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Biomedical subjects

E J Field

Publications and source records attributed to E J Field.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMed1972

Lymphocyte sensitization in advanced malignant disease: a study of serum lymphocyte depressive factor.

Patients with advanced malignant disease show an apparent lesser degree of lymphocyte sensitization to cancer antigen when tested under standard conditions than do early cases. In the serum of cancer patients there is a lymphocyte response depressing factor whose titre rises as the neoplasm becomes more extensive. The low lymphocyte response shown by advanced cancers is not, however, directly referable to this rise in depressive factor, but to removal by the tumour mass of specifically sensitized lymphocytes so that amongst the standard number of cells under routine test an adequate number does not remain to give a full response. Increasing the number of cells under test restores the result to the level found in moderately sized cancers. The "absorptive capacity" of large tumours for circulating sensitized lymphocytes is greater than can be provided by natural immunization produced by the tumour. Active immunization with a tumour antigen can be expected therefore to increase lymphocyte-associated defence against cancer.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1971

Lymphocyte response depressive factor in multiple sclerosis.

Normal serum contains a lymphocyte response depressive factor and this is more active against the lymphocytes of the blood from which the serum was obtained than against lymphocytes from a different normal blood. The suppressive factor is thus "tailor-made" to its own lymphocytes though cross-reactivity with other lymphocytes does occur. The significance of this is discussed. The suppressive factor has a higher titre in serum from patients with multiple sclerosis or other destructive neurological disease than in normal serum. This may be an instance of a general phenomenon in which lymphocyte sensitization is ordinarily accompanied by production of a suppressor factor able to damp down response so that this is controlled by an "acceleratorbrake" mechanism. The possibilities of imbalance in the pathogenesis of disease and therapeutic manipulation of the level of suppressor substance are briefly discussed.

Animals↗