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Biomedical subjects

N Thatcher

Publications and source records attributed to N Thatcher.

245 records · Page 14Linked to original sources
PubMed1979

Effects of repeated Corynebacterium parvum and BCG therapy on immune parameters: a weekly sequential study of melanoma patients. I. Changes in non-specific (NK, K and T cell) lymphocytotoxicity, peripheral blood counts and delayed hypersensitivity reactions.

Increased lymphocyte cytotoxicity, particularly of 'killer' K cell type was recorded with repeated immunizations of either C. parvum or BCG. A 3 week interval between immunizations was capable of maintaining the increase in cytotoxicity. No marked alterations of 'recall' skin hypersensitivity reactions nor of peripheral blood counts were noted. Expression of cytotoxicity results as percentage 51Cr release, lytic units/ml and cytotoxic capacity (after logit transformation of the cytotoxicity-lymphocyte curves) are described. A 3 week immunization schedule is suggested where BCG and C. parvum are used as immunotherapeutic agents, in the doses quoted.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Effects of Corynebacterium parvum and BCG therapy on immune parameters in patients with disseminated melanoma a sequential study over 28 days. I. Changes in blood counts, serum immunoglobulins and lymphoid cell populations.

The effects of a single immunization of melanoma patients with BCG or C. parvum on the blood counts, serum immunoglobulin levels and lymphoid subpopulations were followed by multiple assays over 28 days. C. parvum produced a decrease in the white cell count, lymphocyte count and lymphoid T and sIg+ cell numbers, which recovered within 1 week; BCG did not produce such a marked depression. Both agents were associated with increases in T cell numbers and lymphocyte PHA blastogenesis after the first week; these declined to pre-immunization values by 3-4 weeks. The sIg-bearing cell subpopulation also increased after BCG. Different methods of expression the results were compared and the difficulties of immunological monitoring are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Effects of repeated Corynebacterium parvum and BCG therapy on immune parameters: a weekly study of melanoma patients II. Changes in serum immunoglobulins and lymphoid cell subpopulations.

Two groups, each of eight patients, with metastatic melanoma were immunized with either C. parvum or BCG at 3-weekly intervals. The serum IgG, IgA, IgM levels, E-rosettes, EA-rosetts, sIg-bearing cells, 'null cells' and lymphocyte blastogenesis at four PHA concentrations were assayed, before immunization and weekly thereafter for 8 weeks. The pre-immunization E-rosette values were significantly reduced, with a significant increase in 'null cell' values and EA-rosette percentages, when compared with healthy controls. Following C. parvum immunization, significant increases occurred in E-rosette percentages with decreases in EA-rosette and 'null cell' counts. A significant reduction in 'null cell' values also occurred with BCG. Other parameters including PHA blastogenesis did not exhibit statistically significant changes. Different methods of expressing the results (particularly of blastogenesis data) were compared, as were the similarities between the present investigation and a study of the effects of a single immunization. The relationship between the subpopulation changes and lymphocyte cytotoxicity described in an earlier article (Thatcher, Swindell & Crowther, 1979a) is discussed.

BCG Vaccine↗
PubMed1978

Lymphocyte function related to survival curves in patients with metastatic melanoma treated by chemoimmunotherapy.

Thirty-eight patients with metastatic melanoma were evaluated immunologically prior to chemoimmunotherapy. The assays used included recall antigen skin hypersensitivity; lymphocyte count; nonspecific T, non-T, and K cell lymphocytotoxicity; and T and B cell rosette enumeration. Survival curves were computed for each of four ranges of values of a given immunologic test. The higher ranges of positive skin tests, lymphocyte count, cytotoxicity, and T and B subpopulation numbers were consistently associated with the longer survivals. The differences reached statistical significance for non-T cell cytotoxicity and B and T cell peripheral blood counts. Pretreatment immune reactivity, particularly that involvingg non-T cell function, appears related to length of survival.

Antineoplastic Agents↗
PubMed1977

Lymphocyte function in the blood of patients with untreated non-Hodgkin lymphoma: influence of stage and pathology.

Lymphocytotoxicity of T, non-T and K cells was found to be diminished in a proportion of 30 patients with untreated non-Hodgkin lymphoma; T cell number as enumerated by E sheep cell rosettes was also reduced. The reduction was greatest in patients with disease of unfavorable pathology; the effect of stage on these tests was not marked. Decreased skin reactivity was found in the same group of patients with unfavorable pathology. The reduction of direct and antibody dependent lymphocytotoxicity was not related to an obvious reduction in non-T cell numbers, as assessed by rosetting tests. There was, however, a decrease in phytohemagglutinin cytotoxicity in those groups with reduced T cell number. The influence of unfavorable pathology on lymphocyte effector function is emphasized by this study.

Adult↗
PubMed1977

Lymphocyte function and response to chemo-immunotherapy in patients with metastatic melanoma.

Thirty-eight patients with metastatic melanoma were investigated for lymphocyte function immediately prior to chemo-immunotherapy. The pre-treatment immune tests were compared with normal control values and with response to therapy. The "non-responder" group (but not "responder") had significantly reduced values for lymphocyte, null-cell and E-rosette-cell counts compared with controls. Lymphocytoxicity ( using a Chang target cell) showed the same pattern, with depression of direct and K-cell cytotoxic capacity in non-responders compared with controls. Eight patients were studied sequentially whilst on treatment, and demonstrated considerable change (not statistically significant) in lymphocytotoxicity, an untreated "control" patient showed little variation. "Recall"-antigen skin testing showed no statistically significant difference between the patient groups. The data indicate that "non-T-cell activity" may be associated with response to chemo-immunotherapy.

Adult↗
PubMed1975

Choroidal metastases from breast carcinoma: a survey of 42 patients and the use of radiation therapy.

Visual disturbances in patients with breast carcinoma may result from choroidal metastases. Metastases were bilateral in 41% of patients and the choroid was the first site of metastasis in 25%. Therefore awareness of this 'rare' condition is essential for any doctor seeing patients with breast cancer; consultation with an ophthalmologist and radiotherapist is mandatory. Radiation therapy is the treatment of choice, producing an 80% response rate (complete resolution in 25%). The final catastrophe of blindness in these patients can be prevented.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Effects of BCG and Corynebacterium parvum on immune reactivity in melanoma patients.

Sixteen patients with disseminated melanoma were immunised with either BCG (8 cases) or C. parvum (8 cases) on three occasions at 21 day intervals. Blood for assay was taken immediately before the first immunisation and weekly for eight weeks thereafter. Total white count tended to increase but little change was seen in lymphocyte and monocyte counts. Serum IgG increased after BCG BUT NOT WITH C. parvum, serum IgA and IgM did not alter. The 'E' rosette % did show some increase mainly after C. parvum, and 'B' lymphoid cells (sIg staining) increased slightly after BCG; the 'EA' rosette % fell following C. parvum but not after BCG. Lymphocyte PHA blastogenesis increased after immunisation, particularly with BCG. Non-specific lymphocytotoxicity (51 Cr Chang target) demonstrated dramatic increases for 'non T' and 'K' cell function and a smaller increase in 'T' cell cytotoxicity following immunisation. These increases in cytotoxicity were maintained by the 21 day immunisation schedule.

BCG Vaccine↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A phase I study of recombinant human interleukin-4 administered by the intravenous and subcutaneous route in patients with advanced cancer: immunological studies.

The effects of recombinant human interleukin-4 (rhu IL-4) on immunological parameters in patients receiving increasing doses of IL-4 in a Phase I trial were investigated. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were phenotyped for a variety of lymphocyte markers, but no consistent effects were observed. However, increases in HLA Class II expression on monocytes were detected in four patients. NK and LAK activity were neither induced nor augmented by IL-4 treatment. Slight increases in proliferative responses to mitogens and cytokines were observed in some patients. The latter observations and other clinical studies suggest that a combination of IL-4 with IL-2 may be more effective in Phase II clinical trials.

Cell Division↗