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Biomedical subjects

K Saha

Publications and source records attributed to K Saha.

At least 199 records · Page 11Linked to original sources
PubMed1975

A study of serum immunoglobulins including IgE and reaginic antibodies in patients with bronchial asthma in relation to the spectrum of the disease.

Immunoglobulins G, A, M, D, and E were studied in the sera obtained from sxity-nine bronchial asthma patients, who were graded objectively according to atopic score. Among other associated atopic diseases, they often had allergic rhinitis. Ninety-one per cent of these patients had elevated serum IgE levels and the mean level of serum IgE was more than 3-5 times higher than that observed in the normal subjects. Moreover, as their atopic score increased, the serum IgE levels were also elevated, and every patient with high atopic score, had elevated serum IgE levels. This indicates the association of atopic state with serum IgE level. Furthermore, reaginic antibodies were studied in some of these patients by intradermal tests, Prausnitz-Küstner (PK) reaction, conjunctival and bronchial provocation tests. Intradermal and PK tests were comparable and proved to be the most sensitive method of detecting reagins. The intensity of these reactions correlated significantly with serum IgE LEvel, although this relationship is not invariably present. The reaginic activities in the sera of the patients with atopic bronchial asthma also compared well with the positive bronchial test (induced asthma) by inhalation of specific aerosol although this association is also not always present. Eleven patients with high atopic score had isolated serum IgA deficiency. There was a significant rise of mean serum IgM in comparison to the controls.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1975

Passive transfer of immunity into leprosy patients by transfusion of lymphocytes and by transfusion of Lawrence's transfer factor.

About 1,200 million viable lymphocytes from normal but lepromin- and tuberculin-positive human beings were transfused in four patients of lepromatous and one of tuberculoid leprosy three times at monthly intervals. Three patients of lepromatous leprosy suffered from erythema modosum, whereas the other two developed severe reaction whenever put on the smallest dose of dapsone. In one patient of lepromatous leprosy, minimal improvement or none was observed, whereas in the remaining three cases of lepromatous and one of tuberculoid leprosy, clinical, bacteriological, as well as histological improvement occurred. Two of the five patients started to tolerate the dapsone during the period of study. The present study indicates that immunotherapy might have a definite role in the management of the disease especially in cases with erythema nodosum. Lawrence factor, prepared from leucocytes of normal donors, was transfused three times into four lepromatous leprosy patients who were intolerant to anti-leprosy drugs. The donors were healthy but were tuberculin and lepromin (Mitsuda) positive. The clinical, histological, bacteriological (morphological index), and immunological assessments of the patients were performed before and 5 months after starting the immunotherapy. In two patients conversion of Mitsuda reaction occurred, but there was no appreciable improvement in the clinical, histologic, and bacteriologic status of these patients.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1975

Low fertility rate in vasovasostomized males and its possible immunologic mechanism.

Contradictory views have been expressed about the role of the various antisperm antibodies which develop after vasoligation. The present study was conducted in 50 normal fertile males, 50 vasectomized subjects and 25 subjects after recanalization of their vas deferens in order to investigate the development of various anti-sperm antibodies after vasectomy, along with their incidence, their persistence after successful relief of vaso-obstruction by vasovasostomy and their role in the causation of infertility in vasoanatomized normospermia males. Sperm agglutinating, immobilizing and haemagglutinating antibodies showed rises in titres with increase during the post-vasectomy period, indicating continuous antigenic stimulus. Age, post-operative complications and blood group did not seem to alter the results. 86% of subjects developed antisperm agglutinins, mostly tail-to-tail type (54.5%), 1-12 years after vasoligation, while only 2% of fertile men had circulating spermagglutinins. A lower incidence of positive sperm in the immobilization test than in the agglutination test suggests either that different antibodies are detected by these two tests or these tests have differing sensitivities. Of the 25 vasovasostomized subject, 13 (52%) cases became normospermic and 4 (16%) oligospermic while 8 (32%) remained azoospermics. Except for 3 oligospermic subjects, all had circulating spermagglutinins. Among the 13 normospermic vasovasostomized persons, a significant correlation was found between the titres of circulating antisperm agglutinins and autoagglutination of spermatozoa in their ejaculates; and also between the sperm immobilization values of their sera and the degree of their sperm motility. Three normospermic recanalized men, having low levels of sperm agglutinins and haemagglutinins with normal seminogram and no sperm immobilizing antibody, successfully impregnated their wives. Another 10 vasovasotomized infertile subjects had sperm agglutinins in significant titre; 5 showed positive sperm immobilization values, a similar number showed autoagglutination of sperm, while a decreased degree of motility of sperms was noted in 6 cases. Thus there was a significant correlation between the titres of anti-sperm antibodies and autoagglutination of spermatozoa, which might be an important cause of male infertility after successful anatomic relief of vasoobstruction. Histological studies of testicular biopsy showed normal spermatogenesis in azoospermic recanalized subjects, although they had high levels of antisperm antibodies. This suggests that these antibodies do not affect normal spermatogenesis, and sperm counts.

Adult↗
PubMed1973

Consequences of smallpox vaccination in leprosy patients.

This study illustrates the consequences of smallpox revaccination in 45 lepromatous, 28 tuberculoid, and 47 normal individuals. Results obtained with intradermal inoculations indicated that the patients with leprosy were associated with a relative anergy against the vaccinia virus, the anergy being minimal in the tuberculoid leprosy but marked in the cases with lepromatous leprosy. Major vaccinial reactions were observed more often in patients with lepromatous leprosy than in the controls or patients with tuberculoid leprosy. Furthermore in a patient with lepromatous leprosy, vaccinia necrosum also developed. The smallpox vaccination with live virus also appeared as a provocative factor for the precipitation of lepra reaction in the lepromatous leprosy cases. After 3 weeks of vaccination, the frequency of the specific humoral antibody response was the same in the tuberculoid patients and controls while it was higher in the cases with lepromatous leprosy. The prevaccination titer of total hemagglutination inhibition antibody was significantly higher in the lepromatous leprosy cases. However, the postvaccinial, humoral antibody response of the lepromatous patients was of the same magnitude as that observed in the normal individuals, and it was mainly due to a 2-mercaptoethanol-resistant antibody.

Adult↗