PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

E Möller

Publications and source records attributed to E Möller.

At least 271 records · Page 15Linked to original sources

Effects of some immunosuppressive procedures on myasthenia gravis.

Clinical Observations. A total of 53 MG patients have been treated with different immunosuppressive methods (alone or combined) with the following effects: Thymectomy was performed in 38 patients. The improvement was excellent in 15, and moderate or uncertain in 20. In three patients severe long-lasting deterioration followed the operation. ACTH treatment (n=32): Initial deterioration during the 5-7 days of heavy ACTH treatment (1000 IU) was followed by an improvement lasting on an average 4 months. The improvement was good or moderate in 78% of the patients. Betamethazone treatment has been tried in six patients where ACTH and azathioprine was ineffective. In four of these patients the results were excellent. Azathioprine treatment has been given to 26 patients for periods up to 7 years. An improvement is measurable after 6-12 weeks and it seems maximal after about 1 year. Of the 26, 80% responded favorable with reduction in the need for cholinesterase inhibitors. Severe complications were seen in three patients with one death. Drainage of thoracic duct lymph was initiated in 14 patients up to 4 weeks with rapid improvement lasting as long as drainage was performed. Long-termed effects of the drainage may be present, however. Retransfusion of homologous cell-free lymph precipitated a return of the myasthenic symptoms. Biochemical Studies on Myasthenic Lymph. Using a membrane preparation from the electric organ from Torpedo marmorata and tritiated Naja naja siamensis neurotoxin we demonstrated a decreasing binding of toxin to the receptor in the presence of MG lymph gamma-globulin fraction. Gammaglobulins from controls showed almost no inhibition of the neurotoxin binding. Immunological Studies. An increased frequency of HL-A1 and 8 was found in female patients. LD typing was also performed. During a period of three weeks of thoracic duct drainage 130X10(9) or about 10% of total number of lymphocytes in the body were removed. In the lymph an initial decrease in the proportion of thymus-derived lymphocytes (T cells) occurred, which was accompanied by a sequent increase in the proportion of bone-marrow-derived lymphocytes (B cells). Towards the end of drainage this effect was reverted. Mitogenic stimulation using lymphocytes from thoracic duct drainage revealed no differences as compared to normal cells. The proportions of T and B cells was studied in the peripheral blood in nine patients treated with ACTH. During treatment there was an initial decrease in the proportion of T cells accompanied by a subsequent rise in the proportion of B cells, which was maximal after 3-10 days. These proportions were reverted to normal 1-5 days after the maximal change. The effect of azathioprine on T and B cells has also been studied.

Adrenocorticotropic Hormone↗

The effect of ACTH treatment on lymphocyte subpopulations in patients with myasthenia gravis.

Blood lymphocytes were collected before, at various times during treatment and after treatment with ACTH in patients with myasthenia gravis. The relative proportions of thymus-derived (T cells) and bursa-derived (B cells) lymphocytes were determined. Eight of nine patients had a relative increase in B cells, whereas T cells showed a relative decrease. Myasthenic symptoms in these eight patients also were relieved. One patient who was not thymectomized showed virtually no relief in symptoms nor any changes in the relative T and B cell proportions or numbers, indicating a close association between the disease and the thymus-derived immune system.

Adrenocorticotropic Hormone↗

Triggering of lymphocytes by antibodies against beta2 microglobulin.

beta2 microglobulin (beta2m), structurally related to "domains" of immunoglobulin molecules, is associated with products of the major histocompatibility system on cell surfaces. Heteroantibodies against beta2m are mitogenic to a specific subpopulation of human and mouse B lymphocytes. This subpopulation is present in human blood which makes the antibody convenient and clinically useful as a functional marker for peripheral B lymphocytes. Absorption and elution experiments, as well as tests showing mitogenic activity of Fab monomers of anti-beta2m indicate that the interaction of the binding site of the antibody and relevant cell surface structures, probably beta2m itself, is directly responsible for lymphocyte activation. The relevance of these findings for cell receptors involved in lymphocyte activation is discussed.

Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic↗

Psoriasis, sacro-iliitis and peripheral arthritis occurring in patients with the same HLA haplotype. A preliminary family report and a hypothetical explanation of the interaction between MHS products.

The present family investigation has shown that genes within the MHS are mainly responsible for the development of psoriasis or psoriasis-associated arthritic lesions (peripheral arthritis and sacroiliitis). We have hypothetically discussed the possibility that multiple genes, all located within the MHS, act in concert to increase the risk of developing disease to very high levels. This implies that at least two MHS linked genes act in complementary fashion for the development of disease, these genes seem to be able to operate both in the cis and in the trans position. One of these genes would be situated in the chromosomal portion of the MHS which carries the HLA-D locus. Families with a high incidence of disease would show inheritance according to the cis position of genes, when it can be shown that most of the carriers of the specific disease-associated haplotype are affected by disease, whereas in other families, complementarity between two distinct HLA haplotypes with genes acting in the trans position would result in disease.

Adolescent↗

B-cell mitogenic effects on human lymphocytes of rabbit anti-human beta 2-microglobulin.

Rabbit Ig against human beta2-microglobulin was found to be mitogenic for human peripheral lymphocytes, tonsil lymphocytes, and appendix and spleen cells. Anti-beta2-m gave increased DNA synthesis, with peak responses on day 3 or 4 and showed a dose-response effect when diluted. The effect was seen in both serum-free and serum-containing culture medium. Anti-beta2-m, as well as lipopolysaccharide, induced polyclonal antibody production and intracellular immunoglobulin synthesis in blast cells, which is taken as evidence that these substances are human B-cell mitogens. Anti-beta2-m, but not lipopolysaccharide, could, in these experiments, activate peripheral blood lymphocytes, in addition to lymphoid cells from other sources. Thus, anti-beta2-m can serve as a functional marker for peripheral human B lymphocytes.

Animals↗

Cell-mediated and humoral immunity to streptococcal cell wall antigenic extract in patients with glomerulonephritis and in healthy controls.

Cell-mediated immunity of lymphocytes to group A, type T 12, streptococcal cell wall extract was evaluated by measurement of DNA synthesis in cultures of lymphocytes from healthy controls and from glomerulonephritic patients. Cells from adult healthy persons regularly responded to this antigen, whereas cord blood lymphocytes did not. Several additional experiments suggested that the response in normal controls was due to a specific immune response and was not caused by a nonspecific mitogenic effect of the cell wall antigens. In a group of 17 patients with progressive glomerulonephritis (PGN) and 10 with nonprogressive glomerulonephritis (IRGN) the level of response was comparable to that of healthy controls. In the PGN group the response was significantly lower after 4 days, but this difference disappeared after 6 days. Thus, this method failed to differentiate between health and disease. The presence of anti-streptococcal cell wall antigen antibodies was tested using a passive hemagglutination technique. Only 1 of 6 controls had a demonstrable antibody titer, whereas 15 of 26 nephritic patients had detectable antibodies and 10 of them had titers greater than 1/64. Our findings suggest the possibility of a relationship between streptococcal bacteria and progressive glomerulonephritis.

Antibodies, Bacterial↗

The effect of lipopolysaccharide on the primary immune response to the hapten NNP.

We have studied the effects of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on the primary in vivo immune response to the hapten (4-hydroxy-3,5-dinitrophenyl)acetyl (NNP), with special reference to the avidity and affinity of the early appearing 19S and 7S antibodies. Comparisons were made of the immune response to NNP in groups of mice given either antigen alone, LPS alone, or antigen plus LPS. The avidity of antibodies induced by LPS plus antigen were similar to that found after injection of antigen alone, in spite of the fact that the antibodies were more numerous. However, when comparing the avidity of antibodies produced in animals given only LPS with those given LPS plus antigen, the latter group was often found to have fewer low-avidity 19S-antibody-producing cells. The affinity of 7S antibodies was also similar in the two groups given antigen or antigen plus LPS. Kinetic studies of the effect of LPS on the primary immune response to NNP showed that synergy was observed only before or after the peak response in groups given antigen alone. It is concluded that LPS under synergy conditions acts preferentially on specific antigen-sensitive cells, which are distinct from those that are activated to polyclonal antibody synthesis by LPS alone. Possible mechanisms for the adjuvant effect of LPS are discussed.

Animals↗

Identification of five lymphocyte activating determinants in man.

Eleven putative LD-1 locus homozygous cell donors were found by MLC tests in non-consanguineous families. Lymphocytes from each of them were used as stimulating typing cells in MLC tests together with responding cells from the other homozygous cell donors and from 45 random unrelated individuals. Four of the stimulating typing cells were found to identify a determinant in non-random association with HL-A7; LD-7a, three other cells typed for a determinant non-randomly associated with HL-A8; LD-8a, and one cell seems to identify LD-W5 in non-random association with W5. Two possible additional LD-1 determinants, LD-oh and LD-om, were less well defined with two of the cells. The combined gene frequency of the five possible LD-1 determinants is approximately 0.45 among Norwegians.

Alleles↗

Studies on the major histocompatibility system in patients with ankylosing spondylitis.

One hundred % of 66 patients with pelvospondylitis were found to have HL-A27, whereas the frequency of the antigen in 60 patients with sacroiliitis was 70 %. The difference in frequency of HL-A27 between the two patient groups is statistically highly significant. This implies that tissue typing could be of clinical importance for a prognostic evaluation of patients with sacroiliitis. Studies in families with several HL-A/MLC identical sibs indicated a relatively low penetrance of disease in those carrying the gene for increased susceptibility to development of AS. No association of AS to particular MLC alleles was found either in families or in several SD-2 identical AS patients.

Alleles↗

A prospective study of HL-A antigen phenotypes and lymphocyte abnormalities in Hodgkin's disease.

In a prospective study, sixty-five histologically verified Swedish cases of Hodgkin's disease were HL-A typed. The antigen frequencies in the patient group did not deviate from a group of normal controls. The frequency of HL-A8 was slightly increased in patients over 40 years (P less than 0.05). HL-A12 was markedly increased in patients below 40 years with a favourable histopathology (P less than 0.001). No association between sex or clinical stage and distribution of HL-A phenotypes was observed. The number of T-lymphocytes in blood and the spontaneous DNA synthesis and DNA synthesis induced by concanavalin A, pokeweed mitogen, phytohemagglutinin and PPD antigen in blood lymphocytes in vitro were determined in 60 patients. A significant increase of HL-A28 was noted in patients with advanced disease (P less than 0.01) and in patients responding poorly to PPD (P less than 0.001) and PWM (P less than 0.01). No correlation between HL-A antigen distribution and T-lymphocyte counts was observed.

Adult↗

Myasthenia gravis: studies on HL-A antigens and lymphocyte subpopulations in patients with myasthenia gravis.

Thirth-three patient with a clinical diagnosis of myasthenia gravis were tissue-typed for HL-A antigens. In agreement with earlier reports a significant increase in antigens HL-A1 and HL-A8 were found in this material. Two of the patients were treated with chronic thoracic duct drainage. Proportions of T and B lymphocytes in lymph and peripheral blood were estimated in these patients. In the lymph an initial decrease in the proportion of T cells occurred, which was accompanied by a subsequent increase in the proportion of B cells. Towards the end of the chronic drainage period this effect was reversed. A slightly different picture occurred in blood lymphocytes. Initially, there was an increase in both T and B cells, followed by a decrease in T-cells numbers in one patient, whereas in the second patient the proportion of T cells decreased from the onset of drainage while the proportion of B cells steadily increased. These studies showed that available markers for determination of T ANd B cells were useful for studies of lymphocyte subpopulations in blood and lymph. Lmyphocytes from the thoracic duct were also tested for their reactivity to various mitogens specific for either T or B cells. The B-cell mitogens which were used were dextran sulphate, lipopolysaccharide, purified protein derivative, as well as rabbit anti-human beta2-microglobulin serum. The T-cell mitogens investigated were concanavalin A and phytohaemagglutinin. No significant differences in the responsiveness of thoracic duct lymphocytes compared to normal peripheral blood lymphocytes were found.

Adult↗