[Study of several proteins of the acute phase of surgical intervention]. / Indagine su alcune proteine della fase acuta nell'intervento chirurgico.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the behaviour of some proteins of acute phase (C reactive protein, alpha 1 acid glycoprotein, fibrinogen) in patients undergoing surgical operation. C reactive protein seems to be the most responsive to surgical trauma; alpha 1 acid glycoprotein reveals complications post-operation.

[The serum fructosamine test in the control plan of glucose homeostasis]. / Il test della fruttosamina sierica nello schema di controllo dell'omeostasi glicidica.

A new method to measure serum glycosylated proteins as index of diabetic control is evaluated. Precision, recovery and interference tests have been evaluated. A good correlation of fructosamine values with glycosylated haemoglobin and glucose in normal and diabetic patients was found. The analytical performance and its simple application to automated instruments make this test suitable for monitoring diabetes mellitus and for assessing intermediate-term control of blood glucose.

Simple sugars inhibit proliferation of human T lymphocytes in autologous and allogeneic mixed lymphocyte reactions.

Several oligo- and monosaccharides were studied for their capacity to modulate lymphocyte proliferation in human allogeneic and autologous mixed lymphocyte reactions (MLR). A defined subset of sugars showed a marked inhibitory effect on lymphocyte proliferative response in the majority of the allogeneic MLR combinations studied. The inhibitory effect disappeared when sugars were added to allogeneic MLR 96 hr after the beginning of culture. These sugars also showed a significant inhibitory power on autologous MLR, performed by using T- and non-T-enriched lymphocytes from the same donor. The reported data suggest that carbohydrate determinants are involved in the proliferative response of human lymphocytes in both autologous and allogeneic MLR.

DR and non-DR Ia allotypes are associated with susceptibility to coeliac disease.

We have studied the frequency of HLA-DR, -MT, and -MB antigens in adult patients with coeliac disease and in a group of healthy controls, evaluating the strength of the observed associations by measuring the aetiologic fractions. Among the antigens significantly associated with coeliac disease, MB2 (DQw2) showed an aetiologic fraction higher than those of DR3 and DR7. Our results suggest that MB2, as associated more frequently than other specificities with a hypothetical disease predisposing gene, may play a role in the pathogenesis of coeliac disease. The significant association of DR3 and DR7 with coeliac disease may be ascribed to linkage disequilibrium of these antigens with MB2.

Alterations of the capping phenomenon on lymphocytes from aged and Down's syndrome subjects.

The redistribution with the time of concanavalin A (Con A) receptors at one pole of the cell after addition of FITC-Con A - so-called capping - in the peripheral blood lymphocytes from 13 aged subjects (mean: 84 +/- 1 years old), and of 16 noninstitutionalized patients affected by a syndrome of precocious aging, such as Down's syndrome (mean: 17 +/- 2 years old), was studied and compared with a group of 15 normal young people (mean: 23 +/- 2 years old). An opposite alteration in the percentage of capped cells, i.e. a decrease in aged subjects and an increase in Down's syndrome patients, was observed. A derangement of lymphocyte membrane fluidity appears to be present in both groups even if the underlying biochemical defect may be different. However, a similar alteration of the kinetics of the phenomenon was present either in aged or in Down's syndrome subjects. Both groups did not show any significant increase with time of the percentage of capped cells, suggesting that they were lacking a lymphocyte subpopulation(s) which start capping later.

T-lymphocyte subsets in adult coeliac disease.

1. As a defect of suppressor function has been hypothesized in the pathogenesis of coeliac disease, we measured, by monoclonal antibodies, the inducer/suppressor T-cell ratio in adult coeliac disease. 2. No statistical difference was observed between coeliac patients and healthy controls, irrespective of treatment and HLA status. 3. These results do not show an imbalance in the inducer/suppressor T-cell ratio in coeliac disease.

Defective self-recognition in subjects of far-advanced age.

The immunocompetence of 22 subjects aged 85-104 years (mean 90 +/- 1 years) was studied and compared to 21 young subjects aged 19-37 years (mean 30 +/- 1 years). The absolute lymphocyte number and the percentage of T and B lymphocytes in the peripheral blood was similar in the two groups. A marked decrease in phytohemagglutinin response of T-enriched lymphocytes from old subjects was observed. Autologous mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR) was also profoundly reduced in old subjects. No difference between male and female subjects was observed. The responsiveness of enriched T lymphocytes to allogeneic irradiated non-T cells was only slightly impaired in the old individuals. Non-T cells from old and young subjects functioned equally well as stimulatory cells in allogeneic MLR. The data suggest that an alteration of T lymphocytes with regulatory function and of self-recognition is present in aged humans.

Enhancing effect of lithium and potassium ions on lectin-induced lymphocyte proliferation in aging and Down's syndrome subjects.

The effect of different concentrations of LiCl or KCl (0.6-20 meq/liter) on PHA-stimulated lymphocytes from young, old, and Down's syndrome subjects was studied. LiCl showed a dramatic enhancing effect on [3H]thymidine incorporation induced by a suboptimal dose of PHA in old subjects and Down's syndrome patients. An increase of [3H]thymidine incorporation in human lymphocytes stimulated by a suboptimal dose of PHA was also observed with KCl. This effect was higher in old subjects than that observed in young and Down's subjects. LiCl and KCl can modulate and partially restore the derangement in early events of mitogen stimulation which seems to be present in lymphocytes from both old and Down's syndrome subjects.

Frequency and prognostic value of HLA antigens in osteosarcoma patients.

A homogeneous group of 53 Caucasian subjects with high-grade osteosarcoma (OS) was typed for HLA-A and B locus antigens. Although no significant differences in the distribution of these antigens were found in comparison with 425 local controls, a trend towards an increase of HLA-B18 and decrease of HLA-B12 was observed. All the patients underwent amputation plus adjuvant chemotherapy and among the 29 patients with a follow-up longer than one year, 9 out of 10 subjects with HLA-A3 antigens developed metastases within a few months. None of the OS patients had the HLA-A3, B7 haplotype which is present in linkage-disequilibrium in the control population.

HLA-B13 and chronic calcific pancreatitis.

In view of a possible role of genetic factors in the etiology of chronic calcific pancreatitis, we undertook a study of the frequency of HLA antigens in this disease. Sixty-four patients with chronic calcific pancreatitis were typed for the HLA-A, -B and -C loci. Fourteen of these 64 patients (21.9%) were found to have antigen B13 compared to 7.5% of 425 controls. These results have a P value of 0.00059 which remains significant (P = 0.020) even when multiplied by the total number of antigens tested. Sex, alcoholism, age at the clinical onset of the disease, presence of pain, and diabetes had no apparent influence on the distribution of HLA alleles. The significant association between chronic calcific pancreatitis and HLA antigen B13 further supports the role of genetic factors in the etiology of the disease.

DNA repair after gamma radiation and superoxide dismutase activity in lymphocytes from subjects of far advanced age.

DNA repair after gamma radiation was studied in purified T lymphocytes from young and aged subjects. Two different assays were employed. In the first, T lymphocytes were stimulated with phytohemagglutinin (PHA) for 72 h and then treated with hydroxyurea, irradiated with 30 K rads and pulsed with [3H]thymidine (TdR) for 4 h. In the second, T lymphocytes were first irradiated with graded doses of gamma rays (200-800 rads) and then stimulated with PHA, cultured for 72 h and pulsed with 3H-TdR for the last 6 h of culture. T lymphocytes from aged subjects showed a lack of DNA repair synthesis in the first assay whereas only minor differences were found in the second assay between the two groups, i.e., a certain degree of radioresistance in aged lymphocytes. Lymphocyte superoxide dismutase activity showed great individual variations in both groups and a slight increase in old subjects.

[Variation of the TG lymphocyte subpopulation in the aged]. / Variazioni della subpopolazione linfocitaria TG nei soggetti anziani.

Peripheral blood from 20 healthy subjects of whom 10 were young (15 - 30) and 10 aging (73 - 85) was examined for the proportions of TG lymphocyte population by two different methods TG cells proportions were significantly (P 0.001) increased in aging subjects when compared with the young subjects.