Immunzytologische,autoradiographische und elektronenmikroskopische Untersuchungen an peripheren lymphatischen Reizformen

Zusammenfassung Bei Erkrankungen mit vermehrtem Auftreten lymphatischer Reizformen im peripheren Blut wurde die immunzytologisch bestimmte Zahl gamma-Ghaltiger peripherer Lymphozyten mit der von³H-Thymidin-markierten Lymphozyten verglichen. Bei Patienten mit Mononucleosis infectiosa Hepatitis epidemica, Morbilli und Rubeolen ergab sich eine Zunahme beider Zellpopulationen, bei Patienten mit Morbus Hodgkin wurde eine isolierte Vermehrung der³H-Thymidin-markierten Lymphozyten beobachtet. Im zeitlichen Ablauf erreichten zuerst die³H-Thymidin-markierten, dann die gamma-G-haltigen Zellen die höchsten Werte. Bei der direkten Zuordnung zeigte sich, daß bis zu einem Fünftel der IgG-haltigen Zellen³H-Thymidin-markiert waren und somit teilungsfähig, sein dürften. Eine der Zahl der IgG-haltigen Lymphozyten vergleichbare, wenn auch etwas größere Anzahl lymphoider Zellen wies bei der elektronenmikroskopischen Klassifizierung vermehrt Ergastoplasma auf.

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Summary The immunocytologically determined number of gamma-g-containing peripheral lymphocytes was compared in diseases showing an increased appearance of lymphatic irritation cells in the peripheral blood. Patients suffering from mononucleosis infectiosa hepatitis epidemica, measles and rubella showed an increase in both cell populations. Patients suffering from Morbus Hodgkin showed an isolated increase of³H-tymidine labelled lymphocytes One after another did at first the³H-thymidine labelled cells reach the highest values, then the gamma-g-containing cells. On direct coordination it could be demonstrated that the IgG-containing cells where up to one fifth³H-thymidine labelled, and consequently should be separable. A greater amount of lymphoid cells, comparable to the amount of IgG-containing cells, showed a considerable quantity of ergastoplasm in the electronmicroscopic classification.

     

Long-term prognosis and course of schizo-affective, schizophreniform, and cycloid psychoses

From the Bonn study including 502 patients followed up an average 22.4 years after onset of schizophrenic disease diagnosed according to the criteria of K. Schneider, we selected 113 cases of schizo-affective, schizophreniform, and cycloid psychoses in accordance to the definitions given by Kasanin, Retterst?l, Angst, and Leonhard. These psychoses have a better prognosis than the whole sample: characteristic residues are seen more rarely, complete remissions and noncharacteristic residues more frequently. This group of psychoses differs from the whole sample in the hereditary taint, too: the morbidity risk with affective psychoses and with schizophrenic psychoses in first- and second-degree relatives is higher than in the total sample of the Bonn study. In spite of the better prognosis and other differences described in the paper, we believe that these results do not justify the classification of schizo-affective and related disorders as an independent disease group. Between these different subtypes of schizophrenia only a differential typology and not a differential diagnostic is possible.     

Depressant effect of marihuana smoke on antibactericidal activity of pulmonary alveolar macrophages.

Other than the potentially therapeutic bronchodilatory influences of marihuana, very little is known of its biologic effects on the lung. To evaluate this problem, alveolar macrophages were harvested from rats by bronchopulmonary lavage and incubated in vitro with Staphylococcus albus and marihuana smoke of standardized 2.2-percent tetrahydrocannabinol content in graded amounts. After three hours, control alveolar macrophages inactivated 78.0 +/- 5.0 percent of the staphylococcal challenge. There was a dose-dependent depression of alveolar macrophage bactericidal activity, with 66.7 +/- 7.1 percent, 23.7 +/- 7.0 percent, 20.5 +/- 7.0 percent, and 11.4 +/- 7.6 percent of the bacteria killed following exposures to 2 ml, 4 ml, 6 ml, or 8 ml of marihuana smoke, respectively. Differential filtration of marihuana smoke revealed that the alveolar macrophage cytotoxin was present in the gas phase of the smoke and was water-soluble. Studies on purified tetrahydrocannabinol and on tetrahydrocannoabinol-extracted marihuana revealed that the impairment in alveolar macrophage function was not related to the psychomimetic or bronchodilatory components of marihuana.     

B cell activation potential of insulin-reactive T cells in H-2b mice

The murine T cell response to heterologous insulins provides a good model system for studying the mechanism of immune response (Ir)-gene function, since insulin is a small, chemically well-defined molecule. H-2b mice respond predominantly to A chain loop determinants of beef insulin, presented by the I-A epitope Ia. W39. However, using a library of insulin-specific T cell hybridomas (THy), we previously found that immunization of H-2b mice with beef insulin activates a much wider population of T cells than are detected in T cell proliferation assays. Using such cloned THy we were able to study Ir-gene control at the level of antigen presentation. We compared the ability of the various THy to induce differentiation in I-A-matched B cells in response to antigen. Although both A and B chain-reactive clones respond with interleukin 2 production, they differ markedly in their potential to activate B cells in that only the former are able to induce B cell differentiation in the presence of the intact beef insulin molecule. The latter, however, can serve as helper cells in the presence of isolated B chain, and can synergize with a suboptimal concentration of A chain-reactive THy to induce an optimal B cell response. These results suggest that the insulin molecule is presented by I-Ab antigen-presenting cells in a very specific configuration that allows more effective T cell recognition of the A chain loop than the B chain determinants. To explain the discrepancy between the interleukin 2 assay and the induction of polyclonal activation, it can be assumed that in the former assay antigen is presented by macrophages, while presentation by B cells is necessary for induction of polyclonal activation. Macrophages are able to process the intact beef insulin molecule and, therefore, present B chain determinants, while nonimmune B cells may be unable to process antigen and could present B chain determinants only when the isolated B chain is given as antigen.     

Superior marginal rib defects in traumatic quadriplegia

The interpretation of the chest films of hospitalized quadriplegic and paraplegic patients over a one-year period revealed three quadriplegic patients with superior marginal rib defects. The resorptive defect involved the posterior portion of the third through seventh ribs. The etiology is probably intercostal muscle atrophy with resulting loss of muscle stress causing bone resorption.