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Biomedical subjects

R R Rich

Publications and source records attributed to R R Rich.

159 records · Page 9Linked to original sources
PubMed1972

Effect of transfer factor on lymphocyte function in anergic patients.

Dialyzable transfer factor, obtained from frozen-thawed peripheral blood leukocytes from a single donor, was given to five anergic patients with chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis. Studies of immunological responses including delayed cutaneous hypersensitivity, in vitro antigen-induced thymidine incorporation, and production of macrophage migration inhibition factor (MIF) were conducted both before and after injection of transfer factor. Before transfer factor, none of the patients had delayed skin responses to any of the natural antigens studied. Their lymphocytes did not produce MIF after exposure to antigens in vitro and only one patient showed increased thymidine incorporation when his lymphocytes were cultured with candida and streptokinase-streptodornase (SK-SD). After injection of transfer factor, four patients developed delayed skin responses to antigens to which the donor was sensitive; no recipient reacted to an antigen to which the donor was nonreactive. Lymphocytes from recipients produced MIF when cultured with antigens that evoked positive delayed skin tests. Only one patient developed antigen-induced lymphocyte transformation and this response occurred only intermittently. Attempts to sensitize three of the patients with the contact allergen, chlorodinitrobenzene, both before and after transfer factor, were unsuccessful. The fifth patient, a 9-yr old boy with an immunologic profile similar to the Nezelof syndrome, did not become skin test-reactive or develop positive responses to the in vitro tests. These findings suggest that transfer factor acts on the immunocompetent cells that respond to antigens with lymphokine production, but has little, if any, effect on cells that respond to antigens by blastogenesis. The failure to sensitize the subjects with chlorodinitrobenzene illustrates the specificity of the immunologic effects of transfer factor, and implies that it does not function through nonspecific, adjuvant-like mechanisms. Failure of transfer factor to produce positive skin tests or MIF production in a patient with Nezelof's syndrome may be evidence that lymphokine-producing cells are thymus derived.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Aspirin and delayed type hypersensitivity.

The effects of aspirin on delayed hypersensitivity were assessed in 40 healthy subjects who were randomly assigned to two equal groups. In a double-blind format, the individuals in one group were placed on 4 gm aspirin daily for 5 days, and individuals in the other group were given placebo. Lymphocyte proliferation was measured before and 72 hours after the initiation of drug, by using three mitogens and four antigens. The percentages of T and B lymphocytes were likewise measured before and during therapy. The subjects were skin tested with the same four antigens 72 hours after the initiation of drug, and the skin tests were read 48 hours later. No significant differences between the two groups were detected when skin tests, lymphocyte proliferation, and percentage of T lymphocytes were compared.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Distinct biochemical features of interferon gamma receptors on human T lymphocytes.

Recombinant human gamma interferon (IFN gamma) was used to study IFN gamma receptors (IFN gamma-R) on human CD4+ and CD8+ peripheral blood T lymphocytes. When cell-bound 125I-IFN gamma was cross-linked by disuccinimidyl suberate, the receptor-ligand complex migrated under nonreducing conditions as major bands of 155 kD and 90 kD and a minor band of 65-70 kD. Under reducing conditions, only the 90 and 65 kD complexes were found; the 155 kD band was not seen. In contrast, complexes from WISH and Raji human lines exhibited a single band of a 125 kD under both reducing and nonreducing conditions. The molecular pattern of the receptor ligand complex on WISH cells was not altered when these cells were mixed with T lymphocytes during the extraction procedure. The results suggest that the IFN gamma receptor on T lymphocytes differs from those previously described.

CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Mitochondria control expression of a murine cell surface antigen.

Maternally transmitted antigen (Mta) is a murine cell-surface molecule defined by the reactivity of specific H-2 nonrestricted cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL-s). Maternal transmission appears to be under control of a stable genetic factor in the cytoplasm of the ovum. In view of the known maternal inheritance of mitochondria we have assessed their involvement in Mta expression using the mitochondria specific poison Rhodamine 6G (R6G). We report here that Mta expression in somatic cell hybrids requires functional mitochondria from the Mta+ parent cell line. Mta expression was dominant in hybrids from the fusion of Mta+ and Mta- cells. However, pretreatment of the Mta+ parent with R6G resulted in hybrids which were Mta-, or diminished in Mta expression. These data strongly implicate mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in the expression of a cell-surface molecule, and define a system for studying a previously unrecognized mitochondrial function. To our knowledge, this is the first evidence for mitochondrial control of the expression of a cell membrane molecule in eukaryotes.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The future of allergy practice: an academician's perspective.

The subspecialty of allergy and immunology, like all medical specialties, has been dramatically impacted by the managed care revolution. Many of the changes that have been imposed by our environment are likely to persist, including increased emphasis on efficiency of practice and cost-effectiveness of treatment modalities. It is predicted that these changes will decrease the involvement of allergists and immunologists in the primary treatment of patients with allergic rhinitis and mild asthma, in favor of management by generalists with subspecialty consultation. Conversely, outcomes studies demonstrate the cost-effectiveness of management of moderate to severe asthma by an allergy and immunology subspecialist. It is thought probable that HMOs will recognize this fact and implement it as a pattern of practice. The allergist and immunologist will continue to offer, uniquely, expertise in allergic history taking, patient education, environmental control, and management of allergic inflammation. He or she will also be afforded an opportunity for practice expansion, particularly as an expert consultant, into other areas of immune inflammation, such as autoimmunity and graft rejection. Potentially new and increasingly specific products of the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries will enhance these opportunities for practice expansion by physicians who combine intellectual understanding with practical expertise in patient management. Realization of these new opportunities will require us to work together as teachers and role models to communicate the excitement of our subspecialty to new physicians. Allergy and immunology is a subspecialty with a bright future, provided that we have the will and the insight to deal effectively with our challenges and to master opportunities that our science presents to us.

Allergy and Immunology↗