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Biomedical subjects

B Rabin

Publications and source records attributed to B Rabin.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Non-right sidedness: an association with lower IL-2 production.

Using a laterality questionnaire, 138 normal healthy individuals were classified as right-sided and 25 as non-right sided. Interleukin-2 (IL-2) was generated from whole blood obtained from these subjects using mitogen (PHA) stimulation. IL-2 was quantitated in picograms/ml using an enzyme immunoassay (ELISA). Additionally, sera from these subjects were tested for 7 autoantibodies by standard serological methods. As compared to right sided subjects, non-right sided individuals had significantly lower IL-2 production. Non-right sided individuals with autoantibodies had significantly lower IL-2 production than right sided subjects with or without autoantibodies, but did not differ significantly from their non-right sided counterparts without autoantibodies. These data support the increasing evidence for the differential and lateralized regulation of immune functions by the right and left cerebral regions.

Adult

Suggestive evidence of genetic linkage between alcoholism and the MNS blood group.

Thirty nuclear families ascertained through an alcoholic proband were studied using segregation and linkage analyses. Linkage was investigated between a putative alcoholism susceptibility (AS) gene and six blood group markers: ABO, Rhesus, Duffy, Kidd, Kell, and MNS. Evidence is presented suggestive of linkage between susceptibility to alcoholism and the MNS blood group.

ABO Blood-Group System

Extending corneal storage with 2.5% chondroitin sulfate (K-Sol).

K-Sol corneal storage medium maintains corneal viability for at least ten days, compared with McCarey-Kaufman (M-K) medium, which does so for a reported maximum of three days. Since many eye banks still use M-K medium exclusively, stored corneas must be used without undue delay, and shipping time further hastens the planned surgery time. Transferring the shipped M-K medium-stored cornea to K-Sol offers a simple way of increasing storage time in our eye bank. Ninety-five out of 100 transferred corneas (95%) remained clear 3 to 18 months postoperatively. There were no primary graft failures, and transferred corneal mates were clear. A comparable series of 100 corneas stored in M-K medium alone, or in K-Sol alone, were clear in 93% and 97% of the transplants. Analysis of donor rims after keratoplasty indicated statistically significantly more endothelial cell loss during storage in corneas transferred to K-Sol compared with 18 corneas preserved only in M-K medium for a similar length of time. There was no statistical significance between the transferred group and the group preserved in only K-Sol. Transferring M-K medium stored corneas to K-Sol medium may be a useful means of extending corneal storage time, resulting in improved tissue utilization.

Cadaver

Development of coronary artery disease in cardiac transplant patients receiving immunosuppressive therapy with cyclosporine and prednisone.

Coronary artery disease (CAD) has been shown in previous uncontrolled studies to be a limiting factor to long-term survival in patients undergoing cardiac transplantation and who were taking conventional immunosuppressive agents. To study the development of CAD after cardiac transplantation in patients taking the newer immunosuppressive agent cyclosporine, we prospectively performed yearly coronary arteriography on all eligible transplantation patients (first year, 57 patients; second year, 30 patients; third year, 14 patients). The prevalence of CAD by life table analysis was 18% at 1 year, 27% at 2 years, and 44% at 3 years. The occurrence of two or more major rejection episodes was associated (p less than .005) with the development of CAD. In two patients who died of CAD, coronary artery histology revealed subintimal inflammatory cellular infiltration in some lesions. These data demonstrate that the prevalence of CAD rises progressively over time and immunologic factors may be important in its development.

Adult

Early results of epikeratophakia.

One hundred and seven patients underwent epikeratophakia for either adult or pediatric aphakia, keratoconus or myopia at the Ohio State University. Minimum follow-up was 3 months. There were four graft removals. Objective postoperative refractions revealed that an average of 70, 72, and 54% of all patients achieved at least 20/40 acuity in adult aphakia, keratoconus and myopia, respectively. In pediatric aphakia, postoperative refraction revealed that an average of 31% of patients achieved at least 20/50 acuity. These results are presented and complications necessitating graft removal are discussed.

Adult

Absence of antibody production in patients treated with botulinum A toxin.

To test the possibility of the formation of an antibody to botulinum A toxin after multiple injections of this potent neurotoxin, we collected serum samples from 28 patients who received 57 doses. These injections over a nine-month period with as much as 50 units per injection formed no detectable antibody.

Antibody Formation

Retina S antigen-induced uveitis. The efficacy of cyclosporine and corticosteroids in treatment.

This study compares the efficacy of cyclosporine and corticosteroids in the treatment of retina S antigen-induced uveitis (experimental autoimmune uveitis). Forty guinea pigs were immunized with retina S antigen in complete Freund's adjuvant to induce uveitis. After 16 days, animals were divided into groups that received a two-week course of daily intramuscular injections of cyclosporine, corticosteroids, both drugs, or saline. Eyes were graded by a masked retinal specialist for amount of vitreous cells by biomicroscopy, and after enucleation by a masked ocular pathologist for histologic evidence of inflammation. Clinically and histopathologically, animals treated with cyclosporine, or cyclosporine and corticosteroids, had statistically significant reduction of intraocular inflammation compared with controls. Corticosteroids alone had a less beneficial effect. The combined use of cyclosporine and corticosteroids, at the single dose tested, did not demonstrate synergism.

Adrenal Cortex Hormones

Effect of herpesvirus infections on T-lymphocyte subpopulations and blastogenic responses in renal transplant recipients receiving cyclosporine.

The immunosuppressive effects of three herpesviruses--cytomegalovirus (CMV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), and herpes simplex virus (HSV)--were assessed in 29 renal transplant recipients treated with cyclosporine and prednisone. The ratios of Leu 3-positive ("helper-inducer") to Leu 2-positive ("suppressor-cytotoxic") T lymphocytes in peripheral blood were only moderately and transiently decreased during primary CMV infection, with or without concurrent reactivated EBV and HSV infections. This effect was due to an increase in absolute numbers of Leu 2-phenotypic and decrease in Leu 3-phenotypic T cells and was associated with symptomatic viral illness. Reactivated CMV infection alone or together with reactivated EBV and HSV infections resulted in less significant alterations in T-cell subsets than did primary CMV infection. Lymphocyte blastogenesis was not significantly altered during the herpesvirus infections. The data suggest that cyclosporine treatment inhibits the activation of suppressor cells and depression of cellular immune function that have been associated with herpesvirus infections in renal transplant recipients undergoing conventional immunotherapy.

Adolescent

Vibrio alginolyticus conjunctivitis. First reported case.

A gravely ill patient had Vibrio alginolyticus conjunctivitis develop, possibly from contact with seashell fragments. It is believed to be the first reported instance of ocular infection by this organism. Marine Vibrio organisms must be considered as potential sources of ocular infection in patients with direct or indirect exposure to salt water habitats, or in patients who are immunocompromised.

Aged

Identification of the antibody to vascular endothelial cells in patients undergoing cardiac transplantation.

Acute cardiac dysfunction occurred in four cardiac allograft recipients with negative donor-specific lymphocyte crossmatches. In two recipients the transplanted heart was removed and the patients were maintained on bypass for several hours until a second cardiac allograft was available. In these patients the second transplanted heart also underwent acute dysfunction. The lymphocyte crossmatch was again negative in both second transplants. Two of the four recipients had no detectable antibody to a panel of lymphocytes. Examination of the hearts demonstrated histologic findings consistent with hyperacute rejection. Direct immunofluorescence performed on the transplanted hearts revealed the presence of immunoglobulin and complement deposited on the vascular endothelium. Pathology data was available on 3 of the 4 patients who experienced acute cardiac dysfunction. Pretransplant sera from these four recipients were screened for the presence of antivascular endothelial cell (VEC) antibody. The sera from all four recipients were found to contain antibody against an endothelial cell panel. In addition, donor-specific aorta and vena cava were available from one of the heart donors. The recipient was found to have donor-specific antibody to VEC. Thus, antibody directed against VEC specific antigens appears to be related to hyperacute rejection of heart allografts.

Antibodies

Correlates of insulin antibodies in newly diagnosed children with insulin-dependent diabetes before insulin therapy.

Insulin antibodies, as measured by plasma radiolabeled insulin-binding capacity, were determined in 124 newly diagnosed insulin-dependent diabetic (IDDM) children before and after 1, 3, and 5 days of insulin therapy. Controls were 35 nondiabetic children with plasma insulin binding capacity of 1.0 +/- 0.7%. The patients were divided into three groups according to their plasma insulin-binding capacity. Group 1 (N = 79) had binding within two standard deviations (SD) of the control mean, group 2 (N = 20) had insulin binding 2-6 SD above controls, and group 3 (N = 25) showed insulin-binding capacity of more than 6 SD above the control mean. After exogenous insulin therapy, plasma 125I-insulin-binding capacity dropped significantly in both groups 2 and 3, concurrent with significant increases in plasma insulin levels. The three groups differed from each other in that patients in group 3 were significantly younger than in the other groups and clinically seemed to be more severely dehydrated, as reflected in their higher levels of serum urea nitrogen, plasma glucose, potassium, and elevated pulse rate. The three groups did not differ in respect to sex, HLA-DR antigens, Coxsackie-B antibody titers, islet cell cytoplasmic antibodies, immunoglobulin level, and C-peptide levels. Only two of 446 siblings of IDDM children showed elevated insulin binding, one of whom developed IDDM 6 wk later. The presence of an insulin-binding substance probably representing insulin antibodies in some cases of newly diagnosed IDDM suggests that autoimmunity in this disorder is not limited to the B-cell membrane and cytoplasm and lends further support to the heterogeneity of IDDM.

Adolescent

Reversal of wound strength retardation by addition of insulin to corticosteroid therapy.

Corticosteroids are known to retard the healing of corneal stromal wounds as well as to have positive anti-inflammatory effects. This study was designed to see if the addition of insulin to dexamethasone, administered subconjunctivally bid, would maintain dexamethasone's anti-inflammatory effect without inhibiting the healing (as measured by the wound bursting pressure) of a laboratory-inflicted 3-mm through-and-through central incision in the rabbit cornea. The results of a study involving 43 animals (86 eyes) showed the wounds to be significantly stronger in the insulin/dexamethasone-treated eyes than in the dexamethasone-treated eyes. The same anti-inflammatory effect was achieved with either protocol. Its mechanism of action is undetermined.

Administration, Topical