[Various quantitative and qualitative characteristics of circulating immune complexes in rheumatic vasculitis].

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus associated with and without the clinical signs of the involvement of blood vessels were examined for the concentration of circulating immune complexes (CIC) and for the content of rheumatoid factor (RF), DNA and RNA as well as for the concentration of DNA, RNA and activity of acid nucleases in blood plasma. It was established that rheumatic vasculitis is coupled with a high concentration of CIC. In rheumatoid vasculitis, CIC contain a lot of rheumatoid factors which become far more activated after acidic dissociation of CIC.

[Effect of concanavalin A on the nucleic acid concentration and acid nuclease activity of the spleen and liver of rats with adjuvant arthritis].

A single injection of concanavalin A (Con A) in a dose of 90 micrograms/10 g bw to healthy rats caused a stress followed by changes in the mass of lymphoid organs and liver, decreased activity of acid RNase and DNase and elevated concentration of nucleic acids in these organs. The changes observed were reversible in each test system, disappearing at varying times after Con A injection. Injection of Con A coupled with Freund's adjuvant (FA) followed by daily Con A injections for 2 weeks exerted a modulating influence on adjuvant arthritis.