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Biomedical subjects

A Wiik

Publications and source records attributed to A Wiik.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Lymphokines and soluble interleukin-2 receptors in juvenile chronic arthritis. Clinical and laboratory correlations.

Serum levels of interleukin (IL)-2, interferon gamma (IFNg) and soluble IL-2 receptors (sIL-2R) were determined in sera from 34 patients with poly- or pauciarticular juvenile chronic arthritis (JCA) by use of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs). Levels of sIL-2R were elevated in the group of patients compared with those of healthy children and correlated significantly with several parameters of clinical activity, including the functional capacity, joint score, visual-analogue score and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR). Serum IL-2 levels were also elevated in the JCA patients, correlating with the patients functional capacity. Serum levels of IFNg were below the detection limit of the assay. Our data supported the notion that T-cell activation plays a role in the immunopathologic processes leading to clinical JCA.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Clinical manifestations in patients with autoantibodies specific for nuclear lamin proteins.

IgG antibodies to nuclear lamin proteins have been found in serum samples from 31 patients using immunofluorescence on HEp-2 cells, Western blotting, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, performed against a nuclear lamina preparation from Ehrlich ascites tumor cells. Antilamin antibodies were most prevalent among patients with nonerosive, seronegative polyarthritis, or patients showing serum antiphospholipid reactivity as well. It is possible that anti-lamin antibodies may thus be a marker for a subgroup of polyarthritis patients who have a different prognosis from that of those with seropositive rheumatoid arthritis. The mechanism for the combined occurrence of anti-lamin and antiphospholipid autoantibodies is obscure. Future studies will answer whether these two antibodies represent a distinct antibody profile in patients with antiphospholipid antibody syndrome.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

PASSHIV-1 treatment of patients with HIV-1 infection. A preliminary report of a phase I trial of hyperimmune porcine immunoglobulin to HIV-1.

OBJECTIVE: To study the safety of intravenously administered porcine-derived hyperimmune immunoglobulin to HIV-1, PASSHIV-1, in humans. METHODS: Fourteen HIV-1-infected individuals were treated for 5-7 days with intravenous infusions of highly purified PASSHIV-1 (> 95% pure). Two of the 14 patients were retreated 3 months later with PASSHIV-1 for an additional 5 days to evaluate side-effects from retreatment with porcine immunoglobulins. RESULTS: Ten of the patients had no side-effects from PASSHIV-1 therapy. Three patients experienced transient urticarial eruptions, which responded to antihistamine administration and did not require discontinuation of therapy. One patient, who received concomitant administration of human gammaglobulin, experienced serum sickness (type 3 hypersensitivity reaction). All patients demonstrated a significant improvement in fatigue (100% response), weight (all those with previous weight loss gained weight), fever (100% response), polyneuropathy (100% response), bronchitis (100% response), candidiasis (100% response), diarrhea (100% response), and dermatitis (100% response). One out of the five patients with Kaposi's sarcoma demonstrated > 50% improvement. Mean CD4+ cell counts in the group rose from 143 +/- 263 to 234 +/- 323 x 10(6)/l 4-6 months following completion of therapy (P = 0.013, paired Student's t-test); CD4+ counts rose > twofold in six individuals. p24 antigen, present in four patients, was negative following therapy in all patients. Other laboratory parameters that responded to therapy included: platelet counts (71% response), leukopenia (57% response), elevated lactic dehydrogenase (100% response), and elevated alkaline phosphatase (100% response). PASSHIV-1 was well tolerated by HIV-1-infected individuals. CONCLUSION: This therapy appears to be efficacious in ameliorating some of the clinical aspects and symptoms of HIV-1 infection.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1991

Complement receptor type 1 (CR1, CD35) expression on peripheral T lymphocytes: both CD4- and CD8-positive cells express CR1.

T lymphocytes from 42 healthy blood donors were examined for expression of CR1 on the cell surface using a fluorescence-activated cell sorter. The fraction of CR1-positive T lymphocytes varied in the range from 1 to 8% (median 2.4%). The CR1-positive T lymphocytes constituted a homogeneous group of cells regarding both size and granulation; they seemed to be larger and more granulated than the average T lymphocytes. The CR1-expressing T lymphocytes were found both in the CD4- and in the CD8-positive subpopulations of T lymphocytes, and although the CD4-positive cells expressed CR1 with a slightly higher percentage than did the CD8-positive cells, this difference was not significant. The number of CR1-positive T lymphocytes did not correlate with the level of CR1 on erythrocytes. The presence of CR1 on a small T lymphocyte population suggests that CR1 on T lymphocytes might play a role in the immune regulation.

Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte↗
PubMed1991

Relationship between antinuclear antibodies and differential cell counts in synovial fluid of patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Presence and titres of organ non-specific and granulocyte-specific antinuclear antibodies (ON-ANA and GS-ANA) were studied in 100 samples of synovial fluids taken from 95 patients with seropositive rheumatoid arthritis and in corresponding sera. At the same time the white cell count as well as the percentage of granulocytes and granulocytes with pycnotic or fragmented nuclei (PGS and FGS, respectively) were evaluated in the synovial fluid sediment. Twenty six percent of synovial fluid samples were positive for ON-ANA and the same percentage of samples were positive for GS-ANA. Titres of GS-ANA showed a clear inverse correlation with the number of granulocytes. The rate of PGS as well as of FGS increased with the titer of both types of studied ANA, however, a significant correlation was observed only between the percentage of these cells and GS-ANA. Differences in specificity and titres of ANA were demonstrated in samples of synovial fluids taken at the same time from both knee joints of 5 patients under study. The differences were also noticed when the specificity and titer of ANA present in synovial fluid and serum samples were compared. A case of rheumatoid arthritis showing sudden appearance of numerous plasma cells in the synovial fluid in course of the disease is presented. This patient initially had no ANA in the synovial fluid or in serum, but ANA were detected at the time of synovial fluid plasmacytosis. These data indicate that a local production of ANA is likely to take place in ANA positive rheumatoid arthritis.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Autoantibodies to lamins A and C in sera of patients showing peripheral fluorescent antinuclear antibody pattern on HEP-2 cells.

Lamins A, B, and C are the major proteins of a polymeric structure called nuclear lamina, which is intercalated between chromatin and the inner membrane of the nuclear envelope. Using immunofluorescence on HEp-2 cells, specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and Western blotting performed against nuclear lamina preparation from Ehrlich ascites tumor cells, we characterized three patients, whose sera contained antibodies to nuclear lamins. The reaction pattern observed in two of the patients may result from single or combined occurrence of anti-lamin A and C antibodies. The third patient had antibodies that probably recognized an epitope in the carboxy-terminal region of lamin C. The sera were donated by a heterogeneous group of patients, and no common clinical or laboratory signs seemed to link them together.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Screening for autoantibodies in patients with primary fibromyalgia syndrome and a matched control group.

Primary fibromyalgia syndrome (PFS) is a non-articular rheumatic condition characterized by chronic muscular pain. We have performed screening for autoantibodies in 20 women with PFS and in 19 age-matched healthy women. Fifty-five percent of the PFS patients had anti-smooth muscle antibodies and 40% had anti-striated muscle antibodies. None of the control subjects had any muscle antibodies. There was no significant difference in frequency of the remaining autoantibodies between the groups investigated. The present study indicates autoimmune responses in PFS against antigens of the diseased tissue itself, a finding which may be secondary to the disease or have relevance to the still obscure pathogenesis of the syndrome.

Autoantibodies↗
PubMed1989

Circulating IgA- and IgM-rheumatoid factors in patients with primary Sjögren syndrome. Correlation to extraglandular manifestations.

IgM- and IgA-rheumatoid factors (RF) were determined by ELISA technique in 40 consecutive patients with primary Sjögren syndrome (primary SS), all fulfilling the Copenhagen diagnostic criteria. Increased concentrations of IgM-RF were found in 25 patients (63%) (median concentration: 85 IU/ml, range 11-302 IU/ml). Increased concentrations of IgA-RF were found in 22 of the patients (55%) (median concentration: 100 AU/ml, range 25-255 AU/ml). The levels of IgM- and IgA-RF were closely correlated (r = 0.82, p less than 0.001). IgM-RF (p = 0.037), but not IgA-RF (p = 0.17), was significantly correlated to the presence of antinuclear antibodies (ANA). In contrast, IgA-RF (p = 0.002), but not IgM RF (p = 0.068), was significantly correlated to the presence of hypergammaglobulinemia. The most common extraglandular manifestations were: arthralgia/synovitis (60%), myalgia/myositis (28%), Raynaud's phenomenon (20%) and pulmonary manifestations (15%). Concentrations of both IgM-RF (r = 0.43, p less than 0.01) and IgA-RF (r = 0.57, p less than 0.001) were correlated to the number of extraglandular manifestations present in each patient.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

The specificity of anti-cardiolipin antibodies from syphilis patients and from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

In order to elucidate the fine specificity of anti-cardiolipin antibodies (ACA) in patients with SLE compared to patients with syphilis (SY) various inhibition experiments were performed. Seven SLE sera and eight SY sera positive for ACA were diluted and preincubated with either cardiolipin VDRL-antigen, mitochondial particles, dsDNA, ssDNA or dilution buffer. The sera were subsequently assayed for residual ACA activity of IgG or IgM class using a sensitive ELISA technique. Significant inhibition of IgM ACA activity in SLE sera was found with cardiolipin, VDRL-antigen and mitochondrial particles. Cardiolipin inhibited binding to a significantly higher extent than the other antigens. In SY sera significant inhibition of the IgM ACA activity was found with all antigens used. The strongest inhibition was seen using VDRL-antigen. Inhibition of IgG ACA activity could only be clearly estimated in SY sera where VDRL-antigen was found to be a much stronger inhibitor than the rest, purified cardiolipin being the weakest. Only two out of seven SLE sera were IgG ACA positive which made a clear conclusion impossible but a strong inhibitory capability of pure cardiolipin and a weaker inhibition with VDRL-antigen was found. This study disclosed a difference between SLE and SY sera showing strong reactivity of ACA in SLE sera with purified cardiolipin, contrasting to ACA in SY sera which predominantly reacted with cardiolipin in the liposome environment, as found in the VDRL-antigen and in mitochondrial particles.

Antibody Specificity↗