Severe hypoglycaemia in a person with insulin autoimmune syndrome accompanied by insulin receptor anomaly type B.

AIMS: A rare case of the insulin autoimmune syndrome (IAS) accompanied by insulin receptor anomaly is reported. METHODS: Antibodies to insulin and insulin receptor were determined in the patient with severe hypoglycaemia before and after the treatment with prednisolone. RESULTS: Titers of antibody to insulin and insulin receptors were 73.0% and 41.5%, respectively. Drug-induced lymphocyte stimulation tests were all negative for the suspicious drugs. Her HLA-DR was DRB1*0403/04051. Following steroid therapy, the formation of antibodies was suppressed and alleviated her symptoms. Scatchard analysis yielded findings specific to polyclonal antibodies. CONCLUSIONS: The changes in autoantibodies resulted in alleviation of the hypoglycemic symptoms as a result of steroid therapy.     

甘草酸类药物治疗自身免疫性肝炎疗效分析

探讨甘草酸类药物治疗自身免疫性肝炎（AIH）的疗效.应用甘草酸单胺组、甘草酸二胺组和复方甘草甜素组治疗79例AIH患者,并与糖皮质激素治疗AIH 21例患者作比较,观察其肝功能的变化,评价其疗效.3组甘草酸类药物治疗AIH可明显降低ALT,AST,TBil,DBil水平,分别获得78.2%、81.6%和82.7%的完全应答率,与激素治疗组的完全应答率（83.3%）比较,差异无显著性（P＞0.05）;两类药物治疗Ⅰ、Ⅲ型AIH的疗效高于Ⅱ型AIH.甘草酸类药物治疗AIH可获得与激素相同的近期疗效,但其长期疗效尚待进一步评价.     

Characteristics of antibody responses in tick-borne encephalitis vaccination breakthroughs

Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) virus is an important human pathogenic flavivirus that is endemic in Europe and Asia. The disease can be effectively prevented by inactivated vaccines and vaccination breakthroughs (VBTs) are rare. We investigated the characteristics of antibody responses in such VBTs in comparison to those in unvaccinated TBE patients. In contrast to the unvaccinated controls, most of the VBTs displayed a delayed IgM antibody response and had high avidity and strongly neutralizing antibodies already in the first sample taken upon hospitalization. The antibody profile of these patients therefore had the characteristics of an anamnestic immune response. In the VBTs analyzed, immunological priming and memory were apparently not sufficient or fast enough to prevent the disease.     

实验性自身免疫性脑脊髓炎巨噬细胞活性MR成像的研究进展

MR成像是监测多发性硬化(MS)病情及其演变、评价疗效的重要手段,实验性自身免疫性脑脊髓炎(EAE)是公认的研究人类多发性硬化的动物模型。常规MR扫描仅能分析MS和EAE炎症反应的继发性改变。巨噬细胞是MS和EAE炎症反应中重要的效应细胞,超微超顺磁性氧化铁(USPIO)粒子能被巨噬细胞摄取,MR成像能显示MS和EAE病灶内吞噬了USPIO的巨噬细胞,分析其炎症反应自身的信息,是动态观察巨噬细胞浸润过程、进一步探索MS免疫病理机制的有效手段。本文综述超微超顺磁性对比剂的特性及其MR成像在EAE和MS病理机制方面的研究进展,评价其发展前景。     

Pathogenesis of neuroimmunologic diseases

Animal models of autoimmune diseases have greatly improved our current understanding of the pathogenesis of human autoimmunity and have provided the potential for therapies based on manipulation of the immune system. In our laboratory, we have investigated the immunopathogenesis of autoimmune diseases of the nervous system and muscle. We have developed immune-based approaches for the suppression of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a model for multiple sclerosis (MS), and experimental autoimmune neuritis (EAN), a model for the Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). These approaches included induction of peripheral tolerance, immunotoxin targeting of activated T cells, and cytokine manipulations. In addition, we identified the antigen and characterized immunopathologically an autoimmune inflammatory disease of skeletal muscle, experimental autoimmune myositis (EAM), a model for the human inflammatory muscle disease polymyositis.     

Oral tolerance in EAE: reversal of tolerance by T helper cell cytokines

Oral administration of myelin basic protein (MBP) inhibits clinical and histopathological manifestations of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), but only partially reduces serum anti-MBP antibody titers. We report here that orally administered MBP alters the isotypic distribution of anti-MBP antibody-forming cells (AFC) among various lymphoid tissues, with the most profound differences seen in mucosal tissues. We observed an isotype-selective reduction in anti-MBP IgA but not IgM AFC frequencies in Peyer's patches. The anti-MBP IgA AFC frequencies could be reconstituted by addition of interleukin 4 (IL-4) and interleukin 5 (IL-5). The cytokines did not appear to generate de novo responses since no increases in anti-MBP IgA AFC frequencies were observed in control cultures. These results indicate that decreased antibody production, as a result of oral antigen administration, can be reversed by exposure to the appropriate cytokines.     

整合素β1在自身免疫性心肌炎小鼠心肌的表达

目的:观察整合素β1在自身免疫性心肌炎小鼠心肌的表达变化。方法:猪肌凝蛋白皮下注射免疫Balb/c小鼠,建立慢性自身免疫性心肌炎模型,于初次免疫后14、30和60d对心肌组织进行病理学检查,同时用激光共聚焦技术和间接免疫荧光法检测整合素β1在心肌的表达变化。结果:在初次免疫后14d,小鼠心脏有局部炎症出现,整合素β1在心脏血管周围的表达高于正常组（P<0.05）;在第30天,小鼠心脏炎性浸润更加明显,整合素β1在心肌的表达增强,显著高于正常组（P<0.05）;第60天,小鼠心脏炎症细胞减少,而纤维化则开始出现,整合素β1在心肌的表达最强（P<0.05）,且排列紊乱。结论:整合素β1在自身免疫性心肌炎的发生及发展过程中起着不同重要作用,整合素β可能参与自身免疫反应及心肌的重构。     

Lumbar Puncture Ordering and Results in the Pediatric Population: A Promising Data Source for Surveillance Systems

Background: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is incorporating laboratory data into real-time surveillance systems. When normal patterns of laboratory test orders and results are modeled, aberrations can be detected. Because many test orders are available electronically well before results, atypical patterns of test ordering may signal outbreaks.
Objectives: The authors sought to characterize baseline patterns in the ordering and early results of lumbar punctures, motivated by the possibility of using these data for real-time surveillance for early detection of meningitis or encephalitis outbreaks.
Methods: Retrospective cohorts of pediatric emergency department patients at a single hospital (1993–2003) and from the National Hospital and Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (1992–2000) were used for analysis.
Results: Test ordering exhibits seasonal patterns, with monthly peaks in January and August (p < 0.0001). For the hospital cohort, the rate of cerebrospinal fluid pleocytosis exhibits seasonal patterns (p < 0.0001), with a peak from August to October. This is strongly associated with the rate and pattern of clinical neurologic disease (p < 0.0001). A long-term secular decline in daily test ordering is evident, dropping from 5.3 to 2.9 in the hospital sample, and from 371.8 to 185.3 in the national sample (p < 0.001). The long-term rate of pleocytosis has declined (p < 0.0001), though the yield of testing for pleocytosis has improved (p = 0.0104).
Conclusions: Laboratory test patterns correspond with those of clinical disease and are a promising source of surveillance data. Using such data for real-time monitoring requires specific adjustments for patient age, periodicities, and secular trends.     

Clustering of autoimmune disease in parents of siblings from the Type 1 diabetes Warren repository.

AIMS: Autoimmune disorders co-exist in the same individuals and in families, implying a shared aetiology. The aim of this study was to compare the prevalence of the common autoimmune diseases in the parents of siblings from the Type 1 diabetes Warren repository with the general population. METHODS: Between 1989 and 1996, 505 British families with at least two siblings affected by Type 1 diabetes were recruited. Clinical information was collected regarding the presence of autoimmune disease in the parents and the prevalence of disease in the parents was compared with that expected in the general population. RESULTS: The prevalence of autoimmune disease in the parents was significantly higher in the repository compared with that expected in the general population [P-value = 1.98 x 10(-5) (female), P-value = 1.1 x 10(-8) (male)]. Type 1 diabetes was recorded in 63/1010 (6.2%) parents with a marked paternal preponderance (9.5 vs. 3%P = 0.002). Other autoimmune diseases affected 27% of parents with diabetes and 13.2% of parents without diabetes (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: These data confirm the importance of family history as a significant risk factor for the development of Type 1 diabetes and support the hypothesis that the common autoimmune diseases share at least some aetiological mechanisms.