Factors influencing reticulophagocytic function in insulin-treated diabetes.

The splenic component of reticulophagocytic function (RPF) was examined in 29 insulin-treated diabetic subjects (13 type I and 16 type II) by measurement of clearance of altered, radiolabeled, autologous erythrocytes. Double-isotope studies were performed with cells altered by: (1) preincubation with N-ethylmaleimide (NEM) and (2) coating with IgG antibody to the Rhesus (Rh) D antigen, labeled with 99mTc and 51Cr, respectively. HLA typing for the A, B, and DR loci was performed in those patients showing a defect in the clearance of IgG-coated cells.

C3 metabolism in acute glomerulonephritis: implications for sites of complement activation.

Immunochemical and metabolic studies of complement were performed in 11 patients with acute poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis (AGN) to determine the mechanism(s) of hypocomplementemia. Four patients with profound reduction in serum C3 showed metabolic changes comparable to those seen in hypocomplementemic mesangiocapillary GN (MCGN), that is, nonlinear plasma disappearance of 125I.C3 and a gross (that is, 30-fold) reduction in C3 synthesis (0.

Significance of sequential changes in serum complement levels during acute anaphylactoid reactions.

Reduced levels of complement fractions C3 and C4 and total hemolytic complement (CH50) are usually attributed to classical complement pathway activation. However, studies in 26 patients undergoing severe anaphylactoid reactions during general anesthesia suggest that these changes may equally reflect plasma dilution and protein redistribution. Twelve patients showed a dramatic fall in complement complexes which tended to resolve after 24 h; however, this fall was not usually associated with the detection of C3 breakdown products or antigen-antibody complexes.

Successful treatment of acute dapsone intoxication using charcoal hemoperfusion.

A 22 year old female was admitted to hospital two hours after ingesting 4 g of dapsone. Over the next 15 h she developed progressive hemolysis and methemoglobinemia. Charcoal hemoperfusion and sequential dialysis were performed because of the serious risk of fatality following such a massive dose of dapsone.

Normal human serum inhibits the lymphocytotoxicity of sera from patients with infectious mononucleosis.

The inhibitory effects of normal human serum (NHS) on the lymphocytotoxic activity (LCA) of sera from patients with infectious mononucleosis (IM) were investigated. Dilution of IM serum with complement fixation diluent (CFD) caused a significant rise in LCA at 1/10 dilution (P less than 0.001) followed by a steady decline at higher dilutions.

Mesangial IgA nephropathy: detection of defective reticulophagocytic function in vivo.

The splenic component of the reticulophagocytic system (RPS) was studied in 20 patients with primary mesangial IgA nephropathy and 15 healthy controls. Eight patients were hypertensive, seven had renal failure and six had significant proteinuria. RPS function was assessed by the measurement of T1/2 clearance of altered, radio-labelled autologous erythrocytes.

Complement behavior in infectious mononucleosis: possible mechanisms for the prevention of immune complex injury.

The acute-phase complement reaction was examined in patients with uncomplicated infectious mononucleosis (IM). Concentrations of both complement and complement inhibitor protein were significantly elevated during the acute phase, and turnover studies with purified 125I-labeled C3 showed this increase to result from increased C3 synthesis. Nine of 16 patients had evidence of in vivo complement activation during this period.

Comparisons between carcinogenic potency and mutagenic potency to Salmonella in a series of derivatives of 4-dimethylaminoazobenzene (DAB).

8 derivatives of the rodent liver carcinogen 4-dimethylaminoazobenzene (DAB), all of known carcinogenicity in rodents, have been evaluated in the 3 major variants of the Salmonella mutation assay; the standard plate test of Ames et al., the pre-incubation assay of Yahagi et al. and the fluctuation assay of Gatehouse.

Failure to detect brain reactivity of lymphocytotoxins in cerebral lupus.

Lymphocytotoxic activity (LCA) was examined in the sera of 29 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), including eight with cerebral involvement. LCA was elevated in 80% of samples and was significantly higher in the group with cerebral disease (P less than 0.001).

Lymphocytotoxic activity in primary glomerulonephritis: evidence for immune complex-mediated cytotoxicity.

Sera from 84 patients with primary glomerulonephritis (GN) were tested for lymphocytotoxic activity (LCA) against panels of (a) normal peripheral lymphocytes and (b) B-lymphocytes obtained from patients with chronic lymphatic leukaemia (CLL). Significant LCA was found particularly in minimal change GN, acute post-streptococcal GN (AGN-PS) and mesangiocapillary GN (MCGN) where 62%, 75% and 45% respectively of samples were positive. No correlation was observed between LCA and levels of C3 or immune complexes.

Clinical significance of immune complexes in rheumatoid disease.

Circulating immune complexes were measured by the Clq binding assay in 49 cases of rheumatoid disease. Raised levels showed a positive correlation with activity of the arthritis, the number of involved joints and the erythrocyte sedimentation rate. No correlation was found with age, sex, duration of disease, rheumatoid nodules, presented of radiographic joint erosions or other haematological and serological parameters.

Lipoprotein lipids in renal transplant recipients of different pre-transplant etiology of renal disease. A comparison of male and female patients.

Serum and lipoprotein lipids have been compared in male and female transplant recipients with glomerulonephritis or analgesic nephropathy as etiology of pre-transplant renal disease, and a number of differences were observed. (1) Serum cholesterol and phospholipid levels were elevated in glomerulonephritis and female analgesic nephropathy, but not in male analgesic nephropathy patients. (2) Glomerulonephritis patients had normal low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels whereas these were elevated in female and depressed in male analgesic nephropathy patients.

Lymphocytotoxins in infectious mononucleosis: a non-cytotoxic effect on lymphocytes at 37 degrees C and the influence of cell metabolism on their cytotoxicity in vitro.

The lymphocytotoxic activity (LCA) of sera from patients with infectious mononucleosis (IM) was tested against lymphocytes under various experimental conditions. Firstly, lymphocytes from 11 healthy donors were preincubated with pools of normal human sera (NHS) or IM sera at 37°C and then tested for (a) reactivity with the same IM sera in a standard lymphocytotoxin assay at 15°C; (b) rosetting with various sheep erythrocyte (E) preparations (E, EA and EAC) and (c) stimulation by non-specific activators (phytohaemagglutinin, pokeweed mitogen and concanavalin A). These experiments showed that preincubation of normal cells with IM sera caused significant reduction in subsequent lymphocyte killing at 15°C (<0·01) compared to unincubated cells or those preincubated with pooled NHS.

Effect of pretreatment by feeding acetylaminofluorene on methylated purines formed in rat liver DNA after administration of dimethylnitrosamine.

Methylated purines were determined in the liver and kidney DNA of rats that had been pretreated for several weeks by inclusion of 2-acetylaminofluorene in the diet and then given single injections of N,N-dimethylnitrosamine. In comparison ith relevant controls the capacity to remove O(6)-methylguanine from the livers of the pretreated animals was enhanced but there was no evidence for a similar effect in kidney. No market effects of this pretreatment were observed for the removal of 3-methyladenine or 7-methylguanine.

Role of estrogen and androgen in maintaining the preovulatory follicle.

The effects of nitromifene citrate (CI 628), an antiestrogen, and Flutamide, an antiandrogen, on the ultrastructure and viability of the preovulatory follicle and granulosa cells were examined both in vivo and in vitro. In vivo administration of either antihormone induced degeneration within the granulosa cells. In some of the affected granulosa cells, the nuclear material was condensed while the cytoplasm and associated organelles were unaltered.

The influence of pre-transplant etiology of renal disease on lipoprotein lipids in female renal allograft receipients.

Serum and lipoprotein lipids were determined in 42 female transplant recipients and compared with age-matched and serum lipid-matched normal subjects. Eight patients had glomerulonephritis as the pre-transplant etiology of renal disease, 22 had analgesic nephropathy, 6 polycystic kidneys and 6 ureteric reflux. A number of abnormalities were observed: (i) Serum triglycerides and phospholipids were elevated in all patients.

Studies of lymphocytotoxins in infectious mononucleosis and systemic lupus erythematosus: evidence for immune complex-mediated cytotoxicity.

The hypothesis that serum lymphocytotoxins are antigen-antibody complexes was examined. High molecular weight fractions from the sera of eighteen patients with infectious mononucleosis (IM), thirteen patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and six healthy controls, were prepared by precipitation with polyethylene glycol 6000 (PEG). The lymphocytotoxic activity (LCA) of these PEG precipitates was significantly greater (P less than 0.

Studies of lymphocytotoxins in infectious mononucleosis: reduced lymphocyte killing in the acute phase.

Fifty sera from twenty-five patients with uncomplicated infectious mononucleosis (IM) were tested for lymphocytotoxic activity (LCA) against pools of lymphocytes collected from (a) normal donors (b) ten patients during the acute phase of IM and (c) four of these patients during the convalescent phase. The LCA of twenty-four sera from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) was also tested against the same panels of cells. The percentage of acute phase lymphocytes killed by sera from patients with IM or SLE was significantly less (P less than 0.

Metabolism of human beta 1H: studies in man and experimental animals.

Metabolic studies were performed with a purified, functionally-active preparation of human beta 1H. In seven normal human subjects, the half-life ranged from 66--87 hr with fractional catabolic rates (FCR) of 1.04--1.