Clinical significance of platelet derived growth factor in hodgkin's disease and non hodgkin lymphoma

Platelet-derived growth factor [PDGF] is one of the numerous proteins that regulate cell growth and division. It is a major mitogenforfibroblasts, smooth muscle cells and other cells. Many tumors have been shown to express PDGF and its cognate receptors, and in these, an autocrine stimulation of tumor cell growth may prevail. The aim of this work was to study PDGF levels in patients with Hodgkin's disease [HD] and non Hodgkin lymphoma [NHL], both before and after 3 cycles of chemotherapy and their relation to disease progression and response to treatment. This study was conducted on 20 lymphoma patients [gpl] including 7 patients with Hodgkin s disease and 13 patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. 10 age and sex-matched normal healthy controls were also included in our study [gpII]. All patients were subjected to thorough history taking, clinical examination, routine laboratory investigations, lymph node biopsies to diagnose the lymphoma and staging of the lymphoma was done by radiological studies and bone marrow aspiration and trephine biopsies when needed, PDGF was measured in the serum of controls and patients before starting chemotherapy. This measurement was repeated after completion of 3 cycles of chemotherapy, together with assessment of response to chemotherapy, both clinically and radiologically. Serum PDGF levels in our lymphoma patients, both before and after 3 cycles of chemotherapy were significantly higher than the control group. No significant differences were noted between our ND and NHL patients as regards serum PDGF levels. There was a sigmfi cant positive correlation between serum PDGF levels and serum LDH levels in our patients. Patients with advanced disease [stage III, IV] at presentation had significantly higher serum PDGF levels than patients with earlier stages [stage I, II]. Also, patients who showed a response to therapy had significantly lower pretreatment values of serum PDGF than patients with no response or with progressive disease. In conclusion, serum PDGF levels were significantly higher in lymphoma patients, compared to normal controls. Significant reduction in serum PDGF levels occurred in patients who responded to 3 cycles of chemotherapy. There was no signfi cant dUiference between our HD and NHL patients as regards PDGF levels and there was a significant positive correlation between serum PDGF and serum LDH levels, both before and after treatment

Clinical significance of soluble transferrin receptors in hypochronic microcytic anaemias

The interaction of plasma transferrin with specific membrane transferrin receptors in erythroid precursors is crucial for the process of iron delivery to cells. During this process, soluble truncated monomers of membrane transferrin receptors [sTfRs] are delivered in the serum and their levels appear to be related to the number of erythroid precursors in the bone marrow and to the body iron status. Our aim was to determine the value of sTfRs in the diagnosis of hypochromic micro cytic anaemias. Levels of sTfRs were estimated in the serum of 45 paediatric patients presenting with hypochromic microcytic anaemia. Patients were divided into three groups according to their diagnosis [IDA, A CD and thalassaemia, each group consisting of 15 patients. Ten healthy age and sex matched controls were included in our study. Patients with iron deficiency anaemia [IDA] had significantly higher levels of sTfRs [mean=14.83 +/- 3.38 mg/U than normal controls [mean=4.1 +/- 1.l mg/L] and both patients with thalassaemia [mean=9.27 +/- 4.02 mg/U] and anaemia of chronic illness [ACD] [mean=2.43 +/- l.38 mg/U. sYfRs did not significantly differ in the group of ACD patients from normal controls. Although our thalassaemia patients showed lower sTfRs levels than patients with IDA, their levels were significantly higher than both A CD patients and controls. In thalassaemia patients with Hb F levels of>40%, there was a positive correlation between sTfR levels and the percentage of Hb F

Study of some apoptotic markers in patients with systemic lupus erythrematosus [SLE]and rheumatoid arthritis [RA]

The aim of this study was to assess the role of soluble Apofas-l [CD95] and annexin V in cases ofSLE, RA and normal healthy controls.This study included 15 patients with RA [GPI] 15 patients with SLE [GPH] fulfilling the ARAcriteria for diagnosis and 10 age and sex matched healthy controls [GP HI].All groups were assessed by ESR, CRP, anti Ds DNA by Enzyme linked Immuno Sorbent assay [ELISA] technique, ANA by immunofluorescence and human: serum apofas-1 [CD 95] by enzyme immunoassay andannexin V.Soluble level of apoptotic factor CD 95 was higher in group I, II than controls but more higher inSLE group. Annexin V positive cells was higher in group 7, II than controls and group II was higher thangroup I. In SLE group a significant positive correlation was found between ANA and annexin V and alsobetween CD 95 and annexin V.As regards group I [RA] there was a positive correlation between CD 95 and apoptotic cells. In conclusion; increased apoptotic cells could be a potential sources of lupus specific autoantigens and failure of clearance of apoptotic cells can trigger activity of SLE

CD79a in cases of acute leukemia

Immunoglobulins IgM and IgD on the plasma membrane of B lymphocytes lack a cytoplasmic region of sufficient size to react with other molecules in order to transmit a signal through these cells. It has been demonstrated that a dimeric molecule with a substantial intra-cytoplasmic region named CD79 is physically associated with membrane Igs and helps to initiate intracellular signaling. The two component polypeptide chains of this dimeric molecule have been designated CD79 alpha C [mb-1] and CD79 beta 3 [B29]. The aim of the present work was to study the value of CD79alpha as a diagnostic marker in cases of acute leukemia. Our patients were classified into 2 groups, group I included 20 patients with ALL and group II included 20 patients with AML. Immunophenotyping of the leukemic blasts was carried out using flow cytometry and CD79 alpha was studied. We found that 91.7% of our B-lineage ALL cases were positive for CD79 alpha. Also, CD19 was positive in 100% and CD22 in 75%. All of our T-ALL cases were negative for CD79 alpha and only one case of AML showed positive CD79 alpha expression [5%]. The sensitivity of CD 79 alpha in the diagnosis of B-ALL among all of our ALL patients was 91.7%, the specificity was 100%, the positive predictive value [PPV] was 100% and the negative predictive value [NPV] was 88.9%. The sensitivity of CD79 alpha in the diagnosis of B-lineage ALL among all of our acute leukemia patients was 91.7%, the specificity was 96.4%, the PPV was 91.7% and the NPV was 96.4%