Symptoms of respiratory allergies are worse in subjects with coexisting food sensitization.

Food sensitization was evaluated in 78 subjects with respiratory allergies, both by skin tests with commercial and fresh allergens, and by specific IgE determination. On the basis of the presence or absence of the latter the population was divided into two groups. The group with food-specific IgE showed more severe features of respiratory allergy, including a greater number of positive skin tests and specific IgE determinations, more class 3 and 4 reactions, and more symptoms. The hypothesis that early food sensitization can predispose to severe inhalant allergy is discussed.

High expression of multinucleated giant cells in cultures of peripheral blood cells from HIV infected patients.

Multinucleated giant cells (MGCs) were detected in cell lines established from peripheral blood lymphocytes of patients with: (a) acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and lymphadenopathy syndrome (LAS), (b) chronic active hepatitis (CAH), (c) papular acrodermatitis (PA) negative for hepatitis B virus antigens but positive for EBV, and (d) epidermolysis bullosa acquisita positive for EBV. All the cell lines established, including those established from AIDS and LAS patients, were examined for the presence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) by indirect immunofluorescence with monoclonal antibodies directed against the HIV antigens p17 and p24 and for the presence of reverse transcriptase. All the cell lines were found to be negative for HIV. While the cell lines obtained from AIDS patients still express MGCs after more than two years in culture, their supernatants are negative for reverse transcriptase activity and carry phenotypic markers characteristic of B cells. From the LAS and chronic active hepatitis patients we obtained a monolayer of adherent cells almost completely represented by MGCs that lasted for six and four months, respectively. After this period of time a proliferation process took place. Both the cell lines obtained carry B cell phenotypic markers, but MGCs are still a characteristic only for the LAS-derived cell culture. Non infected patients or normal subjects express MGCs only during the early stage of the cultue. The correlation between the presence of MGCs and a retrovirus infection is discussed in the light of the role of MGCs in the pathogenesis of AIDS.

High expression of ets-1 gene in human thymocytes and immature T leukemic cells.

The cellular ets-1 gene homologous to the 5' region of the v-ets sequence of the E26 retrovirus codes for a 6.8-kb mRNA that is translated into a 51-kDa protein in human cells. A survey of mRNA from human tissues showed the thymus as the tissue with the highest level of ets-1 transcription, within other hematopoietic organs and tissues, including spleen, fetal liver, lymph nodes, bone marrow, and peripheral lymphocytes exhibiting low or undetectable levels of hybridization. A high level of ets-1 expression was found in murine thymocyte mRNA as well. Investigation of the ets-1 expression levels in human leukemic samples showed that primary malignant T cells (T-ALLs), corresponding to intrathymic stages of maturation, have a much higher level of ets-1 mRNA than malignant T lymphoid cells with a mature phenotype, such as adult T cell leukemias (ATLs). T-ALLs were also higher in ets-1 expression than the other lymphoid (pre-T-ALL, c-ALL, pre-B-ALL) malignant cells analyzed. Insignificant amounts of the specific ets-1 mRNA were detected in several acute myeloid leukemias representing various degrees of maturation. The elevated ets-1 mRNA in thymocytes suggests a biological role for the ets-1 product in these cells that could be explored to investigate ets-1 function. Finally, the exhibited expression of ets-1 in lymphoid cells and absence from malignant myeloid cells makes it a candidate marker for phenotyping human hematopoietic tumors.

Significance of circulating C1q-binding activity in chronic liver disease: a study of 133 cases.

Circulating immune complexes (CIC) were measured in 133 biopsy-proven patients with various liver diseases. The correlation between CIC levels and other laboratory findings was investigated in each disease group, in order to assess if the increased C1q-binding activity found in these patients was related to particular features of the disease. CIC levels were not significantly different in HBsAg-positive and HBsAg-negative patients. No correlation was found between CIC levels and serum bilirubin, AST, ALT and C3 levels. A negative correlation with C4 levels and a positive correlation with immunoglobulin levels were found in the majority of the patients, while prothrombin time and albumin levels were negatively correlated to CIC levels only in patients with chronic active hepatitis. Increased CIC levels could represent a response to gut-associated antigens, a passive accumulation due to reduced hepatic function or both.

Isolation and characterization of circulating immune complexes in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

We studied soluble immune complexes in sera and synovial fluids of ten patients suffering from Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), six seropositive and four seronegative. Isolation of the immune complexes was obtained by a combination of gel filtration and affinity chromatography from biological fluids. The first step involved preparation of a globulin-enriched fraction by precipitation of either serum or synovial fluid with 5% polyethylene glycol 6000. The precipitate was solubilized in Borate NaCl buffer and fractioned by gel filtration in Ultrogel AcA 34. Eluted peaks were submitted to affinity chromatography on a Protein A-Sepharose CL 4B column. The recovered material was analyzed by double immunodiffusion and electrophoresis in 6-20% polyacrylamide gel containing sodium dodecylsulphate (SDS-PAGE) and was shown to contain IgG, IgM, IgA with small amounts of C1q, C3 and C4. Observation occurred that there is a different distribution of macromolecular and intermediate complexes in seropositive and seronegative samples respectively, total C1q binding activity being equal.

Immunological monitoring of a patient with Guillain-Barré syndrome successfully treated with plasma exchange.

A patient with Guillain-Barré syndrome was successfully treated by plasma exchange (without any other therapy), and the relationship between changes in his peripheral blood lymphocyte subpopulations and the clinical improvement induced by plasma-pheresis was studied. At the recovery, the most interesting findings were an increase in T suppressor lymphocytes, and in Fc receptor-bearing lymphocytes (above normal values), together with a decrease in B lymphocytes. In this patient, plasma exchange not only removed toxic humoral factors, but also restored a normal balance among peripheral lymphocytes.

[Immunological parameters in subjects with essential arterial hypertension. II. Serological observations]. / Osservazioni su alcuni parametri immunologici in soggetti con ipertensione arteriosa essenziale. II. Rilievi sierologici.

M, G, and A immunoglobulins as well as C3 and C4 complement fractions were determined in 20 patients with essential hypertension: all the values were in the normal range. Nearly half of the patients had an abnormally high value of circulating immune complexes as determined with Clq binding assay and/or with CIC test. The rise of circulating immune complexes is not related to the stage of arterial hypertension.

Tumor-specific suppressor cells induced by immunization with spleen cells from tumor-bearing animals.

Spleen cells from Fischer rats immunized with syngeneic spleen cells immune to the syngeneic 13762A mammary adenocarcinoma inhibited in vitro generation of lymphocytes cytolytic to the tumor. Spleen cells from rats immunized with nonimmune spleen cells were not suppressive. The suppressive property was first detected 10 days after immunization, persisted through the 17th day, and generally correlated with the appearance of an immunoglobulin G (IgG) factor blocking cell-mediated cytotoxicity to the tumor. Suppression was mediated chiefly by T-lymphocytes, but IgG-bearing lymphocytes also had some suppressive ability. Suppression was induced by IgG-positive cells or by serum or IgG from rats immunized to the 13762A mammary adenocarcinoma. The suppressor cells in the spleens of serum-immunized rats appeared earlier (3 days) than after immunization with immune spleen cells (10 days). These results suggest that certain IgG-positive spleen cells, as well as IgG present in the same tumor-bearing animals, induce one type of suppressor cell modulating cytolytic lymphocyte activity to this mammary adenocarcinoma.

T-cell precursors in mice bearing the Ehrlich ascites tumors.

Mice bearing Ehrlich ascites tumors and challenged with sheep erythrocytes produced fewer plaque-forming cells than did normal mice. At the same time the immunosuppression developed, the number of T lymphocytes in the thymus and spleen were reduced significantly. In the spleen, the number of B lymphocytes remained constant during carcinogenesis, whereas that of the macrophages increased significantly, as compared to the controls. In this paper, we demonstrated that the mechanism responsible for thymus and spleen depletion of theta antigen-bearing cells had to be ascribed to fewer T-lymphocyte precursors in the bone marrow of mice with cancer. The reduction of T-lymphocyte precursors was probably caused by the same "soluble factor(s)" produced by Ehrlich ascites tumor cells, which also interfered with the proliferation of myelopoietic stem cells in the bone marrow of mice with this neoplasm, as we previously reported. By performing several reconstitution experiments of lethally X-irradiated hosts, we determined that the immunodepression by Ehrlich ascites tumor cells was readily reversible, and the alteration of the T:B lymphocyte ratio in the spleen had a minor function, if any, in the pathogenesis of the immunosuppression.