Cold agglutinin disease (CAD) is a most common autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) induced by cold antibody. CAD represents approximately 16-32% of AIHA cases and causative cold autoantibodies commonly show specificity against the I antigen. We report a case of cold agglutinin disease with anti-Pr cold autohemolysin. A 20 year old woman with a history of bone marrow transplantation was admitted with nausea, vomiting, and pallor. Direct antiglobulin tests were positive with IgG and C3d specific AHG reagents. Cold agglutinin titer was as high as 1:1024 at 4degrees C, 1:16 at room temperature, negative at 37degrees C. The agglutinin titer was diminished after treatment with protease, ficin and immunohematologic results of cold agglutinin was compatible with anti-Pr specificity. In unexpected antibody identification test, anti-M which showed reactivity at anti-human globulin phase was identified. Washed and prewarmed 16 units of A+, M antigen negative red blood cells were transfused. After two weeks, patient was improved with steroid therapy and experienced relief of fever and hemolysis, and she was discharged.
Anemia, Hemolytic, Autoimmune* ; Autoantibodies ; Bone Marrow Transplantation* ; Bone Marrow* ; Coombs Test ; Erythrocytes ; Female ; Fever ; Ficain ; Hemolysis ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G ; Indicators and Reagents ; Nausea ; Pallor ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Vomiting ; Young Adult

CD44v6 was known as tumor marker for tumor progression and metastasis in various kinds of carcinomas. The CD44v6 monoclonal antibody was produced by cell cultures or mouse ascite fluids using CD44v6 hybridoma cells, and its immunogloburin G (IgG) was purified by Protein A column. Using immobilized ficin and cysteine, the antibody fragment Fab was produced and purified by Protein A. Four CD44v6 scFv molecules were produced from the recombinant DNA and phage antibody technology and prurified by His-tag affinity chromatography. In order to inspect the function and specificity of each antibody molecule, western-blotting and ELISA against CD44v5-6 recombinant proteins and irnmunodetection in human ovarian carcinomas were estabilished. The results showed that immunodiagnosis did not distinguish the types of antibody fragments, but western-blotting and ELISA results did show some difference of their specificities and biological properties. These studies will contribute as a model study for the immunodiagnosis and therapy using the IgG, Fab and scFv of CD44v6 antibody to obtain the early detection of tumor progression and metastasis using immunoscintigraphy.
Animals ; Bacteriophages ; Cell Culture Techniques ; Chromatography, Affinity ; Cysteine ; DNA, Recombinant ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Ficain ; Humans ; Hybridomas ; Immunoglobulin Fragments* ; Immunoglobulin G ; Immunologic Tests ; Mice ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Recombinant Proteins ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Staphylococcal Protein A

Ficus carica L. (common fig), one of the first plants cultivated by humans, originated in the Mediterranean basin and currently grows worldwide, including southwest Asia and South Korea. It has been used as a traditional medicine for treatment of metabolic, cardiovascular, and respiratory diseases as well as hemorrhoids and skin infections. Its pharmacological properties have recently been studied in detail, but research on the anti-cancer effect of its latex has been only been studied on a limited basis on several cell lines, such prostate cancer, breast cancer, and leukemia. In this study, we investigated the anti-cancer activity of the latex of Ficus carica L.and its underlying mechanism in FaDu human hypopharynx squamous carcinoma cells. (See Ed. note above) We confirmed through SDS-PAGE analysis and gelatinolytic activity analysis that the latex of Ficus carica contains cysteine protease ficin. Our data showed that the latex inhibited cell growth in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, the latex treatment markedly induced apoptosis in FaDu cells as determined by FACS analysis, elevated expression level of cleaved caspase-9, -3 and PARP (poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase), and. increased the expression of Bax (pro-apoptotic factor) while decreasing the expression of Bcl-2 (anti-apoptotic factor). Taken together, these results suggested that latex containing the ficin inhibited cell growth and induced apoptosis by caspase and the Bcl-2 family signaling pathway in FaDu human hypopharynx squamous carcinoma cells. These findings point to the potential of latex of Ficus carica to provide a novel chemotherapeutic drug due to its growth inhibition effects and induction of apoptosis in human oral cancer cells.
Apoptosis* ; Asia ; Breast Neoplasms ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell* ; Carica* ; Caspase 9 ; Cell Line ; Cysteine Proteases ; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel ; Ficain ; Ficus* ; Hemorrhoids ; Humans ; Humans* ; Hypopharynx* ; Korea ; Latex* ; Leukemia ; Medicine, Traditional ; Mouth Neoplasms ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; Skin