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Biomedical subjects

J C Madsen

Publications and source records attributed to J C Madsen.

11 recordsLinked to original sources

Induction of transplantation tolerance in adults using donor antigen and anti-CD4 monoclonal antibody.

The T-cell-mediated immune response usually results in the rapid destruction of organ allografts transplanted between murine strains incompatible for major and minor histocompatibility antigens. This response may be modified by pretreatment with either donor-specific antigen or anti-CD4 monoclonal antibody. Previous work by others has shown that combined treatment of mice with soluble protein antigens and anti-CD4 monoclonal antibody can produce antigen-specific B cell unresponsiveness that continues long after the nonspecific immunosuppressive effect of the mAb treatment has resolved. Following this principle we have shown that adult C3H/He mice can be made specifically unresponsive to vascularized C57BL/10 cardiac allografts by pretreating the recipient with donor alloantigen under the cover of a brief course of mAb against CD4. A full-dose response analysis shows that the dose of mAb is critically important for the successful induction of tolerance. Tolerance induction using this protocol is dependent on treatment with donor major histocompatibility complex antigens and occurs in the presence of marked depletion but not complete elimination of the CD4+ T cell subset. The unresponsiveness to alloantigen is antigen specific, as determined by the ineffectiveness of third-party (C57BL/10) alloantigen when combined with anti-CD4 mAb to induce long-term survival of BALB/c allografts in C3H/He recipients. The tolerant state is specific and effective in the long-term as indicated by the specific acceptance of C57BL/10 skin grafts in recipients with surviving C57BL/10 cardiac allografts. This study provides a simple method for the successful induction of specific transplantation tolerance in the adult across a full H-2 major and minor antigen mismatch strain combination. The results illustrate the important role of the CD4 molecule in the T cell response to alloantigen in vivo and suggest possibilities for the therapeutic manipulation of complex immune reactions.

Animals

Refinement of the three-dimensional solution structure of barley serine proteinase inhibitor 2 and comparison with the structures in crystals.

The three-dimensional structure of barley serine proteinase inhibitor, CI-2, has been determined using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The present structure determination is a refinement of the structure previously determined by us, using in the present case stereo-specific assignments, and a virtually complete set of assignments of the two-dimensional nuclear Overhauser spectrum. The structure determination is based on the identification of more than 1300 nuclear Overhauser effects, of which 961 were used in the structure calculation as distance restraints, and on 94 dihedral angle restraints, of which 31 are for chi 1 angles in defined chiral centers. These have been used to calculate a series of 20 three-dimensional structures using a combination of distance geometry, simulated annealing and restrained molecular dynamics. Each of the 20 structures was in agreement within less than 0.5 A of each of the distance restraints and with all dihedral angle restraints. When compared to the geometric average structure of the 20 refined structures the root-mean-square differences for the backbone atoms were 0.8 (+/- 0.2) A and for all atoms were 1.6 (+/- 0.2) A. By comparison, the values obtained for the structures determined previously were 1.4 (+/- 0.2) A and 2.1 (+/- 0.1) A, respectively. The structures were also compared to the structure determined in the crystalline state by X-ray diffraction showing root-mean-square differences of 1.6 (+/- 0.2) A and 2.8 (+/- 0.2) A for the backbone and all atoms, respectively. Common features of the solution structure and the two crystal structures are the four-stranded beta-structure, composed of a pair of parallel strands, and three pairs of antiparallel beta-strands flanked on one side by a 12-residue alpha-helix and on the other side by a loop containing the serine proteinase binding site. The new analysis of the structure has revealed an additional pair of antiparallel beta-strands, consisting of residues 65 to 67 and 81 to 83, that was not seen in either of the crystal structures or the previous solution structure. Identification of this was based on nuclear magnetic resonance evidence for the hydrogen bond (67HN to 81CO) not reported previously. Also the presence of a bifurcated hydrogen bond involving Phe69 CO and HN atoms of Ala77 and Gln78 was observed in solution but not in crystals. Minor differences between the two structures were observed in the phi-angles of residues Met59 and Glu60 in the inhibitory site.

Crystallography

Ankle fractures and alcoholism. The influence of alcoholism on morbidity after malleolar fractures.

The postoperative morbidity after osteosynthesis of malleolar fractures was investigated retrospectively by comparing 90 alcohol abusers with 90 controls. The two groups were selected from 626 male patients and were matched regarding trauma, treatment for cardiovascular, pulmonary and endocrine diseases, age, weight, smoking habits, anaesthesia and duration of surgery. The alcohol abusers developed significantly more early complications, especially infections, after surgery. Follow-up at six, nine and 12 weeks after surgery also revealed a significantly higher morbidity among the alcoholics.

Alcohol Drinking

Apparent saturation of blue-sensitive cones occurs at a color-opponent stage.

Response saturation of blue-sensitive cone pathways was studied by measuring increment thresholds for violet test flashes on flashed violet fields in the presence of a steady yellow "auxiliary" field of constant radiance. Adding intense yellow field flashes to the violet field flash could eliminate or reduce response saturation (greatly reduce threshold), whereas "negative" yellow field flashes drove the mechanism to further saturation. The response saturation is thus not, in general, controlled exclusively by independent blue-sensitive cones but by spectrally opponent mechanisms that receive opposite-signed signals from blue-sensitive cones and from green-or red-sensitive cones. These results add to a growing number of studies that demonstrate that detection of signals from blue-sensitive cones is largely through a color-opponent pathway.

Action Potentials