Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0851184 (thinning)
 11,252 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Highly purified antibodies to two ubiquitous components of basement membrane, type IV collagen and laminin, were applied to both fresh-frozen and formalin-fixed tissue sections of a variety of invasive carcinomas, carcinomas in situ, and their "look-alike" benign counterparts. These included lesions of the breast (infiltrating ductal carcinoma, comedocarcinoma, and sclerosing adenosis); lesions of the skin (squamous cell carcinoma, Bowen's disease, and pseudoepitheliomatous hyperplasia); lesions of the pancreas (adenocarcinoma and pancreatitis); lesions of the prostate (adenocarcinoma and benign prostatic hyperplasia); and other epithelial lesions of the invasive, in situ, and benign category. By both immunofluorescence and immunoperoxidase techniques, benign and in situ lesions showed intact basement membranes with linear staining of type IV collagen and laminin. The majority of invasive carcinomas, in contrast, lacked immunoreactivity for both of these basement membrane components. In cases of in situ carcinoma with microinvasion, there was thinning, fragmentation, and disruption of the basement membrane in the foci of microinvasion but not elsewhere. Utilizing antibodies to type IV collagen and laminin aids in both understanding the pathophysiology of the invasive process and the recognition of its presence in tissue sections.
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PMID:Loss of basement membrane components by invasive tumors but not by their benign counterparts. 634 6

Controlled clinical trials in renal transplantation have demonstrated that mycophenolate mofetil is well tolerated and has lower renal transplant rejection rates than azathioprine regimens. This study reports on the clinical experiences at two institutions with mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) for severe lupus nephritis. Twelve patients with relapsing or resistant nephritis previously treated with cyclophosphamide therapy and one patient who refused cyclophosphamide as initial therapy for diffuse proliferative nephritis but accepted MMF were included. During combined MMF/prednisone therapy, serum creatinine values remained normal or declined from elevated values: mean change in serum creatinine was -0.26+/-0.46 microM/L, P = 0.039. Proteinuria significantly decreased: mean change in urine protein-to-creatinine ratios was -2.53+/-3.76, P = 0.039. Decreased serum complement component C3 and elevated anti-double-stranded DNA antibody levels at baseline improved in some, but not all, patients. The mean initial dose of MMF was 0.92 g/d (range, 0.5 to 2 g/d). The mean duration of therapy was 12.9 mo (range, 3 to 24 mo). Adverse events included herpes simplex stomatitis associated with severe leukopenia (n = 1), asymptomatic leukopenia (n = 2), nausea/ diarrhea (n = 2), thinning of scalp hair (n = 1), pancreatitis (n = 1), and pneumonia without leukopenia (n = 1). Recurrence of the pancreatitis led to discontinuation of MMF in this patient; all other adverse events resolved with dose reduction. It is concluded that MMF is well tolerated and has possible efficacy in controlling major renal manifestations of systemic lupus erythematosus. Controlled clinical trials are needed to define the role of MMF in the management of lupus nephritis.
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PMID:Mycophenolate mofetil therapy in lupus nephritis: clinical observations. 1020 68