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Biomedical subjects

J M Baló-Banga

Publications and source records attributed to J M Baló-Banga.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

[Incidence of SLE in a patient thymectomized for myasthenia gravis].

The appearance of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) as well as thymopoietin (TP3) treatment in a patient who has undergone thymectomy because of myasthenia gravis (MG) is described. To the authors' knowledge this is the first case of this treatment upon the diagnoses above. The therapy was performed for 12 weeks by the Hungarian Thymotrinan (TP3) preparate according to a previous protocol worked out for Hodgkin's disease. At the beginning and during therapy, cellular and humoral immune parameters were monitored. Twenty months after the therapy the patient has remained in clinical remission for both diseases, MG and SLE, respectively. There is a brief survey of the biochemistry of thymic hormones as well as their clinical use, especially in the treatment of autoimmune disorders. The relative rarity of SLE after operative treatment of MG is under discussion together with the effectiveness of substitutional thymic hormone therapy.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

[Syncumar induced toxic liver damage].

The authors present a case of chronic hepatitis presumably due to Syncumar treatment. The patient should be maintained on anticoagulant therapy due to combined prosthetic valve insertion. Chromatin activation of blood lymphocytes was investigated to justify the drug induced liver injury. In this test system Syncumar and other anticoagulant derivates gave a positive reaction to a different extent. The increased serum bilirubin and transaminase levels, which indicated liver injury showed regression in the course of the treatment and after changing Syncumar to Marcoumar (Phenprocoumon).

4-Hydroxycoumarins↗

Environmental influences on the sensitization by drugs measured in peripheral blood lymphocyte chromatin.

An "allergo-kinetic" method was introduced, which measures early changes of nuclear chromatin structure of lymphocyte subpopulations. The method is used as an in vitro test for drug allergy. The comparison of data from two sampling places (Budapest-Esztergom) shows the following results: The drug allergy scores (obtained from T-cells) may reflect environmental influences on the population under study. During the 13 months period after Atomic Reactor accident in Chernobyl, both the frequency of severe skin manifestations and that of organ manifestations (without skin lesions) increased. The ratio of negative test results decreased in both of drug allergic patient groups (small town = Esztergom, large city = Budapest)--tendency to polysensibilization. The scores obtained in drug related groups of generalized urticaria and Quincke's oedema increased significantly within 13 months after accident followed by a normalization in the subsequent year.

Accidents↗

[The effect of urea on epidermal cell renewal measured with a noninvasive method].

On five subjects (2 women and 3 men) the penetration-promoting and cell division-blocking effect of 10% urea was measured and compared to that of the ointment base and a commercially available preparation (containing 10% urea, 5% lactic acid, and 4.3% betaine = ULB cream). The dansylchloride fluorescence detection technique coupled with quantitative evaluation on the lower arm was applied. Only ULB cream promoted penetration as early as day 3 and significantly increased fluorescence by day 6 as compared with controls.

Adult↗

Chromatin activation of blood lymphocytes detected by polarization microscopy and cytophotometry.

Blood lymphocytes exhibit chromatin activation upon incubation with substances to which a person is allergic. Chromatin activation can be detected by polarization microscopy. In this work, different methods of evaluating lymphocyte chromatin activation were compared in nine drug-allergic and in eight control subjects. All drug allergics had skin or mucosal involvement, ranging from localized minor herpetic lesions and purpurae through wheal and circumscribed bullous lesions to serum sickness as the most severe form. The mean path difference as the measure of nuclear birefringence was obtained by a polarization microscope using both white light and 551 +/- 7 nm monochromatic light. The equation of Brace-Köhler for converting compensation into path difference for each single cell was used in calculator programs. The values were compared with readings of a cytophotometer operated in transmission mode. Allergy "scores", deriving from the analysis of chromatin activation kinetics due to serial drug dilutions, were also compared using both methods. The results indicate a linear relationship between monochromatic and white light compensation readings and an exponential relationship between mean path difference and mean transmission values at different background amplifications. Operation of the photometer at 25.8% background amplification gave the best correlating results. The two methods gave identical results for the presence (ten tests) or absence (eight tests) of allergy.

Adolescent↗

Increased 5-phospho-alpha-D-ribose-1-diphosphate synthetase (ribosephosphate pyrophosphokinase, EC 2.7.6.1) activity in rat hepatomas.

The behavior of the activity of 5-phosphoribosyl 1-pyrophosphate (PRPP) synthetase (ribosephosphate pyrophosphokinase, EC 2.7.6.1) was elucidated in normal rat liver, in 11 hepatomas of different growth rates, and in rapidly growing differentiating and regenerating liver. Tissue extracts were prepared by centrifugation of 10% homogenates at 100,000 X g for 30 min, and enzyme activity was measured in the protein fractions obtained by 40 and 47% ammonium sulfate saturation of the supernatant fluids from livers and hepatomas, respectively. In the tissue extracts, there was no interfering enzyme activity that utilized PRPP under the standard assay conditions. The affinity of PRPP synthetase for its substrates, ribose 5-phosphate and adenosine triphosphate (ATP), and to Mg2+ was similar in liver and hepatoma extracts. The Km for ribose 5-phosphate was 0.3 mM; for ATP, it was 0.1 mM in the presence of excess Mg2+. The Km for Mg2+ ATP was 1.2 mM in the presence of excess ATP. There was no difference in the affinity of the enzyme for its activators, Mg2+ and inorganic phosphate, in liver and hepatoma preparations; the Km for Mg2+ was 0.6 mM in the presence of excess ATP; the Km for inorganic phosphate was 14.0 mM. The requirement of hepatoma extracts for full phosphate saturation was higher than that of liver extracts (85 versus 65 mM). A standard assay was worked out for the liver and hepatoma systems; in liver, the enzyme activity was linear for 30 min incubation, and in hepatoma it was linear for 15 min incubation. PRPP synthetase activity was proportionate with amounts of protein added over a range of 0.4 to 3.0 mg in both liver and hepatoma extracts. In the liver of normal adult Wistar rats, PRPP synthetase activity was 108 +/- 10 nmol/hr/mg protein. In rat tissues of high cell renewal activity, thymus, testis, spleen, and small intestine, synthetase specific activity was 3.7-, 3.6-, 1.2-, and 1.3-fold higher than that of normal liver. The synthetase specific activity in hepatomas of slow growth rate increased 1.2- to 1.5-fold, and in intermediate and rapidly growing hepatomas it was elevated 1.9- to 4.1-fold higher than that of normal liver.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

Decreased trace element contents in chromatin of patients with pemphigus.

Three trace elements, manganese, copper and zinc, selected as normal constituents were measured in the chromatin fraction of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from four pemphigous patients and compared with values form 4 matching control cases treated with corticosteroid. Manganese and copper were decreased in pemphigous patients significantly against controls whereas zinc was decreased slightly without statistical significance. Decreased trace element levels in chromatin revealed an unique pattern characteristic only for pemphigus as compared with earlier data of this group and of others in different pathological states. Decrease in chromatin zinc content might reflect the fact of corticosteroid treatment rather than a pathognomic feature which has to be taken into consideration while working with samples from patients on long-term steroid therapy. The theory of trace element depletion in pemphigus is confronted with known reports of penicillamine--a chelating agent--induced cases of the disease.

Adrenal Cortex Hormones↗

A rapid centrifugation method for the isolation of polymorphonuclear leucocytes from human blood.

A rapid one-step gradient centrifugation method to prepare PMN leucocytes has been worked out by which a 98--99% pure, washed granulocyte suspension of 98% viability can be obtained in 30--40 minutes. The cells prepared by this method displayed higher NBT reduction upon ingesting the same soluble DNA-anti DNA complexes than those prepared by the dextran sedimentation method.

Cell Separation↗

Measurement of lymphocyte activation by a chromatin topo-optical reaction. Mechanism and specificity of the test.

A rapid inexpensive method is presented for detecting peripheral blood lymphocyte chromatin activation by the neutral red "topo-optical" reaction, which causes strong and easily measurable birefringence in the lymphocyte nuclei. This reaction can be enhanced by fixing the cells with 150 mM/l NaCl in 70% ethanol and/or by treating the unfixed cellular suspensions with 0.2 M/l HCl to remove histones. In histone-removed preparations, 30 min DNase I treatment almost completely abolished the birefringent reaction, whereas RNase treatment resulted in only 18% loss. Chromatin activation induced by enzyme inhibition increased chromatin birefringence significantly. The same phenomenon could be induced in sensitive subjects' lymphocytes by specific antigens or haptens much more rapidly. The monocytes were not activated to a significant extent. In non-sensitive subjects different kinetics of antigen or hapten-dependent activation and no cytotoxic effects have been observed. Depletion of T-lymphocytes in vivo in SLE patients or by in vitro treatment with 0.5 mM/l KCN as well as with 0.02% trypsin has caused a significant drop in the mean chromatin birefringence. The effect of trypsin was reversible.

Birefringence↗

Measurement of lymphocyte activation by a chromatin topooptical reaction. II. Application for detecting drug allergy. A clinical and experimental study.

Lymphocyte chromatin activation was measured in 18 clinical cases of suspected or proven drug allergy as well as in 4 other persons with neither history nor signs of hypersensitivity. The different drugs were tested in the reaction in such dilution that the final concentrations ranged between 50 and 10.000 nanomoles. Within this range between 100 and 1250 nanomoles a bellshaped dose response curve was found in all drug-allergic subjects, measuring the neutral-red chromatin topooptical reaction. At the peak of this curve signs of cytotoxicity could be demonstrated with appreciable chromatin "desactivation", an increase of protein-like substance in the cells' supernatant and a morphological cellular damage. The exact drug concentration at which the lymphocyte autocytotoxicity occurred was inversely proportional with the extent of drug allergy in a given patient. The average lymphocyte chromatin birefringence measured at different non-cytotoxic drug concentrations was directly proportional with the extent of drug allergy. The ratio of the above characteristics gave a score (with the dimension of cm2/microM) which corresponded to the clinical picture. The score was low (55,7 +/- 5,8 cm2/microM) in the control subjects as well as in the drug allergic ones tested with other, i.e. nonsensitizing drugs. The score was high, (309,8 +/- 54,4 cm2/microM) however, when drug allergic patients' lymphocytes were challenged by the proper drug(s). There was neither false negativity in the positive group nor false positivity in the negative group of patients. Scores above 75 cm2/microM are considered as positive, those above 80 cm2/microM are undoubtedly positive. The relation of this rapid test to the lymphocyte transformation test as well as its advantages over the latter are discussed.

Adult↗

A new method for obtaining viable cells from dermal infiltrates. A study on 2,4 dinitrochlorobenzene induced contact dermatitis.

Experimental contact dermatitis has been induced in 2,4 dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB) sensitized guinea pigs. The developing dermal infiltrate was excised and the infiltrating cells were obtained by mechanical extraction alone as well as by the combination with collagenase and elastase treatment. The most viable cells appeared in the elastase and mechanically extracted samples and the least in those subjected to mechanical treatment alone. The most cells in the enzyme-treated samples were present 24 h after re-exposure of the sensitized animals to DNCB consisting mainly of lymphocytes and of polymorphonuclear granulocytes. The optimum conditions for the action of enzymes including optimum duration of the treatment, buffer milieu, aspecific proteolytic effect on foreign substrate and action on T and B cell receptors have been elaborated. It was concluded that 80 min of collagenase treatment with gentle mechanical extraction under specified conditions does not affect any measurable immunologic properties of the liberated cells resulting in the second best yield. A comparison of these data with earlier reports and their significance is being discussed.

Animals↗

Immune-complex phagocytosis by human polymorphonuclear granulocytes.

A new two-step centrifugation technique is described for the rapid preparation of viable pure polymorphonuclear granulocytes from 9.5 ml of venous blood. The phagocytosis of these cells was stimulated by soluble DNA-anti-DNA complexes, produced in vitro by incubating high mol. wt. DNA with sera obtained from patients with severe SLE. The measure of phagocytosis was the amount of nitroblue-tetrazolium (NBT), reduced by the active microphages. The reduced NBT was estimated by counting the formazane positive cells or by extracting and measuring it spectrophotometrically. The immune-complex phagocytosis of control human granulocytes showed a linear relationship with the cell count per reaction mixture and displayed a bell-shaped dose-response curve as function of the immune-complex. The immune-complex phagocytosis by SLE granulocytes was decreased by about 40 per cent as compared to normal granulocytes.

Antigen-Antibody Complex↗