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Biomedical subjects

E J Menzel

Publications and source records attributed to E J Menzel.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

[Determination of immune complexes in renal diseases (author's transl)].

The concentration of circulating immune complexes were determined by Clq solid phase assay in 30 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (n = 15), glomerulonephritis (n = 5), and after kidney transplantation (n = 10). Elevated immune complex concentrations were found in glomerulonephritis and systemic lupus erythematosus correlating with disease activity. In the posttransplant period the level of immune complexes was increased after antilymphocyte globulin therapy. The function of the transplanted kidney or rejection crises showed no effect on immune complex formation. The presence of circulating immune complexes indicates a high activity of disease in cases of glomerulonephritis and systemic lupus erythematosus.

Antigen-Antibody Complex↗

Lymphocyte transformation to denatured type I collagen and B lymphocyte alloantigens in rheumatoid arthritis.

Peripheral blood lymphocytes transformed significantly to denatured type I collagen in 22 of 38 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (58%), 1 of 9 patients with Reiter's disease (P less than 0.05), and 9 of 32 controls (28%) (P less than 0.01). Determination of HLA antigens revealed significant differences between 24 rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and a control population for HLA-DRw4 (75% versus 23%). No correlation was observed between lymphocyte transformation to collagen and antibodies to collagen, rheumatoid factor, stage or duration of RA, or HLA antigens.

Adult↗

Effect of levamisole on immunological parameters in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Parameters of cell-mediated and humoral immunity were examined in 8 patients with clinically inactive SLE undergoing levamisole treatment. Lymphocyte transformation with PHA and PMW was temporarily increased in the first month of therapy; at the same time absolute numbers of peripheral blood lymphocytes, T cells and B cells increased slightly. However, these differences were not significant statistically. In 1 patient with a diminished percentage of T cells and an increased percentage of B cells, levamisole induced normalization. Antibodies to DNA decreased in 6 patients, while titres of ANA decreased only in one patient. Serum levels of C1q and C3 increased in 7 and 3 patients, respectively. Four patients were treated with levamisole for 12 months, during which time there was neither clinical exacerbation nor deterioration of renal function and the concomitant corticosteroid therapy could be reduced.

Antibodies, Antinuclear↗

Suppressor cell activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Twenty-one patients with definite or classical rheumatoid arthritis (RA) were investigated for their suppressor cell activity by a Concanavalin A suppressor cell assay. Two patients had active disease, 9 moderately active disease, and 10 inactive disease according to clinical and laboratory parameters. A mean of 41 +/- 7% suppression was observed in RA patients as compared to 63 +/- 7% suppression observed in 10 healthy age and sex matched controls. No significant difference was observed between patients with moderately active or active disease (39 +/- 9%) and patients with inactive RA (43 +/- 10%). However, a borderline statistical significance (p = 0.05) was seen between controls and patients with moderately active or active RA. Use of autologous serum instead of AB serum for suppressor cell induction had no significant effect, although an increase of the mean suppression was noted (58 +/- 6%) in patient's group. No correlations existed between suppressor cell activity and presence of circulating Clq-binding immune complexes (solid-phase Clq assay), rheumatoid factor (Waaler-Rose test) or antinuclear antibodies (indirect immunofluorescence). This study indicates that lymphocytes of patients with inactive RA exert normal suppressor cell activity. It may well be that patients with active rheumatoid arthritis have decreased suppressor cell function. This will be assessed in a larger group of patients with active disease.

Adult↗

Autoantibodies to collagen in patients with chronic liver diseases.

Sera of patients with various liver diseases were investigated for the presence of autoantibodies to type I collagen with a sensitive radioimmunoassay employing 3H-labelled collagen type I. A high percentage (69%) of patients with chronic liver diseases, equally distributed between chronic active hepatitis and alcoholic liver disease, was found to possess antibodies to denatured type I collagen, while no antibodies against native collagen were found. These antibodies belonged predominantly to the IgA immunoglobulin class. None of the patients with acute hepatitis or cholestatic liver disease, nor the healthy individual investigated had IgA-anticollagen antibodies. These findings may be useful as a parameter for the detection of chronic liver disease.

Acute Disease↗

Collagen types and anticollagen-antibodies in Dupuytren's disease.

The relative proportion of collagen type I and type III in the aponeurosis of twenty-four patients with Dupuytren's disease was determined and compared with the aponeurosis of normal persons. The presence of considerable amounts of type III collagen was found in the Dupuytren's disease patients. The sera of the patients were screened for circulating anti-collagen antibodies using a sensitive radioimmunoassay. In seven out of the twenty-four patients low concentrations of these antibodies were found.

Adult↗

[Clinical relevance of circulating immune complexes in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and chronic polyarthritis].

Using a solid phase C1q assay, circulating immune complexes (IC) were detected in 15 of 55 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and 6 of 14 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). In contrast to RA, presence of IC correlated to clinical disease activity in SLE patients. Preliminary short term follow up studies revealed additional differences between RA and SLE: whereas persistence of IC was noted in the patients with SLE, rapid changes of IC levels were observed in RA.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗

[Essential cryoglobulinemia with accompanying angioneurotic edema].

A case report of a patient with essential cryoglobulinemia and episodes of angioedema caused by an acquired C1 inhibitor deficiency is presented. The patient had high levels of circulating immune complexes. In the course of complement activation C1 inhibitor may be consumed and the resulting C1 inhibitor deficiency led to the occurrence of angioedema.

Adult↗

[Circulating immune complexes in patients with malignant diseases].

Circulating immune complexes were determined by a solid phase C1q assay in patients with divers malignancies. In Hodgkin's disease (n = 20), immune complexes were detected only in two patients during chemotherapy. Both patients succumbed shortly thereafter. In patients with testicular malignancies (n = 18), immune complexes were detected especially in patients without evidence of metastatic disease. Sequential investigations did not reveal prognostic insights. Summing up these data and the data obtained in additional patients with malignancies, it is interesting to note, that patients with carcinomas have a significant higher incidence of circulating immune complexes with malignancies of the lymphatic system. Our data, however, do not exclude presence of other than C1q binding immune complexes.

Hodgkin Disease↗

[A new insulin radioimmunotest and its use in the determination of anti-insulin antibodies].

Acetylation of insulin with 3H-acetic anhydride resulted in the predominant 3H-labeling at the aminoterminal position of the B-chain (B1). The labeled insulin was unchanged in its immunologic reactivity as compared to native insulin. It was used in a second antibody radioimmunoassay for the detection of antiinsulin-antibodies in insulin-dependent patients with Diabetes mellitus.

Diabetes Mellitus↗

[Detection of collagenase in passive haemagglutination using collagen-coated erythrocytes (author's transl)].

Human rheumatoid arthritis (RA) collagenase and bacterial collagenase were shown to agglutinate collagen-coated erythrocytes. Native collagens of type I and type II reacted equally well, while denatured collagens showed less distinct agglutination activity. The sensitivity of the method for the detection of purified bacterial collagenase from Clostridium histolyticum is very high (100 pg). It is, however, low for human RA collagenase. The agglutination reaction is not inhibited by concentrations of native collagen causing distinct inhibition of anticollagen sera (2mg%). EDTA inhibits the agglutination completely.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗

[Lymphocyte response to mitogens in serum-free and serum-containing medium in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (author's transl)].

Mitogenic transformation of lymphocytes from patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has revealed divergent results in different laboratories. Since the sera used for medium supplementation in these previous studies might have influenced the results, we investigated lymphocyte transformation in serum-free medium in 28 RA-patients and 25 controls. It was shown that a majority of patients with RA responded weakly to PHA. Comparing some of these serum-free cultures with cultures that were set in parallel in 10% ABserum, no difference between patients and controls was observed after transformation in supplemented medium. It is concluded that lymphocyte reactivity to PHA (however not to ConA and PWM) is diminished in patients with RA and that this defect--at least partially--is reversible by addition of serum. The use of parallel cultures in serum-free and serum-containing medium is recommended for evaluation of the lymphocyte mitogenic response.

Adult↗