[Magnetic resonance imaging findings of intravascular papillary endothelial hyperplasia].

This paper analyzed the imaging data of intravascular papillary endothelial hyperplasia (IPEH) in 5 cases, with 1 male, 4 females, aged 28-61 years. MRI of IPEH revealed well-demarcated masses with central iso-or hypointensity and peripheral hyperintensity on T2-weighted image(T2WI), as well as peripheral enhancement or hyperintensity on T2WI with/without hypointense foci, as well as homogeneous enhancement or heterogeneous enhancement with nonenhanced foci. CT demonstrated iso-or slightly hyperdense, well-circumscribed mass with bone destruction or calcification.

Effects of fermented cottonseed meal inclusions on growth performance, serum biochemical parameters and hepatic lipid metabolism of geese during 28-70 d of age.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of solid-state fermented cottonseed meal (FCSM) inclusion levels on the growth performance, serum biochemical parameters and hepatic lipid metabolism in geese from 28 to 70 d of age. A total of 288 twenty-eight-d-old male geese were randomly divided into 4 treatments with FCSM levels of 0, 5, 15 and 25% including 0, 22.74, 67.33, 111.27 mg FG/kg diet, respectively. Each treatment contained 6 replicates and 12 birds per replicate. Treatments of FCSM inclusions from 0 to 25% had no effect on growth rate and feed intake in geese during d 28 to 70. The F/G ratio was increased (P < 0.05) in geese fed the diet with 25% FCSM compared with birds fed the diet with 0% FCSM. Treatment with 25% FCSM levels had no effect on the contents of TC, TG, HDL-C, LDL-C, but increased (P < 0.05) AST and ALT activities in serum of geese at d 70. Treatment with 25% FCSM increased the contents of FG, HDL-C, TC, C18:2n6, C20:4n6 and PUFA and decreased (P < 0.05) the contents of NEFA, SFA, MUFA in liver compared with treatment of 0% FCSM inclusion. Additionally, treatment with 25% FCSM decreased (P < 0.05) the PPARα, AMPK, and LXR mRNA expression related to lipid deposition, and increased (P < 0.05) PPARγ and ACC mRNA expression related to lipolysis in liver compared with birds fed the diet with 0% FCSM. Overall, treatment with 0 to 15% FCSM (<=67.33 mg FG/kg diet) had no adverse effects on the growth performance and lipid metabolism of geese. However, treatment fed 25% FCSM (111.27 mg FG/kg diet) decreased feed efficiency and promoted hepatic lipid deposition associated with the alteration of related gene expression in geese at 28 to 70 d of age.

Accuracy of high-pitch prospectively ECG-triggering CT coronary angiography for assessment of stenosis in 103 patients: comparison with invasive coronary angiography.

AIM: To investigate the accuracy of high-pitch prospectively electrocardiogram (ECG)-triggering low-dose, dual-source computed tomography (CT) coronary angiography for assessing coronary artery stenosis compared with conventional coronary angiography. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred and three patients undergoing high-pitch CT coronary angiography (CTCA) and conventional coronary angiography (CCA) within 30 days were enrolled. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of high-pitch CTCA for detecting >50 and >70% stenosis were evaluated using CCA as the reference standard on a per-segment, per-vessel, and per-patient basis. Two experienced radiologists independently rated high-pitch CTCA images for quality using a four-point scale (1 = excellent, 4 = non-diagnostic) on a per-segment basis. The effective dose was calculated by multiplying the conversion coefficient of 0.028 by the dose-length product. RESULTS: The mean heart rate of patients was 57 ± 6 beats/min. For detecting >50% stenosis, the sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV of high-pitch CTCA were 89, 97, 87, and 97% on a per-segment basis; 91, 92, 92, and 91% on a per-vessel basis; and 99, 85, 96, and 94% on a per-patient basis. For detecting >70% stenosis, the sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV of high-pitch CTCA were 96, 98, 90, and 99% on a per-segment basis. Coronary segments were rated as diagnostic in 98.6% (1355/1375) of cases (score 1, 72.5%; score 2, 23.1%; score 3, 3%; score 4, 1.4%). The effective dose of high-pitch CTCA was 1.51 ± 0.31 mSv. CONCLUSION: High-pitch prospectively ECG-triggering dual-source CTCA provides good image quality and high diagnostic accuracy with a 1.51 mSv radiation dose.

Site-specific multi-stage CVD of large-scale arrays of ultrafine ZnO nanorods.

Multi-stage growth of ZnO nanorod arrays has been carried out by Au-assisted chemical vapor deposition (CVD) in order to better understand and more precisely control the growth behaviors. It is evidenced that Au-catalyzed vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) growth only dominates the initial site-specific nucleation of the nanorods, while the subsequent growth is governed by a vapor-solid (VS) epitaxy mechanism. The sequential VLS and VS behaviors permit the fabrication of large-scale highly ordered arrays of ZnO nanorods with precisely tunable diameters and embedded junctions by controlling reactant concentration and nanorod top morphology. Based on the above results, two routes to fabricate ultrafine ZnO nanorod arrays are proposed and stepwise nanorod arrays with ultrafine top segment (~10 nm in diameter) have been achieved. Temperature-dependent photoluminescence (PL) and spatial resolved PL were carried out on the nanorod arrays and on individual nanorods, indicating high quality optical properties and tunable light emission along the length of the stepwise nanorods.

Pharmacokinetics of verapamil in diabetic rats induced by combination of high-fat diet and streptozotocin injection.

The aim of this study was to investigate effects of type 2 diabetes on the pharmacokinetics of verapamil after intravenous administration. Diabetes mellitus (DM) rats were induced by combination of high-fat diet (HFD) and streptozotocin. Plasma concentrations of verapamil in DM rats, rats fed with HFD, and control (CON) rats were measured after intravenous administration of 1 mg/kg verapamil and corresponding pharmacokinetic parameters were estimated. Area under the plasma concentration in DM rats was significantly smaller than that in CON rats. In vitro microsomal study showed that intrinsic clearance of verapamil in DM rats was significantly higher than those in CON rats. Compared to CON rats, higher intrinsic clearance was also observed in HFD rats. Western blot results demonstrated higher levels of CYP3A2 in DM and HFD rats, which was in line to activity of CYP3A. All the results gave a conclusion that diabetes may enhance metabolism of verapamil in rat, and the enhancement may partly result from induction of CYP3A.

[Effects of vestibular spontaneous nystagmus on visual smooth pursuit function].

Objective: The aim of the study is to analyze the effects of vestibular spontaneous nystagmus(SN) on the smooth pursuit function of visual ocularmotor system. Methods: A total of 46 patients with acute unilateral peripheral vestibular syndrome with SN (26 cases of vestibular neuritis, 6 cases of Ramsay Hunt Syndrome (RHS) with vertigo, 14 cases of sudden deafness with vertigo) were included in this work. In the study group, the results of SPT and SN test with videonystagmography(VNG) were also reviewed. Taking SPT parameters, the influence of SN intensity on SPT gain, asymmetry and waveform and their correlation were analyzed.SPSS19.0 software was used for statistical analysis. Results: Among the 46 patients, there were 36 cases of SN pointing to the healthy side(SN intensity range of 2.68°/s-32.53°/s), and 10 cases of SN pointing to the affected side (SN intensity range of 2.66°/s-16.54°/s). SN intensity was divided into 3 groups, including light(0.50°/s-5.00°/s), medium(5.01°/s-10.00°/s) and strong(>10.01°/s), accounting for 14 cases(30.4%), 18 cases(39.1%) and 14 cases(30.4%), respectively. The differences of the gain of SPT to the fast phase and slow phase direction in the overall groups and light, medium and strong groups of SN intensity respectively were statistically significant(ttotal=13.338, tlight=6.184, tmedium=8.436, tstrong=8.477, all of P<0.001). The difference of SPT gain in SN fast phase direction between groups with different SN intensity was statistically significant(F=9.639, P<0.001),there was no statistically significant difference in SPT gain between the groups on the SN slow phase direction(F=1.137, P=0.330).The SN intensity significantly negatively correlated with the SPT gain of the fast phase direction of SN (r=-0.433, P=0.003), that was, the SPT gain on the fast phase direction of SN decreased with the increase of SN intensity. There was no significant correlation between SN intensity and the gain of SPT on the slow phase direction of SN (r=-0.061, P=0.687). SPT waveform analysis showed that type I, type II and type III accounted for 8 cases(17.4%), 21 cases(45.6%) and 17 cases(37.0%), respectively. The corresponding mean values of SN intensity were (3.71±0.69)°/s, (7.44±1.88)°/s, (20.04±5.53)°/s, respectively, without type IV wave. The intensity of SN was positively correlated with the asymmetric value of the gain of SPT left and right(r=0.450,P=0.002). That was, with the increase of SN strength, the asymmetric value also increased, and the worse the asymmetry of the gain of SPT left and right pursuit was, the worse the SPT waveform was. Conclusion: SPT gain, asymmetry and SPT waveforms are all affected by SN, and the greater the intensity of SN, the greater the influence on the three. When SN is strong, type III waves may occur, suggesting that acute peripheral vestibular syndrome can also affect the visual ocularmotor systems.

Spin-dependent electron-phonon interaction in SmFeAsO by low-temperature Raman spectroscopy.

The interplay between spin dynamics and lattice vibration has been suggested as an important part of the puzzle of high-temperature superconductivity. Here, we report the strong interaction between spin fluctuation and phonon in SmFeAsO, a parent compound of the iron arsenide family of superconductors, revealed by low-temperature Raman spectroscopy. Anomalous zone-boundary-phonon Raman scattering from spin superstructure was observed at temperatures below the antiferromagnetic ordering point, which offers compelling evidence on spin-dependent electron-phonon coupling in pnictides.

Identification and characterization of microRNAs from porcine skeletal muscle.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of non-coding RNAs that negatively regulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. There is increasing evidence to suggest that miRNAs participate in muscle development in mice and humans; however, few studies have focused on miRNAs in porcine muscle tissue. Here, we experimentally detected and identified conserved and unique miRNAs from porcine skeletal muscle. Fifty-seven distinct miRNAs were identified, of which 39 have not been reported earlier in the pig. Of these, two miRNAs appear to be novel and pig-specific. Surprisingly, these two differ only by a single nucleotide. A part of their primary transcript was cloned and confirmed by sequencing analysis. Alignment of the two sequences using ClustalW showed that the precursor sequences were almost identical, but the flanking sequences were different, indicating that these two novel miRNAs may represent rapidly evolving miRNAs in the pig genome. The expression patterns of eight miRNAs were characterized by real-time polymerase chain reaction of eight pig tissue samples. The ssc-let-7e and ssc-miR-181b miRNAs were expressed in all tissues analysed. The ssc-let-7c, ssc-miR-125b, ssc-miR-new1 and ssc-miR-new2 miRNAs were expressed in several tissues, while ssc-miR-122 and ssc-miR-206 were specifically expressed in the liver and muscle respectively. Our results add to existing data on porcine miRNAs and are useful for investigating the biological functions of miRNAs in porcine skeletal muscle development.

Involvement of nNOS in the antinociceptive activity of melatonin in inflammatory pain at the level of sensory neurons.

OBJECTIVE: The efficacy of melatonin as an analgesic agent has been well documented in animals and humans. However, the underlying mechanisms by which melatonin exerts antinociceptive effects on inflammatory pain are poorly understood. Here, we investigated the potential of melatonin to ameliorate inflammatory pain. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In vitro, ND7/23 neurons were treated with capsaicin. We used PCR and Western blot analyses to detect the expression of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) in response to melatonin. Orofacial inflammatory pain was induced by 4% formalin administration on the right whisker pad of Sprague Dawley (SD) rats. The analgesic effect of melatonin was evaluated using mechanical threshold analyses. The expression level of nNOS in the trigeminal ganglion (TG) and trigeminal nucleus caudalis (Vc) neurons was assessed by RNAscope and immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: In vitro, capsaicin upregulated the expression of nNOS, which was dose-dependently reversed by melatonin pretreatment (p < 0.001). In a rat model of orofacial inflammatory pain, melatonin pretreatment significantly attenuated mechanical allodynia in both the acute and chronic phases (p < 0.05). Furthermore, melatonin decreased the formalin-evoked elevated nNOS mRNA and protein levels in the TG and Vc neurons in the acute and chronic phases (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, these results suggest that nNOS may play an active role in both peripheral and central processing of nociceptive information following orofacial inflammatory pain induction. The regulatory effect of melatonin on nNOS in inflammatory pain may have potential implications for the development of novel analgesic strategies.

Molecular Cloning and Developmental Expression Patterns of the Striatin Gene Encoding A Member of the Regulatory Subunits for the Protein Serine/Threonine Phosphatase-2A in Fish.

PURPOSE: The protein phosphatase-2A (PP-2A) is one of the most important serine/threonine phosphatases in eukaryotes. The holoenzyme of PP-2A consists of three subunits: a scaffold A subunit, a catalytic C subunit and a regulatory B subunit. While both A and C subunits are coded by two different genes, the B subunits exist in 26 or more isoforms which are encoded by at least 15 different genes. Previous studies have shown that besides regulating specific PP-2A activity, various B subunits may have other functions. To explore the possible roles of the regulatory subunits of PP-2A in vertebrate development, we have cloned the gene encoding goldfish striatin, a member of the B'" family regulatory subunits for PP-2A, and determined their tissue-specific and temporal expression patterns. METHODS: The cDNA cloning was conducted with RT-PCR-based RACE. The mRNA expression levels for the goldfish striatin were analyzed with RT-PCR. The expression levels of the striatin protein from goldfish were determined with Western blot analysis. The semi-quantitation of the mRNA and protein expression levels was conducted with the software of U-scanning. RESULTS: Our study revealed that the full length cDNA for striatin consists of 2965 bp coding for a deduced protein of 769 amino acids, which bears a very high level of amino acid sequence identity with the homolog protein from other species. The striatin mRNA is highly expressed in the kidney, to a less degree in brain, fin, muscle, liver, ovary and gill, and the lowest in testis and heart. Similar pattern of protein expression is detected in the above 9 tissues. During the development of goldfish, the striatin mRNA maintains a relatively high level at the 2-cell, multiple cell and blastula stages. Then, it drops down substantially at gastrula stage and fluctuates around this level in the next 8 different stages. At the protein level, the striatin maintained higher level from 2-cell to gastrula stages, then decreased at neurula and optic vesicle stages, and gradually increased again to peak at eye pigmentation stage, then slightly decreased in the next few stages of development. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the striatin may play an important role in regulating goldfish development and adult tissue homeostasis. While the former function may or may not occur through PP- 2A functions, the later function appears to occur via PP-2A activity.

Long-term survival of cardiac allografts induced by cyclophosphamide combined with CTLA4Ig-gene transfer mediated by adenoviral vector.

There is a need to achieve donor-specific tolerance in clinical organ transplantation, where potential benefits remain overshadowed by chronic rejection and the side-effects of long-term immunosuppressive therapy. It is known that the mature immune system in mice can be reprogrammed to accept a foreign graft as if it was "self". The AdCTLA4Ig-mediated gene transfer (SC) + cyclophosphamide (CP) treatment alone prolongs allograft survival but does not induce tolerance. However, in our study, the AdCTLA4Ig-mediated gene transfer combined with SC + CP treatment yielded significantly prolonged mean survival times (149.7 +/- 18.0 days), while those in the untreated or AdLacZ treated mice were rejected in normal fashion (5.3 +/- 0.5 and 5.2 +/- 0.4 days, respectively), and survival in the AdCTLA4Ig or SC + CP treated groups were 45.7 +/- 9.6 or 50.2 +/- 5.3 days, respectively. In conclusion, a protocol of AdCTLA4Ig + SC + CP improved the survival of DA-->LEW cardiac allografts.

Application of target-specific drug immunoconjugates to experimental bone marrow replacement therapy in mice.

Immunoconjugates whose cytotoxic component consists of a phytopeptide are often used as purging agents in bone marrow replacement therapy. Less popular are drug immunoconjugates containing a small molecular weight cytotoxic drug attached to the target-specific conjugand via an appropriate spacer molecule. High target specificity, resistance of the drug to intralysosomal proteases and, once cleaved from the spacer, ready exist of the drug from the lysosome are among the advantages drug immunoconjugates hold over phytotoxin immunoconjugates. The cytotoxic drug daunomycin attached via an acid-sensitive spacer to monoclonal antibody of appropriate specificity was shown to purge murine bone marrow of contaminating tumor cells without affecting its hematopoietic potential. Lethally irradiated mice reconstituted with syngeneic bone marrow from which contaminating lymphoma cells had been removed survived indefinitely. Furthermore, lymphoma-bearing mice, provided they were sufficiently irradiated to eliminate tumor cells in situ, were successfully reconstituted with fully allogeneic bone marrow from which potentially graft-versus-host-reactive T-cells had been purged.

Improving the blood compatibility of polyurethane using carbon nanotubes as fillers and its implications to cardiovascular surgery.

Blood compatibility has been an occlusion for biomaterials used in the cardiovascular system. In this work, a multiwalled carbon nanotubes-polyurethane composite (MWNT-PU) was prepared through a controlled co-precipitation. The surface chemical composition of treated carbon nanotubes was analyzed with XPS and the thermal behaviors of composite were characterized by DSC. The platelet adhesion and activation caused by the composite were evaluated by using SEM and flow cytometric analysis, respectively, and the disruption of red blood cells was analyzed through measuring the absorbance of free hemoglobin. The experimental results demonstrated that: (1) Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) with oxygen-containing functional groups could be well dispersed in polyurethane matrix through a controlled coprecipitation; (2) the composite surface displayed a significantly improved anticoagulant function, which can be indicative of the promising potentials of carbon nanotube-based materials in the implants and medical devices applied in blood-contacting environments.

Blockade of both CD28/B7 and OX40/OX40L co-stimulatory signal pathways prolongs the survival of islet xenografts.

CTLA4Ig, a recombinant fusion protein composed of the extracellular domain of human CTLA4 and the constant region of human IgG1, inhibits the interaction of CD28/B7 pathway by binding the B7 molecule. OX40Ig, a recombinant fusion protein composed of the extracellular domain of human OX40 and the constant region of human IgG1, abrogates the interaction of OX40/OX40L pathway by binding the OX40L on APCs. So blockade of CD28/B7 or OX40/OX40L co-stimulatory pathways alone in mice with CTLA4Ig or OX40Ig can result in finitely prolonging the survival of islet grafts (43.2 +/- 4.81 and 67.7 +/- 7.74 days, respectively). In this study, a novel replication-defective adenovirus containing both of the CTLA4Ig and OX40Ig genes, AdCTLA4Ig-IRES-OX40Ig, was constructed by homologous recombination and injected into the streptozocin-rendered diabetic BalB/c mouse recipients (H-2d) through the tail vein, at the same day, the freshly isolated islets from Lewis rats (RT-1) were transplanted under the left kidney capsule of the recipients. The results showed that the mean survival time of the islet xenografts in the AdCTLA4Ig-IRES-OX40Ig-treated diabetic mice was significantly prolonged (100.3 +/- 14.94 days), while those in the untreated or AdEGFP-treated mice were rejected in normal fashion (6.7 +/- 0.94 and 7.0 +/- 1.0 days, respectively). In conclusion, utilizing AdCTLA4Ig-IRES-OX40Ig in vivo which can simultaneously express CTLA4Ig and OX40Ig proteins can improve the survival of Lewis-->BalB/c islet xenografts.

Antileukemic effect of interleukin-7-transduced bone marrow stromal cells in mice following allogeneic T-cell-depleted bone marrow transplantation.

Impaired immune reconstitution following allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT) remains a major obstacle to its clinical application. In this study, interleukin (IL)-7-transduced bone marrow stromal cells (MSC-IL7, 1 x 10(6)/mouse) were transfused into lethally irradiated C57BL/6 recipient mice. By day 40 after transplantation, the recipient mice were challenged with the lymphoma cell line EL4. MSC-IL7 co-transplantation protected recipient mice from leukemic mortality (MST >120 days after BMT vs mean survival time (MST) 70 days in the PBS group) It enhance the PFC count and DTH responses of recipients after transplantation. In conclusion, MSC mediated IL-7 gene therapy and may be a more feasible strategy to restore immune function following allo-TCD-BMT.

CTLA4-Fas ligand gene transfer mediated by adenovirus induce long-time survival of murine cardiac allografts.

BACKGROUND: Fas ligand gene transfer to induce peripheral allograft tolerance in animal models has shown controversial results. The immunosuppression effects mediated by engineered FasL depend on whether alloreactive T cells are selectively deleted. In the present study, we tested the feasibility of a strategy to induce long-time survival by fusing CTLA4-FasL gene transfer in vivo. METHODS: Cardiac allografts from DA(RT-1(a)) rats were transplanted heterotopically into the abdomens of LEW(RT-1(1)) rats. Plaque units (5x10(9)) of either AdCTLA4-FasL, AdCTLA4Ig, or AdEGFP were administered via the portal vein immediately after cardiac transplantation. The frequencies of helper T lymphocyte precursors (HTLp) and cytotoxic T lymphocyte precursors (CTLp) were determined by a combined single limiting dilution assay on days 5 and 20 after transplantation. RESULTS: Cardiac allograft survival was significantly prolonged by either AdCTLA4-FasL or AdCTLA4Ig treatment(mean survival times [MST] of 71.0 +/- 3.7 and 45.7 +/- 2.4, respectively, n = 6) compared with untreated hosts or animals treated with AdEGFP(MST of 5.7 +/- 0.5 and 5.2 +/- 0.4, respectively, n = 6). In addition, treatment with AdCTLA4-FasL led to significantly prolonged allograft survival compared with AdCTLA4Ig treatment. Furthermore, the frequencies of HTLp and CTLp on day 20 among rats treated with AdCTLA4-FasL was lower than those on day 5, whereas frequencies of HTLp and CTLp on day 20 were similar with those on day 5 in the other groups. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that administration of an adenovirus encoding fusion CTLA4-FasL gene to rat recipients effectively decreased the size of alloreactive T cells and induced long-term survival of cardiac allografts.

Thrombomodulin activity and localization.

An overview on the properties, actions and localization of thrombomodulin (TM) in situations of tissue injury and in selected tumors is presented. The localization and activity of TM after injury to vascular endothelium shows that following balloon catheter denudation of the endothelium of the rabbit aorta, the activity and immunohistochemical staining is markedly reduced. The functional and antigenic levels approach the control levels approximately one week after the initial injury. The results suggest that the neointimal smooth muscle cells express TM. This phenotypic plasticity of the neointimal smooth muscle cells may be important in conferring thrombo-resistance to the lumenal lining cells of vessels after injury. Studies are also reviewed on the use of soluble recombinant TM to prevent thrombosis after ligature of vessels in an experimental model. Further characterization on the immunohistochemical distribution of TM in normal tissues and tumors shows that staining with a monoclonal anti TM antibody can be very useful in separating mesotheliomas from pulmonary adenocarcinomas. These studies may lead to insights concerning the role of TM in tissue-injury-repair and tissue differentiation.

Facilitation of allogeneic bone marrow transplantation by a T cell-specific immunotoxin containing daunomycin.

Daunomycin coupled via an acid-sensitive spacer to monoclonal Thy-1.2-specific antibody was used to purge T lymphocytes from a 1:1 mixture of murine C57BL/6J bone marrow and spleen cells prior to engraftment in fully allogeneic, irradiated BALB/c recipients. Treatment of bone marrow with the immunotoxin at a concentration used for purging had no effect on the viability of committed hematopoietic progenitor or multipotent stem cells. All of the recipients of purged bone marrow were at least 80% chimeric for donor peripheral blood cells and none developed graft-versus-host disease. Out of 50 chimeras, 49 were still alive more than 200 days posttransplantation. The chimeras were shown to be tolerant to donor tissue as tested by mixed lymphocyte reactivity, cell-mediated cytotoxicity, and skin grafting. The same tests revealed full immunocompetence of chimeras to third-party alloantigens. In vivo IgM and IgG antibody responses to sheep red blood cells were similar in magnitude in allogeneically and syngeneically reconstituted mice.

Expression of interleukin-6 in Castleman's disease.

Although mixed forms of Castleman's disease (CD) may occur, two classically recognized forms are the angiofollicular (hyaline vascular [V]) variant and the plasma cell (P) variant. The two forms of CD differ greatly in their clinical and histopathologic manifestations. Plasma cell CD is characterized by the presence of hyperplastic germinal centers (GCs) and sheets of plasma cells in the interfollicular areas. In this study we demonstrated an abundant expression of interleukin-6 (IL-6) in most GC B cells and in the numerous immunoblastoid B cells in the mantle zone and interfollicular areas in CD-P. Patients with CD-P also have an elevated serum IL-6 level. The increased IL-6 production is responsible for the marked plasma cell infiltration in lymph nodes and bone marrow as well as for the elevated gammaglobulin level in serum. In contrast, CD-V is distinguished by the presence of atrophic GCs, which often are populated by cytologically atypical follicular dendritic reticulum (FDR) cells, as well as by sheets of T-zone plasmacytoid histiocytes and increased numbers of capillaries in the interfollicular areas. In contrast to the findings in CD-P, we did not observe significant expression of IL-6 in GC cells or in immunoblastoid cells in CD-V; this may account for the paucity of plasma cells in this form of CD. The reason for the atypical changes in FDR cells as well as the increases in T-zone plasmacytoid histiocytes and capillaries seen in CD-V are not known inasmuch as no cytokines, such as IL-1, IL-4, IL-6, IL-7, IL-8, IL-9, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, or granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, were detectable in tissues. It is possible that in CD-V the atypical change in FDR cells could lead to a disturbance of B-lymphocyte/FDR cell interaction and subsequently to poor development of GCs. The study clearly indicates that the histopathologic and clinical features of CD vary greatly depending on the capacity of activated B cells to produce IL-6. However, lack of IL-6 secretion by GC cells alone cannot explain the histopathologic alterations in CD-V.