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Biomedical subjects

J L Reinertsen

Publications and source records attributed to J L Reinertsen.

12 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1979

Ribavirin treatment in murine autoimmune disease. I. Therapeutic efficacy and effect on the immune response.

NZB/W F1 female mice were treated from 20 weeks of age with ribavirin (a broad spectrum antiviral drug), cyclophosphamide, or saline. Treatment with ribavirin (250 mg/kg twice weekly) prolonged survival from 9.8 to 18.5 months, reduced anti-DNA antibodies, and prevented proteinuria. Ability of ribavirin to prolong survival was dose related when given on a twice weekly schedule. However, daily ribavirin (25 mg/kg/day) was as effective as higher intermittent doses. Optimal ribavirin therapy was equal to cyclophosphamide treatment with regard to prolongation of survival. Ribavirin treatment did not significantly alter the body weight, hematocrit, WBC count, serum immunoglobulins, or Coombs reactivity. No alterations in either cellular or humoral immune responses were noted in NZB/W F1 or BALB/c mice treated for prolonged periods with ribavirin. The impressive therapeutic response to a broad spectrum antiviral agent seen in mice already manifesting immune complex nephritis provides a new therapeutic approach to the treatment of autoimmunity.

Animals↗
PubMed1979

Studies of immune functions of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

In normal individuals T cells are stimulated to proliferate by autologous non-T cells; this is called the autologous mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR). Previous studies demonstrated that such an autologous MLR was markedly impaired in patients with active systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). To determine whether the defect resided in the responding cell or the stimulating cell, mixing experiments were performed using cells from identical twins. We identified two sets of identical twins discordant for SLE activity and correspondingly discordant in their degree of responsiveness in the autologous MLR. Reciprocal mixing experiments were performed in which T cells from one twin of each pair were mixed with non-T cells from the other twin of that pair. These studies indicated that patients with active SLE have a defect in the ability of non-T cells to stimulate as well as a defect in the ability of both Tgamma and Tnongamma cells to respond in the autologous MLR. Patients with inactive SLE have a defect only in responsiveness of Tgamma cells.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Decreased cell-mediated cytotoxicity against virus-infected cells in systemic lupus erythematosus.

Cell-mediated cytotoxicity, directed against virus-infected tissue culture cells, was studied with peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 11 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and 12 matched, normal subjects in a 51Cr release assay. Baseline (preimmunization) levels of cytotoxicity against target cells infected with influenza A/Victoria, influenza B/Hong Kong, Newcastle disease virus, and herpes simplex virus were significantly decreased in patients with SLE compared to normal subjects (P less than 0.001), although serum antibody levels to the respective viruses were similar in both groups. After intramuscular administration of inactivated influenza A/Victoria vaccine, SLE patients failed to generate elevated levels of cytotoxicity against A/Victoria-infected cells, in contrast to normal subjects. SLE patients responded with levels of serum hemagglutination-inhibition antibody which were similar to those of normal subjects. Thus, SLE patients manifest decreased cell-mediated cytotoxicity against virus-infected target cells, although humoral antibody responses appeared to be intact. Studies of SLE patients with influenza may help to define the role of cell-mediated immunity in the pathogenesis of certain viral infections.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1979

NIH conference. Systemic lupus erythematosus: evolving concepts.

Systemic lupus erythematosus, a disease of unknown cause and protean manifestations, continues to excite substantial investigational interest. These papers bring together recent advances in concepts of its immunopathogenesis, evidence for a major genetic role in the causation of the process, developing systems for the morphologic assessment of its often fatal nephritis, and data from ongoing trials of cytotoxic drugs in its management.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1978

B-lymphocyte alloantigens associated with systemic lupus erythematosus.

We examined B-lymphocyte alloantigens in 41 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and 184 controls, using a panel of 47 pregnancy serums, and compared reaction frequencies of individual serums. One serum, la-715, reacted with B lymphocytes from 75.6 per cent of patients and 14.1 per cent of controls (Pc less than 0.005, relative risk 18.8). Twenty-eight of the patients were also typed with a panel of HLA-D-related serums from the Seventh International Histocompatibility Workshop, HLA-DRw types assigned, and compared to 490 Workshop controls. Both HLA-DRw2 (57.1 per cent vs. 26.4 per cent, Pc less than 0.004) and HLA-DRw3 (46.4 per cent vs. 22.2 per cent, Pc less than 0.03) were increased in systemic lupus erythematosus. This study demonstrates that select B-lymphocyte alloantigens, which are controlled by genes in the major histocompatibility complex, are present in increased frequency in systemic lupus erythematosus.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1978

Influenza immunization in systemic lupus eruthematosus. A double-blind trial.

Forty patients with systemic lupus erythematosus randomly received inactivated bivalent (A/NJ and A/Victoria) influenza vaccine or saline in a double-blind study. During 20 weeks of follow-up, no deterioration in major organ function or increase in disease flares was observed in the immunized group as compared with the group that received saline. Preimmunization antibody titers to A/Victoria were lower in the 40 patients with lupus erythematosus than in age-matched control subjects. Response to immunization, as measured by serum antibody titers, was also lower in the patients with lupus erythematosus, indicating that immune responses must be evaluated on an individual patient basis. Nevertheless, influenza vaccination can be safely carried out in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

Effect of progressive neoplastic growth on the decarboxylation of DL-[1-14C]ornithine by lymphocytes from C3H/He tumor hosts.

The reactivity of normal and tumor host lymphocytes incubated with normal serum or with serum or malignant ascites fluid from tumor hosts was measured by the ability of the lymphocytes to synthesize ornithine decarboxylase after phytohemagglutinin stimulation. Each of three tumors tested (a solid fibrosarcoma, an ascites mammary carcinoma, and an ascites ovarian carcinoma) caused increasing unresponsiveness in the lymphocytes of mice with progressing syngeneic neoplastic growth. The sera and particularly the malignant ascites fluids from mice given implants of the ascites cancers became progressively inhibitory to the activation of lymphocytes from tumor hosts as well as from normal mice. The serum from mice carrying s.c. implants of the fibrosarcoma enhanced the activation of lymphocytes from tumor hosts and from normal mice during early tumor growth before it also became inhibitory.

Animals↗
PubMed1977

In vivo immune response suppression by the supernatant from concanavalin A-activated spleen cells.

Supernatants from concanavalin A- (Con A) activated murine spleen cells have been shown to suppress the in vitro plaque-forming cell (PFC) response to sheep red blood cells (SRBC). The present study examined the effect of such Con A-activated spleen cell supernatants (herein termed CONS) on the in vivo immune response to SRBC in C57BL/6, BALB/c and CDF1 mice. CONS derived from BALB/c spleen cells suppressed direct PFC 4 and 8 days after immunization with 2 X 10(8) SRBC. CONS also suppressed indirect PFC 8 days after immunization, as well as serum hemagglutinins to SRBC. The PFC response of C57BL/6 (H-2b) mice was suppressed as much as that of BALB/c (H-2d) by CONS derived from BALB/c mice, indicating a lack of H-2 specificity of the CONS. In addition to suppression of the antibody response to SRBC, in vivo CONS administration resulted in reduction in spleen cell number. This reduction was not sufficient to explain the decreased PFC response. When the CONS was separated into less than 10,000 m.w. and greater than or equal to 10,000 m.w. fractions, the immunosuppressive activity was found in the less than 10,000 m.w. fraction. This observation suggests that intact interferon, SIRS, and MIF were not responsible for the results obtained.

Animals↗