Some medical centers re-use dialysis units sterilized with formaldehyde. In a study of 239 cases, 14 "anti-N" antibodies were found only among the 59 patients of the medical centers which re-use dialysis units. The action of formol seems to be confirmed by the presence of "anti-N" in 2 patients who had undergone prosthesis several times, but not dialysis. For these prostheses, a bone cement, sterilized with formol, was used. These "anti-N" are very often associated with cold autoagglutinins, and appear regardless of the patient's MN group. The action of formaldehyde suggests the following hypotheses:--antigenic modification;--disturbances in the immune response mechanisms;--a combination of the two. In the first hypothesis: the action of formol discovered since a long time on red cells. In the second hypothesis: the existence of auto-agglutinins only among the 14 hemo-dialysis patients with anti-N antibodies.

ABO Blood-Group System↗

PubMed1978

[Lewis antigen and diabetes].

The Lewis negative (Le a--b--) red blood cell phenotype was observed three times more frequently in 170 diabetics (29%) irrespective of their clinical type and in 27 non-diabetics low insulin responders to glucose than in 100 controls (10%). This difference could not be accounted for by factors influencing the serological typing ("ABH secretion and ABO groups) nor by the geographic origin of the populations tested. The Lewis substances are primarly soluble antigens present in blood, saliva, others fluids and absorbed on red blood cells. In 50 diabetics saliva was also analysed. Blood cell and saliva results were concordant allowing to interpret the Lewis negative blood cell phenotype as reflecting the absence of Lewis antigen. The higher frequency of Lewis negative phenotype was not related to the severity or the duration of the diabetes and therefore was unlikely to depend on metabolic factors. The similarity between the results for juvenile and maturity onset diabetes seems to indicate that these two clinical types of diabetes are genetically related. Furthermore, the same results obtained in low insulin responders afford additional support for considering these subjects as potential diabetics. It probably indicates, in the diabetic population, an increased frequency of le/le genotype or of one or several genes inhibiting the expression of Le.

ABO Blood-Group System↗

PubMed1975

[Irregular agglutinins, hemolysins, antilymphocyte antibodies, serum anticomplementarity, human and species antiglobulins and cryoglobulins in a series of 33 patients with rheumatoid arthritis].

An immunological investigation was carried out on 33 rheumatoid polyarthritis patients. The phenomena of antierythrocytes immunization were investigated by standard tests : irregular agglutinins, haemolysins, and auto-antibodies which all proved negative. The lymphocyte immunological phenomena were also studied. Cold (4 degrees C) lymphocytotoxins were shown in 8 patients, 5 of whom had anti-lymphocyte auto-antibodies. The proportions of "sheep rosettes" were significantly reduced. The sera did not show notable anti-complementary activity. Studies on the human antiglobulins and on species antiglobulins were not very conclusive. Cryoglobulins were never detected. No clear correlation was found between these different tests and those of standard rheumatism serology.

Agglutinins↗

PubMed1972