Subject(s)
Graft Rejection/immunology , Graft Survival/immunology , HLA Antigens/immunology , Histocompatibility Testing , Kidney Transplantation/immunology , Postoperative Complications/immunology , Follow-Up Studies , Germany , Graft Rejection/mortality , HLA-DR Antigens/immunology , Humans , Immunosuppressive Agents/administration & dosage , Kidney Transplantation/mortality , Postoperative Complications/mortality , Reoperation , Survival RateSubject(s)
Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic/analysis , Autoantibodies/analysis , Graft Rejection/immunology , Graft Survival/immunology , Immunoglobulin Fab Fragments/immunology , Kidney Transplantation/immunology , Creatinine/blood , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , Immunoglobulin G/analysis , Immunoglobulin M/analysis , Kidney Function Tests , Retrospective StudiesABSTRACT
This study of 110 seropositive rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients confirms the significant association of susceptibility to RA with HLA-DR4 specificity (P less than 0.001). The DR1 frequency is elevated in the entire seropositive patient group, reaching marginal significance (P less than 0.025). The DR4-negative patients, however, have a much higher prevalence of DR1 (P less than 0.001). Surprisingly, the DRw6 specificity is significantly increased in the remaining DR4- and DR1-negative patients (P less than 0.01). These results demonstrate that RA is not associated with a single HLA-specificity, but to various degrees with DR4, DR1, and DRw6. These findings, and particularly the newly recognized association with DRw6, support the hypothesis that functionally equivalent shared epitopes or conformations on otherwise distinct MHC molecules may confer risk for developing RA.
Subject(s)
Arthritis, Rheumatoid/immunology , HLA-DR1 Antigen/immunology , HLA-DR4 Antigen/immunology , HLA-DR6 Antigen/immunology , Arthritis, Rheumatoid/genetics , Disease Susceptibility , HLA-DR4 Antigen/genetics , Haplotypes , HumansABSTRACT
Erythrocyte and plasma ferritin was followed in 13 patients with iron overload undergoing phlebotomies for at least 6 months in comparison with untreated patients and normal males. Plasma ferritin was widely scattered with an average of only twice the normal, whereas erythrocyte ferritin was highly elevated to about twelve times the normal (p less than 0.0001). - The time course of plasma and erythrocyte ferritin during phlebotomy therapy was analyzed in 3 patients with idiopathic hemochromatosis. Three stages were established: 1. plasma ferritin dropped gradually into the normal range while erythrocyte ferritin remained high, 2. appropriate phlebotomies maintained normal plasma ferritin and high erythrocyte ferritin, and indicated a monthly uptake of dietary iron of 150-200 mg at a steady state, 3. at low plasma ferritin levels, erythrocyte ferritin was rapidly decreased by further intensive phlebotomy therapy. Based on the presumed net removal of iron, 1 microgram/l plasma ferritin was equivalent to 3-6 mg of body iron and 1 microgram/l erythrocyte ferritin to somewhat less than 1 mg of body iron. - An elevated erythrocyte ferritin during phlebotomy therapy in iron overload not only depends on body iron stores like plasma ferritin but may also be regulated by the activity of erythropoiesis.