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.     

Microvolt T-Wave Alternans During Exercise and Pacing in Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction

Cardiac Arrhythmias and Risk Stratification after Myocardial infarction (CARISMA) is a prospective multicenter trial designed to document the incidence of cardiac arrhythmias after acute myocardial infarction (AMI), and to assess the predictive accuracy of various arrhythmic risk markers. In this substudy of the CARISMA trial, microvolt T-wave alternans (TWA) was assessed with specific equipment 6 weeks after AMI during bicycle exercise, atrial (A) pacing, and simultaneous ventricular and atrial (V + A) pacing in 80 patients with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) <40%. The agreement between the acute test results was determined by overall proportion of concordance and the kappa statistic. Sustained TWA was observed in 24, 45, and 50% of the patients during the exercise test, A pacing, and V + A pacing, respectively. The number of indeterminate TWA was significantly lower during V + A pacing (n = 7) than exercise test (n = 34). The TWA concordance rate was 71% between exercise and V + A pacing (κ= 0.53, P = 0.001), 79% between exercise and A pacing (κ= 0.54, P < 0.001), and 95% between the two pacing modes (κ= 0.89, P < 0.001). Patients with positive TWA in all tests had lower LVEF (28 ± 7% vs 35 ± 9%, P < 0.01) and wider QT dispersion (99 ± 44 ms vs 67 ± 38 ms, P < 0.01) than those with inconsistent test result. The low number of indeterminate tests and high concordance between the test results indicate that V + A pacing may provide a valuable means to assess TWA in patients who cannot complete the exercise test.     

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.     

Aetiology of Congenital Hypothyroidism in Finland

ABSTRACT. In Finland a nationwide screening programme for congenital hypothyroidism (CHT) has operated since 1980 with complete coverage. Among the total of 307000 newborns screened, the incidence per 100 000 was 24.6 for thyroid dysgenesis and 4.0 for dyshormonogenesis. We conclude that, when screening is based on cord serum TSH, the false-positive results are caused mainly by difficult delivery. The most important factors associated with dyshormonogenesis were CHT in the family, origin from a geographic risk area, and origin of both mother and father from the same community. These reflect the autosomal recessive inheritance. The risk factors for dysgenesis were female gender, CHT in the family, birth in a geographic risk area, and birth during a risk period of the year     

Occlusion and craniomandibular function among patients treated with removable partial dentures

Forty patients treated with removable partial dentures (RPDs) at the Institute of Dentistry, University of Oulu, were selected for this study. The type of occlusion, horizontal and vertical overlap, the slide between retruded contact position and intercuspal position, and the occlusal interferences were investigated as occlusal parameters. Helkimo's anamnestic and clinical indices were used to measure the craniomandibular function and the clinical index score was used to compare the differences between different groups.
The RPD-generated occlusal interferences seemed to cause most harmful effects in point centric, interference free occlusions, when the damage was directed at the temporomandibular joint. These interferences were most frequently found in the retruded contact position and caused by the RPD teeth.