin/*diagnostic use/immunology/urine ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay/methods ; Female ; Humans ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy, Ectopic/*diagnosis/urine ; Sensitivity and Specificity

Four cases of well differentiated lymphocytic lymphoma with or without plasmacytoid differentiation of the lung are described. Two cases were single and the others were multiple. Histologic pictures of the lesion showed mass with perivascular, interstitial and alveolar extension in three cases and only interstitial and perivascular involvement in one. Histologically three cases were lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma and one was small lymphocytic lymphoma. Dutcher bodies, granulomas and germinal centers were also found in tumors. Immunohistochemical study revealed monoclonal lymphocytic proliferation in all cases in fresh frozen sections and in three in paraffin sections. Treatment is surgical resection. Chemotherapy is used for residual disease after surgery.
Aged ; Antibodies, Monoclonal/diagnostic use ; Female ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell/immunology/*pathology ; Lung Neoplasms/immunology/*pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged

Aged, 80 and over ; Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived ; therapeutic use ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; therapeutic use ; Bone Neoplasms ; diagnostic imaging ; drug therapy ; Cyclophosphamide ; therapeutic use ; Doxorubicin ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 ; Heart Neoplasms ; diagnostic imaging ; drug therapy ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse ; diagnostic imaging ; drug therapy ; Mediastinal Neoplasms ; diagnostic imaging ; drug therapy ; Peripheral Nervous System Neoplasms ; diagnostic imaging ; Positron Emission Tomography Computed Tomography ; Prednisone ; therapeutic use ; Radiopharmaceuticals ; Vincristine ; therapeutic use

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the clinical efficacy of infliximab in the treatment of moderate and severe active rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

METHODSThis randomized double-blind II/III clinical trial involved 30 patients with moderate and severe active RA, who were randomly allocated into 3 groups (groups A, B, and C) at the ratio of 3:1:1. At weeks 0, 2, 6, and 14, the patients in groups A and C received infliximab or placebo, and those in group B had placebo at week 14 with a stable background dose of methotrexate. The indicators for efficacy evaluation included the proportions of ACR20/50/70 of the responders and DAS28. The sharp scores of the hand joints were recorded before and after the treatment.

RESULTSTwenty-nine patients completed the clinical trial (18 in group A, 5 in group B, and 6 in group C). At week 14, the proportions of ACR20/50/70 in the 3 groups reached 83.33%, 60%, and 33.33%, respectively (P<0.05), as compared to 100%, 100%, and 33.33% at week 18 (P<0.05). The other indicators for clinical efficacy evaluation also suggested similar clinical improvement of the patients (P=0.000). The proportions of the patients with DAS28<3.2 and DAS28<2.6 were significantly different. Compared to the baseline, the Sharp scores in group A showed no significant changes at week 18 (P>0.930), while those in group C exhibited significant radiographic progression (P<0.044).

CONCLUSIONInfliximab produces good short-term therapeutic effect against moderate and severe active RA and may help arrest the radiographic progression of the diseases, which can be more obvious in patients with moderate severity.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Antibodies, Monoclonal ; therapeutic use ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; diagnostic imaging ; therapy ; Double-Blind Method ; Female ; Humans ; Infliximab ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Radiography ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; immunology ; Young Adult

Either cetuximab or bevacizumab can improve the survival of patients with metastastic colorectal cancer (mCRC) if administered combided with cytotoxic agents. However, the effect of two or more target agents in combination is uncertain in these patients. Here, we reported a patient with mCRC successfully treated by a combination of target agents after the failure of chemotherapy. The patient received palliative resection of primary tumor followed by 9 cycles of postoperative XELOX regimen, cytokine-induced killer cell (CIK)-based biotherapy, traditional Chinese medicine, particle implantation in the lung metastatic lesions. The tumor progressed 20 months after the standard treatments. Then, the regimen cetuximab, bevacizumab and cefitinib was applied. During the treatment with targeted agents, grade IV acne-like rash and relatively severe parionychia of the toes occurred. Both of them recovered smoothly. The PET-CT reexamination at 40 days after the target treatment showed that the metabolism of mediastinal lymph nodes basically recovered to a normal level. The combination of multiple targeted agents obtained a progression-free survival(PFS) of 11 months and the patient with a good quality of life during this period.
Adenocarcinoma ; diagnostic imaging ; drug therapy ; pathology ; secondary ; Angiogenesis Inhibitors ; therapeutic use ; Antibodies, Monoclonal ; therapeutic use ; Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized ; therapeutic use ; Antineoplastic Agents ; therapeutic use ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; therapeutic use ; Bevacizumab ; Catheter Ablation ; Cetuximab ; Cytokine-Induced Killer Cells ; immunology ; Deoxycytidine ; analogs & derivatives ; therapeutic use ; Disease-Free Survival ; Drug Delivery Systems ; Fluorouracil ; analogs & derivatives ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Immunotherapy, Adoptive ; Liver Neoplasms ; secondary ; surgery ; Lung Neoplasms ; secondary ; surgery ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multimodal Imaging ; Neoplasm Staging ; Positron-Emission Tomography ; Quality of Life ; Quinazolines ; therapeutic use ; Receptor, Epidermal Growth Factor ; antagonists & inhibitors ; Sigmoid Neoplasms ; diagnostic imaging ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Extra marginal-zone lymphomas of the lung is a very rare tumor and it originates from bronchial-associated lymphoid tissue. A 68-yr-old woman presented with productive cough and dyspnea. A thorax computed tomography scan showed a 9 x 10 cm in size mass in the left lung and pleural effusion in the lower lobe of left lung. Positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) revealed intense uptake foci at the upper and middle sites of left lung and slight uptake foci at the mediastinal lymph nodes which showed malignant involvement. After bronchoscopic biopsy, the diagnosis of pulmonary bronchial-associated lymphoid tissue (BALT) lymphoma was confirmed. At the end of the eight cycles weekly rituximab treatment, complete response was obtained by PET/CT findings. It is concluded that extended rituximab schedule is more effective and it would be beneficial to investigate the use of PET/CT in the diagnosis and evaluating of the treatment response of pulmonary BALT lymphoma.
Aged ; Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived/*administration & dosage ; Antineoplastic Agents/*administration & dosage ; Drug Administration Schedule ; Female ; Fluorodeoxyglucose F18/*diagnostic use ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms/*drug therapy/pathology/radionuclide imaging ; Lymphoma, B-Cell, Marginal Zone/*drug therapy/pathology/radionuclide imaging ; Positron-Emission Tomography ; Radiopharmaceuticals/*diagnostic use ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of intravitreal bevacizumab for polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV). METHODS: In this retrospective interventional pilot study, 12 eyes of 11 patients with active PCV were treated with intravitreal bevacizumab (1.25 mg) alone or in combination with photodynamic therapy (PDT) depending on the informed patient's choice. Intravitreal bevacizumab was repeated at 6-week intervals until the regression of active lesion was detected on fluorescein angiography (FA) which was done on a regular basis, Indocyanine green angiography (ICGA) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) analyses. RESULTS: Intravitreal bevacizumab was given alone in 8 eyes (Group 1) and in combination with PDT in 4 eyes (Group 2). Mean follow-up duration was 17 weeks in group 1 and 15 weeks in group 2 after bevacizumab treatment. The mean number of bevacizumab injections was 2.2 in group 1 and 2.5 in group 2. Mean BCVA improved from 20/63 to 20/40 in group 1 and 20/63 to 20/32 in group 2. Of all eyes, the BCVA improved by > or =2 lines in seven (58%) eyes and resolution of fluid and hemorrhages in clinical examination, an absence of leakage on repeat FAs, or resolved pigment epithelial detachment (PED) and/or subretinal fluid (SRF) on OCT exam was confirmed in 10 (83%) eyes. Partial or complete regression of the polypoidal vessels and interconnecting vessels was reported for most cases at the last follow-up. No significant ocular or systemic side effects were observed in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: Short-term results indicate that intravitreal bevacizumab (1.25 mg) alone or in combination with PDT is well tolerated and associated with improvement in BCVA and reduced angiographic leakage in most patients. Further evaluation of intravitreal bevacizumab therapy for the treatment of PCV is warranted.
Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Angiogenesis Inhibitors/adverse effects/*therapeutic use ; Antibodies, Monoclonal/adverse effects/*therapeutic use ; Choroid/*blood supply/pathology ; Coloring Agents/diagnostic use ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Female ; Fluorescein Angiography ; Humans ; Indocyanine Green/diagnostic use ; Injections ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Peripheral Vascular Diseases/diagnosis/*drug therapy/physiopathology ; *Photochemotherapy ; Pilot Projects ; Retrospective Studies ; Tomography, Optical Coherence ; Treatment Outcome ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A/antagonists & inhibitors ; Visual Acuity/physiology ; Vitreous Body