Natural killer cell activity and serum immunoglobulins in epileptic patients

Serum immunoglobulins and the activity of natural killer (NK) cells of 50 epileptic patients (eight with idiopathic generalized epilepsy and 42 with cryptogenic partial epilepsy) and 28 controls have been studied. The values of IgA, IgG and IgM were the same-in patients and controls. The NK activity in controls was linearly related to the effector-to-target ratio, but this linear relationship was not observed in epileptic patients. The cytotoxic activity of NK cells at the lowest effector-to-target ratio was significantly greater in patients than in controls. This increase was observed in each therapy group. Our results seem to confirm a disturbance of the immune system in epileptic patients and suggest that this modification of cellular immunity is not a drug effect but is related to the illness itself.     

Urinary mercapturic acid diastereoisomers in rats subchronically exposed to styrene and ethanol

 Styrene is stereoselectively oxidized by cytochrome P450 to its reactive metabolite, styrene oxide. The (R)- and (S)-enantiomers of styrene oxide can be conjugated with glutathione (GSH) to both (R)- and (S)-diastereoisomers of the specific mercapturic acids, N-acetyl-S-(1-phenyl-2-hydroxyethyl)-L-cysteine (M1) and N-acetyl-S-(2-phenyl-2-hydroxyethyl)-L-cysteine (M2). Several investigations have indicated different toxic potential of the (R)- and (S)-configurations of styrene oxide and its GSH- and N-acetyl-conjugates. In this study the mercapturic acid diastereoisomers were measured in the urine of rats exposed to styrene in combination with ethanol, a good inducer of styrene metabolism. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were given an isocaloric liquid diet containing ethanol (5% w/v) for 3 weeks. Starting from the 2nd week, the animals were also exposed to styrene vapours (300 ppm, 6 h/day, 5 days/week) in a dynamic exposure chamber. Both the (R)- and (S)-diastereoisomers of the M1 and M2 as well as the conventional biomarkers, mandelic acid (MA) and phenylglyoxylic acid (PGA) were measured in urinary samples. Approximately 30 and 25% reduction of the levels of brain non-protein sulfhydryls (NPS) was observed in the animals given styrene and ethanol, respectively, while the combined ethanol and styrene treatment resulted in a 60% decrease. Ethanol consumption also resulted in higher urinary levels of the M1-R, M1-S and M2 metabolites associated with increased M1-R/S ratio and higher urinary MA excretion compared to animals treated with styrene. These results suggest that the urinary mercapturic acid diastereoisomers may be used as a noninvasive tool to examine stereoselective patterns of styrene metabolism in vivo, as well as their alterations caused by ethanol. These compound-specific mercapturic acids may also be valuable indicators of styrene-induced disorders of GSH homeostasis in nonaccessible organs. Received: 19 December 1995/Accepted: 10 May 1996     

Rapid methods for identification of Staphylococcus aureus when both human and animal staphylococci are tested: comparison with a new immunoenzymatic assay.

A new immunoenzymatic assay (IEA) for the identification of Staphylococcus aureus strains of both human and animal origin was compared with rapid commercial kits. The sensitivities and specificities of the commercial kits varied from 90.2 to 96% and 90.8 to 93.7%, respectively. The IEA did not give any false-negative or false-positive results, while commercial kits gave high percentages of false-positive results among clumping factor-positive non-S. aureus strains. The IEA is particularly useful for isolates for which identification is doubtful, for large-scale epidemiological studies, and for identifying isolates from animals as S. aureus.     

Prevalence of hereditary ataxias and spastic paraplegias in Molise,a region of Italy

Summary An epidemiological survey of hereditary ataxias and paraplegias was conducted in Molise, a region of Italy (335, 211 inhabitants on 1 January 1989). Total prevalence was 7.5 x 10^–5 inhabitants (95% confidence limits 4.8–11.1). There were 7 patients with Friedreich's disease, 5 with early onset cerebellar ataxia with retained tendon reflexes, 4 with ataxia-telangiectasia, 9 with hereditary spastic paraplegias (2 autosomal dominant and 7 autosomal recessive cases). There was no patient with autosomal dominant cerebellar ataxia.     

Phenotypic and functional characteristics of tumor-associated lymphocytes in patients with malignant ascites receiving intraperitoneal infusions of recombinant interleukin-2 (rIL-2)

In the course of a phase I trial, in which recombinant IL-2 (rIL-2) was infused intraperitoneally (i.p.) in patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis, we evaluated the effect on "tumor-associated lymphocytes" (TAL) isolated from the ascitic fluid. No major changes in the percentages of cells expressing the CD3, CD4, CD8, Leu-7, OKM1 and WT-31 antigens were detected either in TAL or in peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) after 7 days of rIL-2 infusion. In contrast the percentages of TAL (but not PBL) expressing surface IL-2 receptor (Tac), or LAK-1 antigen were sharply increased. Analysis of cytolytic functions showed a potentiation of the lytic activity against natural-killer (NK) sensitive K562 target cells and the de novo appearance of lytic activity against fresh melanoma cells. In one patient IFN-gamma was detected in the ascitic fluid following rIL-2 infusion. T-cell clones derived from the patient were analyzed for the IFN-gamma production. While only approximately 40% of PB-derived control clones produced medium to low amounts of IFN-gamma, all of the TAL-derived clones produced medium to high amounts of the lymphokine.     

Metastatic Psammomatous Somatostatinoma of the Pancreas Causing Severe Ketoacidotic Diabetes Cured by Surgery

A case of somatostatin-producing pancreatic tumor associated with severe insulindependent diabetes mellitus and ketoacidotic coma is reported. The tumor, a 10-cm expansile mass arising from the pancreatic tail of a 70-yr-old woman, was first detected by ultrasonography, performed because of abdominal pain, and subsequently confirmed by computed tomography and fine-needle tumor aspiration. Pathologic investigation showed a predominatly solid-trabecular structure with scattered microacini and psammomatous bodies. A large proportion of tumor cells expressed somatostatin and/or calcitonin. Following resection of the primary tumor and three peripancreatic lymph nodes with metastases, the patient recovered rapidly from her diabetic syndrome and remained in substantially good health during a subsequent 8-yr follow-up period, without evidence of tumor recurrence.     

Involvement of chromosomes 12 and 14 in the cutaneous stage of mycosis fungoides: Cytogenetic evidence for a multistep pathogenesis of the disease

Cytogenetic studies were performed on the cells of bone marrow, peripheral blood, and skin tumor biopsies from a patient with mycosis fungoides at an early stage. Chromosome abnormalities were detected in 100% of the cells harvested from the cutaneous specimen, whereas the cells of the bone marrow and blood were karyotypically normal. Three related clones, showing increasing cytogenetic complexity, were found. Chromosome #12 was abnormal in all metaphases, and an abnormal 14q chromosome was present in a minority of cells belonging to the most complex emerging subclone. These data, along with the finding of important signs of chromosome imbalance, suggest a polyphasic evolution of this chronic T lymphoproliferative disease.