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Biomedical subjects

F Ersoy

Publications and source records attributed to F Ersoy.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

Spontaneous cytotoxicity against measles virus infected and K562 cells in normal subjects and subacute sclerosing panencephalitis.

Spontaneous cytotoxicity towards LU106 (heteroploid human lung cell line) cells persistently and acutely infected with measles virus was studied in measles immune and nonimmune healthy subjects and SSPE patients. K562 (myeloid cell line) cells were also used to detect the NK activity. Specific cytotoxic responses for measles immune and nonimmune donors were not significantly different for both persistently and acutely measles infected LU106 cells indicating that our assay system detected NK activity. Cytotoxic responses of SSPE patients against virus infected and K562 cells were found to be within normal limits in 3 and 5 patients respectively.

Cell Line↗

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-specific cell-mediated and humoral immune responses in ataxia-telangectasia patients.

As a part of studies on cell-mediated immune (CMI) responses of immunocompromised, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-infected patients who can or cannot restrict the proliferation of EBV-transformed B cells, we have studied 16 Turkish patients with ataxia-telangectasia (AT). Fifteen were EBV seropositive; one was seronegative. Among the seropositives, eight had no or only low anti-EBV-determined nuclear antigen (EBNA) antibody titers, while seven had normal anti-EBNA levels. EBV-seropositive and -seronegative healthy Turkish children were used as controls. We have particularly asked the question whether low EBNA antibody titers can be correlated with the level of EBV-specific and -nonspecific cell-mediated immunity. Non-EBV-specific tests included cell count, phenotypical characterization with monoclonal antibodies, assessment of natural killer (NK)-cell activity, and ability to suppress mitogen-induced immunoglobulin production. Two EBV-specific CMI tests were used: outgrowth inhibition (OI) and leukocyte migration inhibition (LMI). The majority of the patients of the low-EBNA antibody group was IgA deficient and had high levels of alpha-fetoprotein (a-FP). Cells reacting with OKT8 monoclonal antibody predominated in both AT patient groups. In contrast, the suppressor activity was present in only a few patients and NK and interferon-activated killing (IAK) activities were normal. EBV-specific cell-mediated responses were defective in seven of eight patients in the low-anti-EBNA group and five of seven patients in the group with normal anti-EBNA titers. It is concluded that AT patients are often defective in their EBV-specific cell-mediated immune responses and with regard to their EBNA antibody levels. These defects are associated with a predominance of T cells reacting with OKT8 monoclonal antibody.

Adolescent↗

Cell mediated immunity in patients with subacute sclerosing panencephalitis.

Cell mediated immunity was assessed on the basis of total lymphocytes (TL), total T lymphocytes (TTL) counts, delayed skin test responses and in vitro leucocyte migration inhibition test (LIF) production in 25 patients with SSPE, classified according to the clinical stages of the disease. The patients in stage I of the disease did not show any defect in cellular immunity while the patients in stage II showed decreased TL and TTL counts, more negative skin test responses to PHA, SKSD and PPD, and unresponsiveness to SKSD of LIF production. When the patient group was evaluated as a whole, only the TL counts and the skin test responses against SKSD differed from those in the controls. These results suggest that the defects in cellular immunity demonstrated in the patients with SSPE may be due to SSPE or the measles virus itself rather than to a genetic factor predisposing patients to SSPE.

Adolescent↗

The effect of concanavalin-A (Con A) stimulation on lymphocyte subpopulations.

It has been shown that suppressor T lymphocytes can be activated by plant mitogens as Con A. In order to see if there is any change in lymphocyte surface markers in addition to functional activity, lymphocyte subpopulations (E, EA gamma, EAC rosette forming cells) were determined in 18 healthy controls and 16 patients with ataxia-telangiectasia (AT) after 18-24 hour incubation of lymphocytes with or without Con A (10 micrograms/ml per 2 x 10(6) lymphocytes). Without any incubation, the percentage of EA gamma-RFC was higher and E-RFC was lower in AT patients than in controls. In healthy controls the percentage of EA gamma-RFC significantly increased after incubation with Con A, while the patient group did not show any significant difference. In contrast, the percentage of E-RFC cells in AT group showed significant increase after Con A incubation, while this difference was not significant in healthy controls. There was no significant difference in percentage of EAC-RFC with or without Con A incubation in healthy controls and AT patients. These differences between patient and control groups can be explained by the different features in circulating lymphocyte subpopulations.

Ataxia Telangiectasia↗

Epstein-Barr-virus-carrying lymphoma in a patient with ataxia-telangiectasia.

An undifferentiated lymphocytic lymphoma of mesenteric lymph nodes occurred in a young boy with ataxia-telangiectasia. Two independent tests, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-cRNA/DNA hybridisation and EBV DNA/DNA reassociation kinetic analysis, showed 53 and 68 EBV genome equivalents per cell respectively, which was compatible with an EBV-genome-carrying tumour. Whether this was a polyclonal lymphoproliferation or a monoclonal tumour could not be determined owing to lack of suitable material. The presence of EBV genomes should be sought in lymphomas arising in ataxia-telangiectasia and other immunodeficiencies.

Abdominal Neoplasms↗

Epstein-Barr virus-related antibody patterns in ataxia-telangiectasia.

Epstein-Barr virus-related antibody titres were determined in twenty-seven patients with ataxia-telangiectasia (AT) and twenty-two healthy members of their families, in twenty-two patients with other diseases, among them ten with Behçet's disease and ten with various primary immune deficiencies, and fifteen healthy members of their families, and in twenty-three unrelated healthy controls. The AT patients showed an increased incidence (55.6%) of high antibody titres (greater than or equal to 1:320) to viral capsid antigen (VCA), and also a high incidence (48.2%) of antibodies to Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) induced early antigens (EA), but low titres (less than 1:10) of antibodies to the EBV-associated nuclear antigen (EBNA) in 44.2% of the cases. The geometric means of anti-VCA were three-to four-fold higher, and of anti-EBNA six-fold lower, than those of the control groups. The patients with the other diseases did not differ significantly from the controls except for a higher incidence of anti-EBNA titres of less than 1:10 (38.1% vs 4--5%). AT patients with low anti-EBNA titres tended to have more advanced T cell deficiencies than AT patients with moderate anti-EBNA titres, as detected by counts of total lymphocytes and E-rosetting cells, and skin test responses. The results support the hypothesis that a functioning T cell system is required to release EBNA from EBV genome-carrying cells for initial and maintained production of anti-EBNA.

Adolescent↗

Histocompatibility (HLA) factors in ataxia telangiectasia.

In the recent studies conducted in patients with various types of primary immunodeficiency diseases, an increased frequency of HLA-A1 or HLA-A2 antigens was reported. In order to determine the frequency of the histocompatibility antigens in ataxia telangiectasia (A-T), HLA typing was carried out in 30 patients with A-T along with their 23 parents and 4 siblings. The results were compared with 138 healthy controls. That study showed no significant difference for the frequencies of 19 HLA antigens of the A and B loci between the controls and A-T patients or their parents-siblings.

Adolescent↗

Possible involvement of endogenous histamine in the myotropic effect of clonidine on the isolated rabbit aorta.

Clonidine has a contractile effect in the isolated rabbit aorta which can be blocked by alpha-adrenergic antagonist, phentolamine. Histamine H1-receptor blocker, mepyramine, partly antagonizes its myotropic effect and histamine H2-blocker, metiamide, potentiates it, implying a histaminergic component in the response. Inhibition of histamine synthesis by histidine decarboxylase inhibitor, GYKI 11.121, reduces clonidine-induced contraction in this preparation, while diamine oxidase inhibition by aminoguanidine potentiates it. This is indirect evidence of the possibility of de novo histamine synthesis by clonidine, which may take part on the contractile effect of the drug in the rabbit aorta.

Amine Oxidase (Copper-Containing)↗

Transfer factor therapy in ataxia--telangiectasia.

The effects of weekly doses of transfer factor in four patients with ataxia--telangiectasia were investigated following a total course of 2 months therapy. Transfer factor administration showed no influence on the absolute lymphocyte counts, T-cell rosettes or antibody titres to EBV, but it caused conversion of skin-test reactivity and production of MIF to various antigens. There was a dissociation in blastic transformation response, the skin-test responses and MIF production. Serum interferon levels were low before, and 2, 6 and 24 hr after, therapy. Clinically no improvement in infections was observed following transfer factor therapy.

Antibodies, Viral↗

Serum cystatin C as an index of renal function in kidney transplant patients.

Management of renal transplant patients requires periodic measurement of renal function, which is usually assessed by measuring the glomerular filtration rate (GFR). The most commonly used marker for GFR is serum creatinine, although muscle wasting and tubular secretion may lead to overestimation of the actual GFR. Serum concentrations of the low-molecular-weight proteins, cystatin C and beta(2)-microglobulin (B(2)M), may afford useful markers to determine a reduced GFR. We investigated whether these molecules provide reliable indicators of renal function in 75 renal transplant patients. Cystatin C and B(2)M correlated significantly with creatinine (r =.648, P <.05 and r =.578, P <.05, respectively). Inverse serum creatinine was superior to inverse cystatin C and inverse B(2)M when renal function equations were used (r =.95, P <.05, according to MDRD; r =.87, P <.05, according to Cockroft-Gault). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed to quantitate the accuracy of the different markers to detect reduced GFR using a cutoff value of 70 mL/min. No significant difference between the areas under the ROC curves comparing cystatin C and B(2)M was observed; however, serum creatinine demonstrated a significantly greater value than cystatin C (.981 vs.724, P =.001). We conclude that serum creatinine is a more efficacious marker than serum cystatin C to assess renal function.

Adult↗

Cigarette smoking in renal transplant recipients.

Cigarette smoking may adversely influence patient and graft survival. In Europe and the United States the prevalence of cigarette smoking in dialysis patients is 35% to 40% and 25%, respectively. In Turkey, the estimated prevalence of cigarette smoking rate in the normal population is 26%. This study evaluated the rate of smoking in 63 cadaveric, and 158 living-related renal transplant recipients including (150 men, and 76 women of 38 +/- 12 years; range, 8 to 70) who were operated between 1986 and 2001. Demographic data were collected with a questionnaire delivered to patients during their routine outpatient visits. During this time period, 8 patients had died, 4 from hemophagocytic syndrome, 2 from cardiovascular disease, 1 from Kaposi sarcoma and 1 from a cerebrovascular accident. Twenty-three patients have lost their grafts. While at the time of transplantation 97 (42%) were smoking cigarettes, only 29 (12%) continued smoke after transplantation. Male gender significantly correlated with cigarette smoking (P =.000). Twelve smokers were single but 85 out of 97 were married, a statistically significant difference (P =.010). In contrast there was no significant relationship between pretransplant smoking and educational status (P =.354); graft loss and smoking (P =.129); or mortality and smoking (P =.224). There was a significant relationship between pretransplant and posttransplant smoking (P =.000). There was no relationship between pre- and post-transplant smoking and development of diabetes mellitus or hypertension. Interestingly the posttransplant serum albumin level was lower among smokers than nonsmokers (4.44 +/- 0.02 g/dL vs 4.30 +/- 0.02 g/dL; P =.019). There was a close relationship between transplantation duration and smoking.

Adult↗

Is there any effect of compliance on clinical parameters of renal transplant recipients?

Noncompliance with regard to diet, medications and routine physician visits is frequently observed among some patient groups. This results in late graft dysfunction and behavior loss. In the present study, we defined compliance as attendance at 80% or more outpatient visits. The study included 63 cadaveric and 158 living-related renal transplant recipients namely, 150 men and 76 women of 8 to 70 years of age (median 38 +/- 12) who were operated between 1986 and 2001. Demographic data, number of visits attended per month, cigarette smoking, and alcohol intake were probed with a questionnaire that was delivered to the patients, 8 of whom died; hemophagocytic syndrome (n = 4), cardiovascular disease (n = 2), Kaposi' sarcoma (n = 1), and cerebrovascular bleeding (n = 1). Twenty-three patients had lost their graft. Compliance among men was lower than among women, a result that trended toward statistical significance (P =.087). Compliance was not related to marital status (P =.297), but tended to increase with educational background (P =.059). Graft loss (P =.546) and aging (P =.509) were not related to compliance. There was no relationship between compliance and mortality rate (P =.526). Interestingly, living-related kidney transplant recipients showed lower compliance than cadaveric kidney recipients, a result that was statistically significant (P =.04). Noncompliance was also related to cigarette smoking during the pre- and posttransplant periods (P =.008 and P =.03, respectively), as well as alcohol intake (P =.000). In conclusion, male gender and living-related donation are related to noncompliance, but (in contrast with literature) not young age, graft loss, or mortality. Compliance increases with educational status of the patients. Smoking and alcohol intake are closely related to noncompliance.

Adolescent↗