ABSTRACT
Autoantibody production increases with ageing. However, the pathological significance of this increase as well as the corresponding underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. To further our understanding of the role that ageing plays in the development of autoantibody responses, we used a novel nonhuman primate model consisting of healthy baboons of ages representing the entire lifespan of this animal species. Results from this study indicate that production of antinuclear antibodies, anticell extract antibodies and natural autoantibodies gradually and significantly increases from young age to old age without a corresponding increase in neither serum immunoglobulin concentration nor in levels of selected markers of immune dysregulation (sTNF-RI, sTNF-RII, IL-2 sR alpha and IFN-gamma). Therefore, in the baboon model, autoantibodies may be produced in absence of recognizable pathological conditions of the ageing immune system.
Subject(s)
Aging/immunology , Antibodies, Antinuclear/blood , Animals , Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay , Female , Male , Papio , Receptors, Cytokine/analysis , Statistics, NonparametricABSTRACT
Transient cold agglutination of her granulocytes developed in a 60-year-old woman with a left upper lobe pneumonia during the acute phase of her illness. This phenomenon was manifested by pseudogranulocytopenia, multiple clumps of granulocytes on her peripheral blood smear, and abnormal distribution of granulocytes and monocytes on the white blood cell histogram when measured on an automated hematology analyzer (Coulter S-Plus IV, Coulter Electronics Inc, Hialeah, Fla). The cause is postulated to be an IgM autoantibody directed against components of the granulocyte membranes. Spurious leukopenia is encountered infrequently with automated hematology analyzers. Cold-induced granulocyte agglutination should be recognized as a potential cause of pseudogranulocytopenia so that white blood cell counts can be accurately reported and unnecessary evaluation of patients for leukopenia can be avoided.
Subject(s)
Agglutination , Cold Temperature , Granulocytes/immunology , Leukopenia/etiology , Cell Aggregation , Female , Humans , Leukocyte Count , Middle AgedABSTRACT
A congenital cystic neck mass causing respiratory distress and hypoplasia of the mandible was excised from a 3-month-old infant. The lesion was subsequently diagnosed as heterotopic brain, a rare, benign condition that should be considered in the differential diagnosis of the neonatal head and neck mass.
Subject(s)
Brain , Choristoma/pathology , Head and Neck Neoplasms/pathology , Choristoma/complications , Choristoma/congenital , Head and Neck Neoplasms/complications , Head and Neck Neoplasms/congenital , Humans , Infant , Male , Mandible/abnormalities , Respiratory Insufficiency/etiologyABSTRACT
Encysted metacercariae of Zygocotyle lunata (Trematoda) excyst within 2 hr postexposure in the lower ileum of the domestic chick. Optimal in vitro excystation of this species occurs following pretreatment of the cyst for 15 min in 1% acidified pepsin, treatment in 0.02 M sodium dithionite (a reductant) for 1 to 2 min and then 2 hr treatment in an excystation medium containing 1% sodium glycocholate plus 1% trypsin in Earle's BSS adjusted to pH 8.8 with tris and maintained at 41 C. The cyst of this species is a dome-shaped hemisphere containing an inner and outer wall. The outer wall contains mainly acid mucopolysaccharides, whereas the inner wall is mainly proteinaceous. The cyst contains a ventral lid which only was visualized during excystation.
