Milk of calcium in a pancreatic pseudocyst.

A 46-year-old man with a history of chronic alcohol use was found to have milk of calcium that had developed in a pancreatic pseudocyst. This was found incidentally on abdominal computed tomography during a workup for abnormal liver enzymes. Milk of calcium in the pancreas has been described only twice in the literature using plain abdominal radiographs and computed tomography. To our knowledge, this case report is the first to describe magnetic resonance findings of this entity.

Isolation of cytomegalovirus-specific cytotoxic T-lymphocytes from gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) of HIV type 1-infected subjects.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) can be an important opportunistic infection in HIV-1-infected patients, particularly when the CD4+ T-cell count drops below 50 lymphocytes/mm3. CMV-associated disease, including retinitis, pneumonitis, gastroenteritis, and encephalitis, is estimated to affect up to 40% of AIDS patients. We have studied the cellular immune response to CMV in gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) of HIV-1-infected patients. Two patients with chronic diarrhea of unknown etiology were examined by flexible sigmoidoscopy and upper endoscopy. Biopsy specimens were obtained from lymphoid-associated tissue sites in rectum and duodenum. Both patients were seropositive for CMV IgG, but had not been treated with ganciclovir, and neither had clinical signs of CMV disease. Mononuclear cell cultures were established from GALT and blood and assayed for the presence of CMV-specific CD8+ T cells. CD8+ T-cell phenotype and function were assessed by MHC Class I tetramer staining, using an HLA-A*0201 tetramer complex specific for peptide 495-503 (NLVPMVATV) of CMV lower matrix protein pp65, and by a standard 51Cr release assay. CMV pp65-specific cytotoxic lymphocytes (CTL) were detected in GALT and blood MNC from both patients. These results demonstrate that HIV-1-infected subjects seropositive for CMV, but without active CMV gastrointestinal disease, harbor CMV-specific CTL in intestinal lymphoid tissue. This is the first report of isolation of CMV-specific CTL in GALT and will lead to greater understanding of the pathogenesis of CMV disease in human mucosal tissue.

Characterization of HIV-1-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes expressing the mucosal lymphocyte integrin CD103 in rectal and duodenal lymphoid tissue of HIV-1-infected subjects.

Acute HIV-1 infection depletes CD4(+) T cells in gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT). The failure of containment of local viral replication, and consequent CD4(+) T cell depletion, might be due to delayed mobilization of effector CD8(+) T cells or absence of functioning HIV-1-specific CD8(+) T cell effectors within GALT. No studies have addressed human intestinal HIV-1-specific CD8(+) T cell functions. We sought to determine whether functional HIV-1-specific CTL were present in GALT and whether the repertoire differed from HIV-1-specific CTL isolated from peripheral blood mononuclear cells. From three HIV-1-infected subjects, we isolated HIV-1-specific CD8(+) T cells expressing the mucosal lymphocyte integrin CD103 from GALT. These antigen-specific effector cells could be expanded in vitro and lysed target cells in an MHC class I-restricted manner. HIV-1-specific CTL could be isolated from both duodenal and rectal GALT sites, indicating that CD8(+) effectors were widespread through GALT tissue. The breadth and antigenic specificities of GALT CTL appeared to differ from those in peripheral blood in some cases. In summary, we found HIV-1-specific CD8(+) effector T cells in GALT, despite HIV-1-induced CD4(+) T cell lymphopenia. This suggests that HIV-1-specific CTL in gut tissue can be maintained with limited CD4(+) T cell help.

Duodenal bicarbonate secretion: eradication of Helicobacter pylori and duodenal structure and function in humans.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Eradication of Helicobacter pylori expedites duodenal ulcer healing and prevents recurrences. Most patients with duodenal ulcers have impaired proximal duodenal mucosal bicarbonate secretion (DMBS). In patients with inactive, healed duodenal ulcers and normal subjects, the effect of H. pylori infection on DMBS and proximal duodenal secretory function and structure were examined. METHODS: DMBS was quantitated before and after eradication of H. pylori. Mucosal structure (duodenal bulb histopathology) and function (DMBS at rest and stimulated, effect of active vs. healed ulcer and of age) were determined in patients with duodenal ulcers and normal subjects. RESULTS: In patients with duodenal ulcers, H. pylori eradication normalized proximal DMBS. Histological examination of duodenal biopsy samples was comparable in patients with duodenal ulcers and normal subjects without apparent relationship between inflammation and DMBS. Significantly impaired DMBS occurred in response to all agonists tested (luminal acid, prostaglandin E2, and cephalic-vagal stimulation) in patients with duodenal ulcers, suggesting a generalized secretory defect. Neither the presence of active (vs.inactive) ulcer nor age significantly affected bicarbonate secretion. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with duodenal ulcers, eradication of H. pylori normalized proximal DMBS and may thereby reduce ulcer recurrences. Altered DMBS in patients with duodenal ulcers was unrelated to histopathologic abnormalities. Impaired bicarbonate secretion in patients with duodenal ulcers could be caused by a cellular and/or physiological regulatory transport defect possibly related to H. pylori.

Effect of enprostil on the gastroduodenal mucosa of healthy volunteers.

Enprostil is a synthetic dehydro-prostaglandin E2 with gastroduodenal ulcer-healing and mucosal-protective properties. One hundred and three healthy volunteers were randomized to receive capsules of enprostil 35 micrograms b.d. (the clinically recommended dose), enprostil 70 micrograms b.d., or placebo b.d. All underwent endoscopic assessment of the gastroduodenal mucosa, scored using a 0-4 scale, at baseline and on Days 3, 7, 14, 21 and 28 of dosing. Mean and median maximum scores demonstrated a dose response, and the mean maximum scores were statistically significantly higher for both enprostil groups on each endoscopy day when compared with placebo. The majority of enprostil-treated subjects had petechial haemorrhages. The proportion of volunteers with small white-based mucosal breaks (erosions) was significantly higher for the fundus in the enprostil 70-microgram group on Days 21 and 28 when compared with placebo, but there were no significant differences between treatment groups for any area on the other study days. The 70-microgram dose was associated with significantly more gastrointestinal adverse events than the 35-microgram dose, which was similar to placebo. There were no significant differences between groups for large white-based mucosal breaks (ulcers). We conclude that oral enprostil produced gastric mucosal petechial haemorrhages, primarily in the fundus of the stomach. Gastric mucosal petechial haemorrhages are probably without clinical significance because they are very common in the general population (10-15%) and do not progress to erosions and ulcers.