Modified α,α'-trehalose and d-glucose: green monomers for the synthesis of vinyl copolymers.

Allyl saccharide/vinyl copolymers were synthesized using renewable feedstocks (α,α'-trehalose and d-glucose) to obtain 'green monomers'. Properly designed synthetic procedures were used to obtain copolymers with high purity and without protection/deprotection steps in agreement with the principles of green chemistry and industrial sustainability. The use of saccharide derivatives as monomers allowed products to be obtained that showed high affinity and compatibility for the cellulosic substrates, like paper or wood, and that were suitable for applications like adhesion or consolidation in the field of cultural heritage. All reaction products were characterized by FT-IR and NMR spectroscopies and SEC analyses, while thermal properties were evaluated by DSC analyses.

Comparison between the monoclonal antibodies Ki-67 and PC10 in 125 malignant lymphomas.

The monoclonal antibody (MAb) Ki-67 detects a nuclear proliferation-associated antigen which corresponds to a non-histone protein with a molecular weight of 395 and 345 kD. Its prognostic relevance has been assessed in both lymphoid and non-lymphoid tumours. The MAb PC10 picks up the proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), which is a 36 kD nuclear protein associated with the cell cycle. Whereas Ki-67 works only in fresh material, PC10 detects a fixation-resistant epitope of PCNA. Preliminary data have revealed a linear relationship between Ki-67 and PC10 reactivity in normal lymphoid tissue and in non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHLs). We applied Ki-67 and PC10 to frozen and routine sections, respectively, from 25 examples of Hodgkin's disease (HD) (14 nodular sclerosis, 6 lymphocyte predominance, 5 mixed cellularity) and 100 NHLs (corresponding to the main varieties of the updated Kiel classification). The results obtained can be summarized as follows: (1) both MAbs gave rise to extremely variable results within the same category of NHLs; (2) most Hodgkin and Reed-Sternberg cells (50-98 per cent) were labelled by the reagents; (3) Ki-67 and PC10 stained a similar ratio of neoplastic cells in 65 and 76 per cent of NHL and HD cases, respectively; in the remaining instances, no correspondence was observed, the PC10-positive elements usually outnumbering the Ki-67-positive ones significantly. These discrepancies, which might be due to low PCNA catabolism and/or PCNA expression by quiescent cells, underline the need for further kinetic and clinico-pathologic studies in order to define the specific relevance of PC10.

Immunohistochemical detection of the multidrug transport protein P170 in human normal tissues and malignant lymphomas.

Two monoclonal antibodies, MRK16 and C219, both directed at the 170 kDa P-glycoprotein multidrug resistance agent, were applied to frozen sections or cytospin preparations from normal human tissues and 60 non-Hodgkin's malignant lymphomas. Adrenal gland, kidney, liver and pancreas were always stained by the reagents, albeit with slightly different patterns. Brain capillaries as well as macrophages and some elements of the bone marrow, peripheral blood, ovarian stroma and colonic, gastric and jejunal mucosa were positive in all examined preparations. There were differences in the staining patterns with the two antibodies. Among the 60 non-Hodgkin's lymphomas, 25 contained a number of positive cells, which ranged from 2% to 100%. No correlation was seen between the expression of P170 and histological type, stage, clinical symptoms or growth fraction. A close relationship was shown between the presence of P170 positive elements and the clinical course of the disease (P less than 0.001).

Hodgkin's disease: update of findings.

The authors critically review the problem of Hodgkin's disease (HD) in the light of new morphological, immunohistochemical, kinetic, genotypic, and virological findings. These support the lymphoid origin of neoplastic Hodgkin's and Reed-Sternberg cells, because of regular expression of the CD30 lymphoid activation antigen and frequent detection of B- or T-cell phenotypic and/or genotypic markers. It is possible to hypothesize the release of cytokines by tumoral elements as well as the presence of specific cytokine receptors on their surface. This might explain some clinical and pathological features, such as fever, loss of weight, eosinophilia and attraction of reactive elements that make up the composite cellular milieu of typical HD. Integration of monoclonal EBV in the genoma of neoplastic elements has repeatedly been shown, and this might play an essential role in the pathogenesis of the disease. On the basis of present concepts, the borderlines between HD and some categories of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas--especially the anaplastic large cell forms--have become somewhat blurred. Additional research work in the field of HD is desirable and might pave the way for new and more effective therapeutic approaches, designed on the basis of the natural history of the neoplasm.

Evaluation of LAK-mediated tumor cell killing in a plasma clot clonogenic assay.

An assay based on the inhibition of the cloning capacity in a plasma clot semisolid medium assay has been used to test the sensitivity of the Raji cell line to lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cells. This method overcomes some limitations intrinsic to the widely employed 51Cr release assay and always shows a higher degree of sensitivity. No inhibition of colony growth was found when the effector cells were plated without prior pre-incubation with interleukin 2 or with the addition of the medium derived from the LAK cells. Though more time-consuming than the classic 51Cr release assay, this technique does not require radioactive material. This test may be suitable for a more precise evaluation of LAK activity and for the study of the mechanisms involved in cell killing.