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Biomedical subjects

Z T Handzel

Publications and source records attributed to Z T Handzel.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1987

Immune impairments and antibodies to HTLVIII/LAV in asymptomatic male homosexuals in Israel: relevance to the risk of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS).

We have studied 288 Israeli asymptomatic male homosexuals (MHS) to determine the prevalence of antibodies to HTLVI and HTLVIII and their correlation with impairments of the immune system and serum interferon (IFN). Seropositivity for HTLVI, HTLVIII, or both was found in 1.4, 8.3, and 0%, respectively. Significant decreases in the total peripheral T cells, TH cells, and TH/TS ratio as well as elevated alpha IFN serum levels were found in the MHS group in comparison with normal controls. Although no difference in the prevalence of either immune derangements or elevated serum IFN was observed between HTLVIII/LAV-seropositive and HTLVIII/LAV-seronegative MHS, the decreases in total T cells, TH cells, and TH/TS ratios were significantly greater in the seropositive MHS. These results indicate that (a) immune impairments and IFN system activation occur commonly in homosexuals, precede their exposure to HTLVIII/LAV, and probably reflect this group's increased risk for AIDS and (b) HTLVIII/LAV infection of MHS aggravates further their preexisting immune impairments.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1987

Immunoreconstitution of T-cell impairments in asymptomatic male homosexuals by thymic humoral factor (THF).

The feasibility of using Thymic Humoral Factor (THF) for immunomodulation in asymptomatic male homosexuals was evaluated in a study on fifteen subjects with T-cell impairments, selected on the basis of a 2SD reduction in T helper/inducer (T4+) cells and one additional lymphocytic defect. Following two biweekly courses of treatment, mean relative increments of T4+ (P less than 0.002), T3+ (P less than 0.02) and total lymphocyte (P less than 0.05) populations of the group receiving THF (n = 7) were significantly increased when compared to the placebo group (n = 8). In addition, a transient increase in T4+ lymphocytes was observed after the first course in the two individuals of the THF-treated group who were seropositive for HTLV-III/LAV but not in those who were seronegative. No difference was found between the groups in fluctuations of serum interferon (IFN) or proliferation of peripheral mononuclear cells to mitogens. The results of this limited trial demonstrate that THF is capable of correcting T-cell impairments that may predispose asymptomatic homosexuals to infection by HTLV-III, without affecting IFN production. These findings suggest that future strategies for AIDS prevention in high-risk groups should include institution of large controlled trials in immunodeficient, asymptomatic, HTLV-III/LAV-seronegative male homosexuals to study the potential of selective immunoreconstitution as a preventive measure against HTLV-III/LAV infection.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1986

Treatment of congenital immune deficiencies with a thymic hormone--thymic humoral factor.

Five infants with congenital immune defects are presented. Three had various combined immune deficiencies (CID) and two had thymic deficiencies only. As bone marrow or thymus transplantations were not feasible in these patients, we attempted treatment with thymic humoral factor (THF), a thymic hormone, by daily i.m. injections during biweekly courses. In one CID patient, a partial improvement in immune indices and temporary clinical improvement were achieved. In the other two, THF did not arrest the patients' demise. The two patients with thymic dysplasia benefitted repeatedly from THF treatment, as exemplified by the disappearance of wasting, diarrhea and infections and by reconstitution of T cell parameters. Nevertheless, the patients relapsed after prolonged periods without THF administration. We therefore propose the administration of long-term, continuous or intermittent thymic hormone replacement therapy in infants with congenital thymic defects. Early diagnosis and immediate institution of treatment will probably improve prognosis.

Female↗
PubMed1985

Activated interferon system in healthy homosexual men.

More than 50% of a group of healthy homosexuals in Israel were found to have an activated interferon (IFN) system as evidenced by markedly elevated blood IFN levels, increased in vitro production of IFN by unstimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells and HuIFN-alpha and HuIFN-gamma production by appropriately stimulated cells, and a surprisingly high incidence of an antiviral state of cells. This pattern resembles that found in persons with acute viral illness, and is unlike that found in normal healthy controls. The type of IFN in the blood was found to be unusual in that it was mainly HuIFN-alpha, pH 2-labile, a type of IFN found in certain collagen diseases as well as in homosexual men suffering from Kaposi's sarcoma or lymphadenopathy. Natural killer (NK) cytotoxic activity was found to be somewhat lower than that found in normal controls, although no correlation was found between blood IFN levels and NK activity. Mean (2'-5')-oligoisoadenylate synthetase levels in cell extracts were intermediate between normal controls and patients with viral illness. Likewise no correlation was found between enzyme levels and blood IFN levels. The highly activated IFN system found in certain homosexuals, as well as the increased spontaneous production of IFN by unstimulated mononuclear cells, suggest the possibility of the presence of a virus, active or latent, in these individuals. This virus could be a retrovirus such as HTLV-III or LAV which have recently been isolated from AIDS patients. The special type of IFN present could be the response to a novel virus in an unusual situation. On the basis of recent reports, we speculate that homosexuals with highly activated IFN systems who produce pH 2-labile HuIFN-alpha could be at increased risk for developing AIDS.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1985

Noma in a full-term neonate.

Noma is an uncommon gangrenous process usually affecting malnourished children. A full-term neonate with orofacial noma, bilateral choanal atresia, and transient neutropenia with B cell deficiency is reported. This unusual appearance of noma in a well-nourished newborn might be related to the combination of choanal atresia and transient immune deficiency.

Agranulocytosis↗
PubMed1985

Is common variable hypogammaglobulinemia linked to HLA? A family study.

Two patients with common variable hypogammaglobulinemia (CVH) and their families, who came from different ethnic backgrounds, were surveyed for the level of immunoglobulins (Ig) and HLA genotypes. Six of 10 siblings and the mother in one family had a decreased level of one of the major classes of Ig (IgA in 5, IgM in 1 and IgG in the mother). A similar decrease was found in three of six siblings in the other family (IgG in one, IgA in one and IgM in one). HLA genotyping disclosed that affected and nonaffected family members had identical genotypes, suggesting that hypogammaglobulinemia in CVH is not linked to a specific HLA genotype.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Immune derangements in asymptomatic male homosexuals in Israel: a pre-AIDS condition?

We have described several immune derangements found in a clinically asymptomatic group of 117 male homosexuals (MHS) in Israel. These consisted of a marked decrease in TH and TS cells, decreased NK and allogeneic response, and increased levels of acid labile alpha-interferon and circulating immune complexes (CIC). Most of these alterations were found in approximately 40% of the subjects, with no simple correlation between them. Since Israel is a low incidence area for AIDS and related syndromes, it is suggested that this situation reflects a common situation among asymptomatic MHS in general, although the reasons for these impairments are not clear. This situation may therefore explain susceptibility of the male homosexual for developing AIDS, given the appropriate circumstances, environment, and genetic background.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1984

Suppressor T-cell activity in newborns and mothers.

We studied autologous and allogeneic concanavalin A (Con A)-induced suppression of proliferative responses to phytohemagglutinin (PHA) and Con A in peripheral blood mononuclear cells in 24 normal newborns and compared the results with those obtained from 20 normal older children. Three concentrations of PHA and one of Con A were used to stimulate responder cells. Suppressor activity, elicited in the stimulated cell population after 48 h pre-incubation with Con A, was expressed as percentage inhibition of the proliferative response to PHA. There was an inverse relationship between PHA concentration and suppressor activity, and autologous suppression was greater than allogeneic suppression within each group of patients and at each mitogen concentration. In both the autologous and allogeneic systems, older children showed more suppressor activity than newborns. Feto-maternal pairing showed that newborns efficiently suppress their mother's mitogenic responses, but the mothers do not suppress their own or other newborn's lymphocytes, despite having normal autologous suppressor capability. We suggest that suppressor activity by the fetus and it's inhibition in the mother may play a part in the mechanism for controlling maternal-fetal immune rejection.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

A controlled trial of treatment of acquired immunodeficiency in severe measles with thymic humoral factor.

A randomized controlled trial of treatment with thymic humoral factor (THF) in 20 children with severe complicated acute measles infection, resulted in objective benefit as evidenced by improvement in the ESR and a fall in C-reactive protein, fewer complications and a reduced incidence of secondary herpes infection. An increased ratio of helper to suppressor T cells (OKT4/OKT8 ratio) and a greater lymphocyte transformation response to phytohaemagglutin was seen in those children receiving THF. We conclude that THF treatment helps to prevent the development of complications particularly secondary viral infections possibly by enhancing cell-mediated immune responses.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMed1983

Cell-mediated immune suppression due to alfathesin in short-term anaesthesia.

The immunosuppressive effects on cell-mediated immunity of alfathesin, when used as the sole agent for short-term anaesthesia, were investigated in ten women undergoing pregnancy termination. Cell-mediated immunity was evaluated by E rosette formation in peripheral blood (reflecting the percentage of T lymphocytes) and by proliferative responses to the mitogens concanavalin A and phyto-haemagglutinin in various concentrations. Measurements were made before alfathesin was administered, and again after 60 minutes, two days and seven days. Significant reductions in the percentage of E rosettes in peripheral blood and in mitogenic responses to concanavalin A were observed 60 minutes after administration of alfathesin. A model is proposed in which alfathesin binds to lymphocytic membrane receptors, thus affecting in vitro cell-mediated immune reactions.

Abortion, Induced↗
PubMed1983

Cell mediated immunity and effects of "thymic humoral factor" in 15 patients with SSPE.

Cell mediated immunity (CMI) in 15 patients with subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) was assessed by E-rosette formation, leucocyte migration inhibition factor (LIF) production, and proliferative responses to mitogens. In eleven patients, one or more of these parameters were impaired. These defects varied among the different patients and no consistent or uniform pattern of immune deficiency could be demonstrated. Although no single patient had a generalized reduction of all the T-cell functions, a diminished percentage of E-rosetting cells was the most frequent abnormal parameter (7 out of 15 patients). There was no correlation between the clinical state of the patients and the immune defects. Thymic humoral factor (THF), a thymic hormone, reconstituted at least one CMI impaired function especially the reduced levels of E-rosette forming cells in 7 out of 9 patients. It seems unlikely that a generalized cell-mediated defect is the underlying cause of this disease, but immunomodulatory therapy should be considered in some selected cases.

Child↗
PubMed1983

Effect of colchicine on immunoregulatory abnormalities in familial Mediterranean fever.

The effect of colchicine on immunoregulatory T lymphocytes in children with familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) was studied. Concanavalin A (Con A)-induced suppressor cell function was significantly (P less than 0.0001) decreased in five untreated FMF patients (15 +/- 3%, mean +/- s.e.) as compared to six age matched paediatric controls (46 +/- 3%) and eight healthy adults (49 +/- 4%). When the five untreated FMF patients' mononuclear cells were pre-incubated in vitro with Con A plus 10(-5) M colchicine, their suppressor cell function was significantly increased (52 +/- 10%, P less than 0.01). Similarly, oral colchicine treatment (0.5 mg twice daily) significantly (P = 0.02) increased the five FMF patients' Con A-induced suppressor cell function to levels (34 +/- 6%) that were not significantly (P greater than 0.05) different than the paediatric controls or the healthy adults. The percentage of OKT8+ cells (but not OKT3+ or OKT4+ cells) was significantly (P less than 0.0001) decreased in 10 untreated FMF patients (16.0 +/- 0.9) as compared to 10 paediatric controls (27.6 +/- 2) or 10 healthy adults (25.7 +/- 0.6). The 10 untreated FMF patients had a significant (P less than 0.002) increase in the OKT4/OKT8 ratio (2.41 +/- 0.13) as compared to 10 FMF patients treated with 0.5 mg twice daily of colchicine (1.81 +/- 0.08), 10 pediatric controls (1.47 +/- 0.2), or 10 healthy adults (1.78 +/- 0.11). Colchicine appears to have corrected the FMF patients' elevated OKT4/OKT8 ratio by both decreasing the percentage of OKT4+ cells and increasing (but only partially correcting) the percentage of OKT8+ cells. Thus FMF patients have a suppressor cell deficiency in which colchicine treatment corrects their deficiency of Con A-induced suppressor cell function and their elevated OKT4/OKT8 ratio. This raises the possibility that colchicine might be potentially useful as an immunomodulating drug in treating patients with autoimmune or allergic diseases associated with a suppressor cell deficiency.

Adolescent↗