Blood from patients diagnosed as having Alzheimer disease and from subjects without memory impairment or dementia was collected in citrate. The erythrocytes were washed and electrophoresed in phosphate-buffered saline as well as in a number of polymer solutions in phosphate-buffered saline. The electrophoretic mobilities of red cells from Alzheimer patients and from normals were indistinguishable when measured in phosphate-buffered saline. In the dextran-rich bottom phase obtained from a dextran-poly(ethylene glycol) aqueous phase system, but not in a dextran solution alone, the electrophoretic mobilities differ (P < 0.001). In a poly(ethylene glycol) solution the mobilities also differ although, on a percentage basis, less so than in the bottom phase. It would appear that a differential adsorption of appropriately selected polymer(s) on the Alzheimer and normal red blood cells renders surface differences electrophoretically detectable.

Adult↗

PubMed1993

Ligation of B7 with CD28/CTLA-4 on T cells results in CD40 ligand expression, interleukin-4 secretion and efficient help for antibody production by B cells.

It has been extensively shown that when T cells are co-stimulated with B7-CD28 interaction, a strong proliferative as well as cytolytic T cell response can be induced. In contrast, there exists only indirect evidence that the B7-CD28 interaction is of importance for the induction of T cell helper functions in B cell responses. Here we have used mouse fibroblasts transfected with the human Fc gamma receptor type II and human B7 to address this issue. We found that T cells, when activated through the T cell receptor (TcR)/CD3 complex with monoclonal antibodies and co-stimulated by B7-CD28 interaction, can provide efficient help for the induction of both IgM and IgG production by resting B cells. This helper activity is, at least in part, mediated by the interaction between the CD40 ligand on the T cells and CD40 on the B cells. We also demonstrate that more than one signal to the T cell is required for the induction of the CD40 ligand, one being delivered through the TcR/CD3 complex and the second by ligation of CD28 with the B7 molecule. In addition to the induction of cognate T helper function, we provide evidence that co-stimulation of T cells with B7-CD28 interaction can result in the secretion of both Th1- and Th2-type lymphokines.

Adult↗

PubMed1993

[Studies of lipid and lipoprotein metabolism in man after surgical interventions].

The pattern of serum lipids and lipoproteins was investigated before and after surgery in 77 patients with respect to the "acute-phase reaction". Special attention was paid to the severity of the surgical trauma and the time course of postoperative alterations. Therefore, 12 different serum parameters were measured in 18 patients just before surgery and on days 1, 3, 5 and 10. From the results of this sample, patients in the main trial were divided into three groups with different degrees of trauma: group 1 (n = 22) with low surgical trauma; group 2 (n = 20) with extensive abdominal operations; group 3 (n = 17) with total endoprosthesis of the hip. A 25-40% perioperative decrease in cholesterol, triglycerides, lipoprotein classes (alpha-, beta- and pre-beta-lipoproteins) and apolipoprotein A1 and B was found during the first 24 h after surgical trauma. Thereafter, the above parameters showed a tendency toward more or less complete normalization by day 10. In contrast, C-reactive protein (CRP), initially increased by a factor of 8-10, returned to the normal concentration range by postoperative day 10. The amount of cholesterol loss was low in group 1 (-16%), but considerable in group 2 (-38%) and group 3 (-35%) when compared with preoperative levels. This cholesterol loss was mainly due to a decrease in beta-lipoproteins (LDL), but also in alpha-lipoproteins (HDL). It can be concluded from these results that a sudden decrease in cholesterol containing serum lipoproteins occurs in relation to the size of a surgical trauma.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Abdomen↗

PubMed1993

Study of enzyme polymorphism and haemoglobin patterns amongst sixteen tribal populations of central India (Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra).

A survey was conducted to study the genetic differentiation among 16 tribal groups of Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra belonging to different ethnic and linguistic affiliations. Sixteen hundred and fifteen blood samples from both sexes were tested for 5 red cell enzyme systems: ACP, ESD, PGD, GLO, LDH, and Hb pattern. Three hundred and nineteen male individuals were tested for G-6-PD enzyme deficiency. The distribution of the enzyme markers and Hb show a range of variation which are more or less within the Indian range. Cases of homozygous HbSS were detected in all the tribes except 3 tribes in Orissa. Two cases of LDH Cal-1 homozygote were found in two Dravidian language speaking Orissa tribes. The chi 2-values for testing the homogeneity of gene frequencies indicate a non-significant heterogeneity for all alleles in the individual system. Within population diversity seems to be larger than between population diversity. The degree of over all genetic differentiation as measured by GST value is 0.0154 +/- 0.0071.

Alleles↗

PubMed1993

HP, GC and PI polymorphisms in sixteen central Indian tribal populations.

HP, GC and PI polymorphisms have been typed on 16 Central Indian tribal populations with a total of 1658 individuals. The distribution of allele frequencies shows a statistically highly significant heterogeneity, which may be caused by several microevolutionary factors, such as genetic drift, social and geographic isolation. Some new variants were observed in both the GC system (GC 2Cmah) and in the PI system (PI Yori). The PI variants are more frequent and are found in most of the 16 populations under study whereas the GC variants are rather infrequent and restricted to only three populations.

Alleles↗

PubMed1993

A new CD43 monoclonal antibody induces homotypic aggregation of human leucocytes through a CD11a/CD18-dependent and -independent mechanism.

We describe a monoclonal antibody (mAb), designated 1.C1, that causes rapid and vigorous aggregation among normal leucocytes and among T and myeloid/monocytic cell lines. As shown by competitive binding and sequential immunoprecipitation experiments, the antigen recognized by mAb 1.C1 is a 115,000 MW sialoglycoprotein, that corresponds to the human CD43 antigen, also known as leukosialin or sialophorin. The aggregation process starts within minutes and reaches maximum level 6-18 hr after addition of the antibody. It is dependent on active cell metabolism (inhibited at low temperatures and by a mixture of the metabolic poisons azide and 2-deoxy-D-glucose), a fluid plasma membrane (inhibited by pretreatment of the cells with paraformaldehyde) and an intact cytoskeleton (inhibited by cytochalasin B). Two reference CD43 antibodies (MEM-59 and DF-T1), both binding the same or closely related sialic acid-dependent epitope as mAb 1.C1, are also capable of inducing cell clump formation. CD11a/CD18 mAb block the 1.C1-induced adhesion of resting peripheral blood leucocytes, but not of haematopoietic cell line cells. In addition, mAb 1.C1 induces homotypic aggregation of K-562 cells, which do not express members of the beta 2 integrin subfamily on their surface. These data suggest that triggering of the CD43 antigen promotes homotypic cell adhesion that is mediated by both CD11a/CD18-dependent and -independent pathways.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗

PubMed1993

Genetic serum protein markers in eight south Indian caste and tribal populations.

A total of n = 769 unrelated male and female individuals from eight endogamous caste (Brahmin, Kapu, Yadava, Relli) and tribal (Bagatha, Kotia, Manne Dora, Konda Dora) populations living in various districts of Andhra Pradesh (India) have been typed for haptoglobin (HP) types and transferrin (TF), group specific component (GC) and alpha 1-antitrypsin (PI) subtypes. The genetic heterogeneity among these population groups is considerable. This can be explained by lacking or at least only minimal gene flow among these caste and tribal groups, by which differences in their genetic profiles caused by locally acting genetic differentiation factors such as drift could be preserved.

Alleles↗

PubMed1993

[Reliable and new aspects of insulin therapy].

New findings concerning the dynamic of insulin secretion, insulin action and pharmacokinetics of insulin preparations have caused a complete change of insulin therapy in diabetes mellitus (basis-bolus-concept). At the same time, the discrepancy between insulin substitution and physiologic conditions becomes evident. Even the use of human insulin or the development of insulin-pens and -pumps does not influence that fact. From the beginning of insulin therapy till now the subcutaneous injection of insulin is the safest and easiest way of application. By means of modified insulins (bioengineering) the physico-chemical process of insulin resorption could be elucidated in the last 4 years. In clinical experiments the intraperitoneal and nasal insulin administration is tested extensively. In the field of the intensified insulin therapy including near normoglycemic therapeutic goals the awareness of hypoglycemia is of particular importance.

Blood Glucose↗

PubMed1992

Erythrocyte partitioning in dextran-poly(ethylene glycol) aqueous phase systems. Events in phase and cell separation.

Early events in the partitioning process which involve characteristic kinetics of cell- and phase-specific interactions and phase separation have been described previously. This paper reports on red cell-phase droplet interactions pertaining at the time of usual phase sampling (i.e., the time at which a clear bulk interface is first apparent) and beyond in cell partitioning and countercurrent distribution experiments. In non-charge-sensitive phase systems close to the critical point, cells can be free or attached to phase droplets. Cells that are free are virtually completely in the top phase, whereas different cell populations that show essentially complete binding to droplets can nevertheless have different partition ratios and be separated, thus reflecting the effects of the difference in the cells' avidity for the phase droplets during the early, elapsed events in partitioning. At higher polymer concentrations (i.e., higher interfacial tensions), the cell populations, completely bound to phase droplets, partition completely to the interface, and consequently cannot be separated. When such systems are made charge-sensitive by the generation of a Donnan potential between the phases or made into affinity systems by the incorporation of PEG ligands (e.g., PEG-palmitate), there is a decrease in the avidity of the cells for phase droplets. The resulting increase in the ratio of free to droplet-bound red cells in the top phase at the time of sampling correlates with an increase in the partition ratio, P, observed.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗

PubMed1992

Effect of cell exposure to top or bottom phase prior to cell partitioning in dextran-poly(ethylene glycol) aqueous phase systems: erythrocytes as a model.

Cells exposed to dextran (Dx)-rich bottom phase prior to cell partitioning in Dx-poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) aqueous two-phase systems have lower partition ratios than cells exposed to PEG-rich top phase. Aspects of this previously observed phenomenon were explored. In the present work charge-sensitive phases made with Dx T500 and PEG 8000 were used exclusively. It was found that: (1) even on countercurrent distribution (CCD) red cells (RBC) loaded in bottom phase have a lower apparent partition ratio, G, than the same cells loaded in top phase; (2) when part of the same cell population is loaded into top phase and part into bottom phase of the same load cavities for CCD, with the cells loaded into top or bottom bearing an isotopic tracer (51Cr), the cells loaded into top phase have a higher G value than the cells loaded into bottom phase; (3) the shift in the CCD curves of human or of rat RBC between cells loaded in top or bottom phase using systems having the same polymer concentration (though different salt compositions) shows no striking difference and is, for the number of experiments run, not statistically significant; (4) when the quantity of cells loaded for CCD is reduced from 10(9) to 10(8), the G value of cells loaded in top phase is reduced slightly while that of cells loaded in bottom phase is diminished more appreciably; (5) increasing polymer concentrations yield larger differences in G values between (rat) RBC loaded in top or bottom phase; (6) when cells exposed to top or bottom phase, respectively, are centrifuged and suspended in bottom or top phase, respectively, their CCD patterns are qualitatively similar to cells exposed to these latter respective phases initially; (7) rat RBC populations containing 59Fe-labeled cells of different but distinct age are fractionated on CCD irrespective of whether loaded in top or bottom phase. An exception are populations containing very young mature labeled cells (e.g., 4-d old) which are resolved when loaded in top phase but not in bottom phase. Thus cell populations exist which can be resolved by CCD when loaded in one of the phases but not when loaded in the other. Glutaraldehyde-fixed rat RBC containing 4-d old labeled cells are fractionated by CCD irrespective of whether loaded in top or bottom phase.

Animals↗

PubMed1992

Genetic structure of the population of Sicily.

Genetic heterogeneity within Sicily was investigated on the basis of ACP1, ADA, ESD, GLO1, PGD, PGM1, PGM2, SODA, ABO, and MN gene frequencies, and compared to those of other regions of Italy for which these same loci have been examined. Correspondence analysis revealed no differences within the island, at least at the provincial level, but showed genetic differentiation among Italian regions, distinctly clustering northern, central, and southern populations, respectively. These data indicate a close relationship between Sicily and southern Italy. In addition, the contribution of Middle Eastern populations to the gene pool of Sicily was evident.

ABO Blood-Group System↗

PubMed1992

Individual somatotopy of primary sensorimotor cortex revealed by intermodal matching of MEG, PET, and MRI.

A method for comparing estimated magnetoencephalographic (MEG) dipole localizations with regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) activation areas is presented. This approach utilizes individual intermodal matching of MEG data, of rCBF measurements with [15O]-butanol and positron emission tomography (PET), and of anatomical information obtained from magnetic resonance (MR) images. The MEG data and the rCBF measurements were recorded in a healthy subject during right-sided simple voluntary movements of the foot, thumb, index finger, and mouth. High resolution 3D-FLASH MR images of the brain consisting of 128 contiguous sagittal slices of 1.17-mm thickness were used. MEG/MR integration was performed by superimposing the 3D head coordinate system constructed during the MEG measurement onto the MR image data using identical anatomical landmarks as references. PET/MR integration was achieved by a phantom-validated iterative front-to-back-projection algorithm resulting in one integrated MEG/PET/MR image. The estimated dipole locations followed the somatotopic organisation of the task-specific rCBF increases as evident from PET, although they did not match point-to-point. Our results demonstrate that intermodal matching of MEG, PET and MR data provides a tool for relating estimated neuromagnetic field locations to task-specific rCBF changes in individual subjects. Our method offers the perspective of refined dipole modelling.

Adult↗