Clinical evaluation of the human basophil degranulation test in grass pollen allergic patients.

The reliability of the human basophil degranulation test (HBDT) is still in doubt. We took 20 orchard grass-sensitive patients and 20 non-sensitive subjects and compared the sensitivity of HBDT with skin test and RAST. Eighteen HBDTs were positive in skin test-positive patients. There was also a good correlation with the results of RAST.

Cyclic AMP in hypersensitivity reactions.

Phytohemagglutinin (PHA) was capable of inducing non-cytotoxic histamine release from human leucocytes. In the presence of deuterium oxide (D2O), PHA caused significantly greater histamine release. Dibutyryl cyclic AMP (d-cAMP) could enhance the histamine release in the presence of D2O although it was an inhibitor of the release if used alone. However, a beta agonist, isoproterenol, which increases intracellular level of cAMP was inhibitory with or without D2O. These data ask the question about dual effect of cAMP and suggest the possibility of different polls of cAMP in the target cells.

Anaphylactic reactions to muscle relaxants under general anesthesia.

Eleven patients who suffered a reaction to the administration of muscle relaxants during induction of general anesthesia were explored using skin tests, leukocyte histamine release, lymphocyte transformation test, and the Prausnitz-Küstner test (P-K). Fifteen normal subjects served as controls. Patients who suffered a reaction showed considerable cutaneous hypersensitivity to muscle relaxants. Leukocyte histamine release was positive in three cases and the P-K test was positive in one case. These findings suggest possible specific serum IgE antibodies to muscle relaxants. However, reliable discrimination between immunological and idiosyncratic pharmacological mechanism is difficult to obtain.

Electron-microscopic study of the anaphylactic degranulation of human basophils from atopic subjects.

Leukocytes from subjects allergic to Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus were incubated for 20 min with a solution of D. pteronyssinus extracts. Histamine release was measured at 0, 3, 10 and 20 min. Simultaneously, samples were treated for electron microscopy in such a way as to correlate histamine release and the morphological aspects of basophil leukocytes. The principal features accompanying histamine release were: a progressive activation of the cytoplasmic membrane which showed long processes, densification of the mitochondria, fusion of granulations, progressive dissolution and exocytosis of the contents of the granulations, short segments of rough endoplasmic reticulum, active Golgi apparatus, and thin membrane-bound granules suggesting resynthesis of mediators.

[Anaphylactic type of accidents due to myorelaxing agents during general anesthesia. Clinical and biological study]. / Accidents de type anaphylactique imputables aux myorelaxants au cours de l'anesthésie générale. Etude clinique et biologique

Six patients who had suffered a reaction to the administration of muscle relaxants at the time of induction of general anaesthesia were explored using skin tests, the Prausnitz-Küstner reaction, the blastic transformation test, the Shelley test and the basophil histamine release test. Fifteen normal subjects were used as controls. The patients who had suffered a reaction showed considerable cutaneous hypersensitivity to muscle relaxants. None of the biological tests carried out revealed an immunological mechanism.

Potentiation of cutaneous reactivity and blood leucocyte histamine release by deuterium oxide in human beings.

Deuterium oxide (D2O) is known to potentiate non-cytotoxic histamine release in vitro. It has been shown (5) that D2O could also potentiate in vivo immediate-type hypersensitivity in dogs and monkeys. Present studies demonstrate potentiation in vivo by D2O of the cutaneous reactivity in 48/80, PHA and Dermatophagoides cutaneous reactions in human beings. PHA histamine release from human leucocytes is also potentiated by D2O in vitro.