Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to M Kasper.
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A radioimmunoassay is described for the detection of circulating complement binding immune complexes. The method was found to be highly sensitive but of limited specificity. It is based on the ability of the complexes to bind added complement (C1q-component) so that they are not available for the lysis of 51Cr-labelled chicken red blood cells in a haemolytic system. Sera from 241 patients and 87 healthy persons were studied for the presence of circulating immune complexes. The complement binding capacity is dependent on the disease groups. Patients with immune complex diseases showed a high significant difference to the healthy persons. The experimental conditions and the quality control of the method were described. There was found a very good correlation between complement binding capacity and concentration of heat-aggregated immunoglobulin.
In 140 out-patients of a liver dispensary department 18 clinical and immunological markers (autoantibodies) in 7 well defined diseases were found. We them underwent to a multiple linear factor analysis. 4 different and independent structural factors could be defined: 1. a so-called autoimmunity factor, 2. a parenchymatous factor, 3. an ethanol factor and, finally, a dysproteinemia factor. By individual factor analysis different hepatological diseases could be characterized.
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The protein A-gold technique, a simple and reliable two-step postembedding immunocytochemical method, allows the light and electron microscopic detection of antigens in routinely fixed and embedded tissue. At the light microscopic level a permanent, nonfading stain is obtained. High resolution studies on intracellular antigens can be performed since the particulate nature of the colloidal gold permits accurate determination of the labeled cellular structures. The applicability of the protein A-gold technique for the localization of various peptide and protein antigens by light and electron microscopy is demonstrated.
Right-ventricular myocardial biopsies were obtained from 28 patients with LCM (EF 72 +/- 10.4%) and 36 patients with DCM of different degrees (EF 45 +/- 15%). Using paraffin sections and electron micrographs, 16 structural variables were semiquantitatively evaluated. Hypertrophy of myofibres, and nuclear and mitochondrial alterations were significantly more pronounced in patients with DCM. A score of 9 selected variables was found to be significantly higher in the DCM-group as compared with the LCM-group. The diameter of the myofibres was significantly thicker in DCM (17.5 +/- 2.2 microns) than in LCM (14.6 +/- 0.95 microns), but no significant difference of the volume density of myofibrils and of mitochondria could be determined. In the myocytes of DCM the mitochondria were significantly smaller than in LCM. The EF correlates with the myofibre thickness, with the semiquantitative score, and with the size of the mitochondria, but no significant correlation was seen with the volume density of myofibrils or mitochondria. The study has shown: At present no alterations in myocardial biopsies are known to be diagnostic for LCM or DCM. The findings support the concept of a diffuse myocardial disease in LCM. Only one patient out of 28 exhibited a myocardium without any pathologic changes. There is no evidence for small vessel disease in LCM. From the morphological point of view DCM and LCM are different only in quantity, but not in quality of their structural alterations.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
2014 biopsies and surgical specimens of 524 patients with suspected aganglionosis of the colon were analyzed using enzyme histochemical techniques for acetylcholinesterase and lactate dehydrogenase. The diagnosis could be confirmed in 70 patients. Hypoganglionosis was found in 6, neuronal dysplasia (or hyperganglionosis) in 2, and a complete lack of intramural neurons and nerve fibers in 1 patient. The disease was found to occur most often during the first year of life (65.7%) and to be more common in males than females (3.3:1). Enzyme histochemistry is useful for the final diagnosis of aganglionosis provided the biopsy contains mucosa and parts of the submucosa of the colon.
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A study was made for localization of immunoglobulins and complement components in human malignant tumour tissues. There were not observed characteristical deposits on tumour cells. In a 2nd investigation where indirect immunofluorescence method was used, autologous antibodies to tumour material were not detectable. Only with anti-C3-technique, 2 sera from patients with breast cancer and 1 serum from a patient with mastopathia reacted with breast cancer tissue (allogenic system). However, a lot of autoantibodies of different specifity could be found in sera of tumour patients. The problems of unspecific staining and the occurrence of autoantibodies in tumour sera were discussed.
In an investigation of correlation and factor analysis the relations between cell-mediated stromalreactions and immunological parameters are checked in 63 patients with malignant tumours. The stromalreaction is determined semi-quantitatively as a cell-mediated infiltration of the tumour by neutrophiles, lymphocytes, plasma cells and macrophages. In regard to immunological parameters circulating immuncomplexes, K-cell-activity, auto-antibodies, B- and T-cells and immunglobulins are determined among others. It is shown that the stromalreaction is to be regarded as a part of an immunological answer of the organism against the tumour.
Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) or its alpha- and beta-subunits have been proposed as specific quantitative markers for malignant pancreatic endocrine tumors. Since proof of malignancy of pancreatic endocrine tumors is difficult early in the course of the illness, we tested retrospectively a series of 157 pancreatic endocrine tumors of 155 patients for alpha- or beta-subunits of hCG by immunocytochemistry. Human CG-alpha-immunoreactive cells were present in 42 of 56 (75%) functioning malignant pancreatic endocrine tumors but in only one, possibly benign, glucagonoma of 67 functioning benign tumors, in only one of 17 nonfunctioning malignant and in none of 17 nonfunctioning benign tumors. No beta-hCG-immunoreactivity was localized in the tumors. Human CG-alpha appears to be a reliable quantitative and qualitative marker for malignancy in functioning pancreatic endocrine tumors.
Epithelial endocrine cells containing 5-hydroxytryptamine, substance P, somatostatin, enteroglucagon and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide-immunoreactivity were localized by immunocytochemistry in the mucosa of normal appendices, ileum and proximal colon, and in neurogenic appendicopathy. In neurogenic appendicopathy a large number of proliferating nerves were visualized independently of neurotransmitters by immunostaining for neuron-specific enolase. A large number of nerve fibers were shown to contain substance P-immunoreactivity and to be of intrinsic origin. Stromal endocrine cells containing 5-hydroxytryptamine, somatostatin- and possibly substance P-immunoreactivity, were observed in substantial numbers in neurogenic appendicopathy. Substance P may be involved as a neurotransmitter and/or as a paracrine/endocrine peptide in the pathogenesis of spastic contractions and abnormal peristalsis of the appendix, which are characteristic of neurogenic appendicopathy. Stromal endocrine cells may be considered to be the origin of certain carcinoids in the appendix.
Human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) or its alpha and beta subunits have been proposed as markers for malignancy in pancreatic endocrine tumors. Since proof of malignancy of pancreatic endocrine tumors is difficult early in the course of the disease, we tested retrospectively a series of 157 pancreatic endocrine tumors for the presence of alpha- or beta-HCG by immunocytochemistry. In addition, antiserum against neuron-specific enolase (NSE) was applied to these tumors, in order to demonstrate their neuroendocrine nature, alpha-HCG-immunoreactive cells were present in 42/56 (75%) functioning malignant pancreatic endocrine tumors, but in only 1, possibly benign, glucagonoma out of 67 functioning benign tumors, in only 1/17 nonfunctioning malignant, and in 0/17 nonfunctioning benign tumors. We were not able to localize beta-HCG-immunoreactivity in the tumors. In all but 1 tumor NSE was observed. It is concluded that alpha-HCG represents a reliable marker for malignancy in functioning pancreatic endocrine tumors, and that the presence of NSE establishes the neuroendocrine nature of the tumors.
31 carcinomata, 14 benign neoplasms, 3 mastopathies and human placenta tissue were investigated with autoantibodies of defined specificity using an indirect immunofluorescence method. In the cells of carcinomata and the trophoblast layer of the placenta studied, immunofluorescent staining with antimitochondrial antibodies were strongly positive and membranously when compared with cells of benign tumors. The negative results obtained with other autoantibodies in the same material indicate the specificity of the reaction.
In 47 patients with an endoscopic-bioptic reliable gastric cancer two prognostic groups (good/poor) were set up by the help of clinical TNM-determination (gastroscopy, laparoscopy, operation), histology (bioptate and resectate) and long-term observation. In order to determine their prognostic significance 37 clinical, morphological and immunological parameters were recorded and analysed by the help of a multivariate analysis of variance and discriminance. The TNM-stage, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, the acid mucopolysaccharides in the tumour, circulating, complement binding immuncomplexes, B-cells, IgM, C3 and C4, IgE, gastritic degree and the infiltration of the tumour by neutrophile granulocytes and lymphocytes prove to be prognostic-discriminatoric significant. The parameters allowed a retrogradually-mathematically reliable classification of the patients into one of the both prognostic groups. The remaining features (age, sex, duration of the case history, Rohrer-index, tumour superficial spread, histological differentiation, neutral mucopolysaccharides, gastric activity, plasma cells and macrophages as stroma cells, IgG, IgA, auto-antibodies, dysproteinaemies, PEG-precipitate, T-cells, LAI-test, haemoglobin, total leucocyte count and total protein) prove to be redundant, i.e. they are unnecessary for calculation of the prognosis.
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One hundred twenty-five pancreatic endocrine tumors were analyzed by immunocytochemistry using various antisera. Twenty-three of 27 insulinomas, 10 of 10 PP-omas (PP: pancreatic polypeptide) and 15 of 30 "nonsecreting" tumors were benign, whereas 8 of 13 glucagonomas, 16 of 24 gastrinomas, and 16 of 21 VIP-omas (VIP: vasoactive intestinal polypeptide) were malignant. As a rule, the hormone secreted by the tumor and causing clinical symptoms could be localized by immunocytochemistry. Fifty of 95 active tumors were found to contain cells immunoreactive to peptide(s) not causing clinical symptoms, and 54 of 30 "nonsecreting" tumors were shown to be multicellular. By electron microscopy more than one cell type could be identified in 12 tumors. Histologically, the growth pattern of the tumors was very variable and distribution of immunoreactive cells was distinctly patchy. Radioimmunoassay on extracts of 20 of 27 tumors confirmed the presence of peptides visualized by immunocytochemistry. In 17 of 22 specimens, groups of endocrine cells in close contact with ductules were found in the pancreatic parenchyma distant from the tumor. Pancreatic endocrine tumors probably arise from the pancreatic ductular epithelium. They are often multicellular, producing and sometimes secreting more than one hormone or hormone-like substance. They represent highly complex biologic systems in which the interrelationship of various gastrointestinal-pancreatic hormones can be studied.
The diagnostic significance of acid non-specific alpha-naphthyl-acetate (ANAE) and of rosette formation of leukemic cells with sheep and mouse erythrocytes was studied in 8 patients with acute myeloic leukemia (AML), in 4 patients with acute lymphatic leukemia (ALL) and in 14 patients with chronic lymphatic leukemia (CLL). ANAE showed typical diffuse cytoplasmic activity in all cases of AML. The enzyme activity was granular in both of the lymphoid malignancies, T-ALL and B-CLL, allowing differentiation from AML but not between B- and T-leukemia cells. Rosette formation with mouse erythrocytes (ME) was diagnostic in all 14 cases of CLL and superior to labeling of surface immunoglobulin (8 of 14 cases positive). ME-rosette forming myeloblasts were detected in 2 of 4 evaluated cases of AML. Rosette formation with sheep erythrocytes (SE), including cytological evaluation of rosette-forming cells, was diagnostic in all cases of ALL (= T-ALL). In 6 of 9 patients with AML, however, rosette formation with SE was observed in a few cells, including myeloblasts with Auer rods. The occurrence of blasts in myeloic leukemia carrying lymphoid cell markers is discussed in the light of recent findings, according to which lymphoblastoid cells may arise in the course of myeloic leukemia requiring antileukemic treatment different from that of AML.