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Biomedical subjects

O J Mellbye

Publications and source records attributed to O J Mellbye.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1977

Deposition of fibrinogen (FR-antigen) in skin diseases. III. Synovial joint membranes in psoriatic arthritis.

Synovial joint membranes obtained by synovectomy in open bloodless fields were examined for FR-antigen (fibrinogen/fibrin-related antigen) in 15 patients with psoriatic arthritis (ps.a.) and in a control group of 5 patients with meniscal tears. All frozen and paraffin sections from ps.a. demonstrated FR-antigen at the synovial lining. In the tissue it was located at the surface and in cytoplasm of the superficial synovial cells. In the control group, FR-antigen was present in all frozen samples as a thin layer at the synovial lining surface, but absent in the paraffin sections. The presence of FR-antigen may contribute to the further development of the Inflammatory changes of the arthritis.

Antigens↗
PubMed1977

A study of complement fixation by rheumatoid factor using a haemolytic assay system.

Complement fixation by rheumatoid factor (RF) in sera from rheumatoid arthritis patients has been investigated by means of a haemolytic assay system employing sheep erythrocytes (SRBC) coated with reduced and alkylated rabbit IgG anti-SRBC antibody. Haemolysis was almost invariably detected with RF-positive sera whereas haemolysis was not observed with RF-negative sera; It was evident from a marked increase in haemolysis, obtained following isolation of IgM-RF of high purity from several RF-positive sera, that the full in vitro complement-fixing ability and hence lytic potential of RF in serum is masked. Parallel observations were also made with synovial fluids. The inhibition of haemolysis by RF in sera and synovial fluids commonly involved a reduction in degree of lysis at high concentration of test material as well as a more generalized inhibition in overall percentage lysis. Complete replication of typical RF-positive serum and synovial fluid patterns of lysis on dilution was achieved by addition of heat-aggregated human IgG to isolated IgM-RF preparations and demonstrated that the two inhibitory effects are separable in terms of complement depletion and reduction of free rheumatoid factor antibody activity, respectively.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗
PubMed1976

Complement and immunoglobulins in synovial fluid from synovectomized patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

In order to see if the complement (C) consumption and conversion, which are typical of rheumatoid joints, continue after synovectomy, 23 knee joints in which synovectomy had been performed from 4-5 to 6-5 years previously, were studied. The mean ratio of the concentration of C3, C4, and C5 in synovial fluid to that in palsma of the same patient was significantly lower than the corresponding ratio for the total protein content. This was found both in joints with active arthritis and in joints without clinical signs of arthritis, and in both seropositive and seronegative patients. Conversion products of C3 were found in 7 of the synovial fluids. The study thus indicated that the complement alterations in synovectomized joints are very similar to those in nonsynovectomized rheumatoid joints. In one synovial fluid agarose electrophoresis showed multiple sharp bands in the gamma region. By crossed immunoelectrophoresis some bands seemed to contain IgG with one type of light chains only. In plasma of the same patients the bands were much weaker, indicating local production of oligoclonal IgG in the joint.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗
PubMed1975

Serial complement studies in a patient with Goodpasture's syndrome treated with bilateral nephrectomy and renal transplantation.

A young male patient with Goodpasture's syndrome was treated with bilateral nephrectomy and when antiglomerular basement membrane antibodies could no longer be detected he received a cadaveric renal homograft. Fifteen months later he is in good health and without signs of pulmonary disease. Renal function is satisfactory, and there are no findings indicating recurrence of the nephritis. Serial complement studies during the entire course revealed varying degrees of activity in the sequence in the different phases: a high degree of in vivo activation of complement was found in the period before the nephrectomy, there was a moderate degree of activation in the period between the nephrectomy and transplantation and, finally, there were no signs of activity in the system after transplantation. This investigation strongly suggests that the complement system is of definite pathogenetic significance in this human equivalent to experimental nephrotoxic nephritis.

Adult↗
PubMed1975

Quantitation of diphtheria and tetanus antibodies by reversed rocket immunoelectrophoresis.

A reversed rocket immunoelectrophoresis technique, applying serum samples to antigen-containing gel, is described for quantitation of human antibodies to diphtheria and tetanus. Lowering of the pH of the buffer from 8.6 to 5.2 increased the height of the rockets, but also resulted in more non-specific precipitation. This smudging could be removed by dextran sulphate precipitation of the sera, a necessity when quantitating sera with small concentrations of anti-bodies. The merits of this method are discussed in relation to other in vitro as well as in vivo methods. The method was found to be reproducible, rapid, cheap and sensitive, and to require small samples of serum.

Animals↗
PubMed1975

Evidence for complement activation by the alternate pathway in the arthritis of hypogammaglobulinemic patients.

The chronic, rheumatoid synovitis in four patients (two children and two adults) with immunodeficiency was studied by means of immunopathological examination of synovial tissues and fluids. Their immunodeficiencies were extensively studied, with various tests for humoral and cell-mediated immunity. The two children were boys with Bruton's disease. One adult, female, had common variable immunodeficiency. One adult male had severe hypogammaglobulinemia. All patients had isolated deposits of complement component C3 in their synovial membranes, usually without traces of immunoglobulins. Depressed levels of complement component C3 were found in the joint fluid, in contrast to high levels in the corresponding serum in one patient. Components of the alternate pathway, properdin and C3A, were found in the tissues, but not components of the classic pathway, C1q and C4. The findings suggest that chronic, rheumatoid arthritis in hypogammaglobulinemic patients may be related to activation of C3 by the alternate pathway.

Agammaglobulinemia↗
PubMed1975

Deposition of fibrinogen (FR-antigen) in skin diseases. II. Pustulosis palmaris et plantaris (with special reference to heparin-precipitable fraction).

Ten out-patients with pustulosis palmaris et plantaris were examined with direct immunofluorescence (IF) technique for deposition of fibrinogen, fibrin or its degradation products (FR-antigen) in affected and unaffected skin, together with heparin-precipitable fraction (HPF), cryoglobulin and total plasma fibrinogen in the blood. FR-antigen was found in all cases in affected skin as a uniform pattern of a continuous ramification below the dermo-epidermal junction. This IF picture was absent in unaffected skin, but in other parts of the dermis in affected and unaffected skin, scattered streaks of IF could be seen. In one case, however, unevenly distributed IF was found in unaffected skin in the junction area. The scattered IF was also present in a minor degree in affected and unaffected skin in a control material of other dermatoses. Only one patient had slightly elevated values of HPF (0.33 mg/ml). Total plasma fibrinogen was insignificantly elevated, and no cryoglobulin could be found.

Adult↗
PubMed1973

Studies of T- and B-lymphocytes in patients with connective tissue diseases.

Peripheral blood lymphocytes from normal subjects as well as patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and active tuberculosis were studied for the relative distribution of bone marrow-derived lymphocytes (B-cells) and thymic-derived T-cells. B-cells were identified by direct immunofluorescence of surface Ig markers; T-cells were studied using rabbit antisera to pooled human fetal thymocytes absorbed with chronic lymphatic leukemia lymphocytes as a source of B-cells. In normal subjects, the sum of percentages of peripheral blood lymphocytes staining for surface Ig (B-cells) plus the percentage of cells staining with the absorbed antithymocyte antiserum closely approximated 100%. The mean value for percent B-cells among 51 normals tested was 22.9%+/-7.1; mean T-cells value was 75.3+/-13.95%. T-cell-specific antiserum stained 18% of normal human bone marrow lymphocytes, 42.5% of lymphocytes from normal spleens, and 98% of cells obtained from thoracic duct drainage of patients with RA. Specificity of antihuman thymocyte antiserum appeared to depend on the use of living cells. When patients with RA were examined, a wide range (14-98%) of peripheral blood T-cell values was found. Values for low percentages of peripheral blood T-cells appeared to correlate to some extent with severe clinical disease. In 11 of 36 RA patients, the sum of identifiable B- plus T-cells accounted for only 34-55% of peripheral blood lymphocytes. The identity of the remaining "null" cells could not be identified.3 of 24 SLE patients studied showed low percentages of peripheral blood T-cells, but no correlation could be drawn between T- to B-cell ratios and clinical disease activity. Among 21 patients with active tuberculosis, one had a low value for identifiable T-cells. No significant differences from normals in range or proportion of B-cells was identified in patients with active tuberculous infection.

Adult↗