[Establishment of An Animal Model of Acute B Lymphoblastic Leukemia with Minimal Residual Disease].

OBJECTIVE: To establish an animal model of acute B lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) with minimal residual disease. METHODS: The transplanted tumor was formed by subcutaneous injection of 2×107 Nalm-6 cells, and the body weight, activity status and tumor formation status of nude mice were observed. Peripheral blood, bone marrow, liver and spleen and other tissues of nude mice were taken for pathological examination to understand whether the success of subcutaneous modeling was accompanied by systemic metastasis. RESULTS: There were 2×107 Nalm-6 cells injected subcutaneously in nude mice, (11.0±2.5) days later, the tumors of (3-4) × (3-4) mm were observed, the body weight of the nude mice was reduced and activity showed no limited. Infiltration of tumor cells in liver, spleen and bone marrow were observed in pathological sections. CONCLUSION: The animal model of subcutaneous tumor of B-ALL was successfully established in nude mice.

[Levels of IL-12 produced by dendritic cells and changes of TH1/TH2 balance in children with Henoch-Schonlein purpura].

OBJECTIVE: To study the changes of IL-12 produced by dendritic cells in peripheral blood in children with Henoch-Schonlein purpura (HSP), and to explore its influence on TH1/TH2 balance in order to elucidate its significance in the pathogenesis of HSP. METHODS: The levels of interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), interleukin-4 (IL-4) and interleukin-12 (IL-12) in plasma were determined by ELISA in 60 HSP children (HSP group) and 21 healthy children (Control group). Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of 22 HSP patients and 21 healthy children were cultured in vitro and then were transformed into dendritic cells. The levels of IL-12 in the supernatant were detected by ELISA and the positive expression rate of CD1a(+) was detected by indirect immunofluorescence procedure. RESULTS: 1) The levels of IFN-gamma and the ratio of IFN-gamma/IL-4 in plasma of the HSP group were lower than those of the Control group (IFN-gamma 30.59 +/- 11.27 pg/mL vs 43.38 +/- 19.19 pg/mL; IFN-gamma/IL-4 ratio 0.70 +/- 0.28 vs 1.33 +/- 0.57) (P < 0.01). The levels of IL-12 in the HSP group were also lower than those of the Control group (153.95 +/- 91.88 pg/mL vs 323.06 +/- 162.34 pg/mL; P < 0.01). In contrast, the levels of IL-4 were higher than those of the Control group (45.08 +/- 9.19 pg/mL vs 32.95 +/- 7.10 pg/mL; P < 0.01). The plasma levels of IL-12 positively correlated with the IFN-gamma levels (r=0.52, P < 0.01) and the ratio of IFN-gamma/IL-4 (r=0.43, P < 0.01) in the HSP group. 2) The IL-12 levels in the supernatant of the HSP group were lower than those of the Control group (357.06 +/- 153.56 pg/mL vs 489.80 +/- 213.45 pg/mL; P < 0.05), and had a positive correlation with the plasma IL-12 levels (r=0.74, P < 0.01). 3) The positive expression rate of CD1a(+) of the HSP group was lower than that of the Control group [(27.42 +/- 10.75)% vs (35.68 +/- 12.18)%; P < 0.05], and positively correlated with the IL-12 levels in the supernatants (r=0.57, P < 0.01) and in plasma (r=0.68, P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: There was an imbalance of TH1/TH2 in HSP children. The decrease of TH1 function had a positive correlation with the low levels of IL-12 in plasma, while the latter correlated closely with decreased number and / or function of dendritic cells, suggesting that the decreased number and / or function of dendritic cells in peripheral blood resulted in the imbalance of TH1/TH2 indirectly.

[Effect of milkvetch injection on immune function of children with tetralogy of Fallot after radical operation].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of milkvetch injection (MI) on immune function of children with tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) after radical operation. METHODS: Forty-children with TOF were divided into two groups, the 20 in the control group treated with conventional treatment alone and the 20 in the treated group treated with conventional treatment plus 15 ml of MI every 12 hrs for 14 days. Changes of immunoglobulin, complements, lymphocyte phenotypes and cytokines were observed. RESULTS: In the treated group, the abnormally increased levels of IgG, IgM, C3, C4, CD8+ and CD19+ began to lower at lst-2nd week after treatment, and basically restored to the levels of normal at 3rd-4th week; while the decreased levels of IgA, CD3+, CD4+, CD4+/CD8+ ratio, CD3+/HLA-DR+ and CD3+/CD16+ -CD56+ raised gradually from the 1st week and restored to normal range at 2nd-3rd week. The IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) levels in the plasma and supernatant, produced in vitro by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) decreased gradually at 1st week and restored to the normal level at 3rd-4th weeks. The different value before and after treatment of the above-mentioned indexes in the treated group were superior to those in the control group (P<0.05 or P<0.01). CONCLUSION: MI could significantly improve the immune function of children with TOF after radical operation.