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Biomedical subjects

W Borkowsky

Publications and source records attributed to W Borkowsky.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMed1984

Live attenuated varicella vaccine in children with leukemia in remission.

One-hundred-ninety-one children with acute leukemia in remission for at least one year were immunized with 1 or more doses of live attenuated varicella vaccine. All were susceptible to varicella prior to vaccination. The only significant side effect was mild to moderate rash, seen especially in children with maintenance chemotherapy temporarily suspended for one week before and one week after vaccination. Children with rash were at some risk (10%) to transmit vaccine virus to varicella susceptibles with whom they had close contact.

Antibodies, Viral↗
PubMed1984

Leukocyte migration inhibition of buffy coats from patients with autoimmune thrombocytopenic purpura when exposed to normal platelets: modulation by transfer factor.

Cellular-mediated immunity was studied in autoimmune thrombocytopenic purpura (ATP) patients by investigating leukocyte migration inhibition (LMI) following the interaction of normal platelets with patients' lymphocytes. When normal platelets were incubated with leukocyte buffy coats of ATP patients, the migration index (MI) was significantly impaired compared to buffy coats from normal subjects, employing 4 different concentrations of platelets. At the highest platelet concentration (10(9)/ml), MI was 0.87 +/- 0.04 (SEM) for ATP lymphocytes compared to 1.05 +/- 0.05 (p less than 0.01) for normal lymphocytes. Nine of 21 patients had an MI less than 0.80, whereas all control subjects had MIs greater than 0.85. Similar results were obtained at 2 different platelet membrane concentrations. At 500 micrograms/ml, the MI for ATP lymphocytes was 0.74 +/- 0.04, compared to 0.98 +/- 0.08 (p less than 0.01) for normal lymphocytes (12 experiments). An inverse relationship was noted between platelet count and lymphokine production in ATP patients (r = 0.815, p less than 0.001, 10 experiments). Transfer factor from an ATP patient in remission converted an abnormal LMI response of 0.68 +/- 0.04 from a patient with severe thrombocytopenia to 0.84 +/- 0.07 (p less than 0.005, 8 experiments). Similar results were obtained with transfer factor from 2 other patients in remission. Transfer factor from a patient with severe thrombocytopenia converted a normal response of 1.04 +/- 0.05 of normal subjects to a lower response of 0.88 +/- 0.04 (p less than 0.03, 12 experiments). Thus, lymphocytes of ATP patients are primed to recognize and be perturbed by normal platelets, whereas normal lymphocytes are not. This indicates specificity of the antigen-lymphocyte reaction in ATP patients. Transfer factor is capable of modulating this response in vitro.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

Adjuvant effects of lithium chloride on human mononuclear cells in suppressor-enriched and suppressor-depleted systems.

Lithium enhances several in vitro indices of immune function, including thymidine uptake by mitogen-stimulated human mononuclear cells. To further characterize the mechanism of action of lithium and to determine whether it acts by abrogating suppressor cell activity or by enhancing helper cell function, we have compared the effects of lithium on the mitogenic response of normal, suppressor-depleted and suppressor-enriched mononuclear cell preparations. In normal cultures, lithium enhanced thymidine uptake in response to concanavalin A (Con A) and phytohemagglutinin (PHA). In the suppressor-depleted cultures, thymidine uptake after Con A stimulation was significantly higher than in normal cultures, and was further enhanced by lithium. In the suppressor-enriched system, response to PHA was significantly lower than in normal cultures, and addition of lithium reversed the observed suppression. These results indicate that lithium may be enhancing thymidine uptake in response to mitogen at least in part by abrogating suppressor cell activity. The observed increase in thymidine incorporation in the suppressor-depleted cultures suggests that lithium may also have a direct stimulatory effect on helper cell activity.

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗
PubMed1981

An immunodeficient child with inflammatory bowel disease: involvement of cyclic nucleotides and effects of lithium.

A 3-year-old male with inflammatory bowel disease and hypogammaglobulinemia was found to have decreased T lymphocyte function. His serum was shown to depress normal T cell proliferative responses to phytohemagglutinin. Incorporation of lithium chloride to in vitro cultures enhanced autologous lymphocyte responses to phytohemagglutinin. Since lithium acts by inhibiting cAMP production, the child's lymphocytes were postulated to have increased levels of cAMP. Both lymphocytes and serum were shown to contain elevated levels of cAMP. In vivo therapy with lithium citrate was initiated and enhanced T cell numbers and function were observed concomitantly. Serum cAMP was also reduced to normal levels. The patient showed initially marked clinical improvement as assessed by mood, weight gain, and diminution of diarrhea. This clinical improvement was unfortunately not sustained despite the continued improvement in immune parameters and cAMP levels.

Agammaglobulinemia↗
PubMed1981

Fatal reaction to dapsone during treatment of leprosy.

A Burmese boy being treated with dapsone (diaminodiphenylsulfone [DDS]), 100 mg daily, for lepromatous leprosy had a fatal reaction to the drug 3 weeks after therapy was started. The clinical symptoms and progression of illness conform well to a "DDS syndrome" first described in the early 1950s. Although the syndrome clinically resembles infectious mononucleosis, neither Epstein-Barr virus nor cytomegalovirus was implicated as an etiologic agent in this case. The syndrome has been recognized during initiation of dapsone therapy for lepromatous leprosy and has led to the use of a prolonged induction period with initial dosages as low as 25 mg/week. However, because dapsone resistance has been recognized in some strains of Mycobacterium leprae, slow induction of therapy has been replaced with the schedule used for this patient. This report of a fatal reaction to dapsone emphasizes the need for caution when initiating therapy with the drug at full dosage.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1981

Antigen-specific activity of murine leukocyte dialysates containing transfer factor on human leukocytes in the leukocyte migration inhibition (LMI) assay.

We report on the extension of the direct leukocyte migration inhibition (LMI) test as an assay for antigen-specific activity in human leukocyte dialysates (DLE) containing transfer factor to an evaluation of antigen-specific activity in DLE prepared from inbred mice. Murine DLE was observed to cause antigen-dependent and antigen-specific effects on the inhibition of migration of nonimmune human leukocyte populations. Pulsing of nonimmune human leukocyte with DLE preparations from BALB/c and SJL mice immunized with Candida, diphtheria toxoid, and SK-SD resulted in their inhibition of migration in the presence of the respective antigens. The antigen-specific activity in murine DLE was found to be present in lymph node cell preparations and to be absent from spleen cell preparations of the same donors. The activity of DLE in lymph node cells was found to be present in the theta-cell enriched subpopulation of nonadherent lymphocytes after passage through nylon wool columns. The antigen-specific activity of murine DLE, as we have reported for human DLE, was found to reside in the < 3500 dalton dialysis fraction and not in the < 3500 dalton fraction. We conclude that nonimmune human leukocytes in the LMI test provide a suitable assay for the detection of antigen-specific activity in murine DLE as well as that in human DLE. Additionally, murine DLE is active across species barriers and appears to share properties with human DLE.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Deletion of antigen-specific activity from leukocyte dialysates containing transfer factor by antigen-coated polystyrene.

We have reported finding antigen-specific activity in human leukocyte dialysates (DLE) containing TF in the leukocyte migration inhibition (LMI) assay. To analyze this activity further, we have used polystyrene bound to antibody or to antigen as immunoadsorbent for DLE before pulsing nonimmune cells in the LMI assay. Candida-(CAN) immune or diphtheria toxoid-(TOX) immune DLE were depleted of all antigen-specific activity after absorption with specific antigen but not affected by absorption with specific antibody, respectively, and depletion of activity with antigen was abrogated by coating bound antigen with specific antibody before absorption of DLE. CAN-immune, TOX-immune DLE was selectively depleted for either CAN activity or TOX activity after absorption with CAN- or TOX-coated polystryrene, respectively, retaining its CAN-activity when absorbed with TOX and conversely retaining its TOX activity when absorbed with CAN; thus the antigen-specific activity binds to related but not unrelated antigen. The polystyrene-bound antigen-specific activity could be recovered by treatment with 8 M urea. We interpret these findings to suggest that such antigen-specific activity may be either a dialysable fragment of a T cell antigen receptor site, or a portion of the V-region, or a unique Ir gene product that assists in antigen presentation to other T cells.

Absorption↗
PubMed1980

Lithium as an immunologic adjuvant.

Lithium, an adenylate cyclase inhibitor, stimulates a variety of in vitro indices of immune function, including proliferation of lymphocytes in response to mitogens, rosette formation by T-cells and phagocytosis by macrophages. Lithium enhances these immunologic responses at concentrations comparable to those achieved in patients receiving lithium for treatment of manic-depressive disorders. Lithium may prove to have important therapeutic applications as an immune adjuvant, particularly in immune deficiency states associated with excessive C-AMP production.

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗
PubMed1980

Adenosine deaminase deficiency without immunodeficiency: clinical and metabolic studies.

A child diagnosed at birth as deficient in red blood cell adenosine deaminase (ADA) but with substantial residual lymphocyte ADA has been evaluated for two and one-half years. The only immunologic abnormality observed was hypogammaglobulinemia during the fifth month of life. This was unexpected because children with total ADA deficiency either have severe combined immunodeficiency or selectively greater impairment of cellular than humoral immunity. The absence of severe combined immunodeficiency in this child was associated with normal lymphocyte content of ATP, dATP, and cyclic 3'5'-adenosine monophosphate, potentially toxic metabolites which are elevated in ADA-deficient immunodeficient children.

Adenosine Deaminase↗