A new autoantibody in celiac disease.

A 74-year-old female patient with therapy-resistant sprue (celiac disease) and a new IgA autoantibody is presented. This autoantibody was demonstrated by immunofluorescence and differs from the conventional antibody against type 3 connective tissue (so-called endomysium antibody). It reacts predominantly with the muscularis and less strongly with the muscularis mucosae of the monkey esophagus.

Age-dependent physiochemical and biochemical studies of human red cell membranes.

Erythrocyte ghosts of male persons of two age groups, younger than thirty and older than seventy years, were analyzed to investigate the imfluence of age on lipid composition, the physical state of the lipid phase, Na+K+-ATPase activity and sialic acid content. The phospholipid content in red cell membranes of old donors is significantly lower than in young ones. Cholesterol and fatty acid compositions shows no difference between the two donor groups.