The characteristics of the development of the immune function in the transplanted spleen of newborn mouse pups in recipients of different ages. 2. The effect of the thymus on the functional development of the transplant]

The effect of the neonatal thymus grafting or "Thymostimulin" administration on the cellularity, cell composition, immune, response to SRBC and proliferative activity of T- and B-cells in vitro were determined in neonatal spleen grafted CBA/Ca female mice of different ages. Analysis of the thymus graft effect on the T- and B-cells content in the spleen transplant from the adult and old recipients demonstrated no differences. The neonatal thymus grafting led to the essential increase of the immune response, spleen cellularity and to the diametrically opposed changing from negative to positive of the sign of the correlation coefficient between the T-cells content and the cellularity of the neonatal spleen in the old recipients. The similar effect of the neonatal thymus grafting was revealed in respect of correlative connection between content of the T-cells and PFCs in spleen grafted to the old recipients too. The "Thymostimulin" injection led only to the increase of the spleen transplant cellularity. These results suggests that the young thymic microenvironment is essential for the normal T-cells differentiation and for its normal function in the neonatal spleen transplant.     

Effects of a permanent magnetic field on 45Ca2+ ion influx in excitable and inexcitable cells and proliferative activity of rat spleen cells

When experimental animals were exposed to Permanent Magnetic Fields with magnetic induction (B = 0.2 T), the influx of 45Ca2+ ions into brain cells was activated, but the influx of 45Ca2+ ions into spleen cells was depressed. Similar effect was observed upon incubation of brain and spleen tissues in magnetized physiological solution. Incorporation of 3H-thymidine into spleen cells increased upon direct exposition to magnetic field and upon exposition of the spleen in magnetized physiological solution as well.     

Short-term beneficial effect of deprenyl monotherapy in early Parkinson''s disease: a quantitative assessment

We report a case of giant ectopic pelvic spleen combined with an accessory spleen and confirmed by liver-spleen scan, angiography, magnetic resonance imaging, and surgical findings. In various reviews of the literature, no ectopic pelvic spleen larger than this one has been reported.     

Cysts and pseudocysts of the spleen in children

A cyst in the upper pole of the spleen was diagnosed in three children. In all the pole of the spleen was resected -in two instances it contained a cyst, in one a pseudocyst. The postoperative course was without complications. All patients had scintigraphic check-up examinations, in all three instances functional lienal tissue was found which did not differ much as to its size from that of a normal spleen. In cysts situated in the splenic pole the authors consider partial resection of the affected portion of the spleen as the optimal surgical method. In cysts of other portions of the spleen it would be better to select a different surgical procedure, e.g. enucleation of the cysts, partial decapsulation of the cyst or percutaneous puncture of the cyst combined, if necessary, with sclerotization.     

Idiotypic specificities of rabbit anti-Salmonella abortus-equi antibodies produced by spleen cell clones involved in successive transfers in irradiated rabbits

Rabbits irradiated with 750 rad were reconstituted with different amounts of spleen cells from the same donor previously immunized against Salmonella abortus-equi (S. a. e.). Two limited numbers of spleen cell clones producing anti-S. a. e. antibodies were respectively expressed in two recipients of the smallest amount (5 x 10(6)) of donor spleen cells. We tried to propagate these spleen cell clones in two new sets of irradiated recipients. We prepared antiidiotypic sera with the anti-S. a. e. serum of respectively (1) the initial donor of the cells, (2) the two intermediate recipients in which a restricted number of spleen cell clones were expressed and (3) one rabbit from each of the second two sets of recipients in which it seemed, as judged by the anti-S. a. e. antibody spectrotypes, we succeeded in propagating these spleen cell clones. With these antiidiotypic sera, we looked for the spleen cell donor idiotypes in the anti-S. a. e. serum of the diverse recipients and vice versa. Recipients of 1 x 10(8) or 2.5 x 10(7) spleen cells produced anti-S. a. e. antibodies with a spectrotype as heterogeneous as the spectrotype of antibodies produced by the donor. These antibodies carried the idiotypic pattern of the donor's antibodies, which was revealed by a given antiidiotypic serum, and the donor's allotypic patterns. The two recipients of 5 x 10(6) spleen cells which were used as intermediate spleen cell donors for the two new sets of irradiated rabbits produced antibodies of restricted heterogeneity which carried donor's allotypic patterns but not the idiotypic pattern of the donor's antibodies (revealed by a given antiidiotypic serum). We observed during these two successive spleen cell clone transfers the expression, in the irradiated recipients, of several idiotypes of anti-S. a. e. antibodies which were not detected in the anti-S. a. e. serum of the spleen cell donor and sometimes even not in the anti-S. a. e. serum of the intermediate donor. The antibodies we studied were produced by the donor's spleen cells as they carried donor allotypic patterns and came from bleedings made one week after transfer, a time which is not sufficient for irradiated rabbits used as controls to recover their aptitude to mount an antibody response after the damages caused by the irradiation. Presumably, spleen cell clones which did not produce antibodies in the donor were recruited to produce antibodies during the successive transfers. These spleen cell clones might have been kept silent in the donor by the clonal dominance phenomenon, this dominance being broken or totally changed during the transfers.     

Laparoscopic fenestration of symptomatic solid spleen cyst with harmonic scalpel instrument

The treatment of two operated solid splenic cysts has been reported by authors. Laparoscopic cyst fenestration has been demonstrated to be a useful alternative method to open surgery. The aim of the authors was to analyse the use of Ultracision Harmonic Scalpel in two spleen preserving procedures. Cysts were located in the superior and the anterior-inferior pole of the spleen. Cyst wall not covered by spleen tissues was removed, drain was left in the abdomen. In the demonstrating spleen cyst operation the advantages of HS instrument was the clean operating field, correct coagulation of cyst wall, short hospital stay. Authors believe that this new technology will make it easier and more desirable for surgeons to fenestrate symptomatic spleen cysts.     

Laparoscopic splenopexy for pediatric wandering spleen

Wandering spleen is an uncommon condition, showing a splenic hypermobility that results from laxity or maldevelopment of its suspensory ligament. This condition results in constant danger of splenic torsion and infarction. Wandering spleen was diagnosed in a 2-year-old girl who complained of intermittent abdominal pain, and viability of the spleen was confirmed by doppler ultrasound scan. Elective laparoscopic splenopexy was performed by anchoring the spleen wrapped in absorbable mesh. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of laparoscopic splenopexy for wandering spleen. The authors believe that this approach is a safe and effective procedure for wandering spleen with the advantage of minimally invasive surgery.     

Dynamic MR imaging of splenic tumor

Inflammatory pseudotumor and hemangioma of the spleen are rare benign tumors, and MRI findings of splenic diseases have been reported only rarely. We recently observed three patients with inflammatory pseudotumor and hemangioma of the spleen. Abdominal ultrasonography, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and angiography demonstrated within the enlarged spleen. MRI and dynamic MRI after administration of gadolinium DTPA provide the characterization of the splenic tumor.     

Prognosis of residual spleen after partial splenic embolization for the treatment of hypersplenism in cirrhosis

The aim of this study was to elusidate the change in residual spleen volume after partial splenic embolization (PSE) in 43 cirrhotic patients with marked hypersplenism. Residual spleen volume was indicated as the rate (%) of residual spleen to initial spleen before PSE. Furthermore, the platelet count after PSE was observed in 23 patients followed up for 2 years. Residual spleen volume in patients with infarction rates of more than 80% (group A) had been maintained within 20 % even after 2 years, while they had obviously increased during the early stage after PSE in patients with infarction rates under 80% (group B), especially in patients with lower infarction rates (under 60%). Mean platelet count improved significantly in both groups after PSE (p < 0.001, respectively), but increased more in group A than in group B (p < 0.01). High fever and abdominal pain were observed in all cases of PSE. Other adverse effects such as pleural effusion and ascites that were frequent in group A were transient. These results suggest that PSE performed with a high infarction rate of the spleen provides effective, long-lasting results in the treatment of hypersplenism in cirrhosis.     

Wandering spleen in childhood: a report of three cases

Wandering spleen is a rare cause of abdominal pain in children, and an accurate diagnosis is seldom made preoperatively. A splenectomy is the treatment of choice in cases of splenic torsion and infarction, while in patients with chronic symptoms splenopexy may also be attempted. We herein report three patients with wandering spleen, of whom two presented with acute torsion of the splenic pedicle and one demonstrated an asymptomatic mobile abdominal mass. In the first case splenopexy was attempted, but during follow-up the spleen was found to have undergone atrophy. The presentation, diagnostic procedures, and treatment modalities in pediatric wandering spleen are reviewed.     

Splenectomy and sparing surgery of the spleen

In 1958-1993 the authors made at the Second Surgical Clinic in Bratislava 357 splenectomies on account of haematological diseases and four conservative operations of the spleen. They consider it inevitable to seek accessory spleens and to drain the left subphrenic space. Analysis of long-term results revealed that clinical and laboratory remission was achieved in particular in lienal types of destruction. The authors draw attention to the possibility of preserving the spleen or its part in some lienal diseases such as pseudocysts and cysts of non-parasitic origin. In conservative operations of the spleen the use of the fibrin glue. Tissuecol, is of basic importance. It was shown that 25-30% of the original tissue suffices to preserve complete function of the spleen.     

Association of oligodendroglioma-like cell proliferation and angiomatous vasculature--coincidence or pathogenetically related lesions?

Iatrogenic injuries of spleen complicating left transperitoneal nephrectomy are the third reason of the injury of the spleen during abdominal surgery. This article deals with procedure of surgical freeing of file spleen from its fixing system with aim to avoid of its injury. Authors revalue all cases of left nephrectomy which was complicated with splenectomy, on their urology department during last ten years.     

Polyclonal stimulation of lymphocytes by macrophages

To analyze the interaction between macrophages and splenic lymphocytes with reference to time and concentration, the Mishell-Dutton system was divided into two experimental steps. Step 1 consisted of the cocultivation of spleen cells with various doses of macrophages for different periods of time, while in step 2 macrophages were removed, spleen cells transferred to fresh petri dishes and cultivated until plaque assay. Cocultivation of spleen cells with high doses of macrophages for 4--8 h markedly enhanced the DNA synthesis and plaque-forming cell (PFC) response of sheep red blood cell-stimulated and unstimulated cultures. A cocultivation longer than 24 h resulted in an inhibition of both DNA synthesis and PFC response of spleen cells. These studies suggest a nonspecific function of macrophages on proliferation and differentiation processes in antibody formation.     

Significant contribution of spleen cells in mediating the lethal effects of endotoxin in vivo

Two closely related, histocompatible mouse strains that have marked differences in both in vitro and in vivo responses to endotoxin were used to evaluate the contribution of lymphoid cells to the lethal effect of endotoxin. C3H/HeJ mice are endotoxin resistant, whereas C3H/HeN mice are endotoxin sensitive. In vitro spleen cell mitogenic responses to endotoxin were similar in untreated mice and in mice that received sublethal irradiation (450 R) followed by reconstitution with autologous spleen cells. Reconstitution with spleen cells from the related strain produced chimeric animals with spleen cell mitogenic activity like that of the donor strain. When chimeric animals were subjected to a lethal challenge of endotoxin, their response was markedly altered by the transferred lymphoid cells. C3H/HeJ animals reconstituted with C3H/HeN cells became more endotoxin sensitive, whereas C3H/HeJ cells became more endotoxin resistant. These results indicate that spleen cells play a significant, detrimental role in endotoxin-induced lethality.     

Wandering spleen presenting as duodenal obstruction after repair of congenital diaphragmatic hernia

The most common presentation of the wandering spleen in children is torsion with infarction. Duodenal obstruction by the spleen has not been reported previously. Wandering spleen can accompany congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) because of its loss of retroperitoneal fixation. If absence of normal splenic fixation is found during repair of CDH, splenopexy should be performed to eliminate the risk of torsion, infarction, or, as described here, duodenal obstruction.     

Mesenteric lymph node T cells but not splenic T cells maintain their proliferative response to concanavalin-A following peroral infection with Toxoplasma gondii

The suppression of T cell responsiveness which occurs after infection with Toxoplasma gondii in mice has been widely studied using spleen cells. Because the natural route of infection with T. gondii is the peroral route, we examined the proliferative responses of mesenteric lymph node (MLN) cells, in addition to spleen cells, to Concanavalin-A (Con-A) in mice perorally infected with T. gondii. Proliferative responses of spleen cells were significantly suppressed seven and ten days after infection when compared with spleen cells from uninfected mice (62% and 91% reduction, respectively). In contrast, proliferative responses of MLN cells from these infected mice did not differ from those of normal MLN cells. Since IFN-gamma-induced reactive nitrogen intermediate (RNI) production has been reported to play a major role in suppression of proliferative responses in spleen cells of infected mice, we compared production of IFN-gamma and RNI by spleen and MLN cells following infection. MLN cells produced as much IFN-gamma as did spleen cells, but produced 70% less nitrite (as a measure of RNI) after Con-A stimulation. Proliferative responses of MLN cells were suppressed when co-cultured with spleen cells from infected mice, and addition of an inhibitor of RNI to these co-culture inhibited this suppression, suggesting that reduced RNI production by MLN cells contributes to their maintenance of higher proliferative responses. These results demonstrated a clear difference in activity of T cells in the MLN and spleen during the acute stage of the infection.     

Clinical and roentgenographic findings in splenic abscess

A splenic abscess developed in a 16-year-old boy following a supposed viral illness and left lower thoracic trauma. Preoperative diagnosis was at first obscured, but a spleen scan suggested fractured spleen and a splenic arteriogram showed a "subcapsular hematoma" and an aneurysm of the left hepatic artery. A 1,800-gm spleen containing one large abscess and one small one was removed. Splenic abscess is rare and, before modern methods of spleen scan and arteriography, rarely diagnosed.     

Molecular evidence for increased hematopoietic proliferation in the spleen of the b/b laboratory rat

The splenomegaly and the appearance of a significant number of CFU-E (erythroid colony-forming units) and BFU-E1 (erythroid burst-forming units) in the Belgrade laboratory rat (b/b) spleen prompted us to analyse further the molecular evidence for increased hematopoietic proliferation in the b/b spleen. Messenger RNAs (mRNAs) specific for globins, proteins for iron transport and deposition and the band 3 protein were used in rat erythropoietic tissues as markers for proliferation and erythroid differentiation. In the b/b spleen, all mRNAs analysed display an erythroid-specific pattern of expression. This analysis also revealed an enhanced level of mRNA for ferritin in the +/b spleen, whereas erythrocyte-specific mRNA production was normal.     

Autoreactivity developing spontaneously in cultured mouse spleen cells. I. Evidence that cytotoxicity is directed against embryo-associated antigen

We have investigated the ability of male-mouse spleen cells before and after culture in the absence of deliberate antigenic stimulation to show specific cytotoxicity to syngeneic embryo-fibroblast cells. The data suggest that cytotoxicity which develops spontaneously in such spleen cell cultures is directed primarily against embryo-associated antigens. Syngeneic Con-A-stimulated spleen cells, which, unlike fresh normal spleen cells, are also lysed by rabbit anti-mouse embryo antisera, are also a suitable target to demonstrate spontaneously developing cytotoxicity.