Biomedical subjects

H Englert

Publications and source records attributed to H Englert.

28 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed1986

Incomplete Reiter's syndrome following chemotherapy of acute myeloid leukaemia.

Reiter's syndrome and other reactive arthritides have been described following infection with various organisms although they can occur in unusual circumstances without an obvious infectious precipitant. We have recently witnessed two attacks of reactive arthritis and keratoderma blenorrhagica occurring in an HLA B27 adult male following chemotherapy on two separate occasions with the same drugs for acute myeloid leukaemia. No attacks occurred before or following the cessation of these drugs. This supports the view that in Reiter's syndrome a common pathogenic pathway is triggered by an 'arthritogenic factor' which in this case appears to have been chemical.

Adult↗

PubMed1985

Diphenylamine-2-carboxylate, a blocker of the Cl(-)-conductive pathway in Cl(-)-transporting epithelia.

The present study examines the effects of diphenylamine-2-carboxylate (DPC) in Cl(-)-transporting epithelia. This substance blocks reversibly the Cl(-)-conductance present under normal circumstances in the basolateral membrane of the thick ascending limb of the loop of Henle (TAL) and in the apical membrane of shark rectal gland tubules (RGT). This leads to a reduction in active NaCl reabsorption (TAL) and NaCl secretion (RGT) respectively, as measured by the equivalent short circuit current. The cells hyperpolarize as the membrane voltage drifts from the control value (some compromise between the chemical potential of Cl- and K+) towards the chemical potential of K+. The resistance of the basolateral (TAL) or apical membrane (RGT) increases and this leads to a moderate increase in transepithelial resistance. In addition, the Cl(-)-concentration step induced membrane voltage changes, which can be produced under control conditions, disappear in the presence of the blocker. Finally, experiments in excised membrane patches indicate that this substance inhibits the single current events of individual Cl(-)-channels.

Animals↗

PubMed1985

Anticardiolipin antibodies in autoimmune thrombocytopenic purpura.

Using a recently devised solid phase radioimmunoassay to detect anticardiolipin antibodies, we report the presence of these antibodies in 30 of 96 patients with chronic autoimmune thrombocytopenic purpura (AITP). IgG anticardiolipin antibody levels were elevated in 14 patients and IgM anticardiolipin antibody levels were elevated in 27 patients. We suggest that these antibodies may mediate peripheral platelet destruction by binding to phospholipids in the platelet membrane. It is also conceivable that the presence of anticardiolipin antibodies may select a subpopulation of patients with chronic AITP who may go on to develop other autoimmune disorders, such as systemic lupus erythematosus.

Antibodies↗

PubMed1985

Neurology and the lupus anticoagulant.

The lupus anticoagulant, an immunoglobulin of the IgG or IgM class, is one of a group of antiphospholipid antibodies. Although an anticoagulant in vitro, its action in vivo is that of a procoagulant. This procoagulant activity may involve many organ systems including the nervous system. Thus far cerebral thrombosis, spinal thrombosis, chorea and Guillain-Barré syndrome have been described in association with the lupus anticoagulant. Although the lupus anticoagulant is an uncommon cause of neurological disease, it must be considered, especially in a setting of a prolongation of the common pathway of coagulation, thrombosis and other autoimmune phenomena.

Blood Coagulation↗

PubMed1985

Affinity purified anti-cardiolipin and anti-DNA antibodies.

Recent studies have raised questions concerning the specificity of anticardiolipin antibodies and their relationship to anti-DNA antibodies, the lupus anticoagulant, the biological false positive test for syphilis, and reagin, the antibody detected in syphilis. In an attempt to answer some of these questions, 3 IgG and 2 IgM affinity purified anticardiolipin antibodies, as well as 3 affinity purified anti-DNA antibodies were studied. Affinity purified anti-cardiolipin antibodies showed high binding to negatively charged phospholipids but not to ssDNA by solid phase radioimmunoassay. On the other hand, affinity purified anti-DNA antibodies did not bind cardiolipin. Inhibition experiments showed that negatively charged phospholipids and VDRL liposomes inhibited the binding of anticardiolipin antibodies to phosphatidylserine, but ssDNA, alpha-glycerol phosphate and hyaluronic acid did not. Similar studies of sera from patients with high anticardiolipin antibody levels supported the results obtained with affinity purified anticardiolipin antibodies. These results suggest that anticardiolipin antibodies bind negatively charged phospholipids and there appears to be little crossreactivity with DNA or unrelated negatively charged polymers such as hyaluronic acid. Both the negatively charged phosphodiester group and glyceride portions of the phospholipid molecules appear important for their antigenicity. Four of the 5 affinity purified anti-cardiolipin antibodies had lupus anticoagulant activity providing further evidence to suggest that these 2 groups of antibodies have the same or very similar specificities. Studies of sera from 3 patients with syphilis showed that VDRL liposomes inhibited reagin activity to a greater extent than did cardiolipin. On the other hand, in patients with autoimmune disorders, cardiolipin inhibited anticardiolipin antibody activity to a greater extent than did VDRL liposomes.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Antibodies↗

PubMed1984