HTLV-I-associated leukemia/lymphoma in South Florida

Article Abstract:

HTLV-I (human T-lymphotropic virus type-I) is involved in the development of adult T-cell leukemia (ATL). In individuals who are infected with HTLV-I, the lifetime risk of developing ATL is 4 percent. There are sporadic and clustered cases of ATL in the United States, especially in the east. At the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital Medical Center in south Florida, between February 1988 and July 1989, 10 of 66 cases (15 percent) of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma were diagnosed as ATL. All the patients originated from islands of the Caribbean, including Haiti, Jamaica and the Bahamas, where the incidence of HTLV-I infection is high. In all the cases of ATL, the lymphomas were aggressive and metastasized to various areas of the body. Eight of the patients died within one year of diagnosis. The 10 patients with ATL were positive for HTLV-I and negative for the human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1, which causes AIDS), as determined by testing for antibodies in the blood. DNA, the genetic material of cells, was analyzed in the tumor cells, which were shown to contain HTLV-I. Further analysis revealed that the virus was integrated in the host DNA at a particular site; this indicates the possibility of HTLV-I involvement in tumor formation. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Causes of, Complications and side effects, Non-Hodgkin's lymphomas, Retroviruses, HTLV infections

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Effects of interleukin-1 and interleukin-1 receptor antagonist in AIDS-Kaposi's sarcoma

Article Abstract:

A naturally-occurring chemical called interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra) might be useful in treating Kaposi's sarcoma. Kaposi's sarcoma is a type of skin tumor that occurs in as many as 30% of HIV-infected people. Several growth factors are expressed in the tumor, including interleukin-1 (IL-1), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and a growth factor called bFGF. Researchers tested the effect of IL-1 alone and in combination with IL-1ra on cell cultures of Kaposi's sarcoma tissue. IL-1 stimulated cell growth, but this effect was blocked by IL-1ra. IL-1 also stimulated IL-6 and bFGF, but expression of these chemicals was also blocked by IL-1ra. IL-1ra blocks the cell receptor for IL-1, which prevents IL-1 from stimulating cell growth. It is being tested in other diseases involving IL-1 secretion, including septic shock and rheumatoid arthritis.

Research, Kaposi's sarcoma, Interleukin-1

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Clinical spectrum of HTLV-I in South Florida

Article Abstract:

There may be many immigrants in South Florida who are infected with the human T-cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-I) but have no symptoms. HTLV-I causes adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL) and HTLV-I-associated myelopathy (HAM), a muscular disorder characterized by weakness and spastic movements. Doctors at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami diagnosed 40 cases of ATLL and 63 cases of HAM between Jan 1988 and Mar 1993. All of the ATLL patients and 87% of the HAM patients were black and many were from the Caribbean islands. Eight of the HAM patients had other autoimmune diseases including rheumatoid arthritis, polymyositis and discoid lupus. All but seven of the ATLL patients died during the study period. Several were treated with AZT and interferon, which is an experimental treatment. HAM patients were treated with danazol.

Health aspects, Florida, HTLV-I infections, Paraparesis, Tropical spastic, Tropical spastic paraparesis

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