A multicentre assessment of the specificity of ten anti-HBc screening tests

SUMMARY. Samples from 1828 donations were screened for anti-HBc at seven sites in the UK using kits supplied by 10 manufacturers. Only 10 (0.55%) donations were considered to have true anti-HBc reactivity and these were detected by all 10 kits. Additional markers of HBV infection were found in nine of these 10 donations. Additional reactives were found by all kits, the number ranging from 1 to 43.
In the four more specific kits, the 10 true reactives were clearly distinguished from the 'false reactives' by the strength of the reaction. It is concluded that the reliance on a single ELISA test for anti-HBc diagnosis is unwise. The use of a second test known to be more specific than the screening ELISA is recommended.     

Up-Regulation by Cyclosporine (CsA) of the In Vitro Release of Soluble CD23 (sCD23) and of the In Vitro Production of IL-6 and IgM

In the present study, we examined the effect of CsA on the in vitro production of Ig and on the in vitro production of molecules known to have B-cell growth and differentiation activities, such as IL-6 and sCD23. For the purpose of this study, we developed an experimental In vitro system closely resembling an In vivo model of ongoing B-cell activation. Pre-activated B cells proliferated and produced IgM optimally when they were re-cultured in the presence of IL-2/IL-6. CsA down-regulated the IL-2/IL-6-induced proliferative responses of pre activated B cells by at least 50%., but it up-regulated IgM production in the same experiments. This up regulating effect was not cytokine-related since it was also seen when cells were re-cultured in the absence of any cytokines. Optimal release of sCD23 was observed when SAC-pre-activated B cells were re cultured in the presence of IL-4 or IL-4 plus IL-2 and CsA up-regulated significantly the release of this molecule in these cultures. Finally, CsA was shown to inhibit PHA-induced cell proliferation of PBMC and to up-rcgulate IL-6 production in the same cultures. We conclude that CsA can amplify in vitro both the production of Ig and the release of sCD23 by pre activated B cells. This finding, in combination with the CsA-induced up-regulation of lectin-induced IL-6 production, may have clinical implications in disease states with an ongoing immune activation, where prolonged administration of CsA might be anticipated.     

The nature of the head and neck cancer

Summary Squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck is a disease predominantly of males and is due to a variety of known environmental irritants, notably cigarette smoke. Dietary, viral and immunological factors may also be relevant. Head and neck squamous cancers express epidermal growth factor receptors and some show weak levels of oestrogen receptor activity, but a reliable serum marker of tumour burden remains to be identified. The prognosis is found to be less favourable in females, in those with advanced T stage, in association with multiple node involvement, especially where extracapsular spread is present and where the T4/T8 ratio is elevated. Administration of heterologous blood during therapy may also have an adverse effect on prognosis. Interested clinicians must remember that most cases are preventable. Correspondence to: A.G.D. Maran     

The HGAR1 familial hypercholesterolemia pedigree

Data on 232 members of a single pedigree, descended from two pairs of original parents, were made available to the participants of Genetic Analysis Workshop 8 (GAW8). In addition to information concerning age and sex, measurements for 10 quantitative traits and genotypes at 22 polymorphic marker loci were also provided for a subset of 193 of these family members. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Monoclonal antibody analysis of glomerular, tubulo-interstitial infiltrating immune cells in various glomerulonephritis

To investigate the role of cell-mediated immunity (CMI) in glomerulonephritis (GN), we identified the infiltrating immune cells both within the glomerulus and in the interstitium. Frozen sections from 103 patients with various forms of GN: 10 with minor glomerular abnormality (MGA) as control, 10 with minimal change nephrotic syndrome (MCNS), 10 with membranous nephropathy (MN), 9 with focal glomerulosclerosis (FGS), 30 with IgA nephropathy (IgAN), 22 with acute post streptococcal glomerulonephritis (APSGN), and 2 with rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis (RPGN) were examined using monoclonal antibodies (MoAb) by indirect immunoalkaline-phosphatase labelling. In most glomerulonephritis, monocyte/M phi and helper/inducer T cells were predominantly infiltrating in the interstitium, but intraglomerular infiltration was rare, except for APSGN. This interstitial infiltration increased proportionally to the level of serum creatinine, and was most prominent in RPGN. Apparently different distribution was seen in APSGN, that is, prominent increase in total number of intra-glomerular monocyte/M phi infiltration with slightly increased T cells. The change was correlated with time after onset; namely the more leucocytic infiltration was observed when the tissue was taken earlier. These data suggest that in APSGN, monocyte/M phi accumulate in glomeruli via cell mediated immunity in addition to humoral immune mechanism resulting in glomerular hypercellularity, whereas in most chronic glomerulonephritis interstitial leucocyte infiltration, particularly helper T cells and monocyte/M phi may play an important role in the progression of glomerulonephritis.     

Rapid reorganization of adult rat motor cortex somatic representation patterns after motor nerve injury.

The potential for peripheral nerve injury to reorganize motor cortical representations was investigated in adult rats. Maps reflecting functional connections between the motor cortex and somatic musculature were generated with intracortical electrical stimulation techniques. Comparison of cortical somatotopic maps obtained in normal rats with maps generated from rats with a facial nerve lesion indicated that the forelimb and eye/eyelid representations expanded into the normal vibrissa area. Repeated testing from an electrode placed chronically in the motor cortex showed a shift from vibrissa to forelimb within hours after facial nerve transection. These comparatively quick changes in motor cortex representation pattern suggest that synaptic relations between motor cortex and somatic musculature are continually reshaped in adult mammals.     

Disposition of [3H]flobufen and its active metabolite in rats

The present authors investigated the excretion, distribution and pharmacokinetics of the novel potential antirheumatic agent flobufen and its active metabolite after p.o. and i.v. doses of 2, 10 and 50 mg/kg administered to rats. The drug is resorbed well from the digestive tract and mostly it is metabolized to the principal metabolite M, which is only slowly excreted from the organism mainly by renal clearance. Within the whole dose range the kinetics of the drug is linear. Binding of flobufen and M to proteins is high (95-99%). The highest concentrations of radioactive metabolites (mostly M) were found in the plasma, liver, lungs, kidneys, connective tissue and inflammatory foci. The penetration of metabolites through the placenta and excretion in human milk are relatively important.