Browsing by Author "Lima, M."
Now showing 1 - 10 of 48
Results Per Page
Sort Options
- Adult mastocytosis: a review of the Santo António Hospital 's experience and an evaluation of World Health Organization criteria for the diagnosis of systemic diseasePublication . Fernandes, I.; Teixeira, M.; Freitas, I.; Selores, M.; Alves, R.; Lima, M.BACKGROUND: Mastocytosis is a clonal disorder characterized by the accumulation of abnormal mast cells in the skin and/or in extracutaneous organs. OBJECTIVES: To present all cases of mastocytosis seen in the Porto Hospital Center and evaluate the performance of World Health Organization diagnostic criteria for systemic disease. METHODS: The cases of twenty-four adult patients with mastocytosis were reviewed. Their clinical and laboratorial characteristics were assessed, and the properties of the criteria used to diagnose systemic mastocytosis were evaluated. RESULTS: The age of disease onset ranged from 2 to 75 years. Twenty-three patients had cutaneous involvement and 75% were referred by dermatologists. Urticaria pigmentosa was the most common manifestation of the disease. One patient with severe systemic mast cell mediator-related symptoms showed the activating V560G KIT mutation. The bone marrow was examined in 79% of patients, and mast cell immunophenotyping was performed in 67% of the participants. Systemic disease was detected in 84% of cases, and 81% of the sample had elevated serum tryptase levels. All the diagnostic criteria for systemic mastocytosis had high specificity and positive predictive value. Bone marrow biopsy had the lowest sensitivity, negative predictive value and efficiency, while the highest such values were observed for mast cell immunophenotyping. Patients were treated with regimens including antihistamines, sodium cromoglycate, alpha-interferon, hydroxyurea and phototherapy. CONCLUSIONS: Cutaneous involvement is often seen in adult mastocytosis patients, with most individuals presenting with indolent systemic disease. Although serum tryptase levels are a good indicator of mast cell burden, bone marrow biopsy should also be performed in patients with normal serum tryptase, with flow cytometry being the most adequate method to diagnose systemic disease.
- Aggressive mature natural killer cell neoplasms: from epidemiology to diagnosisPublication . Lima, M.Mature natural killer (NK) cell neoplasms are classified by the World Health Organization into NK/T cell lymphoma, nasal type (NKTCL), aggressive NK-cell leukemia (ANKCL) and chronic lymphoproliferative disorders of NK-cells, the latter being considered provisionally. NKTCL and ANKCL are rare diseases, with higher prevalence in Asia, Central and South America. Most NKTCL present extranodal, as a destructive tumor affecting the nose and upper aerodigestive tract (nasal NKTCL) or any organ or tissue (extranasal NKTCL) whereas ANKCL manifests as a systemic disease with multiorgan involvement and naturally evolutes to death in a few weeks. The histopathological hallmark of these aggressive NK-cell tumors is a polymorphic neoplastic infiltrate with angiocentricity, angiodestruction and tissue necrosis. The tumor cells have cytoplasmatic azurophilic granules and usually show a CD45+bright, CD2+, sCD3-, cytCD3epsilon+, CD56+bright, CD16−/+, cytotoxic granules molecules+ phenotype. T-cell receptor genes are in germ-line configuration. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) -encoded membrane proteins and early region EBV RNA are usually detected on lymphoma cells, with a pattern suggestive of a latent viral infection type II. Complex chromosomal abnormalities are frequent and loss of chromosomes 6q, 11q, 13q, and 17p are recurrent aberrations. The rarity of the NK-cell tumors limits our ability to standardize the procedures for the diagnosis and clinical management and efforts should be made to encourage multi-institutional registries.
- Bilateral orbital masses in a patient with B-cell chronic lymphPublication . Coelho, H.; Guerra, M.; Teixeira, M.; Canelhas, A.; Pinto-Ribeiro, A.; Lima, M.
- CD56-Negative Aggressive NK Cell Leukemia Relapsing as Multiple Cranial Nerve Palsies: Case Report and Literature ReviewPublication . Guerreiro, M.; Príncipe, F.; Teles, M.; Fonseca, S.; Santos, A.; Fonseca, E.; Gomes, P.; Marques, C.; Lima, M.Aggressive natural killer cell leukemia (ANKL) is extremely rare and habitually manifests as a systemic disease with multiorgan failure that rapidly evolves to death. The neoplastic natural killer (NK) cells usually harbor the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) with a latent viral infection pattern type II; they often have a cytoplasmic CD3ε+ and surface CD3-, CD2+, and CD56+ immunophenotype, and they show complex genetic abnormalities affecting multiple tumor suppressor genes and oncogenes. We present a rare case of CD56-negative ANKL and review the clinical and laboratorial criteria for the diagnosis, as well as the available therapies.
- Chemokine Receptor Expression on Normal Blood CD56(+) NK-Cells Elucidates Cell Partners That Comigrate during the Innate and Adaptive Immune Responses and Identifies a Transitional NK-Cell PopulationPublication . Lima, M.; Leander, M.; Santos, M.; Santos, A.; Lau, C.; Queirós, M.; Gonçalves, M.; Fonseca, S.; Moura, J.; Teixeira, M.; Orfao, A.Studies of chemokine receptors (CKR) in natural killer- (NK-) cells have already been published, but only a few gave detailed information on its differential expression on blood NK-cell subsets. We report on the expression of the inflammatory and homeostatic CKR on normal blood CD56(+low) CD16(+) and CD56(+high) CD16(-/+low) NK-cells. Conventional CD56(+low) and CD56(+high) NK-cells present in the normal PB do express CKR for inflammatory cytokines, although with different patterns CD56(+low) NK-cells are mainly CXCR1/CXCR2(+) and CXCR3/CCR5(-/+), whereas mostly CD56(+high) NK-cells are CXCR1/CXCR2(-) and CXCR3/CCR5(+). Both NK-cell subsets have variable CXCR4 expression and are CCR4(-) and CCR6(-). The CKR repertoire of the CD56(+low) NK-cells approaches to that of neutrophils, whereas the CKR repertoire of the CD56(+high) NK-cells mimics that of Th1(+) T cells, suggesting that these cells are prepared to migrate into inflamed tissues at different phases of the immune response. In addition, we describe a subpopulation of NK-cells with intermediate levels of CD56 expression, which we named CD56(+int) NK-cells. These NK-cells are CXCR3/CCR5(+), they have intermediate levels of expression of CD16, CD62L, CD94, and CD122, and they are CD57(-) and CD158a(-). In view of their phenotypic features, we hypothesize that they correspond to a transitional stage, between the well-known CD56(+high) and CD56(+low) NK-cells populations.
- CHEMOKINE RECEPTOR REPERTOIRE REFLECTS MATURE T-CELL LYMPHOPROLIFERATIVE DISORDER CLINICAL PRESENTATIONPublication . Moura, J.; Rodrigues, J.; Santos, A.; Teixeira, M.; Queirós, M.; Santos, M.; Gonçalves, M.; Fonseca, S.; Laranjeira, C.; Ribeiro, F.; Acosta, M.; Rodrigues, A.; Júnior, E.; Lima, M.The World Health Organisation classification of mature T-cell lymphoproliferative disorders, combines clinical, morphological and immunophenotypic data. The later majorly contributes for the classification, as well as to the understanding of the malignant T-cell behaviour. The fact that T-cell migration is regulated by chemokines should, in theory, enable us to identify tissue tropism and organ involvement by neoplastic Tcells, through monitoring of chemokine receptor surface expression.
- Circulating endothelial cells in patients with venous thromboembolism and myeloproliferative neoplasmsPublication . Torres, C.; Fonseca, A.; Leander, M.; Matos, R.; Morais, S.; Campos, M.; Lima, M.Background Circulating endothelial cells (CEC) may be a biomarker of vascular injury and pro-thrombotic tendency, while circulating endothelial progenitor cells (CEP) may be an indicator for angiogenesis and vascular remodelling. However, there is not a universally accepted standardized protocol to identify and quantify these cells and its clinical relevancy remains to be established. Objectives To quantify CEC and CEP in patients with venous thromboembolism (VTE) and with myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN), to characterize the CEC for the expression of activation (CD54, CD62E) and procoagulant (CD142) markers and to investigate whether they correlate with other clinical and laboratory data. Patients and Methods Sixteen patients with VTE, 17 patients with MPN and 20 healthy individuals were studied. The CEC and CEP were quantified and characterized in the blood using flow cytometry, and the demographic, clinical and laboratory data were obtained from hospital records. Results We found the CEC counts were higher in both patient groups as compared to controls, whereas increased numbers of CEP were found only in patients with MPN. In addition, all disease groups had higher numbers of CD62E+ CEC as compared to controls, whereas only patients with VTE had increased numbers of CD142+ and CD54+ CEC. Moreover, the numbers of total and CD62+ CEC correlated positively with the white blood cells (WBC) counts in both groups of patients, while the numbers of CEP correlated positively with the WBC counts only in patients with MPN. In addition, in patients with VTE a positive correlation was found between the numbers of CD54+ CEC and the antithrombin levels, as well as between the CD142+ CEC counts and the number of thrombotic events. Conclusions Our study suggests that CEC counts may reveal endothelial injury in patients with VTE and MPN and that CEC may express different activation-related phenotypes depending on the disease status.
- Classification and clinical behavior of blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasms according to their maturation-associated immunophenotypic profilePublication . Martín-Martín, L.; López, A.; Vidriales, B.; Caballero, M.; Rodrigues, A.; Ferreira, S.; Lima, M.; Almeida, S.; Valverde, B.; Martínez, P.; Ferrer, A.; Candeias, J.; Ruíz-Cabello, F.; Buadesa, J.; Sempere, A.; Villamor, N.; Orfao, A.; Almeida, J.Blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN) is a rare subtype of leukemia/lymphoma, whose diagnosis can be difficult to achieve due to its clinical and biological heterogeneity, as well as its overlapping features with other hematologic malignancies. In this study we investigated whether the association between the maturational stage of tumor cells and the clinico-biological and prognostic features of the disease, based on the analysis of 46 BPDCN cases classified into three maturation-associated subgroups on immunophenotypic grounds. Our results show that blasts from cases with an immature plasmacytoid dendritic cell (pDC) phenotype exhibit an uncommon CD56- phenotype, coexisting with CD34+ non-pDC tumor cells, typically in the absence of extramedullary (e.g. skin) disease at presentation. Conversely, patients with a more mature blast cell phenotype more frequently displayed skin/extramedullary involvement and spread into secondary lymphoid tissues. Despite the dismal outcome, acute lymphoblastic leukemia-type therapy (with central nervous system prophylaxis) and/or allogeneic stem cell transplantation appeared to be the only effective therapies. Overall, our findings indicate that the maturational profile of pDC blasts in BPDCN is highly heterogeneous and translates into a wide clinical spectrum -from acute leukemia to mature lymphoma-like behavior-, which may also lead to variable diagnosis and treatment.
- Conceção, redação e publicação de artigos científicos - Conceção de artigos científicosPublication . Lima, M.Neste primeiro artigo, de quatro que integram a rubrica “CONCEÇÃO, REDAÇÃO E PUBLICAÇÃO DE ARTIGOS CIENTÍFICOS” da secção “EDUCAÇÃO CIENTÍFICA” da revista “NASCER E CRESCER” fazemos algumas reflexões sobre as etapas que devem preceder a redação de um artigo científico, tendo em vista a sua publicação numa revista de edição periódica.
- Conceção, redação e publicação de artigos científicos - Nota introdutóriaPublication . Lima, M.Redigir um bom artigo científico não é uma tarefa fácil. Para além de conhecer o assunto no seu todo, como nas suas partes, ter inspiração, ser criativo e ter ideias originais, é necessário que o autor tenha conhecimentos técnicos e domine as ferramentas na arte da comunicação científica escrita, além de treino e experiência prévia. Nesta rubrica “CONCEÇÃO, REDAÇÃO E PUBLICAÇÃO DE ARTIGOS CIENTÍFICOS” da secção “EDUCAÇÃO CIENTÍFICA” da revista “NASCER E CRESCER”, abordaremos de uma forma pragmática alguns pontos a ser considerados antes e durante a redação de um artigo científico, assim como durante o processo de submissão para publicação. Integrarão esta rubrica quatro artigos: no primeiro artigo abordaremos os aspetos a considerar antes da redação de um artigo científico, tendo em vista a sua futura publicação numa revista de edição periódica; no segundo e terceiro artigos, focaremos as questões relativas à estrutura e conteúdo e ao tamanho e forma, respetivamente; no quarto e último artigo, informaremos sobre o processo de submissão de um artigo para publicação.