SummaryFollowing a human leucocyte antigen (HLA)-identical allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT), minor histocompatibility antigens (mHags) play an important role in the induction of graft-versus-leukaemia (GvL) and graftversus-myeloma (GvM). Many mHags show ubiquitous tissue expression and are associated with GvL and graft-versus-host disease. Here we describe a cytotoxic CD4 + T lymphocyte line and a cytotoxic, CD4 + T cell clone (CTC), 3AB11, which recognized a tissue-restricted mHag. This CTC was isolated from a multiple myeloma patient with clinical GvM following an HLAmatched allo-SCT. CTC 3AB11 was activated in a HLA-DP*0401 restricted fashion and the antigen was expressed by 27% of HLA-DP*0401 positive
Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-transformed B-cell lines (EBV-B). Tissue distribution analysis of antigen 3AB11 showed it to be expressed by patient-derived EBV-transformed B cell lines (EBVp), the myeloma plasma cell-line UM9 and monocytes. It was weakly expressed by peripheral bloodderived phytohaemagglutinin-induced T-cell blasts and absent on CD40L stimulated peripheral B (CD40L B) cells and stromal cells. The relatively high prevalence of the HLA class II-restricted 3AB11 antigen, together with its apparent haematopoietic-restricted expression, makes it an antigen of interest for cellular immunotherapy.
relapse-free survival. 4 It may therefore mean that the degree of remission achieved after DLI and not the kind of conditioning regimen preceding allografting would determine the durability of response. We have reported two cases of DLI-induced molecular remissions in myeloma patients.
5RIC allografting provides the foundation for adoptive immunotherapy with DLI. In a bid to achieve complete molecular remissions, DLI may be combined with prior chemotherapy or concomitant immunomodulatory drugs such as interferon alpha or thalidomide.
Objective: To report the prevalence of Gardnerella, Trichomonas and Candida in the cervical smears of 9 immigrant groups participating in the Dutch national cervical screening program. Study Design: Cervical smears were taken from 58,904 immigrant participants and 498,405 Dutch participants. As part of the routine screening process, all smears were screened for the overgrowth of Gardnerella (i.e. smears with an abundance of clue cells) and for the presence of Trichomonas and Candida. The smears were screened by 6 laboratories, all of which use the Dutch KOPAC coding system. The odds ratio and confidence interval were calculated for the 9 immigrant groups and compared to Dutch participants. Results: Immigrants from Suriname, Turkey and the Dutch Antilles have a 2–5 times higher prevalence of Gardnerella and Trichomonas when compared to native Dutch women. Interestingly, the prevalence of Trichomonas in cervical smears of Moroccan immigrants is twice as high, yet the prevalence of Gardnerella is 3 times lower than in native Dutch women. Conclusions: Immigrants with a high prevalence of Gardnerella also have a high prevalence of Trichomonas. In the context of the increased risk of squamous abnormalities in smears with Gardnerella, such slides should be screened with extra care.
SUMMARYCytotoxic T cells play an important role in graft-versus -host-disease (GvHD) and graft-versusleukaemia/myeloma, which may occur in patients treated with an allogeneic stem cell transplantation (ASCT). Here, we describe the selection of a myeloma reactive CD4 + cytotoxic T cell-line (CTL) and two CD4 + clones from this CTL. The CTL was generated from the blood from a patient with multiple myeloma (MM) with graft versus myeloma/GvHD, following an ASCT. The CTL was stimulated using irradiated peripheral blood mononuclear cells and EBV transformed B cells from the myeloma patient (EBV p ), both of which were obtained prior to ASCT. Both the CTL and the two T cell clones specifically lysed EBV p and secreted IFN-g after coculture with EBVp and autologous myeloma tumour cells in a class II restricted fashion. These results show that myeloma tumour cells and autologous B cells present a common polymorphic peptide that functions as a target for graft derived cytotoxic T cells. Identification of these proteins will give insight into the relationship between graft versus myeloma (GvM) and GvHD and may provide immunotherapeutical targets in the treatment of MM.
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