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Biomedical subjects

N R Rowell

Publications and source records attributed to N R Rowell.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1984

Superficial X-ray therapy in the treatment of constitutional eczema of the hands.

Twenty-four patients with chronic symmetrical constitutional eczema of the hands treated with a combination of topical therapy and conventional superficial X-ray therapy. In a double-blind fashion one hand was irradiated with 100 rad (1Gy) at 50 kV on three occasions at intervals of 21 days and the other hand was given a placebo treatment. Each hand received the same topical medication, which was adjusted as necessary at each visit. The patients were seen 6, 9 and 18 weeks after X-ray therapy commenced. A significantly better therapeutic result, as assessed independently by both the patient and the observer, was recorded on the hand which had received active X-ray treatment. The advantage bestowed by active X-ray therapy was greatest 6 to 9 weeks after the start of treatment, but was still present after 18 weeks.

Brachytherapy↗
PubMed1984

Short-contact modification of the Ingram regime.

"Minutes' (30 minutes) and "short-contact' (2 hours) therapy with dithranol in Lassar's paste were compared (using a paired comparison method) with the Ingram regime in twenty-one and twelve patients respectively. Both "minutes' and "short-contact' regimes were effective in clearing psoriasis; the latter was the more effective of the two and proved just as good as the standard Ingram regime of 24-hour application. "Short-contact' therapy with dithranol in Lassar's paste should therefore reduce out-patient attendance and time off work, save valuable nursing time and allow a more social life.

Administration, Topical↗
PubMed1984

Antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity of human vascular endothelium in systemic sclerosis.

Sera from 39 patients with systemic sclerosis were examined for a cytotoxic effect on human umbilical vein endothelium. Although none of the sera produced direct cytotoxicity of 51Cr-labelled endothelial cells, even with added complement, nine sera did produce increased 51Cr release when co-cultured with endothelial cells and normal human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. The effector cells involved in this cytotoxicity possessed Fc receptors but were non-T and non-adherent while the responsible serum factor(s) was present in IgG containing fractions. This cytotoxicity tended to occur in patients with both circulating immune complexes and precipitating antibodies to nuclear and cytoplasmic antigens who, as a group, had more severe and extensive visceral disease than those without such serological abnormalities. Control studies using sera from both 27 normal controls and 19 patients with either diabetes or extensive athero-sclerotic vascular disease failed to reveal any similar cytotoxicity.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

The production of antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity by immune complexes in systemic lupus erythematosus.

Sera from 8 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) which induced cytotoxicity of human target cells when co-cultured with normal human peripheral blood mononuclear cells were fractionated by Sepharose 6B chromatography and sucrose density-gradient ultracentrifugation in order to characterise the responsible serum factors. With Sepharose 6B chromatography, cytotoxicity was found in IgG containing fractions between 100,000-450,000 mol.wt. and occurred maximally in fractions containing dimer IgG. With sucrose density-gradient ultracentrifugation, cytotoxicity was found maximally in 7S fractions but also frequently extended into 10S and even 12S fractions. These findings suggest that immune complexes of small size in the sera of some patients with SLE may be an important factor in the production of antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity of human target cells.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Immune complexes in systemic sclerosis; detection by C1q binding, K-cell inhibition and Raji cell radioimmunoassays.

Thirty-four patients with systemic sclerosis (SS) were investigated for the presence of circulating immune complexes by means of a fluid phase C1q binding assay, K-cell inhibition assay and a Raji cell radioimmunoassay and the results compared with those obtained in 21 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and 52 normal healthy controls. Patients with SS showed an incidence of circulating immune complexes comparable to that found in SLE, with 20 patients (58.5%), giving a positive result with at least one of the assays. The presence of circulating immune complexes in patients with SS was found to be associated with both elevation of serum IgG and IgA levels and extensive visceral involvement by the disease. These findings raise the possibility that circulating immune complexes could be involved in the pathogenesis of SS.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Serum-induced enhancement of peripheral blood mononuclear cell-mediated cytotoxicity towards human target cells in systemic sclerosis.

Sera from 7 of 37 patients with systemic sclerosis (SS) were found to markedly enhance cytotoxicity in several established human target cell lines when co-cultured with normal human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBM). Fractionation studies indicated that the cytotoxicity-inducing activity resided in the IgG-containing fractions of serum and that the effector cells were Fc-receptor positive. By contrast, sera from 27 normal controls produced little or no cytotoxicity when co-cultured with the same target cell lines and normal PBM. Any slight enhancement of cytotoxicity that occurred with a single target cell line was, on fractionation, either labile or associated with albumin containing fractions. These findings raise the possibility that antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) could provide a pathogenetic mechanism in some patients with SS.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Serum-induced enhancement of peripheral blood mononuclear cell mediated cytotoxicity towards human target cells in systemic lupus erythematosus.

Sera from 6 out of 18 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) were found to be capable of producing marked increases of cytotoxicity in several established human target cell lines when co-cultured with normal human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBM). Fractionation studies indicated that the cytotoxicity-inducing activity resided in IgG containing fractions and that the effector cells were Fc-receptor positive. By contrast, sera from 27 normal controls produced little or no cytotoxicity when similarly co-cultured with the same target cell lines and normal PBM. Any slight reactivity that occasionally occurred against a single cell line was, on serum fractionation, either labile or associated with albumen containing fractions. These findings raise the possibility that antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity could provide an additional pathogenetic mechanism in patients with SLE.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

Spontaneous lymphocyte-mediated (NK cell) cytotoxicity in systemic sclerosis: a comparison with antibody-dependent lymphocyte (K cell) cytotoxicity.

Spontaneous (NK cell) and antibody-dependent (K cell) cytotoxicity were investigated in 39 patients with systemic sclerosis (SS) and compared with that found in 52 normal controls. Cr-labelled Chang liver cells were used as targets in assays utilising both whole blood (WB) and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBM) as effectors. Patients with SS, who were severely affected by extensive visceral disease, were found to have significant impairment of both NK (p less than 0.005; p less than 0.05) and K (p less than 0.001; p less than 0.05) cell cytotoxicity by both effector systems, when compared with normal controls. These findings, which seem to be part of a wider defect in cell-mediated immunity, may provide a possible explanation for the described association of malignancy with systemic sclerosis.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

Lymphocyte cytotoxicity in systemic sclerosis: no increase on short-term culture with established human cell lines.

Lymphocyte cytotoxicity towards 4 established human epithelial and fibroblast cell lines was investigated in 18 patients with systemic sclerosis by means of both whole blood and peripheral blood mononuclear cells in short term (18 h) Cr-release assays. No difference in the levels of cytotoxicity was found in patients compared with 25 normal controls, even when allowance was made for the severity of the disease and the sex of patients and controls. It is suggested that long-term (3-6 days) culture may be necessary to demonstrate the increased lymphocyte cytotoxicity originally described in the disorder.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

Pancreatic exocrine function in systemic sclerosis.

Lundh tests of pancreatic exocrine function were performed on twenty unselected patients with systemic sclerosis. Three patients had very low levels of tryptic activity in their intestinal juice and only nine had results which were unequivocally normal. Eight patients had biochemical steatorrhoea, but in six this was associated with intestinal bacterial overgrowth and a seventh had primary biliary cirrhosis. The remaining patient had no cause for steatorrhoea other than the marked pancreatic insufficiency which had been demonstrated. Although pancreatic damage may contribute to malabsorption in systemic sclerosis, it appears to be less important than other factors such as intestinal bacterial overgrowth.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1981

Antibody-dependent and phytohaemagglutinin-induced lymphocyte cytotoxicity in systemic lupus erythematosus.

An investigation of cell-mediated cytotoxicity in 22 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), using both whole blood and purified peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBM) to measure antibody-dependent (ADCC) and phytohaemagglutinin (PHA)-induced lymphocyte cytotoxicity for Chang liver cells, has revealed 2 distinct abnormalities in patients with active disease. PHA-induced cytotoxicity was found to be selectively reduced in whole blood assays only (P less than 0.05), whereas ADCC was impaired in both whole blood (P = 0.02) and PBM (P less than 0.05) assays, when comparison was made with 52 normal controls. The addition of patients' sera to corresponding assays utilizing control PBM confirmed that the impaired PHA-induced cytotoxicity resulted from circulating inhibitory serum factors. Surprisingly little effect, however, was exerted on ADCC assays. These findings suggest that there is a reduction in numbers and/or functional capacity of Fc-receptor cells in active SLE, which may have pathogenetic implications.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

Lichen planus: a distinct entity from lupus erythematosus.

Thirty-five patients with classical lichen planus (LP) were extensively investigated with special reference to immunohistological changes and histocompatibility (HLA) typing. There was no evidence of lupus erythematosus (LE) in any patient, although one patient with LP and eczema had an elevated titre of antinuclear factor. There was no increased incidence of any HLA type--in particular HLA-B7 and HLA-B8--known to be associated with LE. The results suggest that LE and LP are separate disorders.

Adolescent↗