Seasonal aspects of immunological reactivity of the human and animal organism.

In a study of 95 practically healthy humans and in experiments on 148 animals (dogs, rabbits, rats), an attempt was made at assessing seasonal effects on immunological reactivity. The content of IgM antibody-forming cells was determined as well as the activity of blood and lymphoid NK and K cells and number of E rosette-forming peripheral blood lymphocytes. The most pronounced changes were observed in the specific immune response (IgM antibodies and K cells), which was enhanced during autumn and winter. Seasonal fluctuations in E rosette-forming cells and IgE antibodies were less extensive. The activity of NK cells was found to be relatively stable.

Anergy in pregnancy and malignant disease: the role of the immunosuppressive alpha-globulin.

Both tumour and trophoblast produce an immunosuppressive protein which is believed to be a prostaglandin (PG) antagonist. Substances which digest this protein (protease) or enhance the synthesis of PG (levamisole) can reverse the immunodepression in cancer patients. The relevance of these observations to cancer immunotherapy is discussed.

Production of albumin and other serum proteins by clonal cultures of normal human liver.

Clonal cell strains have been isolated from normal human liver. These cells, while resembling fibroblasts morphologically, function as hepatocytes, as shown by their ability to synthesize and secrete an antigen identical to human serum albumin. Human diploid and aneuploid cell lines from nonliver sources do not exhibit this property. The spectrum of serum proteins synthesized varied from clone to clone and cell line to cell line.