Symptoms and behavioral features induced by 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) in an old Java monkey [Macaca cynomolgus fascicularis (Raffles)]

The study concerns symptoms and behavioral characteristics induced by MPTP in a 20-year-old Macaca cynomolgus fascicularis, their evolution over 7 months, and the animal's response to 1-dopa treatment. The symptoms which the animal developed include those that have been described earlier in Macaca mulatta and Saimiri sciureus, i.e., rigidity, action tremor, postural tremor, postural flexion, hypokinesia, and bradykinesia. In addition, however, the animal developed a 3.8 Hz resting tremor which in humans is pathognomonic of Parkinson's disease, as well as cogwheeling, the glabellar tap sign, drooling, impaired ability to relax, and many other symptoms. Also unlike previously described MPTP monkeys, the animal's symptoms neither improved spontaneously, nor did they remain stable shortly after MPTP injection. Instead, symptoms steadily progressed to reach a severe status 2 months after MPTP, and further progression was apparent after another 5 months. Therapeutic responses to 1-dopa required accumulation of or kindling by the 100 mg unit doses that were spaced 4 hr apart, were often organized in time as ON episodes that alternated with OFF episodes, and were associated with dyskinesias and bizarre behavior. Of particular interest is that the animal showed kinesia paradoxa which, in humans, constitutes a feature that is unique to Parkinson's disease among the extrapyramidal disorders. In addition to available evidence, the present findings validate the syndrome induced by MPTP in monkey as an animal analogue of Parkinson's disease. Taxonomic category, age, and the occurrence of shock in response to MPTP are discussed as variables that may possibly co-determine the pathology which MPTP may induce in monkey.     

Regulation of cell-mediated immunity in cutaneous leishmaniasis

There is now good evidence that cell-mediated immunity (CMI) rather than humoral antibody plays a causal role in acquired immunity to leishmaniasis. In genetically susceptible strains of mice, the failure to control the disease progression is associated with a population of Lyt-2-T cells which can prevent the induction or expression of curative CMI and hence exacerbate disease development. Susceptible BALB/c mice can be rendered resistant to L. major infection by prior sublethal dose gamma-irradiation, anti-mu antibody treatment from birth, anti-L3T4 antibody treatment or intravenous (i.v.) or intraperitoneal (i.p.) route of immunisation with killed L. major promastigotes or isolated leishmanial antigens. The route of immunisation, however, appears crucial in the induction of prophylactic immunity. Subcutaneous (s.c.) and intramuscular routes of immunisation with killed promastigotes are not only ineffective, they induce a population of Lyt-2- L3T4+ T cells which inhibit the prophylactic effect of i.v. immunisation. Although both the disease-promoting T cells and the host-protective T cells express the same phenotypic cell surface markers, they differ functionally. Protective T cells produce interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and macrophage-activating factor (MAF) when cultured in vitro with leishmanial antigens, whereas the disease-promoting T cells do not. In addition, these latter cells are able to produce substances in their antigen-specific culture supernatant which inhibits the MAF activity of the host protective T cells.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Diagnostic value of 4 biological markers: lactate dehydrogenase, phosphoglucoisomerase, carcinoembryonic antigen and gammaglutamyl transpeptidase, systematically determined in patients in a hematology-oncology department

This article is concerned with a prospective study about the systematical, simultaneous and comparative assay of four biological markers (carcino-embryonic antigen, lactate dehydrogenase, gammaglutamyl transferase and phosphohexose isomerase). This study was conducted in a department of Hematology and oncology on 258 patients. The dosage of each marker separately does not appear to be of diagnostical interest because of a lack of sensibility and specificity. But when there is a positive statistical correlation between several makers, their simultaneous dosage may allow the diagnostic of cancer and sometimes the determination of its origin.