ABSTRACT
The results obtained in the study of the pre- and postoperative immunological picture in 25 patients suffering from carcinoma of the pavement epithelium of the oesophagus are reported. From this study it emerges that in the preoperative period, the serum levels of immunoglobulin and complement as well as the lymphocyte subpopulations do not present significant changes, whereas 44% of the patients present cell-mediated immunity certified by the skin test. On the other hand, in the postoperative period there is a sharp reduction in the OKT4/8 ratio due in the main to a relative increase in suppressor lymphocytes. In conclusion, the value of skin tests in "in vivo" anergic patient research is underlined, evidencing the need for a programme of immunostimulation in the postoperative period.
Subject(s)
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/immunology , Esophageal Neoplasms/immunology , Immunologic Deficiency Syndromes/etiology , Postoperative Complications , Adjuvants, Immunologic/therapeutic use , Aged , Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/surgery , Esophageal Neoplasms/surgery , Esophagoplasty , Female , Humans , Immunity, Cellular , Immunologic Deficiency Syndromes/drug therapy , Leukocyte Count , Male , Middle Aged , Skin Tests , T-Lymphocytes, RegulatoryABSTRACT
We analysed the possible mechanisms responsible for the functional abnormalities reported on phagocyte cell function in IgA nephropathy patients. The oxidative metabolism by the superoxide anion ferricytochrome C reduction test on monocytes and the chemiluminescence response on neutrophils was examined in 32 patients. Moreover the expression of cell membrane structures involved in immune response and phagocytosis (i.e. Fc receptors and HLA class II antigens) was evaluated cytofluorimetrically using specific monoclonal antibodies. Our own results did not show striking differences in oxidative potential and phenotype of patients' phagocyte cells as compared with healthy controls. However a HLA class II-associated structure was found to be quantitatively more expressed in patients' monocytes than in normal controls (P less than 0.005). These findings suggest that the defective phagocyte system function reported in IgA nephropathy patients is not simply due to a loss of cell surface receptors, nor to abnormalities in intracellular metabolic pathways implying oxygen consumption. The increase in expression of some HLA class II structures, often associated with the presence of circulating IgA immune complexes, probably reflects a protracted immunological stimulation.
