ABSTRACT
The palatine tonsils have an undoubted role in the immune defence system. After antigen contact an effective adaptive immune response by B- and T-cell lymphocytes will be released. In addition the palatine tonsils seem to exert influence to the defence by the innate immune system. Therefore, we studied the ability of palatine tonsils to express different alpha and beta defensins and to find out any distinctions in chronic inflamed tonsils. Total RNA of 49 specimens of hyperplastic tonsils and chronic tonsillitis with pathological provided evidence of Actinomyces israelii was isolated using TRIzol protocol, reverse transcribed and the HNP-1, HNP-4, HBD-1 and HBD-2 gene expression densitometric determined, standardised in relation to glycerinaldehyd-3-phosphatdehydrogenase gene expression, after a semiquantitative polymerase chain reaction was performed. mRNA of HNP-1, HNP-4, HBD-1 and HBD-2 was detected in tissue samples, but their amount differed within the two defensin families and tissue of origins. HBD-1 was detected in all 49 tissues of hyperplastic tonsils and chronic tonsillitis. Only in chronic inflamed tonsils the amount of HBD-2 mRNA expression was significant increased. In these specimens also mean relative expression rate of all defensins was observed to be manifestly increased. Palatine tonsils express mRNA for different alpha and beta defensins and this expression suggest a newly supposed function in immune defence: the participation in the innate, non-adaptive immune system. Thus, palatine tonsils have a potentially influence in the growth and control of the physiological mouth bacteria by their bactericidal activity.
Subject(s)
Palatine Tonsil/immunology , Palatine Tonsil/pathology , Tonsillitis/immunology , alpha-Defensins/metabolism , beta-Defensins/metabolism , Actinomyces/isolation & purification , Chronic Disease , Gene Expression , Humans , Hyperplasia , RNA, Messenger/analysis , Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction , Tonsillitis/microbiology , Tonsillitis/pathology , alpha-Defensins/genetics , beta-Defensins/geneticsABSTRACT
Extracoronary blood flow to the myocardium was studied in 54 patients during cold cardioplegic arrest. Coronary venous return was measured with the aorta and the pulmonary artery cross-clamped, both venae cavae occlusively snared, and the heart completely drained. Cold St. Thomas' cardioplegic solution was infused into either the aortic root or the coronary ostia. Myocardial septal temperature was continuously monitored. The amount of blood in the right atrial effluent was determined by means of the hematocrit and was considered to be the extracoronary collateral myocardial blood flow (QE), originating from the systemic circulation. QE ranged from 0 to 1470 ml-100 min-1 (x = 241.1 ml-100min-1). The myocardial spontaneous rewarming rate was not significantly correlated to QE. QE was lowest in pure mitral valve stenosis (x = 39.9 ml-100 min-1) and higher in aortic valve disease (x = 165.5 ml-100 min-1). Very high QE values (greater than 800 ml-100 min-1) were only observed in patients with severe three vessel coronary artery disease. Patients with angina at rest appear to have lower QE values than patients with equally severe coronary artery disease suffering from angina under excise only. It is concluded that extracoronary collateral blood flow may unpredictably influence the efficacy of clinical cardioplegia and may to some extent compensate for severe coronary artery disease.
