Peripheral neuropathy associated with IgM monoclonal gammopathy: correlations between M-protein antibody activity and clinical/electrophysiological features in 40 cases.

Forty cases of polyneuropathy associated with IgM monoclonal gammopathy were retrospectively studied to investigate the relevance of clinical and electrophysiological features to M-protein antibody activity. There were 26 men and 14 women; mean age was 65 +/- 11.7 years at the time of the study.

Three different anti-myelin antibodies in a case of demyelinating dysglobulinemic peripheral neuropathy.

We report the case of a patient with a severe, predominantly motor, demyelinating neuropathy associated with an IgM kappa biclonal gammopathy. Immunoblot studies showed IgM reactivity against MAG, and IgG reactivity against a peripheral nerve myelin-specific protein of approximately 35 kDa. Immunodetection by thin layer chromatography showed IgM reactivity towards GM1 and GD1b, as well as towards SGPG and SGLPG.

Membrane glycolipids and human immunodeficiency virus infection of primary macrophages.

The membrane glycolipids galactosylceramide (GalCer) and sulfatide (SGalCer) have been reported to act as receptors of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) on CD4- cell lines. We show here that these glycolipids are present on CD4+ cells purified from human blood and on in vitro-differentiated monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs). We investigated the role they could play in HIV infection.

[Anti-GM1 gangliosides antibodies in multifocal motor neuropathies].

In a study on 67 chronic neuropathies, we have shown that anti-GM1 antibodies are particularly frequent in multifocal motor neuropathies (MMN) with conduction blocks (17/24 cases). The detection of these antibodies by ELISA necessitates a confirmation by immunodetection on thin-layer chromatography, so as to distinguish the anti-GM1 antibodies present in MMN from natural antibodies which are polyreactive and of low affinity. There is no direct correlation between the anti-GM1 antibody titer, the immunosuppressive treatment and the clinical evolution.

Cell-cell interactions during the migration of myelin-forming cells transplanted in the demyelinated spinal cord.

In the present paper, Dil-labeled myelin-forming cells were traced after their transplantation at a distance from a lysolecithin induced lesion in the adult wild-type and shiverer mouse spinal cord. Optical and ultrastructural observations indicate that after their transplantation, Dil-labeled Schwann cells and oligodendrocyte progenitors were found at the level of the graft as well as at the level of the lesion thus confirming that myelin-forming cells were able to migrate in the adult lesioned CNS (Gout et al., Neurosci Lett 87:195-199, 1988).

Myelin-induced experimental allergic encephalomyelitis in Lewis rats: tumor necrosis factor alpha levels in serum and cerebrospinal fluid immunohistochemical expression in glial cells and macrophages of optic nerve and spinal cord.

Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) activity was measured in serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of Lewis rats after experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) induction and during the clinical course of acute disease. TNFalpha bioactivity expression preceded the clinical symptoms and paralleled the severity of disease. We further investigated the identity of the central nervous system (CNS) cells involved in TNFalpha expression and their regional localization during EAE.

Multifocal motor neuropathy with conduction block: a study of 24 patients.

Twenty four patients with pure motor neuropathy are reported. The chronic motor involvement associated with fasciculations and cramps, mainly in the arms, led, in most patients, to an initial diagnosis of motor neuron disease. In some patients (nine of 24), there was no appreciable muscle atrophy.

Anti-sulfoglucuronyl paragloboside IgM antibodies in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

We report here our results on IgM anti-sulfated glucuronyl paragloboside (SGPG) antibodies in sera from patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Studies by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay on 72 ALS sera showed IgM polyclonal reactivity towards SGPG in 25 cases. The titer was high in 16 cases.

Human immunoglobulin treatment of multifocal motor neuropathy and polyneuropathy associated with monoclonal gammopathy.

Intravenous human immune globulin (IVIg) has been proposed for the treatment of various peripheral neuropathies that are considered to be immunemediated. The results are reported of an open trial conducted in multifocal motor neuropathy and polyneuropathy associated with monoclonal gammopathy. Six cases with multifocal motor neuropathy, selected on clinical and electrophysiological criteria (four of six patients also had significantly high anti-GM1 titres), received IVIg monthly, at doses varying from 1.

[Treatment of immune deficient neuropathies with intravenous polyvalent immunoglobulins. An open study of 16 cases].

Unlabelled: Between June 1989 and February 1992, in an open controlled study 16 patients with various types of polyneuropathy were treated with high-dose intravenous immunoglobulins (IgIV). Every month during 3 months, each patient received three courses of IgIV in doses of 0.4 g/kg/day during 5 successive days.

Childhood peripheral neuropathy with autoantibodies to myelin glycoprotein P0.

The serum of a 4-year-old child with severe hypertrophic peripheral neuropathy contained high-titer polyclonal antibodies, mainly of IgG class, reacting with the 30-kd P0 glycoprotein of peripheral nerve. This was demonstrated by indirect immunofluorescence, immunoblot analysis of myelin proteins, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with purified P0 glycoprotein. The antibodies did not react with myelin-associated glycoprotein, sulfated glycuronic acid-containing paragloboside (SGPG and SGLPG), or other peripheral nerve glycolipids or gangliosides.

Ganglioside GD1b is the target antigen for a biclonal IgM in a case of sensory-motor axonal polyneuropathy: involvement of N-acetylneuraminic acid in the epitope.

We report on a 54-year-old man with a sensory-motor polyneuropathy associated with a biclonal IgM-kappa gammopathy, which reacted with the ganglioside GD1b. Examination of nerve biopsy specimens showed some reduction in the density of myelinated fibers and axonal degeneration with a loss of large fibers and a relative increase in the density of small fibers. Immunodetection on thin-layer chromatography of the glycolipid antigens showed strong reactivity of the patient's serum IgM-kappa with GD1b ganglioside and weak binding to GD1a.

Antiganglioside antibodies in motor-neuron diseases and peripheral neuropathies: study by ELISA technique and immunodetection on thin-layer chromatography.

We report here our studies on IgM reactivity towards peripheral nervous system gangliosides, in motor-neuron diseases (MND) without IgM gammopathies, and in peripheral neuropathies with IgM gammopathies. We showed by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay technique, that anti-GM1 IgM antibodies were often present at a low level in normal controls in contrast to anti-GD1b antibodies, which were never detected in control sera. We evidenced that several steps of the ELISA technique were critical such as the nonaddition of detergent in buffer solutions used for dilutions and for washing and the choice of the ELISA plates.

Frequency of central lesions in polyneuropathy associated with IgM monoclonal gammopathy: an MRI, neurophysiological and immunochemical study.

CNS lesions were studied in polyneuropathy associated with IgM monoclonal gammopathy. Eleven out of 12 patients with IgM MGUS and one patient with Waldenstrom's disease had clinical and electrophysiological features indicating a demyelinating polyneuropathy. MRI showed CNS white matter lesions in two cases.

Galactocerebrosides are antigens for immunoglobulins in sera of an experimental model of trypanosomiasis in sheep.

In an experimental model of human African trypanosomiasis in sheep inoculated with Trypanosoma brucei brucei, we report an immunoglobulin reactivity towards central nervous system (CNS) glycolipids. Immunocharacterization of the glycolipid antigens was performed on thin-layer chromatography using peroxidase-labelled second antibody. An immunoreactivity against galactocerebroside antigens was observed in inoculated animals up to a dilution of 1:600 and was suppressed after immunoadsorption of sera on pure galactocerebrosides.

Persistence of Trypanosoma cruzi antigens in the inflammatory lesions of chronically infected mice.

Different tissues and organs of mice infected with Trypanosoma cruzi trypomastigotes have been examined for the presence of parasites and parasitic antigens during both the acute and the chronic phases of infection. Specimens of skeletal and cardiac muscles, spleen, liver, brain and sciatic nerves were studied by histological and immunological methods. During the acute phase of infection, the parasites were commonly observed in these tissues.

Cellular immunity to Trypanosoma cruzi is mediated by helper T cells (CD4+).

The infection of mice with Trypanosoma cruzi has been used as an experimental model for human Chagas disease, because the murine and human infections have similar acute and chronic phases generating similar immunopathological phenomena. Histopathological studies of murine tissues showed that the inflammatory lesions were small during the acute phase and composed mainly of mononuclear cells. During the chronic phase, cellular infiltrates were clustered in large granulomata consisting of mononuclear and polynuclear neutrophil cells.