Fluorescence in situ hybridization for the detection of trisomies 8 and 9 in polycythemia vera.

Trisomies 8 and 9 are the most common numerical chromosome abnormalities in polycythemia vera (PCV). Their role in the pathogenesis of the disease is unclear, however, as is their diagnostic or prognostic value. We evaluated fluorescent in situ hybridization as compared to chromosome analysis for the detection of trisomies 8 or 9 in peripheral blood cells of PCV patients. We demonstrated that FISH is a more sensitive method for the detection of the abnormalities. A positive correlation between the duration of the disease and trisomy 9 was found. FISH is a sensitive, convenient, and rapid method for the diagnosis and follow-up of chromosome aberrations in patients with PCV. The application of FISH to a larger cohort of patients may provide valuable information regarding the role of the chromosomal aberrations in the initiation and progression of this disease.

Normal serum increases adhesion of neutrophils to tracheal epithelial cells by a CD11b/CD18-dependent mechanism.

Airway inflammation is characterized by intraluminal influx of inflammatory cells, exudation of plasma, and increased procoagulant activity. We speculated that inflammatory cells might adhere to the airway surface epithelium in order to better localize and regulate airway inflammatory responses. Therefore, in this study, we asked whether neutrophils adhere to airway epithelial cells, whether serum or plasma factors increase adhesion, and, if so, what the characteristics of the involved adhesion molecules are. To answer these questions, we incubated human 51Cr-labeled neutrophils from peripheral blood with dog tracheal epithelial cells in culture in the presence or absence of normal human serum or plasma. After 30 min, nonadhering neutrophils were centrifuged away and neutrophil adhesion was assessed by radioassay. We found that unstimulated adhesion of neutrophils to cultured epithelial cells was quite low (< 6%). However, incubation with 10% serum or plasma increased adhesion of neutrophils to epithelial cells dramatically (up to a mean of 71%). The serum-induced increase in adhesion was concentration dependent; even 1% serum was effective (19% adhesion). Serum adhesion factor acted selectively on epithelial surfaces, was heat sensitive, had a molecular weight > 12,000, and depended on the presence of divalent cations. mAb 60.3 (anti-CD18) and mAb anti-Mol (anti-CD11b, anti-CR3) inhibited serum-induced adhesion by > 50% each. We conclude that normal serum and plasma contain a potent adhesion factor that induces adhesion of neutrophils to tracheal epithelium in culture.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The correlation between the frequency of sister-chromatid exchange and human reproductive hormones.

Different frequencies of sister-chromatid exchanges (SCEs) during various stages of the menstrual cycle have previously been observed. We tested the hypothesis that sex hormones, particularly steroids, influence the frequency of SCEs in women undergoing ovulation induction for in vitro fertilization treatment. These women undergo extreme hormonal changes and therefore serve as a good model for testing the rate of genetic damage due to these changes. As controls, we tested fertile women with regular menstrual cycles who received no hormonal treatment. Peripheral lymphocytes were obtained during different stages of the normal and treated cycles. We examined SCE frequency as related to the different hormones of the reproductive cycle at each of the stages. In general, an increased SCE frequency was observed around ovulation time in the controls, and around the time of human chorionic gonadotropin administration in the group undergoing ovulation induction. However, in the latter group, SCE frequency was significantly higher. SCE frequency was positively correlated with the level of testosterone and FSH in the ovulation induction group, and positively correlated with the estradiol level in both groups.