Immunoglobulin levels in pneumonia

Serum immunoglobulin levels were measured by radial immunodiffusion in thirty patients with pneumonia and in thirty healthy controls. In pneumonia the mean IgG level increased during the course of the illness. During convalescence the mean IgM and IgG levels were higher in patients than in controls. The results of immunoglobulin estimations were correlated with the results of aetiological investigations. Patients with M. pneumoniae infections showed a significant rise in IgM concentration which may be specific for respiratory infections associated with this organism.     

Immunoglobulin levels and antibody to Candida albicans in human cervicovaginal secretions

Human cervicovaginal secretions were examined for immunoglobulin content and for antibody to Candida albicans. The predominant immunoglobulin class of the secretions was IgA, accounting for approximately 65% of the total immunoglobulin. Most of the IgA was eluted from Sephadex G-200 in the excluded peak and was associated with secretory component; it therefore had the characteristics of `secretory IgA''. With increasing age, the IgA content fell and the IgG content rose in cervicovaginal secretions. No IgE could be detected in the secretions. Antibody to C. albicans was found to be predominantly of the IgA class.     

Immunoglobulin levels in Iraq.

In a study of immunoglobulin levels in 192 apparently healthy individuals in Iraq, regional differences occur in IgE and IgG. The main levels of IgG, IgM and IgA tend to be low, and of IgE clearly elevated. It is suggested that this pattern may be explained by the presence of intestinal parasites which stimulate IgE production. The genetic differences that exist between the regional populations, and the occurrence of associations of immunoglobulin level with several polymorphic systems, suggests the possibility of a genetic element in the regional immunoglobulin differences.     

Immunoglobulin levels in infantile pneumocystosis

Two hundred and twelve determinations of IgA, IgG, and IgM were performed in 50 infants during an epidemic of interstitial plasma cell pneumonia. Criteria for diagnosis are discussed. The immunoglobulin levels in pneumocystic, non-pneumocystic, and normal American infants are compared. An analysis of the findings in individual cases reveals a time-related immunoglobulin response, which helps to elucidate the pathogenicity of the disease.     

Immunoglobulin levels in psychotic patients

Immunoglobulin levels were measured in 77 male patients with chronic mental illness at a Veterans Administration Hospital. Immunoglobuim G (IgG) levels were found to be significantly elevated in acutely schizophrenic patients. The levels peaked at about 12 years’ duration of the disease and they dropped with increased phenothiazine dosages. The author concludes that immunoglobulin levels seem related to the course of psychosis and suggests that further study be done to determine their diagnostic value.     

Immunoglobulin haplotypes of two population groups in Iran

Genetic markers of IgG and IgA were investigated in two population groups from Iran. The Gm-Am haplotypes found were mainly those prevalent in Caucasians, with a low frequency of Asiatic haplotypes. Twenty samples had phenotypes that led to the assumption of rare haplotypes. The main ones were: Gm(z;n;b)a2m(1) and Gm(za;n;g)A2m(2). The first haplotype differs from the common haplotypes because G1m(z) is present instead of G1m(f), and the second because it has G2m(n) and A2m(2) in combination with G1m(za) and G3m(g).     

Immunoglobulin G antibody against Helicobacter pylori: clinical implications of levels found in serum

The clinical significance of high levels of antibody against Helicobacter pylori is still unclear. We sought to evaluate whether the serum antibody levels could predict the presence of macroscopic gastroduodenal disease, to identify factors that correlate with antibody levels in a multivariate context, and to determine the predictive value of antibody levels for diagnosing H. pylori infection. The grades of gastritis and density of H. pylori colonization were scored separately using the updated Sydney system for antral and body mucosa. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the quantitative detection in serum of IgG antibodies to H. pylori was performed. Of the 170 dyspeptic patients, 105 (62%) had H. pylori infection. There was no difference in antibody levels among endoscopic findings of normal mucosa, chronic gastritis, and duodenal ulcer. On multivariate linear regression analysis, the status of H. pylori infection, mononuclear cell infiltration of body mucosa, and age correlated with antibody levels. The negative predictive value for antibody levels of <30 U/ml is 94%, and the positive predictive value of antibody levels of >70 U/ml is 98%. We conclude that serum antibody levels do not predict the severity of gastroduodenal diseases or the density of H. pylori colonization in H. pylori-infected dyspeptic patients. Higher levels are associated with the presence of H. pylori infection, the chronic gastritis score of the corpus, and older age. Setting a gray zone is necessary for ELISA, since the accuracy in this zone does not allow a precise determination of H. pylori status.     

Immunoglobulin levels in dystrophia myotonica.

Levels of immunoglobulins IgG, IgA, and IgM were measured in 38 patients with myotonic dystrophy, in normal members of their families, and in matched controls. Log IgG was significantly reduced in the patients. IgG investigation provides a further parameter to appraise the status of apparently unaffected members of myotonic dystrophy families.     

Immune reactions in human filariasis.

Sera from cases of elephantiasis due to Wuchereria bancrofti infection promoted an intense adhesion of peripheral blood leukocytes to W. bancrofti microfilariae in vitro. A similar adhesion was also seen using sera from some normal persons living for several years in areas where filariasis is endemic. No such adhesion was evident with sera from microfilaria carriers or from normal subjects from nonendemic areas. The adhesion was complement independent and was associated with the immunoglobulin G fraction of serum. 51Cr release studies suggested the occurrence of cell-mediated cytotoxicity to W. bancrofti microfilariae in the presence of elephantiasis serum. Microfilariae of Litomosoides carinii could be isolated free of blood cells, from the blood of infected rats. In the presence of serum, or its immunoglobulin G fraction, from patients with elephantiasis, L. carinii microfilariae adhered to human peripheral blood leukocytes or rat spleen cells.     

Immunoglobulin production in cultures of human peripheral blood lymphocytes upon stimulation with various killed staphylococci

Formalin killed Staphylococci (S. epidermidis, S. saprophyticus and six different strains of S. aureus) were used as inducers of immunoglobulin production in cultures of human peripheral blood lymphocytes. These strains differed in cell wall composition which raised a question what cell wall constituent is responsible for induction of the response. All strains except S. epidermidis induced the response in cultures of unseparated peripheral blood lymphocytes but only some of them were able to trigger immunoglobulin production in T-cell depleted cultures. The obtained results suggest that peptidoglycan is most likely responsible for stimulatory activity of Staphylococci while the presence of protein A reduces the T-cell dependency of the response.     

Immunoglobulin A antibody levels in human tears, saliva, and serum.

The presence and level of immunoglobulin A (IgA) antibodies to the oral microorganism Streptococcus mutans were determined in human tears, parotid saliva, and serum by a modified, indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. IgA antibodies were found in the tears of all 15 subjects, although S. mutans is a nonocular bacterium. The IgA antibody levels in tears and saliva were not significantly different. This finding suggests that the level of IgA antibody activity per volume is independent of the naturally occurring site of the antigen, and that local stimulation does not cause a significant difference in the antibody level per volume of secretion between exocrine sites. Much higher levels of IgA antibody were present in serum, suggesting that after oral ingestion of antigen both the systemic and exocrine systems are stimulated. IgG antibodies to S. mutans were also found in human tears, saliva, and serum. No relationship between serum levels and tear and saliva levels was found for either IgA or IgG antibodies. Thus the antibodies in tears and saliva did not appear to have leaked from serum. We conclude that there may be remote regulation of both the ocular and the parotid IgA and IgG antibody systems.     

Weight and shape of the human adrenal medulla in various age groups

Summary The weight and shape of the adrenal medulla were studied in 118 adrenal glands obtained at autopsies of 62 patients (38 males and 24 females) between 0 and 52 years of age. In adolescents 15 years and older and adults cases of sudden death only were entered in this study. The weight was calculated using morphometric measurements done on serial sections of the glands. In the new-born, the medulla accounts for less than 1% of the total volume of the adrenal gland. Though there is a rapid growth of the adrenal medulla after birth, the percentage of adrenal medullary volume at all age levels during childhood and adolescence is lower than in adults where it constitutes 9% of the total adrenal volume on the average. This corresponds to an average medullary weight of 0.43 g. In the new-born, the medulla consists of a thin plate made up of immature medulloblasts. Within a few months these are transformed into mature medullary cells; the shape of the medulla soon approaches that of the adult gland: an increase in thickness around the central vein and flat processes into the alae. With increasing age the cortico-medullary border becomes irregular and ragged. Especially in the vicinity of the central vein an intermingling of medullary and cortical cell complexes is found. An unequivocal diagnosis of genuine adrenal medullary hyperplasia can be established only by weighing the dissected medulla or by applying morphometric methods.     

Immunoglobulin subclass levels in chronic fatigue syndrome

The levels of immunoglobulin subclasses were determined for 46 patients meeting the original Centers for Disease Control case definition of chronic fatigue syndrome and were compared to values obtained for 50 age- and gender-matched healthy volunteer blood donor controls. The levels of immunoglobulin subclasses in these groups were further compared to a third group of additional chronic fatigue syndrome cases from whom samples had been obtained and frozen prospectively over a period of 7 years. These data do not demonstrate significant immunoglobulin subclass deficiencies in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.     

Non-random distribution of various sizes of human Y chromosomes in different ethnic groups

One hundred and ninety normal males from three ethnically different populations (Caucasians, American blacks and East Indians) were selected to study the frequency distribution of length of the Y chromosome, fluorescent (f) and non-fluorescent (nf) segments as a function of Y/F, f/F and nf/F indices. The QFQ techniques was performed to identify the f and nf segments. The frequency distribution of the total length of Y chromosome was not normally distributed in all three populations (P less than 0.05). Extensive statistical analysis revealed that the non-random distribution of the total length was due to skewness and kurtosis for both the n and nf segments. The clinical implications as well as evolutionary aspects of such variation in ethnic anthropology are discussed.