Does the eosinophil have a protective role in amebiasis?

While normal human eosinophils are destroyed in vitro by virulent Entamoeba histolytica, notwhistanding the presence of antibodies and complement, activated eosinophils promptly destroy the parasite although dying also at the end of the process. To study the possible in vivo participation of eosinophils in evasive amebiasis, we compared the induction of experimental amebic abscess of the liver (AAL) in gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus) previously made eosinophilic through Toxocara canis antigen injection and in normal control gerbils. After intraportal inoculation of 105 ameba trophozoites (6 and 24 hr), the ratio of gerbils with AAL, as well as the number and size of the microabscesses was comparable in eosinophilic and control gerbils. However, at 9 hr the number and size of the microabscesses were significantly smaller (p<0.05) in eosinophilic gerbils. On the other hand, the actuarial AAL survival curve up to 45 days post-amebic inoculation was sugnificantly (p<0.05) shifted to the right in controls. These results suggest that antigen-induced eosinophilia may exert a protective effect agaisnt AAL in gerbils.

The ultrastructure of Entamoeba histolytica locomotion

This quantitative ultrastructural survery of E. histolytica locomotion in Boyden chambers supports the concept that this parasitis is capable of random, chemokinetic and chemotactic motility. An E. histolytica committed to chemotaxis will flatten over the filter, accumulate smaller vacuoles at the front of the cell, and will also project pseudopods and its polarized body towards and alongside the chemoattractant axis, respectively. Other cell features such as cell polarization, membrane ruffling, hyaline, total number of pseudopods and caudal displacement of the nucleus appear to be associated with the locomotion efforts as such, perhaps reflecting speed (chemokinesis) but irrespective of orientation (chemotaxis). Finally, only on of the 11 features that were analyzed (i.e., number of vacuoles) failed to be distinctly associated with any of the movement forms studied. E. histolytica appears to possess the full repertoire of locomotion modalities observed in free moving eukaryots, and its motility translates into ultrastructural landmarks that could be useful indicators of subcellular events related to locomotion

HLA y nefropatías en mestizos mexicanos / HLA and nephropathies in Mexican mestizo people

Se estudió la relación entre HLA y nefropatías con diagnóstico clínico e histopatológico de certeza en 58 pacientes de una población mestiza mexicana. Se encontró relación significativa entre antígeno HLA-B8 y GNMP. Las demás nefropatías incluidas en este estudio no mostraron relación después de corregir los valores de Pf

Algunas característiicas de la replicación in vivo de la línea de mieloma murino X63 Ag8.6.5.3. Comunicación preliminar / Soma characteristics of the replication in vivo of the murine mieloma X63 Ag8.6.5.3. line: preliminary report

Se discuten resultados obtenidos cultivando la línea de mieloma murino X63 Ag8.6.5.3. en ratones. Las células fueron inoculadas por vía subcutánea y por vía intraperitoneal, utilizando respectivamente ciclofosfamida y radiaciones gamma como agente inmunopresor. El cultivo intraperitoneal produce una mayor proporción de células viables, aptas para la hibridación por la vía subcutánea. Con el pase en ratón, se elimina la contaminación de las células por C. albicans

Anticuerpos monoclonales en enfermedades de origen viral / Monoclonal antibodies in diseases of viral origin

En este trabajo se presenta el panorama de utilización de los anticuerpos monoclonales (AM) en virología; se discute el papel que han tenido en la exploración de las bases de variabilidad antígénica vital, su utilización en el diagnóstico, en la terapéutica y en la purificación inmunoquímica. Finalmente se analizan algunas futuras aplicaciones