[The first 2 fatal cases of AIDS in Sweden--diagnostic and therapeutic experiences].
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
Biomedical subjects
A Hovmark
Publications and source records attributed to A Hovmark.
The spirochetal etiology of acrodermatitis chronica atrophicans Herxheimer.
Spirochetes were recovered from the skin lesion of 1 out of 10 acrodermatitis chronica atrophicans patients (ACA). Spirochetes from this skin isolate and from Ixodes (I.) ricinus and I. dammini spirochetes were used as antigens in indirect immunofluorescence tests. All sera from 17 ACA patients showed high antibody titers to the three antigens. Seven of the 17 sera which had the highest titers had crossreactive antibodies to treponemal antigen detectable in the FTA-ABS test. The results indicate that spirochetes are of importance for ACA and probably the causative agent of this disease. The connection between ACA and tick bites and the relationship to erythema chronicum migrans Afzelius (ECMA) and Lyme disease are discussed. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that ECMA and ACA are different manifestations of the same spirochete, with ACA as a late manifestation.
Acrodermatitis↗
Serum IgE levels in patients with bullous pemphigoid and its correlation to the activity of the disease and anti-basement membrane zone antibodies.
The serum levels of IgE were found to be increased in 24 of 34 patients with an acute exacerbation of bullous pemphigoid. There was no statistically significant correlation between the serum IgE level or the serum anti-basement membrane zone antibody titer and the extent of the disease during an exacerbation. There was however a positive correlation between anti-basement membrane zone antibody titers and serum IgE levels. All but 2 patients showed a normalisation or decline in serum IgE 2-4 months after an exacerbation of the disease. There was also a tendency to declining antibasement membrane zone antibody titers in many patients but changes of these titers could usually not be measured as early as alterations of serum IgE levels were found. Thus in most patients serum IgE was found to be a better laboratory parameter than indirect immunofluorescence for following the activity of the disease.
Acute Disease↗
The spirochetal etiology of erythema chronicum migrans Afzelius.
We have obtained spirochetes from Ixodes (I.) ricinus ticks collected in different areas in Stockholm where erythema chronicum migrans Afzelius (ECMA) cases are known to occur sporadically. Titers of antibody against spirochetal isolates, cultured in modified Kelly's medium, from Swedish I. ricinus and American I. dammini ticks were determined by indirect immunofluorescence. With the I. ricinus respectively the I. dammini spirochete as antigen the ECMA group had a significantly higher median titer (73 respectively 128) than the control group (28 respectively 31). Spirochetes have also been isolated from the periphery of one ECMA lesion by injecting skin homogenates into rabbit testicles. The findings are in agreement with spirochetal etiology in ECMA.
Animals↗
An immunological study of patients with bullous pemphigoid.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Aged↗
Effects of a beta-receptor blocking agent (propranolol) on synthesis of IgE in vitro by peripheral blood lymphocytes from atopic patients.
Peripheral blood lymphocytes from patients with atopy were studied for IgE production in vitro. Addition of a beta-receptor blocking agent (propranolol) to lymphocytes from 9 of 10 patients with low spontaneous IgE production in vitro caused increased IgE production. In 10 tests with lymphocytes from patients, who were undergoing hyposensitization treatment for cat epithelium and/or birch pollen allergy, no spontaneous in vitro production of the relevant antigen-specific IgE antibodies was detected. However, when propranolol was added to the lymphocyte cultures in vitro, production of antigen-specific IgE antibodies was found. No such production was found when lymphocytes from patients who were not allergic to either of these antigens were studied. Szentivanyi's theory of a partial blockade of beta-adrenergic receptors in atopy and a possible linkage between this theory and the hypotheses of disturbed regulatory functions in the immune system of patients with atopy is discussed.
Adrenergic beta-Antagonists↗
Clinical variations in bullous pemphigoid with respect to early symptoms.
We report the clinical variations and the duration of prodromal symptoms in 20 patients with bullous pemphigoid. Nearly two-thirds of the patients had prodromal symptoms. THe duration of the prodromal eruptions was up to 6 weeks if papular and/or urticarial and up to 2 years if eczematous, before the blisters appeared. Evidently longer prodromal periods were found in the present study than in earlier investigations. It is not known when in the course of the disease the direct immunofluorescence will be positive. Two of our patients were immunofluorescence-positive 1 and 2 weeks respectively before the blisters appeared. A common clinical manifestation in this study was vesicles on palms and/or soles. These eruptions, particularly as an early symptom, may cause misinterpretation in patients with bullous pemphigoid.
Aged↗
An in vitro study of IgE production in severe atopic dermatitis.
Peripheral blood lymphocytes from 4 patients with severe atopic dermatitis and with high serum IgE levels produced measurable amounts of IgE in vitro in repeated tests. These patients had increased numbers of IgE-bearing peripheral blood lymphocytes on at least one test occasion. No measurable IgE production in vitro was found in 6 other patients with atopic dermatitis and in 3 healthy controls. Inhibition of the IgE production was observed following treatment with PHA, Con A, PWM, mixed lymphocyte culture and radiation. LPS and histamine induced neither definite stimulation nor inhibition of IgE production. Supernatants from Con A stimulated cells were used in tests for suppressor factors. The hypothesis that depressed suppressor function of the T cells might be responsible for the tendency to increased IgE production in atopic dermatitis is discussed.
Adult↗
Failure of transfer factor therapy in atopic dermatitis.
A controlled clinical study was conducted on 6 patients with atopic dermatitis to assess the efficacy of transfer factor. After the code was broken the 3 patients treated with placebo preparation were treated with transfer factor for a further period of 10 weeks. No definite therapeutic effects could be demonstrated. The immunological in vivo and in vitro tests failed to reveal any effects except for a change to positive in the tuberculin skin test in those patients who had previously been skin test negative. The treatment had to be discontinued in one patient due to a suspected allergic reaction against transfer factor.
Adult↗
An in vitro study of depressed cell-mediated immunity and of T and B lymphocytes in atopic dermatitis.
Lymphocyte transformation tests, E binding(T) rosette assay and immunofluorescent preparations of B cells were studied in patients with atopic dermatitis, and also in healthy controls. Most of the patients were found to have high levels of IgE in serum. The patients were studied both during severe bouts of dermatitis and also when the dermatitis was almost healed. Lymphocyte transformation tests showed that patients were hyporeactive to PPD and herpes simplex antigen in vitro, both during periods of severe dermatitis and also when the dermatitis was in remission. The response to PHA in the patients was normal in vitro. No factors which could reduce cell-mediated immunity in vitro were found in patients' sera. A decreased number of T lymphocytes and a slight increase in the number of immunoglobulin-bearing lymphocytes (B cells) were demonstrated in the patients, both during remission and during recurrence of severe dermatitis. In 3 of 8 patients, increased numbers of IgE-bearing lymphocytes were found to be present when the patients had severe dermatitis. A possible correlation between high serum levels of IgE and depressed cell-mediated immunity in patients with atopic dermatitis is discussed.
Adult↗
Acid alpha-naphthyl acetate esterase staining of T lymphocytes in human skin.
T lymphocytes were stained in order to disclose alpha-naphthyl acetate esterase activity (ANAE staining) by adopting the method described by Mueller et al. In ANAE-staining of frozen sections from human lymph nodes, more than 90% of the lymphocytes in paracortical areas (T cell areas) were ANAE-positive, but in cortical follicles (B cell areas) less than 5% of the cells were positive. Lymphocytic infiltrations in various dermatoses (lichen ruber planus, psoriasis, SLE, atropic dermatitis, erythema multiforme, poikiloderma atrophicans vasculare, and Sézary syndrome) were investigated. A high percentage of ANAE-positive lymphoid cells (greater than 80%) was found in most cases. One patient with chron. lymphatic leukaemia, however, had a smaller proportion of ANAE-positive lymphocytic cells in an erythema multiforme skin infiltrate. ANAE staining seems to be an easy method for the identification of T lymphocytes in skin sections. The results of this investigation support the hypothesis that T lymphocytes have an affinity to skin.
Esterases↗
Patch testing, tuberculin testing and sensitization with dinitrochlorobenzene and nitrosodimethylanilini of patients with atopic dermatitis.
Cell-mediated immunity was studied in patients with atopic dermatitis. 113 patients were patch tested with ten contact allergens. The frequency of positive reactions to patch testing with "common contact allergens" was found to be lower in patients with "high IgE values" than in those with IgE less than or equal to 1000 U/ml. A larger number of patients with severe dermatitis reacted negatively to PPD and were more difficult to sensitize with DNCB and NDMA as compared with the patients with mild dermatitis. The results of this investigation support the findings of earlier workers that patients with atopic dermatitis show disturbances in the cell-mediated immune system and these disturbances appear to be correlated to the degree of severity of the dermatitis.
Adolescent↗
An in vivo and in vitro study of cell-mediated immunity in atopic dermatitis.
Cell-mediated immunity was studied in patients with atopic dermatitis. Tuberculin skin tests were performed on 70 patients and on 18 controls. The patients with "severe dermatitis" and those with high IgE levels were hyporeactive. Lymphocyte transformation tests were carried out in 33 patients and 21 controls. This showed that the patients were hyporeactive to PPD and herpes simplex antigen and this was most prominent in the patients having high IgE values. However, there was no clear, statistically significant difference between patients and controls with regard to their in vitro response to PHA.
Adolescent↗
Classification, geographic variations, and epidemiology of Lyme borreliosis.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Africa↗
Role of Borrelia burgdorferi in lymphocytomas and sclerotic skin lesions.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Acrodermatitis↗
Tick-borne borreliosis and facial palsy.
During a one-year period, 82 consecutive patients seeking medical attention for facial palsy primarily of unknown etiology were examined for underlying Ixodes ricinus-borne borreliosis. Evidence of the infection was found in 16 (20%) of the patients, most of whom had cerebrospinal fluid findings indicating meningeal involvement. Among 9 children included in the study, borreliosis was found in 6 cases. Bilateral facial palsy occurred in 3 of the borrelia-infected patients, as compared with none of the patients without borreliosis. It is suggested that, in areas where the tick vector is present, borreliosis should be regularly sought in patients with facial palsy of otherwise unknown etiology. As regards the serological diagnosis, it is emphasized that normal borrelia antibody titres in serum and cerebrospinal fluid at the time of the first consultation do not exclude the infection. A careful serological follow-up of patients with facial palsy is therefore recommended in order not to miss an underlying borreliosis which, if allowed to go untreated, implies a risk of other organ involvement and a protracted course.
Adult↗