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Lymphocyte subsets in peripheral blood and pleural fluid.
G Lucivero1, G Pierucci, L Bonomo
1Istituto di Medicina Clinica, University of Bari, Italy.
The European Respiratory Journal
|April 1, 1988
Summary
In patients with tuberculosis or malignancies, T lymphocytes, specifically helper/inducer T-cells, are more prevalent in pleural effusions than in peripheral blood. This finding holds true regardless of the effusion
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Lymphocytic pleural effusions are often associated with tuberculosis or malignancies.
- Understanding the distribution of immune cells in these effusions is crucial for diagnosis and treatment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the distribution of lymphocyte subsets, including T-cells (helper/inducer and suppressor/cytotoxic), B-cells, and natural killer (NK) cells, in peripheral blood and pleural effusions.
- To determine if specific lymphocyte populations are enriched in effusions caused by tuberculosis or malignancies.
Main Methods:
- Flow cytometry was used to phenotype lymphocyte populations.
- Peripheral blood and pleural fluid samples from patients with tuberculosis, mesothelioma, and lung cancer were analyzed.
- Quantification of T lymphocytes (T4+, T8+), B lymphocytes, and Leu 7+ (HNK-1+) cells.
Main Results:
- T lymphocytes were consistently higher in pleural effusions compared to peripheral blood.
- B lymphocytes and Leu 7+ cells showed lower percentages in pleural fluids.
- A selective enrichment of T lymphocytes with helper/inducer (T4+) phenotype was observed in pleural effusions.
- T lymphocytes with suppressor/cytotoxic (T8+) phenotype percentages were similar in both peripheral blood and pleural fluid.
Conclusions:
- Lymphocytic pleural effusions, whether from tuberculosis or malignancies, are primarily composed of T lymphocytes with a helper/inducer phenotype.
- This specific T-cell subset enrichment is a common feature across different causes of lymphocytic pleural effusions.