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Biomedical subjects

M Ballow

Publications and source records attributed to M Ballow.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1988

Longitudinal development of specific and functional antibody in very low birth weight premature infants.

We evaluated the formation of specific and functional antibody in preterm infants born weighing less than 1500 g (mean 1088 g) and less than 32 wk gestational age (mean 28.8 wk). Plasma IgG antibody against tetanus and diphtheria toxoids were measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Opsonic activity of heat-inactivated plasma was measured using radiolabeled bacteria, adult polymorphonuclear leukocytes and exogenous human complement. In the presence of complement, the strain of coagulase negative staphylococcus used was opsonized by IgG antibody, and the strain of Escherichia coli by IgM. Geometric mean plasma levels of tetanus and diphtheria IgG antibody fell from birth to 4 months chronological age, but rose significantly by 9 months (approximately 2 months after the third dose of diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis vaccine). However, at 9 months they remained lower than the respective geometric mean levels in 9-month-old term infants (tetanus: p less than 0.001; diphtheria: p = 0.02). The preterm infants' mean plasma IgG staphylococcal opsonic activity fell from birth to 2.5 months, but by 9 months was comparable to that of term infants of the same age. Mean IgM opsonic activity for E. coli was very low at birth in both preterm and term infants. It rose with chronological age, correlating with the rise in total IgM (r = 0.48, p less than 0.001) and by 9 months the mean preterm and term infants' levels of IgM opsonic activity for E. coli were comparable.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Antibody Formation↗
PubMed1987

Peripheral blood T-cell subpopulations in the very low birth weight (less than 1,500-g) infant.

The development of monoclonal antibodies to cell-surface antigens has provided method for characterizing distinct subpopulations of T-cells. In the present study we have quantified peripheral blood T-cell subpopulations in premature infants born weighing less than 1,500 g (1123 +/- 223 g) and ranging in gestational age from 25 to 32 weeks. The relative proportion of T4 cells in the very low birth weight (VLBW) infants was markedly higher at 1 week and 1 month of age (mean +/- SEM; 67.5 +/- 4.1 and 59.2 +/- 1.6) than in adult controls (47.2 +/- 1.5). The percentage of T4 cells remained elevated until 6 months of age, when it decreased to a level comparable to that in adults. In contrast, the proportion of T8 cells was significantly lower than the adult level at 1 week and 1 month of age. The T4/T8 ratio in the VLBW infants was higher at 1 week (4.3 +/- 0.5) and 1 month (3.5 +/- 0.2) than in adult controls (2.0 +/- 0.1). Thereafter, the T4/T8 ratio decreased but was still significantly higher than that in adult controls at 6 months of age (2.6 +/- 0.2). The absolute numbers of total T-cells (T3) and T8 and T4 cells were significantly higher in VLBW infants. The numbers of T8 cells were significantly lower in the first month of life than at 3-6 months of age. These alterations in the T-cell subsets in the first 6 months of life suggest that postnatal T-cell phenotypic changes in VLBW infants may parallel the T-cell ontogenetic process which occurs during the last trimester of pregnancy in full-term infants.

Blood Cells↗
PubMed1987

Immunoregulatory effects of intravenous immune serum globulin therapy in common variable hypogammaglobulinemia.

Because of evidence of immunoregulatory effects of short-term administration of pooled donor gamma globulins, the effects of intravenous immune serum globulin were studied in nine adult patients with common variable hypogammaglobulinemia over a two-year period. Baseline assessment prior to immune serum globulin replacement included evaluation of B cell function, suppressor cell activity, and T cell subsets. These analyses were subsequently performed during the course of a first-year treatment period of intravenous immune serum globulin at doses of 100 to 200 mg/kg per month and a second-year trial at doses of 300 to 400 mg/kg per month. Five patients were re-evaluated following discontinuation of the intravenous immune serum globulin therapy for four months between the first and second treatment periods. During both treatment periods with intravenous immune serum globulin, suppressor cell activity increased markedly compared with baseline, and declined following discontinuation of drug therapy in the five patients. Suppressor cell activity was reversed by either irradiation of the T cell fraction or removal of the T8-positive cell fraction by flow cytometry. There was a reduction in the absolute number of total lymphocytes, the T3-positive cells (total T cells), and the T4-positive cells (helper cells) following intravenous immune serum globulin therapy; however, the percentages of the T cell subsets did not change significantly. Following immune serum globulin therapy, the number of T8-positive cells was not significantly changed but the T4:T8 ratio decreased from 2.1 at baseline to 1.5 after therapy (p greater than 0.05). These data demonstrate that long-term intravenous immune serum globulin administration modulates the immune system by increasing suppressor T cell functional activity but is not accompanied by changes in the number of T8-positive cells in the peripheral blood.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Cyclosporine treatment of autoimmune chronic active hepatitis.

A 14-yr-old boy with a 5-yr history of autoimmune chronic active hepatitis refractory to corticosteroid therapy was given cyclosporin A (5 mg/kg X day). Before cyclosporine therapy, serum aminotransferase levels were 20 times normal and immunoglobulin G was 4 g/dl. Within 2 wk of starting cyclosporine therapy, aminotransferase levels decreased; by 2 mo they were almost normal, and at 1 yr into therapy they were normal. A decrease in cyclosporine dosage was associated with an increase in aminotransferase levels, which then again decreased as the dose was increased. Severe growth failure observed during previous corticosteroid therapy reversed during cyclosporine treatment and the patient displayed "catch-up" growth. No significant side effects were noted after 1 yr of cyclosporine therapy. Further evaluation of cyclosporine in the treatment of corticosteroid-unresponsive autoimmune chronic active hepatitis appears warranted.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Tear lactoferrin levels in patients with external inflammatory ocular disease.

Lactoferrin, an iron complexing protein in normal tears, is an important component of the nonspecific host defense system of the external eye. We measured tear lactoferrin levels in patients with contact lens-induced giant papillary conjunctivitis (GPC) by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Patients with active GPC (N = 26) had significantly reduced tear levels of lactoferrin (0.876 +/- 0.42 mg/ml) compared with normal individuals (N = 12; 1.73 +/- 0.46 mg/ml, P less than 0.0003) and the control contact lens wearers' group (N = 11; 1.57 +/- 0.92 mg/ml, P less than 0.003). Patients with vernal conjunctivitis (N = 10), an ocular disease with similar histopathology, had slightly reduced concentrations of tear lactoferrin (1.22 +/- 0.59 mg/ml). Patients with inactive GPC (N = 7) had normal tear levels of lactoferrin (1.33 +/- 0.49 mg/ml). The lactoferrin to total protein ratio in the tears was significantly reduced in patients with GPC compared to normal subjects, control contact lens wearers, and patients with inactive GPC. The decreased tear levels of lactoferrin in patients with GPC may contribute to increased coating of lenses with bacteria and their products and enhanced ocular inflammation which may play a role in the pathogenesis of GPC.

Adenoviridae Infections↗
PubMed1986

Cell-mediated immunity in cat-scratch disease.

The importance of cell-mediated immunity in cat-scratch disease (CSD) is suggested by the positive skin test reactions and granulomatous histopathology noted in patients with this disease. However, an earlier investigation found that lymphocytes from patients with CSD and control subjects were equally unresponsive in vitro to cat-scratch antigen. In contrast, we found that 16 patients with CSD had significantly increased lymphocyte transformation responses to cat-scratch antigen when patients were compared to control subjects. This cell-mediated immune response may be directed against nonviable bacteria in the involved lymph nodes and may be the major mechanism responsible for the granulomatous reaction and clinical features of CSD.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Development of the immune system in very low birth weight (less than 1500 g) premature infants: concentrations of plasma immunoglobulins and patterns of infections.

Plasma immunoglobulin concentrations of premature infants of birth weight less than 1500 g were measured longitudinally from birth to 10 months chronological age. Infants were divided into two groups based on gestational age (group I: 25-28 wk; group II: 29-32 wk). In the 1st wk of life, plasma IgG levels correlated with gestational age (r = 0.5, p less than 0.001). At 3 months chronological age, the geometric mean plasma IgG levels were 60 mg/dl in group I and 104 mg/dl in group II infants. Most infants remained hypogammaglobulinemic at 6 months with seven of 11 infants in group I and 13 of 21 infants in group II having plasma IgG levels below 200 mg/dl. In the 1st wk of life, plasma IgM concentrations were 7.6 and 9.1 mg/dl in groups I and II, respectively. They rose to 41.8 and 34.7 by 8 to 10 months of life. Plasma IgA concentrations were comparable for groups I and II in the 1st wk of life (1.2 and 0.6 mg/dl, respectively), but at 1 month of age group I infants had a transient increase in IgA which was not seen in the group II infants (4.5 versus 1.9 mg/dl, respectively, p less than 0.02). This transient elevation in IgA did not correlate with type or route of feeding or amounts of transfused blood. Group I and group II infants had comparable rates of infections prior to discharge from the nursery (p = 0.27). After discharge, the 43 preterm infants followed until 10 months chronological age had a significantly higher incidence of infections than 41 term infants (p = 0.04).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Aging↗
PubMed1985

The aetiological agent of cat scratch disease.

A highly pleomorphic, gram-positive bacterium was cultured from an excised lymph node of a patient with cat scratch disease (CSD). The organism had morphological forms similar to those of the bacterium observed in Warthin-Starry stains of lymph node sections from CSD patients and may be the aetiological agent of this disease. Electron microscopic examination of lymph node sections from another patient with CSD showed organisms with morphological forms similar to those of the isolated bacterium. Biochemical and physiological analyses of this isolate suggested that it is not a commonly recognised contaminant or human pathogen and that it may be a member of the genus Rothia. This organism appears to resemble the bacterium that was identified as the aetiological agent of Parinaud's oculoglandular syndrome, a specific form of CSD, over 70 years ago.

Actinomycetaceae↗
PubMed1985

Modulation of suppressor-cell activity by cimetidine in patients with common variable hypogammaglobulinemia.

Because of evidence of a possible immunoregulatory role for cimetidine, an antagonist to histamine H2 receptors, we studied the effects of this drug in five adult patients with common variable hypogammaglobulinemia. Three patients had excessive suppressor-cell function associated with panhypogammaglobulinemia, whereas the other two had no apparent T-cell defects. The patients were given a one-month course of oral cimetidine (1200 mg daily in four divided doses). Subsequently, the three patients with excessive suppressor-cell function had a marked reduction in suppressor activity along with a decrease in the number of suppressor cells (T8+). One of these three had a marked rise in both in vitro immunoglobulin secretion and serum immunoglobulin concentrations, which was reversible after the drug was stopped for three months and reproducible when therapy with cimetidine was repeated. There was no difference in immunoglobulin secretion or suppressor-cell activity while taking cimetidine between the two patients with common variable hypogammaglobulinemia without excessive suppressor-cell activity and control patients with duodenal ulcers. The data suggest that H2-receptor antagonists may decrease excessive suppressor-cell activity and allow endogenous immunoglobulin production in some patients with common variable hypogammaglobulinemia.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Varicella pneumonia in a bone marrow-transplanted, immune-reconstituted adenosine deaminase-deficient patient with severe combined immunodeficiency disease.

Bone marrow transplantation provides an important modality for "enzyme replacement" and the immune reconstitution of patients with adenosine deaminase (ADA) deficiency and severe combined immunodeficiency disease. We report a patient with ADA deficiency who develops severe varicella pneumonia 6 years after successful bone marrow transplantation and immune reconstitution. Marked abnormalities in T-cell mitogen responsiveness and pokeweed mitogen-induced polyclonal immunoglobulin synthesis occurred. Coculture experiments suggested the presence of increased suppressor activity. T-cell phenotyping showed decreased T3 and T4 subsets. These abnormalities slowly resolved over several months as the patient recovered from the varicella infection. ADA enzyme levels and metabolite concentrations in urine and erythrocytes remained unchanged. These findings, together with the chromosome and immune studies, suggested that the bone marrow graft remained intact. These studies indicate that immunologically reconstituted ADA-deficient patients may be at higher risk for complications related to varicella infection and suggest that the institution of preventive measures is important.

Adenosine Deaminase↗
PubMed1985

Erythroderma with spongiotic dermatitis. Association with common variable hypogammaglobulinemia.

Two middle-aged men presented with generalized erythroderma, diffuse alopecia, and hyperkeratosis of the palms and soles. Histopathologic study demonstrated spongiosis (epidermal intercellular edema) with a perivascular lymphohistiocytic infiltrate. Complete immunologic evaluation demonstrated that both patients had panhypogammaglobulinemia and markedly depressed in vitro pokeweed mitogen-induced immunoglobulin secretion. One of the patients also showed poor lymphocyte responses in vitro to T cell mitogens and antigens and had a decreased ratio of helper to suppressor cells. In both patients, the cutaneous lesions improved with systemic corticosteroids, but no significant alteration in the immunologic abnormalities was observed. This report illustrates that chronic erythroderma may be the presenting clinical manifestation of common variable hypogammaglobulinemia.

Agammaglobulinemia↗
PubMed1985

Complement proteins and C3 anaphylatoxin in the tears of patients with conjunctivitis.

Previous studies in our laboratory have demonstrated pollen-specific IgG antibodies in the tears of patients with vernal conjunctivitis (VC) and elevated tear IgG levels in patients with contact lens-induced giant papillary conjunctivitis (GPC). Tear secretions were examined for complement (C) proteins to determine the role of this effector system in the pathogenesis of these ocular disorders. The tears of VC (15) and GPC (10) patients with active disease had elevated tear levels of both C3 and factor B. By use of transferrin as a marker for the leakage of plasma proteins into the tears, most C3 was locally produced by the conjunctival tissues. Although immune complexes could not be detected in the tear secretions, increased levels of C3 des Arg were present in the tears that suggested complement activation with the generation of anaphylatoxins. These studies suggest that complement may be important in the inflammatory ocular process of VC and GPC and that the generation of anaphylatoxins (C3a), even by nonimmune mechanisms, may contribute to basophil and mast cell activation with the release of inflammatory mediators into the tear secretions.

Complement C3↗
PubMed1984

Pollen-specific IgG antibodies in the tears of patients with allergic-like conjunctivitis.

Specific-IgG antibodies to rye grass and/or AgE in the tear secretions were demonstrated in studies of patients with the clinical features of allergic conjunctivitis but negative immediate skin reactivity and absent IgE antibodies by RAST to the inhalant pollen allergens. Studies by use of transferrin as a marker for the vascular leakage of plasma proteins into the tear secretions indicated that more than 98% of these pollen-specific IgG antibodies were locally produced by the conjunctival tissues of the external eye. These findings suggest that IgG-mediated immune mechanism(s) are important in the pathogenesis of some patients with allergic-like conjunctivitis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Spiroperidol binding sites on mouse lymphoid cells. Effects of ascorbic acid and psychotropic drugs.

Since highly differentiated cells of mammalian immune systems reportedly have binding sites for a variety of neurohumoral agents, we investigated parameters related to possible existence of dopamine receptors on murine lymphoid cells. Using a dopamine antagonist, [3H]spiroperidol, we found evidence for displaceable binding on mouse spleen cells. Total and displaceable (10 microM haloperidol) binding of spiroperidol was markedly enhanced by the absence of ascorbic acid in the incubation medium. Displaceable binding of a dopamine receptor agonist [( 3H]ADTN) could not be found on lymphoid cells either in the presence or absence of ascorbic acid. In the absence of ascorbate, displaceable spiroperidol binding to mouse spleen cells revealed partially saturable, but complex, kinetics and we calculated positive cooperativity at low ligand concentrations.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Allergic rhinitis and conjunctivitis. Help for the weeping nose and eyes.

Both the eyes and the nose are in constant contact with the external environment and thus are common targets for immune-mediated disease. Progress in understanding the pathophysiology of allergic nasal and ocular disease has greatly enhanced the approach to therapy. Chronic rhinitis may be caused by a variety of immunologic and nonimmunologic mechanisms. Allergic and nonallergic factors often coexist, which complicates diagnosis and therapy. In external ocular disorders, both IgE- and IgG-mediated mechanisms may be involved. Elucidation of these mechanisms will be important in improving diagnosis and in facilitating development of new therapeutic modalities.

Adrenal Cortex Hormones↗
PubMed1984

Chronic mononucleosis syndrome.

We present data on 14 patients with chronic symptoms of disabling fatigue in association with serologic evidence of active Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection. Two thirds were women, and the average age at onset was 29.6 years. Forty-three percent were known to have had previous infectious mononucleosis, but the usual criteria for that diagnosis were not helpful with the present syndrome. Eighty-six percent had serologic evidence of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection. Profound immunodeficiency was not present, but 71% had partial hypogammaglobulinemia, and minor abnormalities of T cell subsets were noted in six of seven patients studied. Fifty-seven percent achieved temporary serologic and symptomatic remission after an average duration of 33 months. Only one patient has a sustained remission. Comparison is made with other reported chronic, recurrent, and persistent EBV syndromes, and tentative diagnostic criteria for chronic mononucleosis syndrome are presented. Recently available EBV serologic techniques allow for identification of patients who have reactivated EBV infection, and this reactivation may be related to symptoms.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Long-term T-cell lines from the tears of patients with vernal conjunctivitis.

Previous studies of the tears and conjunctival tissue of vernal conjunctivitis (VC) have suggested that cellular immune mechanisms may be important in the inflammatory process of this ocular disease. However, little information is available in support of a cell-mediated immune mechanism because of the difficulty of tissue access and the small numbers of mononuclear cells in the tear secretions. Tear secretions of VC patients contain few lymphocytes (estimated 10(3) per 300 microliters of tears). Tear lymphocytes from 5 of 7 VC patients were propagated in culture in the presence of interleukin 2. In 2 months of culture the tear lymphocytes were expanded to 5 x 10(6)-10(7) cells. Phenotyping studies with monoclonal antibodies showed that all cell lines exhibited T-cell markers. In 2 of 3 tear specimens which were initially cultured in the presence of the putative specific antigen, i.e. rye grass or ragweed antigen E, the OKT4 helper/inducer phenotype predominated while the cell lines without antigen exhibited mostly the OKT8 phenotypes. These studies demonstrated the feasibility of generating long-term IL-2 dependent T-cell lines from the tear secretions of patients with VC which will enable the study of localized cellular immune processes in external ocular disease.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗