bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
IgA subclass antibodies to gliadin in serum and intestinal juice of patients with coeliac disease
Authors: VOLTA U , MOLINARO N , FRATANGELO D , BIANCHI F B 
Published: July 2010

SUMMARYSerum IgA anti-gliadin antibodies (AGA) were positive in 25 (68%) of 37 untreated adults with coeliac disease belonging mostly to IgAl subclass (88%) and only in a few cases to IgA2(12%). Anti-secretory component IgA AGA were present in serum of seven patients (28%) by immunofluores-cence and in nine (36%) by ELISA. The search for IgA AGA in jejunal juice of eight untreated children with coeliac disease was positive in seven cases (88%), with consistent finding of anti-secretory component IgA AGA. These antibodies belonged with equal proportion to IgAl and IgA2 subclasses. This study shows that in intestinal secretions of untreated coeliac disease cases the IgA immune response to gliadin is confined to polymeric anti-secretory component IgA with the same prevalence of IgAl and IgA2 subclasses, while in serum IgA AGA are largely monomeric, more frequently of IgAl than of IgA2 subclass, and with a lower proportion of polymeric anti-secretory component IgA (20–36%). The finding of secretory IgA AGA in serum of patients with coeliac disease could result from a spill-over from the intestinal mucosal synthesis into the circulation.
T cell reactivity to the purified mycobacterial antigens p65 and p70 in leprosy patients and their household contacts
Authors: ADAMS E , GARSIA R J , HELLQVIST L , HOLT P , BASTEN A 
Published: July 2010

SUMMARYT cell reactivity to the 70 and 65 kD (p70 and p65) protein antigens derived from Mycobacterium bovis BCG strain was studied by measuring the proliferative responses of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from members of an isolated Aboriginal community resident in the Torres Straits islands. In the nine index leprosy cases the pattern of responsiveness to the purified antigens paralleled that to whole sonicates from M. leprae and BCG. In the 40 contacts of the index cases, a high correlation was observed between the responses to p70 and p65 as well as to the crude sonicates. Significant T cell responses to the purified antigens, as well as the crude sonicates, were obtained with cells from the majority of contacts. Limiting dilution analysis of precursor frequencies in the contacts confirmed the immunogenicity of the purified antigens and excluded both a mitogenic component and the presence of suppressor cells in those moderate or low responders whose blood contained sufficient precursors to be tested. p70 appeared to be more potent in stimulating a proliferative response than p65 at equivalent protein concentrations. No correlation between responder status to either antigen and disease type was detected in families. These findings provide confirmation of the importance of p70 and p65 as major T cell immunogens in man and indicate that they are both potential candidates for inclusion in a bivalent vaccine for leprosy and tuberculosis.
The effects ofPlasmodium falciparummalaria on immune control of B lymphocytes in Gambian children
Authors: WHITTLE H C , BROWN J , MARSH K , BLACKMAN M , JOBE O , SHENTON F 
Published: July 2010

SUMMARYChildren living in hyperendemic malarious regions have high immunoglobulin levels and an increased frequency of Burkitt's lymphoma. In a study of Gambian children which endeavours to explain these findings we showed that acute P. falciparum malaria caused spontaneous activation and growth of their B lymphocytes in vitro. A high proportion of these cells contained Epstein-Barr nuclear antigen (EBNA). In ancillary experiments aimed at explaining these findings, CD4 helper cells from adult donors were destroyed with monoclonal antibody and complement. This manoeuvre resulted in loss of cytotoxic T cell control of their B lymphocytes when infected with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). In children with acute malaria, both spontaneous immunoglobulin and antibody production by B cells was increased yet CD4 helper cell control over these cells, as measured by responses to pokeweed mitogen, was found to be intact. Spontaneous and concanavalin A-driven lymphocyte proliferation was depressed. We infer from these findings that in patients with P. falciparum malaria loss of cytotoxic T cell control of the EBV in B cells, possibly due to destruction or dysfunction of a subset of CD4 cells responsible for induction of suppressor/cytotoxic CD8 cells, leads to activation and proliferation of foci of B cells containing EBV. The expanded pool and rapid turnover of these cells may increase chances of malignant transformation leading to the genesis of Burkitt's tumor. Partial loss of suppressor mechanisms coupled with normal CD4 helper/inducer activity may result in high serum levels of immunoglobulin which are characteristic of persons living in malarious regions.
Immunohistochemical detection of terminal complement complex and S protein in normal and pre-eclamptic placentae
Authors: TEDESCO F , RADILLO O , CANDUSSI G , NAZZARO A , MOLLNES T E , PECORARI D 
Published: July 2010

SUMMARYTerminal complement complex and S protein were searched for in term placentae obtained from 13 women with normal pregnancy and 15 patients with moderate or severe form of pre-eclampsia. Terminal complement complex was found to localize in the fibrinoid material of the decidua of the basal plate, in the stroma of the chorionic villi and in the vessel walls, as subendothelial deposits. S protein had a quite different distribution, being detected in the syncytiotrophoblast located both in the chorionic villi and in the decidua of the basal plate (DBP) and also on the endothelial cells of fetal stem vessels. Mild deposits of C3 were found in the decidua of the basal plate and also in the stroma and on the basal membranes of the villi. Reactivity for C9 neoantigen was also observed in the cytoplasm of some cells, which were recognized to be macrophages by the presence in their cytoplasm of acid phosphatase and by their reaction with a monoclonal antibody specific for macrophages. Differences in complement deposition in normal and pre-eclamptic placentae were essentially quantitative. Possible mechanisms of complement activation are discussed.
Augmentation of the human monocyte/macrophage chemiluminescence response during short-term exposure to interferon-gamma and tumour necrosis factor-alpha
Authors: KUMARATILAKE L M , FERRANTE A , BATES E J , KOWANKO I C 
Published: July 2010

SUMMARYThe effects of short-term (30 min) pre-incubation of human monocytes and macrophages (3-day cultured monocytes) with leucocyte-derived human interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) and recombinant human tumour necrosis factor-alpha (rTNF-α) were examined. Pre-incubation of either monocytes or macrophages with rTNF-α or IFN-γ (100 U/5 × 105 cells) augmented their respiratory burst to formyl-L-methionyl-L-leucyl-L-phenylalanine (fMLP), measured by the luminol- and lucigenin-dependent chemiluminescence assay. In addition, both cell types showed a burst of respiratory activity in the presence of rTNF-α or IFN-γ only. The effects of IFN-γ were removed by adsorption with an anti- IFN-γ monoclonal antibody and those of rTNF-α were abolished by heating at 100°C, or by the addition of anti-TNF-α monoclonal antibody. The results demonstrate that both IFN-γ and rTNF-α are stimulators of monocytes and macrophages, and rapidly alter the capacity of the cells to respond to fMLP, which binds to cell surface receptors.
In vivotreatment with anti B-220 monoclonal antibody affects T and B cell differentiation
Authors: ASENSI V , HIMENO K , KAWAMURA I , SAKUMOTO M , NOMOTO K 
Published: July 2010

SUMMARYThe B220 cell marker is expressed on B cells and on T cell precursors. In order to determine the involvement of the B220 antigen on murine lymphoid differentiation, we treated 5-10-week-old mice periodically with a specific anti-B220 antibody, RA3-6B2, a non-cytolytic IgG2b. After the third injection, a significant reduction (P &lt; 0·02) in the number of thymocytes and less dramatically in the number of splenocytes was observed. This reduction was predominantly due to a decrease of cells carrying the following markers: Thy-1.2+, Lyt-1+, Lyt-2.3+, L3T4+, and asGMl+. Mitogenic response to concanavalin A, phytohaemagglutinin and lipopolysaccharide, mixed lymphocyte reaction, cytotoxic T cell activity, and plaque-forming cell generation were significantly decreased after the treatment (P &lt; 0·01). These results show that the in vivo treatment with anti-B220 monoclonal antibody reduced the number of T and B cells and modified their functional activity. This suggests that the B220 antigen is involved in the maturation of both T and B cells.
Impairedin vitrosurvival of monocytes from patients with HIV infection
Authors: MÜLLER F , ROLLAG H , GAUDERNACK G , FRØLAND S S 
Published: July 2010

SUMMARYIn vitro survival of monocytes (MO) was studied in 59 patients with HIV infection of different clinical stages. MO from 61 donors and 12 healthy seronegative homosexual men were also examined. Compared with the number of MO seeded, the percentage of adherent monocyte-derived macrophages (MDM) present after 10 days was significantly lower in patients with HIV infection than in the controls. However, the number of viable, non-adherent MO/MDM was similar in patients and controls. Our data indicate markedly decreased in vitro survival of MO from patients with HIV infection. After 10 days, the MDM population in the patient cultures was significantly less differentiated than the control cells, assessed by immunocytochemical staining with monoclonal antibodies against differentiation antigens. Reduced in vitro survival of MO/MDM was associated with low numbers of CD4+ and CDS+ lymphocytes in blood, reduced lymphocyte mitogen responses, presence of HIV p24 antigen in serum and advanced clinical stage. Decreased in vitro survival of MO/MDM may be associated with HIV replication in the cells. Although the level of HIV replication in the cultures was low as assessed by measurement of HIV p24 antigen in culture supernatants and staining of MO/MDM for HIV antigens, cytopathogenic effects of HIV or HIV products cannot be ruled out.
Elevated transcription of heat shock protein gene in scleroderma fibroblasts
Authors: DEGUCHI Y , SHIBATA N , KISHIMOTO S 
Published: July 2010

SUMMARY
Scleroderma is a systemic disorder characterized by fibrosis, which affects skin, lung, kidney and other organs. Heat shock protein (hsp) (70 kD) has been implicated as an essential element of cell function in cell growth and differentiation. To study the molecular basis of intracellular events in scleroderma fibroblasts, we compared the expression of hsp 70 gene in scleroderma and normal control fibroblasts by nuclear run on transcription assay and Northern blot assay. We show that scleroderma fibroblasts express more than eight times higher level of hsp 70 transcription in normal control fibroblasts at quiescent conditions in the absence of serum. After stimulation with serum, the transcription level of the hsp 70 gene is similar in scleroderma and normal control fibroblasts. Therefore, our results indicate an alteration/activation of intracellular events in scleroderma fibroblasts.
Lymphocyte populations in autopsy bone marrow sections from recipients of allogeneic marrow and non-transplant sudden death cases
Authors: DILLY S A , JAGGER C J , SLOANE J P 
Published: July 2010

SUMMARYFemoral marrow, obtained at autopsy, was stained using immunohistological techniques, for T (CD2+) cells, B (CD19+) cells, helper/inducer (CD4+) T cells, suppressor/cytotoxic (CD8+) T cells and natural killer (HNK1+) cells. The numbers present in 13 recipients of allogeneic marrow, 14 to 140 days after transplantation, were compared with those in marrows from nine subjects with no haematological or malignant conditions. In marrow sections from non-transplant subjects, approximately 8% nucleated cells were CD2+ with CD4+ and CD8+ cells present in nearly equal numbers; 1–3% were CD19+ and generally less than 1% HNK1+. The percentages of CD19+ and CD4+ cells were significantly reduced after bone marrow transplantation but, if a correction factor for marrow cellularity was introduced, then CD2+ and CD8+ cell values were also low. The findings were compared with the number of cells transplanted, the time after transplantation, presence of graft-versus-host disease or infection and peripheral blood white cell count, but no correlation was found.
Modulation of human lymphocyte proliferation by amino acids
Authors: CHUANG J C , YU C L , WANG S R 
Published: July 2010

SUMMARYThe amino acids required for phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) induced lymphocyte proliferation were determined by the 3H-thymidine incorporation in amino acid-deficient media. Results indicate that the PHA-stimulated lymphocytes require alanine and serine in addition to 13 other amino acids present in Eagle's minimal essential medium (arginine, cysteine, glutamine, histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threoninc, tryptophan. tyrosine, and valine). The omission of any one of the 13 amino acids would stop almost completely the proliferation of PHA-stimulated lymphocytes. The omission of serine from RPMI 1640 medium caused a mean reduction of 64% of cell proliferation, while the addition of alanine to PRMI 1640 culture medium caused a mean increment of 52%. The lymphocyte proliferation appears to be modulated by amino acids in the culture medium, and for optimal growth of lymphocytes, all these 15 amino acids are essential.
Reactive oxygen species modify human DNA, eliciting a more discriminating antigen for the diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors: BLOUNT S , GRIFFITHS H , EMERY P , LUNEC J 
Published: July 2010

SUMMARYDuring the development of an ELISA to measure anti-DNA antibodies in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) sera, native dsDNA was found not to be the most appropriate antigen to use in ELISA assays for differentiating between SLE patients and those with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a disease also associated with circulating serum anti-DNA antibodies. By modifying the ELISA technique to incorporate human DNA, denatured by reactive oxygen species, to detect anti-DNA antibodies in SLE sera, results consistently showed an increase in antibody binding when compared with the native antigen; no such trend was observed in the comparable group of RA patients. Using this assay serum anti-dsDNA antibody levels were measured in a group of 20 controls, 20 RA patients (10 seropositive and 10 seronegative) and 30 SLE patients (15 with clinically active disease, 15 with inactive disease). A comparison with the standard radioimmunoassay used to measure anti-DNA antibodies for the diagnosis of SLE showed that the ELISA assay using modified DNA performed better than the standard radioimmunoassay offering an improvement in both clinical specificity and sensitivity. The improved method particularly reduced the problem of false-negative results for SLE patients shown clinically to be either mildly active or inactive.
Prevalence of hereditary properdin, C7 and C8 deficiencies in patients with meningococcal infections
Authors: SCHLESINGER M , NAVE Z , LEVY Y , SLATER P E , FISHELSON Z 
Published: July 2010

SUMMARYHigh incidence of hereditary complement (C) deficiencies was found among 101 patients who had a meningococcal disease. This study revealed 11 non-related patients with complete C deficiency: five deficient in C7, three in C8, two in properdin and one in C2. Additional C-deficient individuals, most of them with no history of severe bacterial infections, were detected in family studies. The C8-deficient patients were found to have a selective deficiency of the C8-beta subunit and a reduced expression of the alpha/gamma subunit. Only a few families with properdin deficiency have been described so far. However, it is likely that frequent analysis of the activity of the alternative C pathway in survivors of severe bacterial infections will disclose numerous properdin-deficient patients. All our C7-, C8- and properdin-deficient patients are Sephardic Jews whose families originated from Morocco, Yemen (C7 and C8 deficient) or Tunisia (properdin deficient). This and other findings indicate that the type of complement abnormality found in association with meningococcal infections varies with the ethnic origin of the patient.
The effect of treatment with interferon-gamma on type II collagen-induced arthritis
Authors: NAKAJIMA H , TAKAMORI H , HIYAMA Y , TSUKADA W 
Published: July 2010

SUMMARYWe have investigated the effects of recombinant murine interferon-gamma (rIFN-γ) on type II collagen-induced arthritis (CA) in DBA/1 mice. Therapeutic as well as prophylactic treatment with subcutaneous rIFN-γ, at 105 U/mouse six times a week, inhibited the development of CA without any obvious side effects. The accompanying suppression of anti-CII antibody responses may partly explain the inhibition of CA by rIFN-γ. The possible role of the anti-inflammatory effect of systemic IFN-γ in the inhibition of CA is discussed.
Expression of early activation antigen (CD69) during human thymic development
Authors: JUNG L K L , HAYNES B F , NAKAMURA S , PAHWA S , FU S M 
Published: July 2010

SUMMARYThe novel early activation antigen, EA1, has been shown to be induced by mitogens, antigens and the tumour promoter, phorbol myristate acetate (PMA), on human lymphocytes. This antigen has been designated to be CD69. EA1 has also been shown to be expressed on thymocytes without exogenous activation stimuli. In order to characterize further the expression of EA1 on thymocytes, the ontogeny of its expression was studied. EA1 appeared between 7 and 9.5 weeks of gestation, after colonization of the thymic rudiment with CD7+ T cell precursors, but before the onset of compartmentalization of the thymus into cortical and medullary zones. After cortico-medullary differentiation, the majority of medullary thymocytes expressed EA1 while only a fraction of the cortical thymocytes expressed this antigen. In the fetal and post-natal cortex, EA1 expression appeared to cluster in the subcapsular cortex. EA1+ cells were also scattered throughout the inner cortex. By two-colour fluorocytometric analysis of post-natal thymocytes, it was shown that EA1 was expressed on 30 to 65% of thymocytes. EA1 was expressed onCD4+ CD8+ as well as on the more immature CD4- CD8- thymocytes. In contrast to circulating T cells, thymocytes were much less responsive to PMA stimulation for the expression of EA1. Molecular characterization showed that EA1 on thymocytes had the same structure as that of activated peripheral T cells. In addition, thymic EA1 was constitutively phosphorylated. Thus, EA1 expression is acquired early during thymic development after colonization of the thymic rudiment by CD7+ T cell precursors. However, the specific role that EA1 may play in the activation and function of developing thymocytes remains to be determined.
Age-associated changes in CD8+ and CD16+ cell reactivity: clonal analysis
Authors: MARIANI E , RODA P , MARIANI A R , VITALE M , DEGRASSI A , PAPA S , FACCHINI A 
Published: July 2010

SUMMARYA cloning technique was used to estimate the frequency of proliferating T cell precursors, the growth capacity of clone-forming cells and the functional activity of clones established in vitro from peripheral blood lymphocytes of young and old people. The mean frequency of proliferating precursors was lower in the elderly as was the proliferative capacity of CD8+ clones. In contrast, CD4+ and CD16+ clones showed a proliferation similar to that obtained from young subjects. When the clones were examined for their functional activity, CD4+ clones from both groups failed to show any cytolytic activity, while CD8+ clones exerted cytolysis against K562 and in antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity but this function was reduced in clones derived from old subjects. Similarly, CD16+ clones from the elderly showed a decreased activity at some effector-to-target cell ratios. We conclude that the impaired functional activity (T or NK-dependent) found in the peripheral blood of aged subjects persists after in vitro selection when these cells are analysed at clonal level.
Expression of LFA-1 by a lymphoblastoid cell line from a patient with monosomy 21: effects on intercellular adhesion
Authors: TAYLOR G M , BRADDOCK D , ROBSON A J , FERGUSSON W D , DUCKETT D P , D'SOUZA S W , BRENCHLEY P 
Published: July 2010

SUMMARYMonosomy 21 (M21) is a rare aneuploid condition which in certain cases leads to reduced levels of chromosome 21 gene products. We have prepared an Epstein-Barr virus lymphoblastoid cell-line (LCL) from patient with M21 who has immunological abnormalities, and analysed the expression of lymphocyte function-associated antigen-1 (LFA-1). This heterodimeric leucocyte integrin consists of CD11a (α) subunits non-covalently associated with CD 18 (β) subunits coded, respectively, by genes on chromosomes 16 and 21. To determine whether monosomy 21 results in decreased expression of LFA-1, monoclonal antibodies were used to compare the expression of CD 1 la and CD18 on the M21 LCL with LCL from trisomy 21 (Down's syndrome, T21), normal controls and a possible case of leucocyte adhesion deficiency. In addition, phorbol-ester-induced homotypic adhesion, an LFA-1-mediated effect, was compared in these LCLs. The results are consistent with a gene dosage mediated reduction of LFA-1 expression by the M21 LCL.
The generation of a ‘tolerogen’ after the ingestion of ovalbumin is time-dependent and unrelated to serum levels of immunoreactive antigen
Authors: PENG H-J , TURNER M W , STROBEL S 
Published: July 2010

SUMMARYIn an attempt to investigate the molecular basis of the mechanisms underlying oral tolerance, we have evaluated the molecular and biological features of ovalbumin subjected to intestinal processing. Immunoreactive ovalbumin absorbed by the gut was measured by a sandwich ELISA at different times after feeding 25 mg ovalbumin to adult mice. Ovalbumin was detected as early as 5 min after the feed (36.7 ± 16 ng/ml; mean± 1 s.d.) and reached maximal levels at 1 h (73.3 ± 20 ng/ml). Pooled mouse serum, collected 5 min or 1 h after the feed, was transferred intraperitoneally into the naive recipients. Suppression of systemic delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) was found in mice receiving 0.8 ml of serum obtained 1 h after ovalbumin feeding but not when using serum obtained 5 min after feeding. In order to transfer samples containing similar levels of ovalbumin, an increased amount (1.3 ml) of serum collected 5 min post-feed was used in further experiments but again failed to induce DTH tolerance. Serum samples obtained 5 and 60 min after ovalbumin feeding were analysed by fast-protein liquid chromatography (FPLC) fractionation followed by ELISA. Both the charge characteristics and molecular weight of intestinally absorbed ovalbumin were indistinguishable from native ovalbumin. Although intact native ovalbumin is the only molecular species detected by ELISA, the results suggest that this has no role in the suppression of DTH responses.