IgG and IgE antibody responses to cow dander and urine in farmers with cow-induced asthma

Cow-asthmatic farmers' and negative control subjects' IgG and IgE antibody responses to bovine epithelial antigen (BEA) and urinary antigen (BUA) were studied by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Western blotting. The anti-BEA IgE responses of 10 highly reactive sera were also studied by crossed radioimmunoelectrophoresis (CRIE). The relative amount of allergens common to both BEA and BUA was measured by IgE ELISA inhibition and found to be 3%. In immunoblotting the IgG reactivity of the asthmatic farmers to BEA and BUA declined along their anti-BEA IgE ELISA titres. Control subjects had IgG antibodies mainly to high molecular weight components (50-70 kD) but lacked detectable IgE responses. The IgE reactivity of the asthmatic farmers was directed to only a few components. A total of two main allergens were found in cow dander (20 and 22 kD) and one in cow urine (20 kD). The 20 kD component was shown to be the most important allergen in cow antigen extracts. In CRIE, seven reactive arcs were detected. Arcs 1, 2 and 5 were detected by all 10 sera and are 3 by six and arc 7 by seven sera.     

Modern Methods for Reliable Preoperative Localization of Insulinoma

A case of insulinoma is reported in which the correct localization of tumor was made with PTP and immunoreactive insulin values from the portal venous system and in which pancreas angiography indicated a false positive tumor localization. PTP should be done to every patient to confirm the preoperative location of the insulinoma(s).     

Aggregation of human salivary Ca-proteinates in the presence of simple carbohydrates in vitro

Abstract — The effect of 8 polyols and 14 aldoses or ketoses on the spontaneous aggregation of Ca-proteinates was followed spectrophotometrically in supernatants and filtrates of human mixed saliva. Each carbohydrate was added to the saliva samples at 37°C and the precipitated material was analyzed for protein, total carbohydrate and Ca. Based on their effect on aggregation, the carbohydrates could be divided into three groups: 1) those that showed no effect on aggregation: D-xylose, D-ribose and i-erythritol, 2) those that inhibited aggregation strongly: xylitol, Dsorbitol and D-mannitoi, and 3) those that inhibited aggregation moderately: glucose, fructose and sucrose. The inhibitory effect of the above polyols on the aggregation of Ca-proteinates varied greatly among the saliva donors, and correlated positively with the turbidity of the saliva and its protein content more than with the Ca-concentration or the pH of the saliva sample. It is suggested that inhibition of aggregation shown the most clearly for xylitol, sorbitol and mannitol manifests itself as a retardation of the final, irreversible aggregation of those glycoproteins that already exist in a precipitated form and which are responsible for the turbidity of saliva.     

Human Natural Killer Cells Express Different Integrins and Spread on Fibronectin

Human natural killer (NK) cells adhered and most of them also actively spread on cellular fibronectin (cFn), plasma Fn (pFn) and its Mr 120,000-140,000 or Mr 105,000 cell-binding proteolytic Fn-fragments as well as on heparin-binding Fn-fragments containing the alternative cell binding site. The cells did not spread on vitronectin, laminin or collagens. Adhesion on Mr 105,000 Fn fragment containing the cell binding site, could be prevented by the synthetic peptide GRGDS but not by an inactive peptide, whereas adhesion on heparin-binding Fn fragments was unaffected by the peptide. Spreading of the NK cells led to a distinct reorganization of F-actin. Immunoprecipitation with monoclonal antibodies (MoAb) against the beta 1 integrin subunit of radioactively surface-labelled cells revealed a broad polypeptide band of Mr 140,000 under reducing conditions and a polypeptide doublet of Mr 160,000 and Mr 110,000 under non-reducing conditions. Identical polypeptides, corresponding to the alpha- and beta-subunits of the Fn-receptor complex, were bound to the Mr 105,000 chymotryptic Fn-fragment coupled to Sepharose. Similar experiments with small lymphocytes did not reveal any polypeptides. Immunofluorescence results with McAbs suggested that among the alpha-subunits of integrins, the alpha 3, alpha 4, and alpha 5 subunits are expressed in NK cells. The present results suggest that non-activated NK cells, but not small lymphocytes, express beta 1-integrins, and that at least the Fn-receptors alpha 4 beta 1 and alpha 5 beta 1 may function in the adhesion and migration of NK cells.     

Impact of streptozotocin-induced diabetes on rat blood and alveolar bone affected by occlusal stress

Abstract – Adult male and female rats were used as test animals. The experimental diabetes, mellitus was provoked with one dose of i.v. injection of streptozotocin (65 mg/kg body weight), which interferes with the insulin release mechanism in pancreatic β cells. After a follow-up period of 10 wk an average loss of 10% of body weight and an increase of 25% in the amount of blood obtained by decapitation was recorded in the test animals. The biochemical assays performed on the serum of the diabetic rats showed, for both sexes, a fourfold rise in the plasma glucose level, a threefold rise in plasma alkaline phosphatase activity and plasma alanine transferase activity as well as a 1.5-fold rise in plasma creatine value. The two latter values indicated systematic disorders reflected in the liver and the kidneys. An increase in serum total calcium and hydroxyproline values was also detected. The clinical studies of the gingiva showed diminished tissue resistance in diabetic rats. The histologic studies of alveolar bone revealed retarded formation of bone matrix and new bone in diabetic animals. However, the stimulated metabolism in alveolar bone, due to the artificially induced stress, increased marginal bone cell activity in both the diabetic and the control group, resulting in increased crestal resorption in the former group. The differences in tissue response observed among the diabetic animals affected and unaffected by stress originated from the disturbed recovering mechanism typically found in diabetic animals.     

Cellular Fibronectin in Rheumatoid Synovium and Synovial Fluid: a Possible Factor Contributing to Lymphocytic Infiltration

Mouse monoclonal antibodies against ED sequence-containing cellular fibronectin (cFn) were used to show that Fn in the inflamed synovium is distinct from the major form of plasma Fn (pFn). An accumulation of cFn was seen at sites of hyperplasia of the rheumatoid synovial membrane and in the walls of small vessels in the synovium by immunofluorescence microscopy. cFn was also found in rheumatoid synovial fluid by immunoblotting. Approximately one-fifth of the T lymphocytes from rheumatoid synovial fluid bound to Fn. The binding of synovial fluid T cells was always higher than that from peripheral blood. These results have two implications. On the one hand, the cellular type of Fn may be an indicator of synovial inflammation. On the other hand, the deposition of Fn may be a factor contributing to the infiltration of mononuclear cells into the synovium.     

Multivariate Analysis of Psychomotor Development in Congenital Hypothyroidism

ABSTRACT. In the Finnish programme of screening for congenital hypothyroidism (CUT), thyroid replacement therapy is started very early (at a median age of 6 days). Our experience with the first 50 patients detected by this programme confirms that clinically relevant mental retardation is avoided by early therapy. But some intrauterine damage is inevitable and its degree correlates with the severity of the CHT. Age at the start of therapy, in our narrow range, did not appear to influence the outcome, as we found only a paradoxical positive correlation between the two. Our results suggest that thyroid hormone is transferred from the mother to her hypothyroid child during delivery.     

Antigenic and Immunogenic Components in Rat Liver

We have analysed the immunogenic potential and the expression of class II major histo-compatibility complex (MHC) antigens of the various cellular components of rat liver. A two-step fractionation procedure was developed to isolate the following liver cellular components: hepatocytes, 'non-hepatocytic' parenchymal cells, and passenger leucocytes including the Kupffer cells. A primed rejection assay with the different isolated cell populations was performed in the WF rat. The survival time of a DA cardiac allograft in a normal, non-primed WF rat is 6.3 ± 2.1 days. DA liver hepatocytes were unable to induce accelerated rejection, reducing the survival to at most 5.5 ± 0.6 days ( P = 0.374). The hepatocyte-depleted parenchymal cell component, consisting primarily of endothelial and bile duct cells, was equally ineffective and reduced the survival to at most 5.0 ± 1.4 days ( P =0.453). An accelerated rejection was obtained only with the liver passenger cell-enriched fraction, with a reduction of survival to 3.3 ± 0.6 days ( P =0.034). The expression of class II MHC antigens was analysed on frozen sections and on the disaggregated liver cells by using monoclonal mouse antisera to the common part of the class II molecule. Indirect immunofluorescence and cytological Staphylococcus aureus Cowan I rosette assays were used, respectively. The former showed that only the vascular endothelial cells and the Kupffer cells of the space of Disse expressed class II; the latter demonstrated that only the Kupffer cells had substantial amounts of class II antigens on the cell surface. The results demonstrate that the principal and perhaps only immunogenic component in rat liver is the passenger leucocytes, in particular the strongly class-II-expressing Kupffer cells of the passenger population.