Biomedical subjects

Y Ueki

Publications and source records attributed to Y Ueki.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

PubMed1994

Increment of CD8S6F1 cells in synovial fluid from patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the role of CD8 cell subsets in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and the phenotypes of T cells adherent or non-adherent to the target cells (endothelial cells and synovial cells) pre-treated with IL-1 beta. METHODS: The expression of S6F1 on CD8 cells and that of an activation marker on CD8 cells and CD8 cell subsets was evaluated in specimens of peripheral blood and synovial fluid obtained from 15 patients with RA and 10 with osteoarthritis (OA) using a two- or three-colour immunofluorescence method for analysis. RESULTS: The percentage of CD8S6F1 cells among CD8 cells in synovial fluid was significantly greater than that of peripheral blood. Synovial fluid from RA patients had a greater percentage of CD8S6F1 cells compared with either peripheral blood of matched patients or synovial fluid of OA patients. The percentage of CD8HLA-DR cells in synovial fluid was markedly greater than that in paired samples of peripheral blood in patients with RA. In the CD8S6F1 cells from both groups of patients, synovial fluid showed an increased percentage of HLA-DR cells compared with peripheral blood. Similar results were observed in CD8 cells lacking S6F1 expression (CD8S6F1-) from both groups of patients. There was no significant difference in the percentage of HLA-DR cells between CD8S6F1 and CD8S6F1- cell populations in peripheral blood. In contrast with peripheral blood, in synovial fluid of RA patients the percentage of HLA-DR cells in the CD8S6F1 cell population was markedly greater than that in the CD8S6F1- population. However, the percentage of HLA-DR cells in both cell populations was similar in synovial fluid of OA patients. In both the endothelial and the synovial cell adhesion assays, the percentage of CD8S6F1 among CD8 cells and the mean fluorescence intensity of S6F1 antigen on CD8S6F1 cells were significantly greater in the adherent T cell population than that in the non-adherent T cell population. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that increased expression of S6F1 antigen and the increased percentage of HLA-DR cells on CD8 cells in synovial fluid may be responsible for the migration of these cells into inflamed synovial tissues, and for cellular interactions between these cells and synovial cells or the extracellular matrix.

Adult↗

PubMed1994

Interleukin 4 increases human synovial cell expression of VCAM-1 and T cell binding.

OBJECTIVE: The effects were studied of interleukin 4 (IL-4) on T cell-synovial cell adhesion and on the expression of adhesion molecules on the surface of synovial fibroblast-like cells. METHODS: The adhesion of T cells toward the synovial cells were measured by 51chromium-labelled adhesion assay. The expression of adhesion molecules on synovial cells were analysed by flowcytometry. RESULTS: Stimulation of synovial cells with IL-4 increased T cell-synovial cells adhesion in a time- and dose-dependent manner. IL-4 considerably enhanced the expression of VCAM-1 on the surface of synovial cells, but not the expression of ICAM-1 and ELAM-1. The combination of IL-1 beta and IL-4 had no effect on the expression of ICAM-1 or VCAM-1 on the surface of synovial cells. The increased adhesion of T cells to IL-4 stimulated synovial cells was inhibited significantly by adding anti-VCAM-1 or anti-CD29 monoclonal antibody. Furthermore, anti-VLA-4 alpha or the combination of anti-VLA-4 alpha and anti-VCAM-1 antibodies blocked completely T-cell binding to IL-4 stimulated synovial cells. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the increased adhesion of T cells to IL-4-stimulated synovial cells is mediated by VLA-4/VCAM-1 pathway.

Adult↗

PubMed1994

Probucol-induced QT prolongation and syncope.

We report a patient who experienced a reversible prolongation of the QT interval and episodes of syncope while receiving probucol. A 64-year-old woman experienced syncopal attacks 8 and 11 weeks after beginning probucol treatment (500 mg twice daily). The pre-treatment ECG showed a slight prolongation of the corrected QT interval (QTc) (0.46 sec). Her QTc increased to 0.62 sec 12 weeks after beginning probucol treatment and decreased to about the baseline value (0.48 sec) 6 weeks after treatment was discontinued. Probucol is known to prolong the QT interval. A long QT interval has been linked to an increased risk of ventricular arrhythmias, syncope or sudden death. However, clinical reports which causally relate probucol treatment to syncope are very rare. Although an ECG during the episodes of syncope was not available, this patient's syncope might be due to ventricular tachyarrhythmia associated with probucol-induced QT prolongation. This case emphasizes the need for careful evaluation of the QT interval before and during probucol treatment.

Atrial Fibrillation↗

PubMed1994

Increase in adhesion molecules on CD4+ cells and CD4+ cell subsets in synovial fluid from patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVE: To elucidate the role of adhesion molecules in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: We evaluated their expression and that of an activation marker on CD4+ cell populations and CD4+ cell subsets in specimens of peripheral blood (PB) and synovial fluid (SF) obtained from 10 patients with RA and 7 with osteoarthritis (OA). A 2 or 3-color immunofluorescent method was used for analysis. RESULTS: The SF from both groups of patients showed a greater density of adhesion molecules including LFA-1 alpha, LFA-1 beta, CD2, VLA-4 alpha and VLA-5 alpha on CD4+ cells, and a higher percentage of CD4+HLA-DR+ cells compared with their PB. IN PB-CD4+ cell subsets from the arthritic and healthy subjects, the CD4+CD45RO+ cell population showed an increased expression of adhesion molecules compared with CD4+CD45RA+ cell population. The expression of adhesion molecules on circulating CD4+ cell population and CD4+ cell subsets from the patients with RA and OA was comparable to that from healthy subjects. SF from both groups of patients showed a higher percentage of CD4+CD45RO+ cells and a lower percentage of CD4+CD45RA+ cells. In SF-CD4+ cell subsets from patients with RA, the CD4+CD45RO+ cell population had an increased expression of VLA-4 alpha compared to the CD4+CD45RA+ cell population; however, there was no significant difference in other adhesion molecule expression and the percentage of HLA-DR+ cells between the 2 cell subsets. Furthermore, the expression of VLA-4 alpha on the CD4+CD45RO+ cell population in SF from patients with RA was significantly higher than that in matched PB. In CD4+CD45RA+ cell population from both groups of patients, SF showed an enhanced expression of adhesion molecules and an increased percentage of HLA-DR+ cells compared with matched PB. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that increased expression of adhesion molecules and increased percentage of HLA-DR+ cells on CD4+ cells in SF may be responsible for cellular interactions between these cells and synovial cells or extracellular matrix.

Adult↗

PubMed1993

Clonal analysis of a human antibody response. II. Sequences of the VH genes of human IgM, IgG, and IgA to rabies virus reveal preferential utilization of VHIII segments and somatic hypermutation.

The construction of mAb-producing cell lines has been instrumental in dissecting the fine specificities and genetic makeup of murine antibodies to exogenous and self Ag. The analysis of the genetic composition of human antibody responses has been hampered by the difficulty in generating human mAb of predetermined class and specificity. Using B lymphocytes from three healthy subjects vaccinated with inactivated rabies virus vaccine, we generated nine human mAb binding to rabies virus and analyzed the genes encoding their VH regions. Six mAb (five IgG1 and one IgA1) were monoreactive and displayed high affinities for rabies virus Ag. The remaining three mAb (IgM) were polyreactive and displayed lower affinities for rabies virus Ag. Seven mAb (3 IgG1, the IgA1, and the three IgM) utilized VH gene segments of the VHIII family. The remaining two IgG1 mAb utilized gene segments of the VHI and VHIV families. Of the seven expressed VHIII family genes, three were similar to the germline VH26c gene, two to the germline 22-2B gene, one to the germline H11 gene, and one to the germline 8-1B gene. The expressed VHI and VHIV genes displayed sequences similar to those of the germline hv1263 and V71-4 genes, respectively. The VH genes of all but one mAb (mAb55) resembled those that are predominantly expressed by C mu + clones in human fetal liver libraries. When compared with known germline sequences, the VH genes of the rabies virus-binding mAb displayed variable numbers of nucleotide differences. That such differences resulted from a process of somatic hypermutation was formally demonstrated (by analyzing DNA from polymorphonuclear neutrophil of the same subject whose B lymphocytes were used for the mAb generation) in the case of the VH gene of the high affinity (anti-rabies virus glycoprotein) IgG1 mAb57 that has been shown to efficiently neutralize the virus in vitro and in vivo. The distribution, mainly within the complementarity determining regions, and the high replacement-to-silent ratio of the mutations, were consistent with the hypothesis that the mAb57-producing cell clone underwent a process of Ag-driven affinity maturation through clonal selection. The D gene segments of the rabies virus-selected mAb were heterogeneous and, in most cases, flanked by significant N segment additions. The JH segment utilization was unbalanced and reminiscent of those of the adult and fetus. Four mAb utilized JH4, two JH6, two JH3, and one JH5; no mAb utilized JH1 or JH2 genes.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1993

Lymphocyte subsets in hemodialysis patients treated with recombinant human erythropoietin.

We investigated whether recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEPO) therapy affected the lymphocyte subsets in patients on long-term maintenance hemodialysis (HD) with severe anemia. Before treatment, the numbers of peripheral blood lymphocyte, CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, and CD20+ cells were decreased in HD patients compared to those in healthy subjects, while the number of CD3+HLA-DR+ cells was increased in HD patients compared to that in healthy subjects. Furthermore, the number of CD4+CD45RA+ (naive T) cells was markedly decreased in HD patients (112 +/- 77 vs 241 +/- 146/microliters; P < 0.01). The number of CD8+S6F1+ (cytotoxic T) cells in HD patients was also less than that in healthy subjects (247 +/- 104 vs 122 +/- 83/microliters; NS). During a 6-month period of rhEPO therapy, we found that the low level of CD4+CD45RA+ cells gradually increased (from 112 +/- 18 to 163 +/- 24/microliters; P < 0.01) with the elevation of hematocrit values (from 21.5 +/- 1.7 to 28.2 +/- 3.5%; P < 0.05). The number of CD3+HLA-DR+ cells decreased after 1 month of rhEPO therapy (from 93 +/- 14 to 46 +/- 13/microliters) and gradually declined throughout the 6-month study period. In our in vitro study, we demonstrated that no effects were observed on [3H]thymidine uptake in the T cell subsets at various concentrations of rhEPO. These results suggest that rhEPO-induced immunoregulation is mediated by an indirect stimulatory effect on the immune system, this stimulation being accompanied by an improvement in physical condition.

Adult↗

PubMed1993

Expression of adhesion molecules on infiltrating T cells in thyroid glands from patients with Graves' disease.

The present study was performed to elucidate the role of adhesion molecules in the pathogenesis of Graves' disease. Peripheral blood and intrathyroidal mononuclear cells were obtained from 14 patients with Graves' disease. The expression of adhesion molecules and HLA-DR antigen on CD4+ cells and CD4+ cell subpopulations was analysed by the two- or three-colour immunofluorescence method. The expression of adhesion molecules including LFA-1 alpha, LFA-1 beta, CD2, VLA-4 alpha and VLA-5 alpha on CD4+ cells in the thyroid gland was markedly higher than that in peripheral blood. In peripheral blood CD4+ cell subsets, the CD4+ CD45RO+ cell population had an enhanced expression of the adhesion molecules compared with the CD4+ CD45RA+ cell population. However, there was no significant difference in the expression of adhesion molecules by CD4+ cell populations and subsets between Graves' disease and healthy subjects. The thyroid gland from Graves' disease contained a higher percentage of CD4+ CD45RO+ cells and a lower percentage of CD4+ CD45RA+ cells. In intrathyroidal CD4+ cell subsets, the CD4+ CD45RO+ cell population had an increased expression of LFA-1 and CD2 compared with the CD4+ CD45RA+ cell population, but there was no significant difference in VLA-4 and VLA-5 expression between the two cell subsets. Furthermore, the expression of LFA-1 and CD2 on the CD4+ CD45RO+ cell population in the thyroid was significantly higher than that in matched peripheral blood. A similar finding was also observed for the CD4+ CD45RA+ cell population. The thyroid gland had an increased percentage of CD4+ HLA-DR+ cells compared with matched or healthy peripheral blood. However, there was no significant difference in the percentage of HLA-DR+ cells in the thyroid gland between CD4+ CD45RO+ cell and CD4+ CD45RA+ cell populations. These results suggest that increased expression of adhesion molecules on CD4+ cells may be responsible for the migration of these cells into thyroid glands and cellular interactions between these cells and thyroid epithelial cells.

Adult↗

PubMed1993

[Report of three cases of purple urine bag syndrome which occurred with a combination of both E. coli and M. morganii].

Purple urine bag syndrome is a rare phenomenon in which bags turns purple or blue following catheterization. This phenomenon was reported to occur by Providencia stuartii in the presence of indicanuria. We reported herein three females above 75 years of age having a similar phenomenon. All were bedridden chronically and constipated. In these cases, no growth of P. stuartii was found on repeated urine culture, but Escherichia coli and Morganella morganii were concomitantly isolated during the blue bags. It is suggested that purple urine bag syndrome develops in a combination of E. coli and M. morganii besides P. stuartii.

Aged↗

PubMed1992

Purification and structural analysis of hippocampal cholinergic neurostimulating peptide.

Hippocampal soluble fraction stimulates acetylcholine (AcCho) synthesis of medial septal nuclei in explant culture system. This stimulating activity was purified from 10-12-day-old rat hippocampus. During purification, the activity was separated into two fractions and a previously unreported peptide was purified from one fraction. The structure of this novel peptide is acetyl-Ala-Ala-Asp-Ile-Ser-Gln-Trp-Ala-Gly-Pro-Leu and we designated it as hippocampal cholinergic neurostimulating peptide (HCNP). Synthesized HCNP and de-acetylated HCNP (free-HCNP) stimulated AcCho synthesis of medial septal nuclei culture, in a dose-dependent manner, but not cultures of corpus striatum or anterior spinal cord. Mean half-maximal concentrations of HCNP and free-HCNP in AcCho synthesis of medial septal nuclei culture were 1.0 +/- 0.3 x 10(-10) M and 1.0 +/- 0.6 x 10(-11) M, respectively. Affinity purified polyclonal antibody to the free-HCNP neutralized the activity of crude hippocampal extract, as well as synthetic HCNP and free-HCNP. These observations suggested that HCNP was present in the hippocampal extract and was involved in development of specific cholinergic neuron in central nervous system.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1992

Remarkable increase in CD26-positive T cells in patients with human T lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) associated myelopathy.

We used two-color flow cytometric analysis to investigate CD26+ (Ta1+) cells in peripheral blood T lymphocytes from patients with human T-lymphotropic virus type-I (HTLV-I)-associated myelopathy (HAM). The percentage of CD26+ cells among CD3+ cells was markedly increased in patients with HAM, compared with anti-HTLV-I seropositive carriers (p < 0.001) and seronegative controls (p < 0.01). Within the subpopulation of T cells, a significantly high percentage of CD26+ cells was detected in both CD4+ and CD8+ cell populations. Furthermore, analysis of HLA-DR+ T cells revealed similar results. In contrast CD4+CD45RA+ cells were significantly decreased in comparison with controls. These results suggest that immunologically activated or memory T cells found in peripheral blood may be etiologically relevant to HAM.

Adult↗

PubMed1992

[Effects of gamma-hydroxybutyrate on monoamine metabolism and protein synthesis after transient global cerebral ischemia].

The effects of gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) on 1) monoamine metabolism, and 2) protein synthesis were examined in a gerbil stroke model. The monoamine metabolism was studied by occluding bilateral common carotid arteries for 15 minutes followed by GHB administered intravenously 3 hours later. Tissue monoamine concentration was examined up to 8 hours after recirculation. Three hours after GHB administration, dopamine (DA) had increased to almost twice that of the non-treated group, whereas homovanillic acid, a metabolite of DA, did not show any significant difference. These results may mean that GHB will facilitate DA synthesis but that it has no influence on its release. Therefore, a DA-mediated increase in cerebral blood flow in the cerebral cortex cannot be expected. Tryptophan, a precursor of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5HT), started to increase just after recirculation reaching a level of over four times that of the control value at 2 to 3 hours, and then starting to decrease in the non-treated group. This decline in tryptophan was markedly facilitated by GHB administration within 1 hour. On the other hand, 5HT administration within 1 hour. On the other hand, 5HT increased only very slightly in the cerebral cortex 1 hour after GHB administration, the change ratio being 1/30 of tryptophan. It can therefore be speculated, that the decrease in tryptophan brought about by GHB administration is due to the improvement in disturbed protein synthesis rather than to stimulation of 5HT synthesis. Protein synthesis was studied by administering GHB 2 minutes prior to a 5-minute temporal common carotid artery occlusion. Ninety minutes after recirculation animals were given a single dose of 14C-leucine and further 60 minutes were allowed to pass before sacrifice. Autoradiographs of the GHB-treated group were compared with those of the non-treated group. With GHB pretreatment, autoradiographs showed an increased uptake of 14C-leucine in at least the hippocampus, thalamus, and hypothalamus, and in two out of three animals, there was diffusely increased uptake. Thus, it is speculated that GHB is effective in improving the protein synthesis in the postischemic period. The favorable function of GHB during cerebral ischemia is regarded by many to be prevention of energy failure by reducing cerebral metabolism. On the other hand, the results derived from the present study suggest that GHB may improve protein synthesis in the postischemic period. Thus, we suggest that GHB is useful if given at the acute stage of cerebral ischemia such as during internal carotid artery or middle cerebral artery occlusion.

Animals↗

PubMed1991

Effects of lobenzarit disodium on human endothelial cells. Lobenzarit disodium inhibits proliferative response, HLA-DR antigen expression, and T cell adherence toward endothelial cells.

The therapeutic action of lobenzarit disodium (CCA) on the function of endothelial cells (EC) isolated from human umbilical cord veins was investigated. CCA suppressed 3H-thymidine incorporation into EC in a dose-dependent manner. Significant inhibition was detected at a concentration of 50 micrograms/ml. The expression of HLA-DR antigen on the surface of EC was increased when EC were cultured with recombinant interferon-gamma (rIFN gamma). Treatment of EC with either IFN gamma or interleukin-1 enhanced the adhesion of T cells to EC. The kinetics of HLA-DR antigen expression by EC cultured with IFN gamma was different from the kinetics of T cell-EC adhesion, however. Neither anti-HLA-DR nor anti-HLA-ABC monoclonal antibody inhibited T cell binding to EC monolayers. CCA suppressed the expression of HLA-DR antigen by EC cultured with rIFN gamma. In an EC monolayer adhesion assay, CCA also inhibited T cell adhesion to EC in the presence of either IFN gamma or interleukin-1. Significant inhibition was observed at a CCA concentration of 10 micrograms/ml, a level that is easily attainable in serum. These results suggest that CCA may suppress rheumatoid synovitis by reducing the angiogenesis and emigration of chronic inflammatory cells from the blood into the synovium.

Cell Adhesion↗

PubMed1991

Synergistic effects of phorbol ester and interferon-alpha: target cell class I HLA antigen expression and resistance to natural killer and lymphokine-activated killer cell-mediated cytolysis.

This study was undertaken to investigate whether target cell class I HLA antigen expression induced by phorbol ester and interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) was associated with resistance to natural killer (NK) cells and lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cell-mediated cytotoxicity. Class I antigen expression on the surface of the K562 erythroleukemia cell line was enhanced by either IFN-alpha or phorbol ester (PDBu). Addition of PDBu together with IFN-alpha had a synergistic effect on class I antigen expression on the cells. Furthermore, synergism between IFN-alpha and PDBu was also found in class I antigen expression by MOLT-3 cells. This synergistic effect on class I antigen expression was blocked by the protein synthesis inhibitor (cycloheximide). Pretreatment of K562 cells with PDBu and IFN-alpha made them more resistant to lysis by NK and LAK cells than did either PDBu or IFN-alpha. In contrast to PDBu, 4 alpha PDD, a biologically inactive phorbol analogue, alone or combination with IFN-alpha, had no effect on class I antigen expression and susceptibility to lysis by NK and LAK cells. Kinetic experiments showed an inverse relationship between the expression of class I antigens and susceptibility to NK cell-mediated cytolysis. Using cold target competition analysis, target cells pretreated with PDBu and IFN-alpha clearly competed less effectively than did untreated cells for lysis of untreated target cells. These results demonstrate that target cells pretreated with PDBu and IFN-alpha decrease their sensitivity to natural killer and lymphokine-activated killer cells inversely with target cell class I HLA antigen expression.

Cell Line↗

PubMed1991

CD4+CD45RA+ cells (suppressor-inducer T cells) in thyroid tissue from patients with Graves' disease.

Previously, we used dual immunofluorescent analysis and showed that the thyroid gland from patients with Graves' disease had a reduced number of CD4+CD45RA+ cells, but an increased number of complementary CD4+CDw29+ cells. An immunohistochemical study, however, produced opposite results; interstitial lymphocytes predominantly expressed the CD45RA+ rather than the CDw29+ phenotype. Because the difference in findings may be due to differences in the techniques used, we did the following experiments: Mononuclear cells were treated with various amounts of collagenase (50-1000 mg/l) which had no effect on the cell surface antigens CD3, CD4 and CD45RA. A dual immunofluorescent study showed that the numbers of CD4+CD45RA+ and CD8+CD45RA+ cell population among CD45RA+ cell population were markedly decreased in the thyroid tissue, and that the CD45RA antigen on the intrathyroidal mononuclear cells was mainly expressed on the CD20+ cells. As the thyroid section had been fixed with acetone before immunohistochemical staining, CD45RA- cells were treated with acetone and stained with anti-CD45RA monoclonal antibody using an avidin-biotin peroxidase complex method. The results of this experiment suggest that there are cell surface molecules which react with anti-CD45RA monoclonal antibody after treatment with acetone in CD45RA- cells. The above findings confirm our previous results which showed that the thyroid glands of patients with Graves' disease have decreased numbers of suppressor-inducer T cells. Also, several problems exist in the detection of CD45RA+ cells when using an immunohistochemical method.

Acetone↗

PubMed1990

Clonal analysis of a human antibody response. Quantitation of precursors of antibody-producing cells and generation and characterization of monoclonal IgM, IgG, and IgA to rabies virus.

We quantitated and characterized the changes in the human B cell repertoire, at the clonal level, before and after immunization with rabies virus. Moreover, we generated 10 monoclonal cell lines producing IgM, IgG, and IgA antibodies to the virus. We found that in healthy subjects, not previously exposed to the virus, nearly 2% of the circulating B lymphocytes were committed to the production of antibodies that bound the virus. These B cells expressed the surface CD5 molecule. The antibodies they produced were polyreactive IgM that displayed a relatively low affinity for the virus components (Kd, 1.0-2.4 x 10(-6) g/microliters). After immunization, different anti-virus (IgG and IgA) antibody-producing cells consistently appeared in the circulation and increased from less than 0.005% to greater than 10% of the total B cells committed to the production of IgG and IgA, respectively. Most of such B cells do not express CD5 and produce monoreactive antibodies of high affinity for rabies virus (Kd, 6.5 x 10(-9) to 1.2 x 10(-10) g/microliters). One of these IgG mAbs efficiently neutralized rabies virus in vitro and in vivo, as detailed elsewhere (Dietzschold, B., P. Casali, Y. Ueki, M. Gore, C. E. Rupprecht, A. L. Notkins, and H. Koprowski, manuscript submitted for publication). Hybridization experiments using probes specific for the different human V gene segment families revealed that cell precursors producing low affinity IgM binding to rabies virus utilized a restricted number of VH gene segments (i.e., only members of the VHIIIb subfamily), whereas cell precursors producing high affinity IgG and IgA to rabies virus utilized an assortment of different VH gene segments (i.e., members of the VHI, VHIII, VHIV, and VHVI families and VHIIIb subfamily). In conclusion, our studies show that EBV transformation in conjunction with limiting dilution technology and somatic cell hybridization techniques are useful methods for quantitating, at the B cell clonal level, the human antibody response to foreign Ags and for generating human mAbs of predetermined specificity and high affinity.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗

PubMed1990

Cytokine regulation of HLA on thyroid epithelial cells.

The regulation of class I and class II HLA expression in human thyroid follicular cells was studied in vitro. Tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) enhanced the expression of class I antigen on thyrocytes, but these cytokines had little effect on the expression of class II antigen. Interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) did not affect class I and class II antigen expression. The combination of interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) with TNF-alpha or IL-1 beta enhanced the induction of class I and class II antigens, compared with the effect of IFN-gamma alone. Neither class I nor class II expression was induced by IL-6 alone or in combination with IFN-gamma. These findings suggest that TNF-alpha and IL-1 beta may have an important role in inappropriate expression of HLA antigens on thyrocytes in thyroid gland.

Cell Survival↗

PubMed1990

Biological characterization of human monoclonal antibodies to rabies virus.

Rabies virus antigen-specific human monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) that recognized either viral glycoprotein, ribonucleoprotein, or matrix proteins were generated. Only glycoprotein-specific MAb neutralized a variety of rabies viruses and protected laboratory rodents against lethal rabies virus infection. The determinant recognized by this MAb does not appear to reside in previously defined antigenic sites of the viral glycoprotein.

Animals↗

PubMed1990

Contact dermatitis sparing the eruption of herpes zoster and its periphery.

A 63-year-old male developed allergic contact dermatitis with antibiotic ointment applied to the skin eruptions of herpes zoster. From the result of patch test, fradiomycin sulfate contained in the ointment was identified as the contact sensitizing antigen. Strangely, this contact dermatitis was confined to the area surrounding the sores, sparing the lesions and their periphery. We postulated that a decrease in Langerhans cell activity in the herpes zoster lesions and their peripheral area was primarily responsible for this phenomenon, since an important role of Langerhans cells in host defence against herpes virus infection has recently been demonstrated.

Dermatitis, Contact↗