Peculiarities of the Rheumatoid Arthritis Pathogenesis and Some Current Approaches to Its Treatment.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is one of the most common systemic autoimmune diseases. The present review regards the most important items of RA immunopathogenesis and some of approaches to its treatment. Initiation by a hypothetical antigen causes T lymphocyte activation.

[Lymphotropic immune correction with myelopid in the postoperative period in patients with cancer of the colon and rectum].

An analysis of surgical treatment of 142 patients with cancer of the colon and rectum included 32 emergency cases and 110 scheduled operations. Standard surgical methods only were used in 94 patients, the lymphotropic immunocorrection with myelopidum in the postoperative period was made in 48 patients. The use of lymphotropic immunocorrection was shown to considerably improve the immunological parameters and to decrease postoperative lethality.

[Likopid in the complex immunomodulating treatment of patients with sarcoidosis of the lung and intrathoracic lymph nodes].

Aim: To examine the functional status of the immune system in patients with lung and intrathoracic lymph nodes sarcoidosis and to evaluate the efficiency of immunomodulation alone and in its inclusion in combined treatment of the disease.

Materials And Methods: 58 patients with the disease of varying severity were followed up. Comprehensive examination, involving clinical, immunological, X-ray, and physical studies, in patients treated with combined immunotherapy was performed.

[Effect of female sex steroids on the ability of splenocytes to form an adoptive immune response. Role of prostaglandin F2alpha in the mechanisms of hormonal immunoregulation].

Male CBA mice were used in experiments. Splenocytes were incubated for an hour in macrocultures with estradiol (E2) or progesterone (P), then the cells were transferred (together with the antigen) to lethally irradiated syngeneic recipients, and on day 4 the count of antibody-producing cells (APC) was estimated. Prostaglandin F2 alpha (PGF2 alpha) concentrations were radioimmunoassayed in cell culture supernatants.

[The costimulating effect of chorionic gonadotropin on lymphokine-activated splenocytes. A new aspect of the immunomodulating action of the pregnancy hormone].

An immunodepressive effect of chorionic gonadotropin (CG) low (40IU) and high (200IU) doses on the processes of lymphocyte antigen-independent differentiation, realizing the primary immune response has been established in the short-term culture of mice splenic intact cells. Splenocyte activation by Con-A or human recombinant IL-2 does not show an expressive immunostimulating effect on the processes of plaque forming cells (PFC) formation. While the immunomodulating effect of CG on the background of these activators changes.

[Second messengers in the realization of immunomodulating effects of chorionic gonadotropin].

The mechanisms of the molecular action of chorionic gonadotropin (CG) at different doses have been studied in splenocyte culture on the level of secondary messengers. It has been demonstrated that in the dose of 40 IU CG suppresses the splenocyte ability to form plaque-forming cells (PFC) only in the presence of macrophages through the eicosanoid system. The dose of 200 IU produced an analogous effect using Ca2+ as the secondary messenger.

[Genetic and phenotypic aspects of the interrelationship between cellular and humoral immune response to sheep erythrocytes in mice].

The presence of the two types of immune reactivity has been shown earlier: 1st--with prevalence of delayed type hypersensitivity reaction over antibody response (in mice of C57Bl/6 strain), 2nd--with prevalence of antibody responses (in mice of CBA strain). These differences first of all have been displayed in case of using by suboptimal doses of antigen. In the present study the character of local and common immune response in mice of BALB/c, DBA/2, CC57BR, C3H strains and (CBA x C57Bl/6)F1 hybrid on different sheep erythrocyte doses has been investigated.

[Characteristics of T-suppressors responsible for the competition between cellular and humoral immune response in the spleen].

After intraperitoneal immunization by different sheep erythrocytes doses (1 x 10(6) - 1 x 10(8)) in the spleen of CBA strain and (CBA x C57Bl/6)F1 hybrid mice short-living suppressor cells, which are able to inhibit mature IgM-but not IgG-plaque-forming cells have been revealed. The suppression degree is in direct dependency on the delayed type hypersensitivity effectors activity. The revealed suppressor splenocytes are Thy-1-positive, do not adhere to plastic, are antigen-specific, require the H-2 complex restriction, are unable to homing into regional lymph nodes, their induction is abolished by administration of 200 mg/kg, but not 20 mg/kg of cyclophosphamide.

[Relationship between the immunomodulating effects of chorionic gonadotropin and the initial functional activity of the splenocytes mediating the adoptive immune response].

CBA and (CBA x C57BL/6)F1 male mice were used in experiments. One h incubation of splenocytes with chorionic gonadotropin (CG) in doses 10 or 50 MU/ml statistically significantly reduced the count of antibody-producing cells detectable in the syngeneic transfer system. Addition of conA or recombinant human interleukin 2 to the splenocyte culture did not alter the processes of the formation of antibody-producing cells.

[Effect of glucagon and short-term fasting on the interrelationship of cellular and humoral immune responses].

The effect of subcutaneous administration of 25 micrograms/kg of glucagon and 2-day fasting (as a natural model of hyperglucagonemia) on the accumulation of antibody-forming splenocytes and the expression of a delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction (DTHR) in response to intraperitoneal immunization with sheep erythrocytes at various doses were studied in experiments on random-bred albino mice. A suppressing effect of the hormone on antibody genesis at optimum doses and its stimulating effect at suboptimum doses were revealed. The latter effect took place against a background of DTHR suppression.

[Interrelations of cellular and humoral immune response and different doses of sheep erythrocytes in mice].

In experiments on CBA and C57BL/6 mice the generation of antibody-forming cells respectively either in the popliteal lymph nodes or spleen as well as a rate of delayed type hypersensitivity response (DTHR) on the background of subcutaneous (into foot) or intraperitoneal injection of different doses of sheep erythrocytes (from 10(4) to 10(8)) have been studied. In so doing two types of immune response can be isolated on the dependence upon the sensitivity threshold to antigen of DTHR and humoral immunity. Thus in C57BL/6 mice the antigen threshold for DTHR is of one time (in intraperitoneal immunization) or of a two times (in subcutaneous) lower order than for antibody response.

[Effects of chorionic gonadotropin on the hematopoietic stem cells].

It was shown on the exogenic colony-forming unit (CFU) assay that the chorionic gonadotropin (CG) administration to female mice CBA in doses correlating with its concentration in different stages of woman pregnancy stimulated (depending upon the doses) the CFU formation of bone marrow, but not spleen origin. Injections of CG to the ovariectomized mice has the opposite (inhibited) effect on the CFU contents in bone marrow and spleen. CG-administration in the dose of 40 U1 to the ovariectomized and non-castrated irradiated recipients bone marrow cells stimulates (statistically significant) colonies formation.

[Effect of glucagon on the development of delayed hypersensitivity to alloantigens in mice].

A study was made of the effect of different doses of glucagon (0.02, 0.1, 0.

[The role of chorionic gonadotropin in regulating the humoral immune response].

A study was made of the effect of chorionic gonadotropin (CG) on the formation of a primary immune response and generation of antigen-specific T-suppressors in normal and ovariectomized female mice. CG at doses of 40 or 200 U. strongly suppressed the generation of suppressor cells in noncastrated animals, and significantly raised the level of a humoral immune response at a small dose (40 U.

[Effect of chorionic gonadotropin on the cooperative interrelations of splenocytes involved in the primary immune response].

The influence of chorionic gonadotropin (CG) on the interaction of spleen T- and B-cells has been studied in adoptive transfer system. It has been established that CG increases the primary immune response in non-ovariectomized mice. This effect reversely depended on the hormone concentration and was independent of prostaglandins (PG).

[Immunomodulating effects of glucagon].

Experiments have shown marked immunosuppressive activity of glucagon during its injection at a dose of 0.4 micrograms for 5 days. The suppression of a primary immune response is mediated by the activation of antigen-specific T-suppressors and is not associated with an increase in insulin secretion and a glycemia value.

[Chorionic gonadotropin as a modulator of cell interaction in the induction of the primary immune response].

The authors studied the effect of chorionic gonadotropin (CG) on the formation of a primary immune response and interactions of T- and B-lymphocytes in the realization of a humoral response to sheep erythrocytes in CBA and E1 (CBA X C57BL/6) mice. CG at a dose of 40 U. significantly increased the amount of antibody forming cells (AFC) whereas at a dose of 200 U.