[Anticardiolipin antibodies, cerebral ischemia and adrenal hemorrhage in a newborn infant]. / Anticorps anticardiolipine, ischémie cérébrale et hémorragie surrénalienne chez un nouveau-né.

BACKGROUND: Anticardiolipin antibodies, usually associated with vascular thrombosis in systemic lupus erythematosus, have been recently found associated with strokes in childhood, and acute adrenal hemorrhage in the adult. CASE REPORT: A 3 day-old fullterm newborn suffering from cerebrovascular ischemia and bilateral massive hemorrhage was found to have anticardiolipin antibodies detected during the neonatal period and 7 months later. There was no evidence of pathology in the mother or perinatal asphyxia. However, anticardiolipin antibodies were present in the mother 5 and 15 weeks after delivery. CONCLUSION: Association of anticardiolipin antibodies and vascular thrombosis has never been reported in the neonate. Persistence of such antibodies favor the hypothesis that they are not transmitted by the mother; they could represent an early manifestation of primary antiphospholipid syndrome.

Cryopreserved arterial homografts: preliminary study.

The use of arterial or venous allografts for vascular reconstruction was first reported in 1951, but long-term results have been disappointing. Rejection and inappropriate methods of preservation are the main reasons for failure. A successful solution to this problem could be achieved by programmed cryopreservation with cryoprotectant. Our study had two aims: to define the biomechanical properties of cryopreserved arterial allografts and to study their histologic appearance. Arteries were removed as part of a protocol for multiorgan harvesting for transplantation. Cryopreservation was performed within the first 24 hours after harvesting. Programmed cryopreservation with 15% dimethyl sulfoxide (cryoprotectant) was used. Mechanical testing was done immediately after thawing. Two groups were tested: a control group of fresh aortas and a group of cryopreserved aortas. Axial and circumferential strips were tested. High strain modulus and stress and strain characteristics were calculated for each strip. There was no statistically significant difference between the mechanical properties of fresh and cryopreserved human descending thoracic aortas. Biochemical tests were performed in the preservative solution at 1 and 7 days in both groups. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups at day 1 or day 7 (p > 0.05). Histologic studies before and after arterial cryopreservation included standard and electron microscopy and showed that arteries had normal structure after cryopreservation. These results confirm that programmed cryopreservation with cryoprotectant does not alter the molecular or geometric configuration of collagen or elastic fibers. Endothelial cells were still present, however, their viability and function were not assessed.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Importance of HLA-A, -B and -DR matching in presensitized kidney transplant recipients.

1. Beneficial effect of HLA matching is observed mainly among sensitized recipients. 2. Two DR and at least 1A and 1B antigen shared between donor and recipient significantly improve the results at 5 years.

[Vaccination against hepatitis B in immunosuppressed children. Apropos of 31 personal cases]. / Vaccination contre l'hépatite, B chez l'enfant immunodéprime. A propos de 31 cas personnels.

Anti HbS antibody levels were retrospectively studied in 31 children who received at least 4 immunisations with HEVAC vaccine. Results were as follow: 305 mUI/l (6 immunocompetent patients), 263 mUI/l (4 patients with solid tumors of therapy), 26 mUI/l (16 acute leukemias receiving intermittent reinduction therapy), 0.7 mUI/l (3 acute leukemias on maintenance therapy), 0 mUI/l (2 patients allografted for severe aplastic anemia, on immunosuppressive therapy). Antibody levels of patients who received immunisation during reinduction therapy were not correlated with intervall between immunisation and previous or next reinduction, not correlated with intervall from start of therapy, but seemed inversely correlated to age at time of diagnosis and at time of immunisation.

[Lymphocyte subpopulations of the blood and cerebrospinal fluid in acute polyradiculoneuritis. Study of 14 cases using monoclonal antibodies]. / Sous-populations lymphocytaires du sang et du liquide céphalo-rachidien dans les polyradiculonévrites aiguës. Etude de 14 cas pour les anticorps monoclonaux.

The T lymphocytes in blood and CSF of 14 patients with acute polyradiculoneuritis were studied using the OKT series of monoclonal antibodies. Results were compared with findings in two control groups. Three patients with cytomegalovirus infection showed elevation of circulating OKT 8. A significant increase in the mean ratio OKT 4/OKT 8 was noted in all other cases, corresponding in 4 of the 11 patients to a reduction in number of OKT 8 lymphocytes. The CSF was normal in 3 of the 14 cases.

[HLA and rheumatoid purpura with or without nephropathy]. / HLA et purpura rhumatoide avec ou sans néphropathie.

HLA profile was determined in 121 caucasoid children with rheumatoid purpura: out of those 55 developed nephropathy, of variable severity. HLA A and B were studied in all children, DR in 87. HLA BW 35 was more frequently found in total group of rheumatoid purpura (28,9%) and especially in nephropathies: 38,2% vs 20,4% in controls. However the increase is not significative even in nephropathy. On the other hand BW 35-DR 4 association is significatively higher in rheumatoid purpura with or without nephropathy than in controls. Analysis of 3 families with 2 affected sibs and 7 families with 1 affected child does not show any linkage with HLA. Determination of HLA profile does not allow to predict that the disease will be complicated by a nephropathy.

Pi-Gm linkage: evidence for linkage in males but not in females and for an effect of the S allele of the Pi system.

Linkage between the Pi (alpha 1-antitrypsin) and Gm (immunoglobulin heavy chain) loci was studied in thirty-four families including forty-one informative parents and 142 children. In females, the results did not provide evidence for linkage (posterior probability of non-linkage 0.98). In contrast, in males, there was strong evidence for linkage (peak lod 3.9 at theta = 0.18, posterior probability of linkage 0.98). The two populations appeared to be significantly different (0.001 less than P less than 0.01) with respect to the heterogeneity criterion of Morton. In addition, the effect of the possession of the S allele (associated with significantly decreased serum alpha 1-antitrypsin levels) was studied in fifteen informative parents and fifty-three children of the same group. No evidence for or against linkage was found in females, but in males close linkage between Pi S and Gm was demonstrated (peak lod 7.7 at theta = 0.05, posterior probability of linkage 0.9999). These data indicate significant linkage between Pi and Gm in males but not females and close linkage between the Pi S and Gm markers in males.

[Familial glomerulonephritis and hereditary deficiency of C2]. / Glomérulonéphrite familiale et déficit héréditaire de la deuxième fraction du systëme complément.

The association between glomerulonephritis and hereditary C2 complement deficiency has been found in 4 out of 8 children of a family. The hemolytic complement (CH50) was much decreased in homozygot subjects and slightly decreased in heterozygot. C1q, C4, C3, C5, C1s INA were normal, the C2 was found at an intermediate or null rate; CH50 could be reconstitued by purified human C2. The C2 deficiency genes were associated with HLA A10 B18 (father) and HLA A29 B18 (mother) haplotypes but HLA D allels were different on the 2 haplotypes. The C2 deficiency appears to lead to an increased susceptibility to immune-complexe diseases, specially to glomerulonephritis.