Recognizing post-polio syndrome.

The disorder consists of fatigue accompanied by new muscle weakness and muscle pain or, for patients whose acute polio had included bulbar involvement, new difficulty in swallowing or change in voice. The epidemiology remains unclear, fueling anxiety among polio survivors. Yet its course is not drastically progressive, and impairment is usually limited.

Enteroviral-related antigen in circulating immune complexes of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients.

Circulating immune complexes were isolated by polyethylene glycol precipitation from the sera of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Rabbits immunized with circulating immune complexes from 3 of 5 amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients induced antisera that specifically reacted with enterovirus-infected cells by immunofluorescence and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. These antisera were nonneutralizing and did not react with purified virus.

Activated T lymphocytes, rheumatoid factor and erythrocyte sedimentation rate assays in rheumatoid arthritis.

Activated T lymphocytes (Ia+ T-cells) in peripheral blood are associated with immune stimulation. We found the percentages of these cells significantly increased in 95% of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. Our studies showed no relation between the percentages of these cells in peripheral blood and concurrent erythrocyte sedimentation rates or rheumatoid factor titers.

Immunoregulatory and activated T cells in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients.

Circulatory immune complexes are increased in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and an autoimmune mechanism has been inferred. Autoimmune diseases may have changes in the percentages of immunoregulatory T cells and increased activated T cells (Ia+ T) in peripheral blood. The latter are also increased with active viral and bacterial infection and immunization.

Ganglioside patterns in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis brain regions.

In a search for evidence of biochemical disorders in regions of postmortem brain other than the motor cortex in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), ganglioside patterns were also examined in the frontal, temporal, and parahippocampal gyrus cortex. In 21 ALS brains studied (20 sporadic, 1 familial), abnormal patterns were found in the frontal cortex (81%), temporal cortex (75%), motor cortex (70%), and parahippocampal gyrus cortex (71%). Patterns were established by measuring the percentage distribution of 12 ganglioside species.

Deposits of IgG and C3 in the spinal cord and motor cortex of ALS patients.

Deposits of IgG and complement were demonstrated by direct immunofluorescent techniques with sections of motor cortex and spinal cord from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients. Six of 16 ALS patients showed deposits within the spinal cord while 5 of 13 showed similar deposits within the motor cortex. The specificity of this staining was shown by blocking experiments and the use of conjugated F(ab')2.

Ganglioside induced surface activity and neurite formation of Neuro-2a neuroblastoma cells.

These studies demonstrate that while microtubules are essential for BBG-mediated neurite initiation and elongation, they are not involved in microfilament-dependent ganglioside-mediated surface activity. Microfilaments may be more directly altered by exogenous gangliosides than microtubules since they are the major structural elements of microvilli and are required for neurite branching. Our studies suggest that normal neuritogenesis requires a delicately balanced interaction between various cytoskeletal elements.

Kinetics of replication of lactate dehydrogenase-elevating virus in age-dependent polioencephalomyelitis.

The kinetics of replication of lactate dehydrogenase-elevating virus (LDV) in age-dependent polioencephalomyelitis was studied in genetically susceptible (C58/J) and resistant (C57BL/6J) mice. The peripheral replication pattern (plasma concentration) for LDV was similar in both strains. However, the concentration of virus within the central nervous system was strikingly different.

HLA frequencies in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Our study of the distribution of HLA-A, -B, and -C in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) found no statistically significant deviation. We found a trend, however, toward a decrease in HLA-A9, as we had reported previously, and toward an increase in HLA-Bw35 and -Cw4. The worldwide incidence of ALS is uniform except in Guam and on Japan's Kii peninsula, and published reports from many countries, including Guam, show no consistent deviation in HLA frequencies related to ALS.

Immunological profile of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients and their cell-mediated immune responses to viral and CNS antigens.

The 'immunological profile' of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients was established from standard tests for B- and T-cell function. This showed no significant difference from age and sex-matched other neurological (CNS) disease controls and normal subjects. Immune complex (IC) levels in ALS serum differed significantly from normal controls but not from CNS controls.

Virological studies in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Complement-fixing antibody response to eleven different viruses were measured in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients, contacts of ALS patients, neurological controls, and normal controls. The normal controls showed a decreased response to adeno-associated virus and an increased response to adenovirus when compared to the other groups. Levels of interferon-like substances also were investigated in sera and cerebrospinal fluids of ALS patients and neurological controls.

Neuron specific in vitro cytotoxicity of sera from patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Sera from patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) were assayed for a neuron-specific cytotoxic effect on long-term organized cultures of neonatal mouse anterior horn segments. Blind studies show that ALS sera when incorporated into the culture media have a greater degree of antineuronal toxicity than sera from patients with other neurological diseases or from family members of ALS patients.

Ganglioside stimulation of axonal sprouting in vitro.

Bovine brain gangliosides were applied to primary and established neuronal cultures to examine the role of gangliosides in neuronal development. Media containing gangliosides enhanced the degree of axonal elongation exhibited by sensory ganglia neurons and increased the length and number of Neuro-2a neuroblastoma cell processes. Ganglioside-supplemented media caused a twofold increase in ornithine decarboxylase activity in both culture systems.

Antibody response to arboviruses. Absence of increased response in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and multiple sclerosis.

Complement fixation and hemagglutination imhibition tests were conducted on the serums of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and multiple sclerosis using a variety of arboviral antigens. Seventy-eight complement fixation and 15 hemagglutination-inhibition viral antigens were used representing togaviruses, orbiviruses, rhadoviruses, bunyaviruses, arenaviruses, and several ungrouped agents. The serological results did not indicate any relationship between these viruses and either amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or multiple sclerosis.

[Immunological studies demonstrating the enhancing effect of aristolochic acid on immunoreactions (author's transl)].

In experimental studies it was shown that aristolochic acid is able to ameliorate or to stimulate immunoreactions. This was studied in vivo with cutaneous delayed hypersensitivity reactions and by measurement of the gamma-globulin formation of treated rabbits; the in vitro system used was the macrophage migration test.

Does the erythrocyte sedimentation rate correlate with levels of known plasma proteins?

In order to determine if the ESR correlated with concentrations in plasma of fibrinogen, alpha-1, alpha-2, beta, and gamma globulins, a prospective study of 61 hospitalized patients was undertaken. The correlation coefficient between the ESR and fibrinogen (r=0.4320), alpha-1 globulins 0=0.

Immunologically specific production of interferon in cultures of rabbit blood lymphocytes: association with in vitro tests for cell-mediated immunity.

Lymphocytes of animals with delayed hypersensitivity produce mediators of cellular immunity when challenged in vitro with specific antigen. Among these are macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) and interferon (IF). Nonspecific mitogens also induce the production of these lymphokines.