Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to S F Luo.
A 40-year-old Chinese woman with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) developed labile blood pressure 3 years after her onset of high blood pressure. Pheochromocytoma was subsequently found and removed. Postoperatively her hypertension improved without change in her SLE activity. Our case demonstrates pheochromocytoma can be a cause of hypertension in SLE.
To understand the role of cytolytic lymphocytes in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis, we investigated the expression of lymphocyte cytotoxicity mediators, perforin, and serine esterases, in lymphocytes derived from the synovial fluid of 15 patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Previous work has shown that CD8+ lymphocytes that possess markers of activation appear to be present in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). By means of in situ hybridization techniques and immunohistochemical analysis, the authors show that perforin and two serine esterases (serine esterase 1/Hanukah factor/granzyme A, and serine esterase 2/granzyme B) are expressed by subpopulations of CD8+ and CD56+ lymphocytes obtained from synovial fluid. The presence of these cytotoxic mediators suggests a possible mechanism for tissue damage, and provides evidence implicating cytolytic lymphocytes in the pathogenesis of RA.
3,4,5-Trihydroxystibene-3-beta-mono-D-glucoside (PD) from Polygonum cuspidatum 0.05-0.45 mmol/L increased beat rate of myocardial cells from 100% to 112-220%. This action of PD 0.15 mmol/L was agonized by nisoldipine 0.1, propranolol 10 and phentolamine 1 mumol/L. PD (0.05, 0.15 mmol/L) decreased the lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) amount liberated by myocardial cells, from 98 +/- 11 IU/ml of deprivation of oxygen and glucose (DOG) to 55 +/- 16, 68 +/- 14 IU/ml (P less than 0.01) 6 h after injury of DOG; 77 +/- 9, 80 +/- 6 IU/ml (P less than 0.01) 9 h after injury of DOG. PD 0.15 mmol/L decreased the LDH amount liberated by myocardial cells, from 311 +/- 34 to 231 +/- 42 IU/ml (P less than 0.05) 9 h after injury of chlorpromazine (CPZ). It is suggested that PD can protect myocardial cells injured by DOG and CPZ.
A 21-year-old woman had suffered from repeated vasculitis and panniculitis with fever and chills after following mosquito bites since age 7. These manifestations were confirmed with a direct mosquito bite test during her admission to another hospital at age 17. The patient presented to our hospital with progressive dyspnea, productive cough and intermittent fever for one week. In addition to the bilateral infiltrative lesions on chest roentgenography, hepatosplenomegaly with an abnormal liver function test, pancytopenia, and elevated IgE were also detected. Blood and sputum cultures grew no microorganisms. Epstein-Barr virus-IgM, Cytomegalovirus-IgM and Mycoplasma pneumonia antibodies were all negative. Bone marrow aspiration and biopsy revealed histiocytosis with hemophagocytosis. No atypical histiocyte was found. The patient was put on dexamethasone treatment with improvement. Unfortunately, symptoms relapsed two weeks later. A repeated bone marrow aspiration and biopsy revealed a picture similar to the previous one. Despite antibiotic administration and ventilator support, a rapidly deteriorated course terminated in the patient's death by respiratory failure. Mosquito bite allergies were reported to be associated with malignant histiocytosis in Japan. However, atypical histiocytes were not found in our case upon repeated bone marrow aspirations, biopsies and skin biopsies. Mature histiocytes with hemophagocytosis were prominent instead. Reactive histiocytosis was thus favored rather than malignant histiocytosis. Although opportunistic infection cannot be excluded, we propose that a mosquito bite allergy with consequent histiocytic activation by antigen, immune complex or IgE is the possible pathogenetic mechanism for hemophagocytic histiocytosis in this patient.
We present the first report of neonatal lupus erythematosus from Taiwan. A female baby, born to a mother with documented systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), developed cutaneous lupus lesions after phototherapy for hyperbilirubinemia. She had additional clinical features of hemolytic anemia and thrombocytopenia. Detailed serological and immunogenetic studies were performed. Transplacental passage of both anti-SSA/Ro and anti-SSB/La antibodies were demonstrated and their disappearance at the age of 6 months correlated with regression of clinical symptoms. This patient inherited human leukocyte antigen (HLA) A11, Bw60 Cw3, DR2 and Aw33, Bw57, Cw7, DRw6 from her father and mother, respectively. A long-term follow-up is required for observing whether she will develop SLE in the future.
The effect of ethanol on kinetic stages of natural killer (NK) cell activity was studied in vitro. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (MNC) were either co-cultured or pre-incubated with various ethanol concentrations and assayed for NK cell activity with a "4-hour chromium release assay" and a "single cell cytotoxicity assay in agarose" simultaneously. Direct addition of ethanol to the assay system resulted in a dose-dependent inhibition of NK cell activity. The percentage of lysed conjugated target cells was suppressed from a control value of 21.2% to 17.0%, 15.1%, 11.8% and 10.0% with an ethanol concentration of 0.125%, 0.25%, 0.5% and 1.0%, respectively. NK cell recycling was also inhibited. A 24-hour pre-incubation with ethanol, however, resulted in NK cell activity enhancement. The enhancement was around 20% with a 0.25% ethanol concentration and around 45% with a 0.5% and a 1.0% ethanol concentrations. The enhancing effect was noted mainly at the cytolysis stage after binding of effector cell with target cells.
A 35-year-old male uremic patient developed the classical presentation of Reiter's syndrome after 3 years of regular hemodialysis. He had painful swelling of the left knee, sacroilitis, urethritis, balanitis, painless oral ulcers, acute uveitis and positive HLA-B27. Disease activity persisted and was aggravated although immune function studies showed depressed cellular immunity. The clinical course of this patient seemed to contradict our belief that activity of immunologically mediated disease will abate after uremia, but it concurred with the report that Reiter's activity was unchanged in AIDS despite the significant immunodeficiency of AIDS patients.
Multiple myeloma has rarely been reported in patients with ankylosing spondylitis. We observed a patient with a 20-year history of ankylosing spondylitis, who subsequently developed IgA myeloma. This association may not be simply coincidental. It has been proposed that the protracted stimulation of immunocytes by inflammatory lesions on the mucosal surfaces of the gastrointestinal, respiratory, and biliary tracts, where lymphocytes are already committed to IgA production, may be implicated in the pathogenesis of IgA myeloma in some patients. Ankylosing spondylitis is a chronic inflammatory disease, probably resulting from the interaction of a genetic predisposition involving HLA-B27 with an environmental event such as enteric bacterial infection. We propose that ankylosing spondylitis and IgA myeloma occurring concomitantly in our patient implies a possible pathogenetic relationship. In ankylosing spondylitis, persistent reticuloendothelial stimulation, due to chronic subclinical gastrointestinal infection, may lead to IgA-producing plasma cell activation and proliferation, and subsequent IgA myeloma development.
To investigate the natural killer (NK) cell mediated immunity in Graves' disease (GD) and the effect of antithyroid drugs upon NK cell activity, 51Cr release assay for NK cytotoxicity against K562 cells was examined in patients with GD before and during antithyroid medication and after drug withdrawal. Fifty-eight patients were divided into three groups: the untreated thyrotoxic patients (n = 33), the euthyroid patients under antithyroid treatment (n = 19) and the euthyroid patients after drug withdrawal (n = 6). The results of the three groups were compared to 23, 15 and 5 sex- and age-matched controls, respectively. The data revealed a significant NK dysfunction in the untreated hyperthyroid patients, although the number of the NK cells was not decreased. NK function was normal when patients were no longer taking antithyroid medication and in euthyroid state. However, euthyroid patients under antithyroid medication had markedly depressed NK activity, suggesting an immunosuppressive effect of the antithyroid drugs. This study demonstrated that both the hyperthyroid state and the antithyroid drugs exerted immunosuppressive effects upon the NK cells. Since such an immunosuppressive effect on NK cells might be associated with a decreased immune surveillance against tumour growth, this study implies that a long-term follow up of GD patients treated with antithyroid drugs may be indicated to guard against a possible increased incidence of malignancy.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Twelve human monoclonal immunoglobulins were separated and purified through the use of cryoprecipitation, salt fractionation, electrophoretic separation and gel filtration. Monoclonal cryoglobulin was the easiest form of homogeneous immunoglobulin to isolate. IgG and IgM were generally purified by salt precipitation and ion exchange chromatography followed by G-200 gel filtration. IgA purification required tedious recycling procedures. The purification of IgD posed the most difficulty as it may degrade spontaneously. Monoclonal immunoglobulins differed markedly in their behaviour towards enzymatic digestion, due to a rather wide specificity of enzymes on the Fc fragment. IgG was usually enzyme-sensitive, while some IgA proteins were virtually enzyme-resistant. The Fab fragment usually retained its antigenicity, but Fc or Fc' often split into small peptides. The reductive cleavage of monoclonal proteins usually gave consistent results, and H and L chains were separated in all experiments. However, 5 to 15% of IgA was at times eluated in unreduced form, and the alpha chain was often filtered as a dimer form. L chains were always eluated as a monomer form.
Double diffusion is one of the most simple and widely used immunologic techniques. If performed properly, this test offers the unique advantage of not only enumerating the minimum number of antigen-antibody systems, but also indicating the relationship among various antigens. However, the reaction lines should be interpreted cautiously and over-reading be avoided.
Simultaneous studies of serum and urinary proteins in 294 adult proteinuric patients are presented. Our data showed that these studies can provide valuable guides for clinical diagnosis. In the group of idiopathic nephrotic syndrome, hypoalbuminemia, hypogammaglobulinemia and hyper-alpha 2 globulinemia were most marked. Urinary protein electrophoresis (PEP) showed a well-selective pattern with albumin and beta globulin as the main constituents. In the other groups of proteinuric patients the hypoalbuminemia and hyper-alpha 2 globulinemia were milder and urinary PEP generally showed non-selective pattern. In the groups of acute glomerulonephritis and lupus nephropathy, C3 was generally decreased; polyclonal gammopathy was frequently encountered and alpha 1 acid glycoprotein was markedly increased. In the cases of chronic glomerulonephritis and diabetic nephropathy and the levels of gamma globulin, C3 and alpha 2 acid glycoprotein were usually within normal limits. Urinary protein selectivity index in this series of adult patients was not a useful diagnostic parameter.