Immunological alterations in patients with primary tumors in central nervous system

Natural Killer (NK) cells play an important role in immune surveillance against tumors. The present work aimed to study the cytotoxic activity of NK cells and T cell subsets in peripheral blood of 13 patients with primary in central nervous system (CNS). As controls 29 healthy subjects with the age range equivalent to the patients were studied. The methods employed were: a) determination of cytotoxic activity of NK cells towards K562 target cells, evaluated by single cell-assay; b) enumeration of CD3+ lymphocytes and their CD4+ and CD8+ subsets defined by monoclonal antibodies; c) the identification of tumors were done by histologic and immunochemistry studies. The results indicated that adults and children with tumor in CNS display reduced percentage of total T cells, helper/inducer subset and low helper/suppressor ratio. The cutotoxic activity of NK cells was decreased in patients with CNS tumors due mainly to a decrease in the proportion of target-binding lymphocytes. These results suggest that cytotoxic activity of NK cells may be affected by the immunoregulatory disturbances observed in patients with primary tumors in CNS.

Morte súbita: definiçöes, significado clínico e patogênese - o papel dos Serviços de verificaçäo de óbito / Sudden death: definitions, clinical implications and pathogenesis - the role of the coroner's autopsy

O patologista e os serviços de verificaçäo de óbito (SV) têm papel de destaque no correto diagnóstico de morte súbita. A menor incidência no ambiente hospitalar, o caráter inesperado e os mecanismos fisiopatológicos peculiares fazem com que os conceitos a respeito de morte súbita sejam menos conhecidos pelos médicos. Diante disso, os autores fazem uma revisäo dos critérios, dos mecanismos e das repercussöes clínico-epidemiológicas do diagnóstico de morte súbita, apresentando também a casuística do serviço de Verificaçäo de óbito do Departamento de Patologia da Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) - Botucatu-SP

Lipoma do cerebelo. Relato de caso / Lipoma of the cerebellum. case report

Lipomas intracranianos säo raros, geralmente sendo achado de autópsia. Situam-se na linha média, mais frequentemente de localizaçäo central. Podem ocorrer desde a infância até a vida adulta. Muitos dos "lipomas", na verdade säo associados a lesöes hamartomatosas ou, mesmo, a neoplasias como os meduloblastomas do cerebelo. Relatamos e discutimos um caso de lipoma de cerebelo, achado de autópsia de um recém-nascido prematuro.

Experimental paracoccidioidomycosis of hamster inoculated in the cheek pouch

We comparaed the granuloma morphology and immune response of hamsters inoculated with Paracoccidioides brasiliensis (Pb) into the cheek pouch, which lacks lymphatic drainage, and the ffotpad, which is rich in lymphatics. Our objective was to better understand the modulation of Pb granuloma in an immunocompetent animal inoculated in an immunologically privileged site. The humoral immune response (ELISA) and cell mediated immunity (footpad test) became positive on days 7 and 14, respectively in animal inoculated into footpad and on days 35 and 60 in animals inoculated into the pouch. Typical epithelioid granulomas were observed at both sites on day 14. The number of fungi gradually decreased from the beginning of the experiment in footpad lesions, but only after day 35 in pouch granulomas, when cell mediated immunity was detectable. The results indicate that typical epithelioid paracoccidioidomycotic granulomas may develop in the absence of a detectable immune response; however, they are incapable of controlling fungal reproduction. Lack of lymphatic drainage delays the appearance of a detectable immune response, but with time fungi escape from the pouch, elicit an immune response and reach other organs. Our results further indicate the importance of the lymphatics in the pathogenesis of paracoccidioidomycosis.