Inhibition of nuclear factor kappaB activation by IkappaBSR gene transfer improves transplanted lung graft oxygenation, decreases pulmonary edema and neutrophil sequestration, and reduces apoptotic cell death after experimental lung transplantation.

Summary An enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for detection of serum IgG antibodies against Tween 20‐extracted antigen of strain ATCC 6939 was applied in Hidaka, Japan to a total of 752 sick foals showing a variety of signs of infectious disease. An optical density (OD) value of more than 0.3 was tentatively fixed to be positive on the basis of readings made of healthy horse sera in previous studies. During a 2 year study, 138 of the 752 sick foals showed an OD value of 0.3 or higher and were designated as ‘suspected of R. equi infection’. Age distribution during the initial medical examination of the 138 seropositive foals was significant in that most (64%) foals were age 31–60 days, with a sharp decrease in subjects beyond that age. Of the 138 foals suspected of having R. equi infection, 34 foals (25%) showed OD values of over 0.9 at the initial medical examination, in addition to high blood leucocyte counts and serum fibrinogen and alpha‐globulin values. The infectious foals had been treated with antibiotics just before and after serodiagnosis and 126 foals (91%) recovered from the disease. However, no clinical improvement was observed in 12 foals (9%). At necropsy, these foals revealed suppurative pneumonia and lymphadenitis of gut associated lymph nodes accompanied by abdominal abscesses. All isolates from the pulmonary and abdominal abscesses revealed R. equi. These results suggest that OD readings in the high range are associated with severe disseminated infection with R. equi.

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To study the pathogenesis of multicentric Castleman's disease (MCD), IL-6 producing cells and immune function were investigated in four MCD patients. The expression of IL-6 mRNA in one MCD lymph node was analysed by in situ hybridization. IL-6 mRNA expressing cells were scattered in the interfollicular areas and did not resemble plasma cells. Spontaneous IL-6 production was detected in the culture supernatants of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMNC) from four patients. The IL-6 producing cells among the PBMNC were found to be monocytes by both in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry. We evaluated immune function in four MCD patients. These studies show: (1) a negative PPD skin test in 3/4 patients, (2) decreased IL-2 production in 3/4 patients, (3) decreased T cell colony formation in 3/4 patients, (4) decreased NK activity and NK cell number in 2/4 patients, (5) increased soluble IL-2 receptor in 4/4 patients, and (6) decreased CD4/CD8 ratio in 3/4 patients. These results show that MCD resembles, in several ways, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).

The case of a 70-year-old man with a hitherto undescribed pleural mesothelioma is reported. The tumor was localized in the left lung apex and had invaded the parietal pleura. Histologically, the tumor was characterized by a proliferation of epithelioid cells and the formation of microcysts. The tumor cells were positive for calretinin and vimentin, and possessed abundant microvilli, indicating a mesothelial cell origin for the tumor. A high Ki-67 index and mitotic index, and the recurrence of the tumor after surgery, indicated malignancy. Based on the evidence, we propose that the tumor is a microcystic variant of a localized malignant mesothelioma.