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Biomedical subjects

A Böni

Publications and source records attributed to A Böni.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

[Is the demonstration of immune complex useful in the activity assessment of chronic polyarthritis?].

In a prospective and controlled long-term study of 39 patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis (RA), various blood parameters including the C1q-binding test (fluid phase) and the Rajicell test were performed. Blood samples were taken every three months during an observation period of eighteen months and compared with disease activity. According to these sequential analyses, immune complexes determined in the serum by these two tests do not always reflect disease activity expressed by addition of active joints. These results confirmed that the C1q-binding test often closely reflects disease activity. In patients with RA and extraarticular manifestations the C1q-binding test continuously showed increased concentrations of circulating immune complexes in the serum. In patients with predominant vasculitis the regular determination of circulating immune complexes is the best means of showing disease activity. This latter observation is especially true in patients with malignant RA. On the whole, the clinical significance of regularly performed assay for detection of immune complexes in RA appears questionable.

Adult

Action of collagenase and elastase from human polymorphonuclear leukocytes on human articular cartilage.

Collagenase from human polymorphonuclear leukocytes (neutrophil collagenase) attacks collagen type II in solution at a rate intermediate to those of type I and III collagens. This enzyme alone is not able to initiate degradation of native human articular cartilage. If the cartilage is first treated with leukocyte elastase, collagenase slowly degrades collagen. Confirming earlier findings by other investigators, elastase has a dual action on cartilage: The enzyme removes proteoglycans, thus demasking collagen fibers and giving collagenase access to them, and solubilizes collagen at a sizable rate. Although neutrophil collagenase cleaves collagen type II in solution at a high rate, the native, cross-linked status of collagen in cartilage makes it a relatively poor substrate for this enzyme. On a weight by weight scale, elastase and collagenase display about the same collagenolytic potential on human articular cartilage. The elastase/collagenase system from human polymorphonuclear leukocytes could represent a cooperative proteolytic complex in the destruction of cartilage in rheumatoid arthritis.

Cartilage, Articular

Production of agglutinators and rheumatoid factors in plasma cells of rheumatoid and nonrheumatoid synovial tissues.

Immunohistochemical studies were performed in synovial tissues from 40 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), 9 with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA), 7 with psoriatic arthritis, and 4 with various rheumatic diseases. Overall synthesis of IgG- and/or IgM-rheumatoid factor (RF) was found in all patients with seropositive RA and JRA, in 75% of patients with seronegative RA, and in 1 patient with psoriatic arthritis. Agglutinator producing cells were found in 77% of the samples from seropositive RA and in 44% and 56% from seronegative RA and JRA patients, respectively. The percentage of IgG plasma cells synthesizing one or more of the 5 types of agglutinators studied was approximately 10% of plasma cells synthesizing IgG-RF. Intercellular and intracellular immune complex deposits were also found in patients with seropositive and seronegative RA and JRA. These findings suggest that synthesis of agglutinators by synovial tissue plasma cells of RA and JRA patients is a distinct--but definitely less prominent--function than that of RF synthesis.

Agglutinins

Degradation in vivo of articular cartilage in rheumatoid arthritis by leucocyte elastase from polymorphonuclear leucocytes.

Using a specific substrate, no leucocyte elastase activity could be detected in 55 synovial fluids, including 29 from patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, a high percentage of samples contained phagocytic inclusions of elastase, alpha 1-proteinase inhibitor (alpha 1-PI) and alpha 2-macroglobulin (alpha 2-MG) in both the polymorphonuclear (PMN) and mononuclear phagocytes. Immunofluorescence and indirect peroxidase-antiperoxidase staining of articular cartilage (ACA) from 52% of 21 patients with RA and one with juvenile RA (JRA) showed presence of elastase in the superficial layer of microscopically intact but proteoglycan depleted pannus-free ACA. In histologically altered pannus-free RA-ACA superficial elastase deposits were found in 24% of the cases. Adjacent ACA sections contained IgG, C3, alpha 1-PI and rarely alpha 2-MG. RA-ACA below or surrounded by pannus showed close contact with intact and decaying PMN in 62% and 48% of the cases, respectively. ACA specimens from patients with degenerative disease and systemic lupus were negative. These findings strongly suggest that PMN leucocyte elastase is operative in the degradation of RA-ACA and JRA-ACA, and that this activity is largely dependent upon the presence of entrapped immune complexes in such cartilage.

Adult

Kinetics of the different susceptibilities of the four human immunoglobulin G subclasses to proteolysis by human lysosomal elastase.

Human lysosomal elastase cleaves human monoclonal IgG into components that closely resemble the fragments produced by papain digestion. IgG1 produced Fab, Fc and Fab-Fc fragments; cleavage of IgG2 produced F(ab)2, Fab-Fc, Fab and Fc fragments; IgG3 gave rise to almost pure Fab and Fch (Fc covalently joined to the extended hinge region polypeptide of IgG3), and from IgG4, F(ab)2, Fab and Fc fragments were recovered. The relative susceptibilities of the four human IgG subclasses to proteolytic attack by elastase were studied kinetically and showed the following decreasing order of susceptibility: IgG3 > IgG1 > IgG2 > IgG4. The Fab fragment from papain digestion of IgG1 and the corresponding fragment from elastase digestion showed indistinguishable molecular weights and immunochemical identity.

Chromatography, Gel

Partial purification and characterization of the high molecular weight latent collagenase from human leukocytes.

Two latent collagenases whose apparent molecular weights were ca. 150 000 and 60 000 have been detected in human leukocytes and the partial purification of the high molecular weight component was accomplished by the following steps: acetone precipitation, ammonium sulphate fractionation, gel filtration on Sephacryl S-200, chromatography on DEAE-Sepharose, and a final gel filtration on Sephacryl S-200. After activation by an activator extracted from human rheumatoid synovial fluid, the enzyme was able to cleave collagen into the classical 1/4 and 3/4 fragments, and was inhibited by chelating agents and other typical collagenase inhibitors.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid

[Chronic polyarthritis: role of polymorphonuclear leukocytes in the destruction of pannus-free articular cartilage].

The synovial fluid (SF) of RA patients contains large amounts of PMN which are well equipped with neutral enzymes to degrade articular cartilage: elastase and cathepsin G, which both destroy proteoglycans and native collagen, as well as 2 types of collagenoases. Indirect evidence suggests that PMN might be important in the destruction of RA articular cartilage. In 19 SF of RA patients no free elastase or collagenase was found. Using immune histochemical methods, we observed that PMN and macrophages of SF contain both elastase and alpha 1-anti-trypsin and alpha 2-macroglobulin. Peripheral PMN - but not monocytes - contain elastase, however both types of cells lack alpha 1-antitrypsin and alpha 2-macroglobulin. Elastase is demonstratable in the superficial layer of pannus free RA articular cartilage. These findings suggest that neutral proteinases from PMN in RA SF are generally neutralized by physiologic inhibitors and removed by phagocytes. The enzyme-inhibitor interaction might be bypassed during "frustrated phagocytosis" so that enzymes like PMN elastase can damage RA articular cartilage.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid

[Rheumatism].

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Humans

[Arthritis in thalassemia minor].

Seven cases with the syndrome of thalassemia minor and pauciarticular, non-erosive, seronegative arthritis are described. Other known causes of seronegative arthritis had been excluded. There was a predilection for middlesized joints such as ankles, wrists and elbows. Usually the synovitis was asymmetrical from onset, with one to eight joints affected. Finger or toe joint were usually spared. Extraarticular synovitis such as tenosynovitis or bursitis were not observed, nor were nodules, signs of vasculitis or visceral involvement. The course of this arthritis showed chronicity and mild, persistent, non-erosive synovitis without joint effusions. X-ray revealed juxtaarticular osteoporosis of the affected joints, characterized by a diminution of the number of trabeculae (hypertrophic atrophy) combined with broadening of the singular trabeculae; this picture is typical of hemoglobinopathies. - Computed tomography showed a probable slight deficit of bone mineralization. Laboratory investigations including ESR, routine immunological tests, blood chemistry, and HLA-tissue typing were all normal. - The combination of this peculiar arthropathy with thalassemia minor would appear to be worthy of note and requires a further search among the forms of arthritis of unknown origin.

Adult

Purification and some properties of a neutral protease from human leukocyte granules and its comparison with pancreatic elastase.

1. A cationic protease has been purified from the granule fraction of blood-donor leukocytes by a preparative method including precipitation by acetone and chromatography on Bio-Gel A 1.5 m, CM-Sephadex C-50 and Sephadex G-G-75. 2. The pH optimum against denatured bovine hemoglobin is 7.4. Gel chromatography indicated a molecular weight close to 23 000. 3. This neutral protease (EC 3.4.-.-) is able to split the synthetic esters Z-Ala-NPh and AcAla3OMe, its activity on the former substrate being 2.2 times greater than that of pancreatic elastase, on the latter the same. It differs crucially from pancreatic elastase in having small elastinolytic activity. 4. In cationic disk electrophoresis, neutral protease resolves into three protein bands with lower mobility than lysozyme: all bands exhibit esterolytic activity against 2-acetoxy-3-naphthoic acid o-toluidide, strongly suggesting that they represent isoenzymes. 5. The enzyme is completely inhibited by iPr2P-F, partially so by soybean trypsin inhibitor and Trasylol. Cysteine, EDTA and TosLysCH2Cl have no effect. 6. During chromatography on CM-Sephadex C-50 a more positively charged enzyme(s) was identified. This had hemoglobinolytic activity at pH 7.4 but only a small esterolytic effect on Z-Ala-NPh; it showed only traces of activity against AcAla3OMe.

Cytoplasmic Granules