ABSTRACT
A considerable imbalance in humoral and cellular factors of immunity characterized by high B-cell activity associated with a relative T-cell deficiency has been revealed in patients with coronary heart disease. Immunological imbalance is characteristic for all the clinically pronounced forms of coronary heart disease, forming long before obvious lesions of the coronary arteries. This makes it possible to regard patients without coronarographically documented atherosclerosis as having functional form of the process pathogenetically identical to atherosclerosis according to immunological criteria.
Subject(s)
Coronary Artery Disease/immunology , Immune System/immunology , Adult , Aged , Antigen-Antibody Complex/analysis , C-Reactive Protein/analysis , Complement System Proteins/analysis , Coronary Disease/immunology , Humans , Immunoglobulins/analysis , Lymphocyte Activation , Male , Middle Aged , Phagocytosis , Rosette FormationABSTRACT
Peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) of patients with dilatation cardiomyopathy (DCMP), CHD and healthy persons were investigated for the presence of sensitization to the protein basic myelin (PB) for characterization of an immunopathological process in DCMP. In half of the DCMP patients there was sensitization to MMP, the presence of cytotoxic MMP-specific lymphocytes, a decrease in PBL suppressor and proliferative activity, an increase in IgG and IgM biosynthesis and lack of the lymphocytic capacity for induction of specific suppressor activity to this protein. A conclusion of myelin damage in DCMP development was made on the basis of the data obtained. An assumption was made of the appearance of focal inflammatory demyelinization in the myocardium accompanied by an autoimmune process with disorder of cooperative links of T- and B-lymphocytes.
Subject(s)
Cardiomyopathy, Dilated/immunology , Lymphocytes/immunology , Myelin Basic Protein/immunology , B-Lymphocytes/immunology , Humans , Immunoglobulin G/biosynthesis , Immunoglobulin M/biosynthesis , T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic/immunology , T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory/immunologySubject(s)
B-Lymphocytes/immunology , Immune Tolerance , T-Lymphocytes/immunology , Adult , Humans , Lasers , Nephelometry and TurbidimetryABSTRACT
A study was made of the functional activity of natural killer cells (NK-cells), antibody dependent cellular cytotoxicity of killer cells (K-cells) and the effect of interferon (alpha-IFN) in vitro on function of these cells in a group of donors and patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCMP) as well as in patients with chronic coronary heart disease (CHD) and myocardial infarction (MI). Patients with DCMP might be divided into 3 groups according to the nature of NK- and K-cell functional activity: in a grave and rapid DCMP course the functional activity of NK- and K-cells was sharply decreased, a favorable course of disease was characterized by normal or raised values of their cytotoxicity. Patients with a severe type of DCMP revealed profound depression of lymphocyte killer activity.
Subject(s)
Cardiomyopathy, Dilated/immunology , Cytotoxicity, Immunologic , Adolescent , Adult , Antibody-Dependent Cell Cytotoxicity , Cytotoxicity Tests, Immunologic , Female , Humans , In Vitro Techniques , Killer Cells, Natural/immunology , Male , Middle AgedABSTRACT
The content of circulating immune complexes, IgA, IgM, IgG, components of NK- and K-cell complement and phagocytosis were studied during hemosorption in 14 patients with chronic nephritis and chronic pyelonephritis with symptomatic hypertension. Diverse changes of humoral immunity indices associated with their initial level were revealed. A drop of arterial pressure and improved kidney function were noted in some patients. The leukocyte phagocytic activity, natural and antibody dependent cytotoxicity rose.
