Unusual direct phycoerythrin labeling of B-cells from a splenic marginal zone lymphoma.

Flow cytometry is the most widely used method for lymphocyte subset characterization. Two types of antibodies, directly labeled with fluorochrome, are currently used for immunological diagnosis of B-cell lymphoproliferation: monoclonal antibodies against leukocyte differentiation antigens and polyclonal antibodies against immunoglobulins and light chains. In this study is described the case of a patient with an uncommon immunophenotyping of a B-cell lymphoproliferative disorder. B-cells from peripheral blood and from bone marrow reacted positively with all the tested phycoerythrin (PE)-conjugated antibodies, including the isotypic control. So we thought about a B-cell proliferation carrying a surface receptor recognizing PE: these B-cells were directly labeled with streptavidin-PE, indeed. Moreover, the immunodots from the patient were able to fix the streptavidin-PE. Finally, this unusual immunophenotyping was solved by using antibodies labeled with other fluorochromes than PE.

The cosmetic use of skin-lightening products during pregnancy in Dakar, Senegal: a common and potentially hazardous practice.

Many women of childbearing age from sub-Saharan Africa use topical skin lighteners, some of which present a risk of toxic systemic effects. The goals of this study were to evaluate, in this environment, the frequency of this practice during pregnancy, as well as eventual consequences on pregnancy. Ninety-nine women from 6 to 9 months pregnant were randomly selected among those attending a standard maternal centre in Dakar for a prenatal visit. Investigations consisted of questions about the use of skin lighteners, a standard clinical examination, follow-up until delivery and a morning blood sample for plasma cortisol levels. Sixty-eight of the 99 selected women used skin lighteners during their current pregnancy, the main active ingredients being hydroquinone and highly potent steroids (used by 64 and 28 women, respectively). No difference in the main outcomes of pregnancy were found between skin-lightener users and the others; however, women using highly potent steroids, when compared with those who did not, had a statistically significant lower plasma cortisol level and a smaller placenta, and presented a higher rate of low-birth-weight infants. Skin lightening is a common practice during pregnancy in Dakar, and the use of steroids may result in consequences in the mother and her child.

[A case of de novo acute basophilic leukaemia: diagnostic criteria and review of the literature]. / A propos d'un cas de leucémie à basophiles de novo: critères diagnostiques et revue de la littérature.

We report a case of a de novo acute basophilic leukaemia, revealed by an infectious pneumopathy in a 73 year old man. The full blood count revealed an hyperleucocytosis associated with an unregenerative normocytic normochrom anaemia and a thrombocytopenia. The blood and bone marrow smears showed a mixture of undifferentiated blast cells and basophiloblasts (high nucleo-cytoplasmic ratio, coarse basophilic cytoplasmic granules), along with basophilic precursors and basophilic polymorphonuclears. All the blasts were MPO negative but positive for the toluidine blue metachromatic coloration, which is considered as consistent with basophilic lineage. Immunophenotypic studies showed myeloid blasts, without maturity marker, CD 117 negative and CD203 cytoplasmic positive, the latter known to be highly representative of the basophilic lineage. This very clear-cut phenotype, associated with the morphology of cells, were arguments to ascertain the basophilic lineage of the blasts without the need of electron microscopic study. Cytogenetic and RNA analysis revealed the presence of a Philadelphia chromosome and of a BCR-ABL transcript with the unusual junction e6a2. Thus, imatinib was added to the conventional chimiotherapy and the patient is currently in complete remission. This clinical prompted allows us to review the literature on acute basophilic leukaemia and to state on the different diagnostic criteria of this rare disorder.

Differences in hypolipidaemic effects of two statins on Hep G2 cells or human hepatocytes in primary culture.

1. The objective of this study was to compare in cultured human hepatocytes or Hep G2 cells, changes in the fate of unesterified low density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol induced by crilvastatin, a new cholesterol lowering drug and a reference statin, simvastatin. 2. The experiments were carried out for 20 h, each well contained 4.2 x 10(5)/cm2 Hep G2 cells or 0.5 x 10(5)/Cm2 human hepatocytes, 130 microM ursodeoxycholate, 0.68 microCi or 1.59 microCi unesterified human [14C]-LDL-cholesterol, crilvastatin or simvastatin at 0 or 50 microM (both cell types) or 300 microM (Hep-G2 cells). Incubation with the two drugs resulted in increased amounts of unesterified [14C]-LDL-cholesterol taken by the two cell types, compared to control. 3. Crilvastatin 50 microM led to significantly higher quantities of [14C]-glyco-tauro-conjugated bile salts, compared to simvastatin. Statins reduced the apo B100 level secreted by the two cell types (simvastatin) or human hepatocytes (crilvastatin). Crilvastatin enhanced both the level of apo A1 secreted by the Hep G2 cells and the level of APF, a high density lipoprotein (HDL) and biliary apoprotein. 4. Crilvastatin not only acts by stimulating LDL-cholesterol uptake by hepatocytes, but also by enhancing the catabolism of LDL-cholesterol in bile salts and probably by stimulating HDL and/or bile component secretion. Such a mechanism was not previously described for HMG CoA reductase inhibitors. Our results on APF show that this apoprotein could be considered also as an indicator of changes in bile and/or HDL compartments. 5. The human hepatocyte model appeared to be a suitable and relevant model in the pharmacological-metabolic experiments carried out in this study. It led to more consistent data than those obtained with Hep G2 cells.

[Limits of PINI (prognostic nutritional anf inflammatory index) in the evaluation of nutritional status in children]. / Limites de PINI (index pronostique nutritionnel et inflammatoire) dans l'évaluation du statut nutritionnel de l'enfant.

The prognosis inflammatory and nutritional index (PINI) is a score based on albumin, glycoprotein acid and C-reactive protein levels. PINI was developed to evaluate nutritional and inflammatory status of patients presenting inflammatory syndromes with or without denutrition. In the present study conducted over a period of 6 days in the Pediatric Department of Bambri Hospital in the Central African Republic, we evaluated the usefulness of PINI for follow-up of 25 undernourished Central African children presenting marasmus (n = 15) or kwashiorkor (n = 10) associated with a laboratory documented inflammatory process. All children received nutritional support. We assessed the influence of inflammatory and nutritional factors on PINI values. Data measured in blood samples taken from 16 patients who also presented documented inflammatory manifestations but were not undernourished. A parallel decrease in C-reactive protein and PINI was observed from D0 to D6 and an increase in albumin and prealbumin from D3. There was a positive correlation between C reactive protein values and PINI on D0, D3 and D6. There was no significance difference between PINI and C reactive protein levels in the two study groups. In contrast, a significant difference was observed between albumin and prealbumin. These findings indicate that PINI is of little value for evaluation of inflammatory processes associated with malnutrition. The two main drawbacks of PINI are first that it is more sensitive to the inflammatory than nutritional factors and second that the physical and pharmakinetic parameters used for its calculation are too different.

[Voyage to Bahnars country, people living in the high plateaus of central Vietnam]. / Voyage au pays des Bahnars, Peuple des Hauts Plateaux du centre Vietnam.

Southeast Asia was born from the collision between the Indian subcontinent and mainland China. Vietnam owes its 54 ethnic groups and four languages to a succession of migrations over the milleniums. The high plateaus are inhabited by a multitude of small ethnic groups commonly referred to as the "Moi". Vietnamity and the Association for Aid to the Ethnic Minorities of Vietnam are dedicated to developing and implementing cooperative projects with Vietnam. Living in the remote hinterland, the now less than one million mountain people of the High Plateaus were untouched by Indian and Chinese influences and remained independent until French colonisation which had only minor effects on their culture. During an expedition to the high plateaus, a privileged group sent by Vietenamity encountered one of these peoples, the Bahnars. In the context of a village festival, the authors describe the traditional way of life and beliefs of the Bahnar people.