Interferon gamma production by PAS-positive T lymphocytes of chagasic patients infiltrated into human hearts in the sites of lesions.

Unlabelled: In the blood of chagasic patients, a high number of T-lymphocytes producers of a PA.S.-positive substance was found, more numerous in chagasics with abnormal electrocardiogram.

CpG oligodeoxinucleotides functions as an effective adjuvant in aged BALB/c mice.

During aging, there is an increased rise in susceptibility to infectious diseases. However, it is still unresolved whether standard vaccine adjuvants are efficient in the elderly. We report that immunization with OVA plus synthetic oligodeoxinucleotides containing immunostimulatory CpG motifs (CpG-ODN) stimulates specific Th1 response in aged mice.

[Chagas cardiopathy: identification and quantification of infiltrating cells in the hearts of cardiac death patients of different ages].

Unlabelled: The purpose of this work was to obtain new data on factors intervening in the production and progression of human chagasic cardiopathy (HChC) with death by cardiac failure. We studied cardiac samples of patients that died at an early mean age versus others that died at older ages. The infiltrating cells were characterized and quantified by means of specific monoclonal antibodies and inmunohistochemical methodology; and by classical histological and histochemical methods.