Infections after transplantation of a contaminated kidney.

In a retrospective study of 350 consecutive cadaver renal transplants, at least 83 (24%) of the donor kidneys were found to be contaminated. This was associated with three perinephric abscesses, one mycotic aneurysm, one pseudomonas sepsis, and four superficial wound infections. As a result, three patients lost their grafts, and one patient died from septic complications.

Recombinant leucocyte interferon A induces steroid-resistant acute vascular rejection episodes in renal transplant recipients.

In an attempt to determine the safety, tolerance, and prophylactic antiviral activity of high doses of recombinant DNA leucocyte interferon A a double-blind parallel-group study was started in 16 renal transplant recipients. All 16 patients had early rejection episodes. In all 8 interferon-treated patients and 1 placebo-treated patient this rejection, which was of the acute vascular humoral type, was steroid resistant.

Vibrator (vb): a spinocerebellar system degeneration with autosomal recessive inheritance in mice.

Vibrator (gene symbol vb), an autosomal recessive mutation, occurred spontaneously in the DBA/2J strain of mice, was rescued by a single cross to C57BL/6J and subsequent brother X sister mating, and has been mapped near shaker-2 (sh-2) and vestigial tail (vt) on chromosome 11. The name emphasizes the unusually rapid (18-20 Hz) postural action tremor expressed in juvenile homozygotes. Selected neurons in spinal cord, and later in brainstem and cerebellum, show progressive degenerative changes featuring dilated cisternae of endoplasmic reticulum in cell bodies, dendrites and axons, with eventual severe intracellular vacuolation and some cell death.

Highly purified leucocyte interferons for renal transplant recipients.

The effect of alternate day administration of four human interferons alpha on temperature, leucocyte and thrombocyte counts was evaluated in renal transplant recipients. These preparations were strikingly different in nature and concentration of impurities. No differences were found in side effects suggesting that they are not due to contaminants but to an intrinsic property of interferon alpha molecules.

In vivo immune stimulation by interferon during viral infection.

Treatment of Rhesus monkeys with human leukocyte interferon prevents the development of skin lesions after intradermal infection with vaccinia virus. The treatment does not prevent the development of immunity to vaccinia. Inactivated vaccinia virus, which is non-immunogenic in untreated monkeys, induced immunity under interferon treatment, indicating that interferon had an immune-stimulating effect.

Prevention of vaccinia lesions in Rhesus monkeys by human leucocyte and fibroblast interferon.

The prophylactic antiviral activity of systemically administered human interferon preparations was tested in 36 rhesus monkeys against vaccinia virus injected into the skin. All nine control monkeys developed typical vaccinia skin lesions. Eight of nine monkeys treated with daily intramuscular injections of leucocyte interferon (5 x 10(5) units/kg) from day -1 to day +7 after vaccination were completely protected.