Myalgia Epidemica und Poliomyelitis

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Assessment of class-specific antibodies against denatured DNA in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

In this retrospective study 103 serum samples from 16 females with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), obtained during a mean follow-up time of 2 years, were investigated for the presence of anti-denatured [single-stranded (ss)] DNA antibodies of the IgG, IgM, and IgA classes. The anti-ssDNA antibodies were determined by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and the results were expressed in three ways: as units derived from a single serum dilution and as two parameters,E andA, calculated from the dose-response curve,E being an estimate of the effective amount of antibodies andA a function of the reaction constant between the antigen and the antibody. The simultaneous occurrence of anti-ssDNA antibodies of all three immunoglobulin classes was seen most often in the patients with the shortest duration of the disease. Clinically active disease was found to correlate with high reaction constants of the IgA anti-ssDNA antibodies. There was also an association between the IgA anti-ssDNA antibody levels and the presence of nephritis. Great fluctuations in the amounts of effective antibodies of the IgG class were seen in seven patients, in six of whom changes in the disease activity also were seen. Changes in the disease activity were unaccompanied by fluctuations in the IgG anti-ssDNA levels in four patients; two of these patients were positive for antibodies against extractable nuclear antigens. We conclude that it is of value to express the results of the anti-ssDNA ELISA as a function of the dose-response curve when monitoring patients with SLE and that immunoglobulin class-specific determinations of anti-ssDNA antibodies may provide information about the disease activity in many patients with SLE.     

Nomenclature of the gonane progestins

The use of gonane nomenclature can be traced back to the early 1960s, when the first compound submitted for trial, the carbon-18 homologue of the anabolic agent Nilevar was named bisnortestosterone. However, the confusion about how this compound was named led scientists to introduce the gonane system for naming bisnortestosterones and structurally related compounds. Use of the terms gonane and estrane to classify the levonorgestrel and norethindrone families of progestins, respectively, originates from the systemic name of these compounds. Levonorgestrel is 17beta-hydroxy-17alpha-ethinyl-13beta-ethyl-4-gonen-3-one, while norethindrone is 17beta-hydroxy-17alpha-ethinyl-4-estren-3-one. The term gonane signifies that levonorgestrel and the related progestins are a separate class of steroids that differ from other steroids. Levonorgestrel and the related progestins form a structural category of 18-homologated 19-nortestosterones. Thus, it would be better to categorize levonorgestrel and the structurally related progestins such as desogestrel, norgestimate, gestodene as carbon-18-homologated 19-nortestosterones. Alternatively, it is simpler to refer to these compounds as the levonorgestrel family of progestins. In a similar manner, norethindrone and the related progestins can be referred to as the norethindrone (norethisterone) family of progestins.     

Paths taken towards NK cell–mediated immunotherapy of human cancer—a personal reflection

The discovery that NK cells are able to specifically recognize cells lacking the expression of self‐MHC class I molecules provided the first insight into NK cell recognition of tumour cells. It started a flourishing field of NK cell research aimed at exploring the molecular nature of NK cell receptors involved in tumour cell recognition. While much of the important early work was conducted in murine experimental model systems, studies of human NK cells rapidly followed. Over the years, human NK cell research has swiftly progressed, aided by new detailed molecular information on human NK cell development, differentiation, molecular specificity, tissue heterogeneity and functional capacity. NK cells have also been studied in many different diseases aside from cancer, including viral diseases, autoimmunity, allergy and primary immunodeficiencies. These fields of research have all, indirectly or directly, provided further insights into NK cell‐mediated recognition of target cells and paved the way for the development of NK cell‐based immunotherapies for human cancer. Excitingly, NK cell‐based immunotherapy now opens up for novel strategies aimed towards treating malignant diseases, either alone or in combination with other drugs. Reviewed here are some personal reflections of select contributions leading up to the current state‐of‐the‐art in the field, with a particular emphasis on contributions from our own laboratory. This review is part of a series of articles on immunology in Scandinavia, published in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the Scandinavian Society for Immunology.     

Citrate anticoagulation: Are blood donors donating bone?

An estimated 2.4 million volunteer apheresis blood donation procedures were performed in the United States in 2010, and increases in the proportion of transfused blood products derived from apheresis blood collections have been consistently reported. Anticoagulation is required during apheresis and is achieved with citrate. Donor exposure to citrate causes an acute physiological response to maintain serum mineral homeostasis. Some data are available on the sequelae of this acute response in the days and weeks following exposure, raising questions about bone mineral density in regular apheresis donors. New research is emerging that addresses the potential long‐term health outcomes of repeated citrate exposure. This article reviews the acute physiological response to citrate anticoagulation in volunteer blood donors, presents contrasting perspectives on the potential effects of citrate exposure on bone density, and identifies key knowledge gaps in our understanding of long‐term health outcomes in apheresis donors. J. Clin. Apheresis 31:459–463, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Renal renin secretion as regulator of body fluid homeostasis

The renin–angiotensin system is essential for body fluid homeostasis and blood pressure regulation. This review focuses on the homeostatic regulation of the secretion of active renin in the kidney, primarily in humans. Under physiological conditions, renin secretion is determined mainly by sodium intake, but the specific pathways involved and the relations between them are not well defined. In animals, renin secretion is a log-linear function of sodium intake. Close associations exist between sodium intake, total body sodium, extracellular fluid volume, and blood volume. Plasma volume increases by about 1.5 mL/mmol increase in daily sodium intake. Several lines of evidence indicate that central blood volume may vary substantially without measurable changes in arterial blood pressure. At least five intertwining feedback loops of renin regulation are identifiable based on controlled variables (blood volume, arterial blood pressure), efferent pathways to the kidney (nervous, humoral), and pathways operating via the macula densa. Taken together, the available evidence favors the notion that under physiological conditions (1) volume-mediated regulation of renin secretion is the primary regulator, (2) macula densa mediated mechanisms play a substantial role as co-mediator although the controlled variables are not well defined so far, and (3) regulation via arterial blood pressure is the exception rather than the rule. Improved quantitative analyses based on in vivo and in silico models are warranted.