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Biomedical subjects

J L Kuntz

Publications and source records attributed to J L Kuntz.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

[Sciatic radiculalgia with muscular hypertrophy].

A 52-year-old male developed hypertrophy of the right calf after several bouts of right lumbar pain with sciatica. Electromyography disclosed evidence of demyelination in the territories of the right S1 and S2 roots. Microscopic studies showed both atrophic muscle fibers scattered among fibers of normal caliber and a large number of hypertrophic fibers. Post-sciatica hypertrophy of the calf is a true muscle hypertrophy with muscle weakness. Electromyography may show unusual tracings with repeated complex bursts or continuous activity of motor units. Muscle enzyme levels may be elevated. The size of hypertrophied fibers varies across cases. The cause of the muscle fiber hypertrophy may be either stretching due to the action of antagonists or unusual electrical activity.

Electromyography↗
PubMed1991

The majority of peripheral blood monoclonal IgM secreting cells are CD5 negative in three patients with mixed cryoglobulinemia.

The mixed cryoglobulinemia is considered to be a nonmalignant human B-cell proliferation that frequently produces a monoclonal IgM with anti-IgG activity (rheumatoid factor). Using murine monoclonal anti-idiotypic antibodies specific for private or minor idiotopes on monoclonal IgM from three patients suffering from nonmalignant mixed cryoglobulinemia, we investigated the presence of the CD5 antigen on the monoclonal IgM producing cells in these patients. It is shown by two-color cytofluorometric analysis that the majority of the peripheral blood monoclonal IgM rheumatoid factor secreting cells is CD5 negative in these three patients. One of the monoclonal rheumatoid factor K variable regions was sequenced at the protein level and belongs to the human VK III group, as a high proportion of monoclonal rheumatoid factors and some B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) membrane bound Igs. Thus, despite the preferential use of similar VK genes and the absence of somatic mutation affecting these variable regions in both malignant B-cell CLL and nonmalignant mixed cryoglobulinemia, these proliferating B cells differ in the CD5 membrane expression.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1991

Molecular analysis of V kappa III variable regions of polyclonal rheumatoid factors during rheumatoid arthritis.

We report the first molecular characterization of V kappa regions of the main human autoantibodies occurring during rheumatoid arthritis, the polyclonal rheumatoid factors. Using two sets of polymerase chain reactions in order to amplify the cDNA derived from both peripheral blood and synovial fluid rheumatoid factor-secreting cells, nucleotide analysis of the V kappa III family usage shows the following: (a) at least three different V kappa III genes are used to encode polyclonal rheumatoid factors in a single patient, (b) each one of these genes seems more or less somatically mutated (from 1 to 14 mutations), (c) the mutation process preferentially affects the complementarity determining regions suggesting a selective pressure of antigen and (d) there is no clear difference between the mutation rates affecting the synovial fluid and peripheral blood rheumatoid factor-secreting cells. These results are able to explain some of the known idiotypic differences between monoclonal and polyclonal rheumatoid factors in humans. They also provide evidence that polyclonal autoantibodies arising during an autoimmune disease can be the products of multiple somatically mutated genes and suggest that this process is antigen driven, whether this antigen is the Fc piece of IgG or another unknown antigen.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1987

[Post-traumatic and symptomatic lumbar intertransverse process bone bridge. Apropos of a case: review of the literature].

Osseous bridging of lumbar transverse processes is very seldom seen. A review of the literature has revealed only thirty-six reports. The first cases were thought to be of congenital origin. Subsequently however, the post-traumatic nature of osseous bridging was proved in ten cases. It is obviously a peculiar localization of myositis ossificans. We report a new case, with proof of the post-traumatic nature, associated with symptoms of sciatica.

Adult↗