Monocyte Activation Test (MAT) as a possibility of replacement for the rabbit pyrogen test in hyperimmune sera

ABSTRACT The use of a commercial kit for the monocyte-activation test (MAT) was evaluated for assessing pyrogenic contamination of hyperimmune sera . Three batches of sera, two pyrogen free and one pyrogenic, were tested. Endotoxin spike recover indicated that sample dilutions from 1/2 to 1/10 are suitable. Kit transport and storage conditions were also evaluated, proving that an adequate cold chain must be assured to achieve good results. Furthermore, the commercial MAT kit seemed suitable to replace the rabbit pyrogen test (RPT) for pyrogen testing of hyperimmune sera, although further tests are needed to a full validation.

Immunophenotypic Features of Granulocytes, Monocytes, and Blasts in Myelodysplastic Syndromes / 대한진단검사의학회지

BACKGROUND: Despite the diagnostic utility of immunophenotyping for myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), it has not been widely performed, and reports on this are absent in Korea. We aimed to evaluate the immunophenotypic features of non-blastic granulocytes, monocytes, and blasts in patients with MDS and non-clonal disorders using routine flow cytometry (FCM). Moreover, we evaluated the phenotypic abnormalities of mature cells in leukemic patients. METHODS: Marrow aspirates from 60 patients, including 18 with MDS, 18 with leukemia, and 24 with non-clonal disorders (control group), were analyzed using FCM. Blasts, non-blast myeloid cells, and monocytes were gated based on CD45 expression and side scatter (SSC). The phenotypes were then compared among the 3 groups. RESULTS: Compared to non-clonal disorders, the granulocytic lineages of MDS showed decreased SSC (P=0.005), increased CD45 intensity (P=0.020), decreased CD10-positive granulocytes (P= 0.030), and a higher CD56-positive rate (P=0.005). It is noteworthy that similar results were obtained in the leukemia group, and these findings were not related to the phenotypes of the leukemic cells. Using blast and monocytic gating, useful parameters for generating a differential diagnosis were not found. CONCLUSIONS: Gating the granulocytic region is a relatively easy method for MDS immunophenotyping. Among the parameters studied, SSC, CD10, and CD56 were the most useful for differentiating MDS from non-clonal disorders. While immunophenotypic changes in MDS appear to be useful for differentiating MDS from non-clonal disorders, these changes were also noted in the mature cells of leukemic patients.

Alteraciones leucocitarias en ratones portadores de sarcoma 180 / Leukocyte changes in mice bearing sarcoma 180

Se determinaron los valores avsolutos de la sdistintas poblaciones leucocitarias periféricas en ratones BALB/c normales y esplenectomizados (XB), desafiados con Sarcoma 180 sólido (S180s) y ascítico (S180a), inoculados por vías subcutánea e intraperitoneal, respectivamente. Las evaluaciones fueron realizadas al 8-, 15- y 25- día de crecimiento tumoral. Se observó: 1) leucocitosis en todos los grupos; 2) disminución del número de linfocitos al 15- y 25- día y disminución de monocitos al día 25-, en el grupo con S180s; 3) en el grupo XB, un incremento de todas las poblaciones leucocitarias, máximo entre el 8- y 15- día, valores que tendieron a normalizarse en el día 25-, en el grupo XB inoculado con S18s, neutrofilia, linfocitosis y monocitosis hasta el día 25-; 4) los valores máximos de neutrofilia correpsondieron al grupo S180a con 1905% de incremento en el día 15-, mientras que las cifras mayores de linfocitos y monocitos fueron observadas en el brupo XB inoculado con S180s en el día 15- con incrementos de 387% y 589% respectivamente, y 5) el aumento de neutrófilos fue constante en todos los grupos, observándose además altereaciones particulares en cada grupo