Immunotherapy of pulmonary tuberculosis

The efficiency of treating patients with destructive tuberculosis by using different immune correctors was comparatively analyzed. Five hundred and fifty three patients were treated with thymalin, thymogen, human leukocytic interferon, and a combination of thymogen and interferon. The benefit from immunocorrector treatment was obtained early in the complex therapy and the best result was achieved by the use of thymogen plus interferon. However, the action of the two immunocorrectors increased when fibrous deformity of the lung was healed, followed by the development of pronounced residual changes.     

Differentiation of antitumor-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes from autologous tumor infiltrating lymphocytes in non-Hodgkin's lymphomas.

The present study describes a new culture protocol allowing the activation and proliferation of autologous tumor infiltrating T lymphocytes (TIL), and the generation of antitumor specific CTL in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). Cells from eight patients with indolent NHL were used. We performed 3-week co-cultures of TIL with irradiated autologous malignant B cells in the presence of low doses of IL-1beta, IL-2 and IL-12. The proliferation, phenotype and cytotoxicity, and antitumor specificity of T cells recovered were studied. T-cell clonality was analyzed using TCRgamma gene rearrangement amplification by a multiplex PCR. Under these culture conditions, TIL proliferated, and the CD8+ T lymphocytes that were in a minority at the beginning of the culture increased dramatically in 6 out of 8 cases. In two cases, CD4+ T lymphocytes expanded. We showed that an oligoclonal selection of reactive T cells occurred in culture. Specific cytotoxicity developed against autologous malignant B cells in the 6 cases where there was an expansion of CD8+ T lymphocytes. Inhibition experiments performed with mAb directed against HLA class I and II molecules, CD4, CD8 and TCRgammadelta showed that the cytotoxic effector cells were CD8+ T lymphocytes probably expressing TCRalphabeta+. Cytokine secretion was analyzed in culture medium, and we detected significant levels of IFN-gamma, TNF-alpha, and IL-10 and no IL-4 (except in one case). Our results demonstrate that memory T cells from lymphoma patients can be amplified and differentiated into antitumor cytotoxic cells using a combination of the cytokines IL-1beta, IL-2, and IL-12 in association with non modified tumor cells.     

母牛分支杆菌菌苗免疫治疗肺结核的临床观察

目的观察和评价通过母牛分支杆菌（Ｍ．ｖａｃｃａｅ）菌苗的免疫治疗缩短初治肺结核化疗疗程及对难治肺结核临床疗效的影响。方法初治肺结核１４２例及难治肺结核４６例，配对随机分为Ｍ．ｖａｃｃａｅ治疗组及单纯化疗对照组，观察加用免疫治疗后的疗效及其对免疫功能的调节作用。结果初治肺结核经免疫治疗后化疗疗程缩短至４个月近期疗效令人满意；难治肺结核痰菌阴转率明显高于对照组（Ｐ＜０．０５）；Ｍ．ｖａｃ－ｃａｅ可使ＣＤ４Ｔ及ＣＤ４／ＣＤ８升高。结论Ｍ．ｖａｃｃａｅ菌苗免疫治疗肺结核具有较大价值。