Efficacy of intravenous gammaglobulin for immunoglobulin G subclass and/or antibody deficiency in adults.

Background: The clinical significance and efficacy of treating patients who have immunoglobulin (Ig) G subclass deficiency and/or antibody deficiency with Ig-replacement therapy has been debated. There are no clear guidelines to recommend intravenous gammaglobulin (IgIV) in these patients as there are few published studies documenting its efficacy.

Methods: We studied in an open-label protocol 10 adult patients with recurrent respiratory infections and IgG subclass and/or antibody deficiency.

Comparative study of mannose-binding C-type lectin isolated from channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) and blue catfish (Ictalurus furcatus).

Mannose-binding C-type lectin (MBL) was isolated from channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) NWAC 102 and 103 strains, blue catfish (Ictalurus furcatus) D+B and Rio Grande strains, hybrid catfish (channel catfish female NWAC 103 x blue catfish male D+B) sera, and purified by affinity chromatography from channel catfish Norris strain serum. Reduction of purified channel catfish MBL with 2-ME yielded a single band of 62 kDa by SDS-PAGE and Western blot analysis using guinea pig anti-MBL IgG as primary antibody. Channel catfish NWAC 102 strain, channel catfish NWAC 103 strain and hybrid catfish sera had molecular masses of 63 kDa for MBL.

Autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome in a patient with common variable immunodeficiency: dichotomy of apoptosis.

Background: Autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome (ALPS) is a disorder usually associated with hypergammaglobulinemia and defective apoptosis mostly due to Fas or Fas ligand mutation. Common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) is a disorder with hypogammaglobulinemia commonly associated with increased Fas expression and spontaneous apoptosis.

Objective: To describe a patient with a unique combination of hypogammaglobulinemia and ALPS with Fas deficiency but high spontaneous apoptosis.

Isolation of mannose-binding C-type lectin from Heliothis virescens pupae.

A mannose-binding C-type lectin (MBL) was isolated by affinity chromatography from Heliothis virescens immune pupal hemolymph. The immune pupal hemolymph was obtained after bacterial injection of live Enterobacter cloacae bacteria. MBL in mammals acts as an opsonin for phagocytosis and activates the lectin complement pathway of the innate immune response, which leads to killing of gram-negative bacteria and enveloped viruses.