Biomedical subjects

R Szep

Publications and source records attributed to R Szep.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1984

Suppressor T cells and soluble suppressor factors in allergy: effect of immunotherapy.

Suppressor-cell activity of Concanavalin-A-stimulated lymphocytes was studied in allergic patients by inhibition of one-way mixed lymphocyte culture reactions before and after allergy immunotherapy. This activity was compared with twelve healthy controls. In preliminary experiments, six out of eight allergic patients had no detectable T suppressor activity. In the second prospective group, eight out of eleven patients had much reduced suppressor-cell activity before immunotherapy, and seven out of eleven patients had much reduced activity after immunotherapy. The data suggest that non-specific T suppressor-cell activity is reduced in allergic patients but immunotherapy does not restore such activity.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1982

Levamisole in chronic pyoderma.

Eleven patients, 8 females and 3 males, aged 17-53 years with chronic recurrent pyoderma (mean duration of 8.4 years) unresponsive to a variety of therapeutic modalities, were treated with oral levamisole 1 . 5-2 . 5 mg/kg/day (100-200 mg daily) for 2 consecutive days every week. Five out of eleven patients (3 males and 2 females) demonstrated one or more host defense abnormalities including impaired polymorphonuclear (PMN) chemotaxis, impaired bactericidal activity against Staphylococcus aureus, decreased in vitro lymphocyte response to Phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) and low serum IgM and IgA. Seven of eleven patients showed clinical improvement following levamisole administration for 4-11 months. Two showed complete clearance of skin lesions while on levamisole and for a year thereafter; three showed marked clearance of lesions during levamisole therapy but recurred with mild disease 6 months after termination of levamisole therapy; and two showed improvement of lesions during therapy but recurred immediately after levamisole discontinuation. Levamisole treatment was also associated with complete in vitro correction of PMN bactericidal abnormality, improvement of PMN chemotactic abnormality and augmentation of in vitro lymphocyte response to PHA. Correlation between in vitro potentiation of host defense mechanisms and clinical response was noted. Significant probable side-effects necessitating discontinuation of therapy included transient elevation of liver enzymes in 2 patients and extensive hemorrhagic skin rash in one.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1979

Transfer factor therapy in hyperimmunoglobulinaemia E syndrome.

The therapeutic effect of transfer factor (TF) from healthy donors was investigated in two children with extensive intractable atopic dermatitis, recurrent pyogenic skin infections, hyperimmunoglobulinaemia E, defective neutrophil chemotaxis and depressed cell-mediated immunity. Striking clinical improvement was noted in both patients with disappearance of skin infections, pruritus and eczema. No new lesions have occurred 13 months after the completion of therapy in the first patient but a few new atopic lesions have reappeared after 8 months in the second. Both patients are off steroids and antibiotics. Transfer factor administration did not influence the T cell rosette number or the lymphocyte blastic transformation response, but it did cause conversion of the skin-test reactivity in both patients and correction of polymorphonuclear chemotaxis in one of them. Non clinical side-effects were noted but marked and persistent rise of serum IgE was observed in both patients. Our data suggest that patients with hyper-IgE syndrome may be benefited by TF therapy and they lend further support to the notion that T lymphocyte deficiency may be the basis of the eczema in this syndrome.

Antibody Formation↗