Endobronchial biopsy specimens may not adequately represent inflammatory cell counts throughout the airway wall. The present study aimed to compare mast cell density in biopsies and airway sections using both stereological and nonstereological methods. Post mortem biopsies and adjacent transverse sections were obtained from a mean of five proximal airways per case in 10 subjects who had died of...

Mast Cell Leukemia (MCL), a rare subtype of systemic mastocytosis is defined by bone marrow involvement as atypical and aleukemic mast cells, if more than 20% and less than 10% of peripheral WBCs are mast cells, respectively. We met a case of aleukemic MCL presenting with anemia and ascites for 2 years, referred for BM evaluation, suspicious of leukemia. Our findings included BM involveme...

The density and percentage of degranulated cells of the mast cell population were studied in the isolated lungs of 25 monkeys (Macaca radiata radiata) before and after acute exposure to cigarette smoke. In each animal one lung was used as the test lung while the other lung was used as its control. In the control lungs the total mean mast cell count was 9.5/mm2 and the proportion of degranulated...

The presence and distribution of lymphatic vessels and mast cells in the gingiva under normal and pathological conditions have been reported by several studies, but the relationship between them during inflammatory lymphangiogenesis is virtually unknown. The aim of the present study was to investigate the lymphatic microvessel density (LMVD) and mast cell density (MCD) in the gingiva of patient...

We describe a 33-year old man suffering from severe vertebral osteoporosis and urticaria pigmentosa due to systemic mast cell disease (SMCD). Because i.v. clodronate therapy could not prevent further vertebral fractures, an additional treatment with interferon alpha-2b was initiated. During 24 months of treatment, our patient had no further pain episodes, no new vertebral fractures were discove...

Immunoglobulin E (IgE)-dependent activation of human mast cells (HMC) is characterized by an influx of extracellular calcium (Ca(2+)), which is essential for subsequent release of preformed (granule-derived) mediators and newly generated autacoids and cytokines. In addition, flow of ions such as K(+) and Cl(-) is likely to play an important role in mast cell activation, proliferation, and chemo...

Mast cells contain proteases capable of activating matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). However, given the relatively low density of mast cells in the myocardium (i.e., 1.5-5.3 cells/mm(2)), it is unknown whether these enzymes are present in sufficient quantities in the normal heart to mediate MMP activation. Accordingly, this study sought to determine whether chemically induced degranulation of c...