Monoclonal Antibody Therapy against Acinetobacter baumannii.

Extremely drug-resistant (XDR) Acinetobacter baumannii is a notorious and frequently encountered pathogen demanding novel therapeutic interventions. An initial monoclonal antibody (MAb), C8, raised against A. baumannii capsule, proved a highly effective treatment against a minority of clinical isolates. To overcome this limitation, we broadened coverage by developing a second antibody for use in a combination regimen. We sought to develop an additional anti-A. baumannii MAb through hybridoma technology by immunizing mice with sublethal inocula of virulent, XDR clinical isolates not bound by MAb C8. We identified a new antibacterial MAb, 65, which bound to strains in a pattern distinct from and complementary to that of MAb C8. MAb 65 enhanced macrophage opsonophagocytosis of targeted strains and markedly improved survival in lethal bacteremic sepsis and aspiration pneumonia murine models of A. baumannii infection. MAb 65 was also synergistic with colistin, substantially enhancing protection compared to monotherapy. Treatment with MAb 65 significantly reduced blood bacterial density, ameliorated cytokine production (interleukin-1ß [IL-1ß], IL-6, IL-10, and tumor necrosis factor), and sepsis biomarkers. We describe a novel MAb targeting A. baumannii that broadens immunotherapeutic strain coverage, is highly potent and effective, and synergistically improves outcomes in combination with antibiotics.

Fungal Sinusitis.

Fungal sinusitis is characterized into invasive and noninvasive forms. The invasive variety is further classified into acute, chronic and granulomatous forms; and the noninvasive variety into fungus ball and allergic fungal sinusitis. Each of these different forms has a unique radiologic appearance. The clinicopathologic and corresponding radiologic spectrum and differences in treatment strategies of fungal sinusitis make it an important diagnosis for clinicians and radiologists to always consider. This is particularly true of invasive fungal sinusitis, which typically affects immuno compromised patients and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Early diagnosis allows initiation of appropriate treatment strategies resulting in favorable outcome.

Distribution and ZAP-70 expression of WHO lymphoma categories in Shanxi, China: a review of 447 cases using a tissue microarray technique.

This study aims to assess the distribution of lymphoma subtypes in Shanxi, China, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) classification, and to compare the relative distribution with other areas of the world. H&E-stained tissue sections from the archives of the Shanxi Tumor Hospital, China, were reviewed and 447 cases with sufficient materials were selected for detailed study. A panel of antibodies and probes was assembled, including antibodies to ALK1, bcl-6, CDs 1alpha, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 15, 20, 23, 30, 43, 56, 68, 79alpha, and 99, cyclin D1, EMA, kappa, lambda, LMP1, PAX5, TdT, Vs38C and ZAP70, plus EBER RNA probe by in situ hybridization. The 447 lymphoma cases, subtyped according to the WHO classification, were assembled in triplicate into 11 tissue microarrays and examined with the panel of markers described. Among the 447 cases, 385 (82.6%) were confirmed to be non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL) and 62 (13.9%) were Hodgkin lymphomas of classic type (CHL). Of the NHL cases, 68.6% were B-cell lymphomas and 30.6% T/NK-cell lymphomas. Histiocytic neoplasms accounted for only three cases (0.8%). Diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (DLBCL) were the most common subtype (35.1%), followed by peripheral T-cell lymphomas unspecified (PTun, 12.0%), extranodal marginal zone B-cell lymphomas (MALT lymphomas, 11.7%), follicular lymphomas (FL, 8.6%), T-lymphoblastic lymphomas (T-LBL, 7.0%), anaplastic large cell lymphomas (ALCL, 4.2%), B small lymphocytic lymphomas (B SLL, 3.6%), and mantle cell lymphomas (MCL, 2.6%). Of 263 B-cell neoplasms, 105 (39.9%) expressed immunoglobulin light chain, including 52 kappa and 53 lambda, detectable in paraffin sections. The incidence of DLBCL was similar to many Western countries and Asia. The frequency of FL was, however, much lower than the usual pattern in Western countries, although NK/T-cell lymphomas were more common (30.6%), similar to other countries in Asia, including Japan and Korea. With regard to markers of EBV infection, 8 of 385 (2.1%) NHL cases gave positive findings by both in situ hybridization (EBER RNA) and immunohistochemistry (LMP-1), whereas 24 (6.2%) expressed only the EBER and 12 (3.1%) expressed only LMP-1. EBV positivity was found in 24 of 119 (20.2%) T and NK cell lymphomas, in 20 of 263 (7.6%) B cell neoplasms, and in 37 of 62 (59.7%) CHLs. In CHLs there was complete concordance of results by both in situ hybridization (EBER RNA) and immunohistochemistry (LMP-1) procedures. ZAP70 was detected in most T cell-lineage disorders (61.4%) and also in a subset of B small lymphocytic lymphomas (50%). However, ZAP-70 was expressed in a minority of other types of B-cell lymphomas, including precursor B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (25%), diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (26.7%), follicular lymphoma (15.2%), and lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma (9.1%). Immunohistochemical analysis represents an effective method for assessing ZAP-70 expression and reveals that a variety of B-cell malignant neoplasms express ZAP-70, albeit at low frequency.

Different effects of genistein and resveratrol on oxidative DNA damage in vitro.

Previous studies have demonstrated that phenolic compounds, including genistein (4',5,7-trihydroxyisoflavone) and resveratrol (3,4',5-trihydroxystilbene), are able to protect against carcinogenesis in animal models. This study was undertaken to examine the ability of genistein and resveratrol to inhibit reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated strand breaks in phi X-174 plasmid DNA. H(2)O(2)/Cu(II) and hydroquinone/Cu(II) were used to cause oxidative DNA strand breaks in the plasmid DNA. We demonstrated that the presence of genistein at micromolar concentrations resulted in a marked inhibition of DNA strand breaks induced by either H(2)O(2)/Cu(II) or hydroquinone/Cu(II). Genistein neither affected the Cu(II)/Cu(I) redox cycle nor reacted with H(2)O(2) suggest that genistein may directly scavenge the ROS that participate in the induction of DNA strand breaks. In contrast to the inhibitory effects of genistein, the presence of resveratrol at similar concentrations led to increased DNA strand breaks induced by H(2)O(2)/Cu(II). Further studies showed that in the presence of Cu(II), resveratrol, but not genistein was able to cause DNA strand breaks. Moreover, both Cu(II)/Cu(I) redox cycle and H(2)O(2) were shown to be critically involved in resveratrol/copper-mediated DNA strand breaks. The above results indicate that despite their similar in vivo anticarcinogenic effects, genistein and resveratrol appear to exert different effects on oxidative DNA damage in vitro.