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Biomedical subjects

K Pfeffer

Publications and source records attributed to K Pfeffer.

80 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

Immunity to mycobacteria: possible role of alpha/beta and gamma/delta T lymphocytes.

Immunity to pathogenic mycobacteria is mediated by T lymphocytes. The possible contribution of CD4 alpha/beta T cells, CD8 alpha/beta T cells and gamma/delta T cells as well as the possible role of interleukin-mediated macrophage activation and target cell lysis through direct cell contact is discussed. Furthermore, attempts to define mycobacterial antigens for T lymphocytes with particular emphasis on heat shock proteins are described. The data currently available suggest complex interactions between different T-cell types in immunity to mycobacteria.

Antigens, Bacterial↗
PubMed1989

Adoptive transfer of human peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) in scid mice.

Two protocols were examined for the ability to transfer a human T cell system into SCID mice. Upon intraperitoneal injection (i.p.) of human peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) into SCID mice the injected cells could be recovered over weeks from the peritoneal cavity, yet human T cells did not seed into secondary lymphoid organs such as the spleen, lymph nodes or bone marrow. In contrast, SCID mice grafted with human embryonal thymus tissue contained high numbers of CD4+CD8- and CD8+CD4- human T cells in their lymph nodes and spleen when they had been injected i.p. with human PBL.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

B cell maturation in chronic lymphocytic leukemia. II. Clonal heterogeneity in the response to various B cell activators and recombinant cytokines (rIFN-gamma, rIFN-alpha, rIL2).

Maturation of B cells into immunoglobulin (Ig)-secreting cells is influenced by antigen-nonspecific growth and differentiation factors. In the present study, we have analyzed the effect of several recombinant cytokines (rIL2, rIFN-alpha, rIFN-gamma) on the terminal differentiation of B cells from 10 patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) stimulated with three different B cell activators (phorbolester TPA, staphylococcus aureus Cowan I bacteria, or pokeweed mitogen). Secretion of IgM, as determined by heavy-chain specific ELISA, varied widely among different CLL cell populations, but was induced in all cases by one or several of these activators. Importantly, this response was enhanced 2-10-fold in all patients by at least one of the tested recombinant cytokines alone, or a combination of rIL2 with rIFN-alpha or rIFN-gamma. The results illustrate the clonal heterogeneity of CLL B cell maturation in vitro and demonstrate that rIL2, rIFN-alpha or rIFN-gamma can act as a B cell differentiation factor, depending on the responsiveness (stage of differentiation) of the individual clonal B cell population.

B-Lymphocytes↗
PubMed1985

In vitro maturation of B cells in chronic lymphocytic leukemia. I. Synergistic action of phorbol ester and interleukin 2 in the induction of Tac antigen expression and interleukin 2 responsiveness in leukemic B cells.

Recent evidence indicates that interleukin 2 (IL 2), formerly thought to serve as growth factor exclusively for activated T cells, is directly involved in human B cell differentiation. We have investigated the role of IL 2 and IL 2 receptors (as defined by monoclonal anti-Tac antibody) in the phorbol ester-induced in vitro maturation of leukemic B cells from patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Peripheral blood lymphocytes from B cells from CLL patients with high (greater than 10(5)/microliters) white blood cell counts were depleted of residual T lymphocytes and low-density cells (primarily macrophages) by consecutive steps of E rosetting, complement-mediated lysis of OKT3+ and OKT4+ cells, and Percoll density gradient centrifugation. No OKT3+ T cells were detectable in these cell populations before or after culture. When incubated for 3 days with phorbol ester plus recombinant human IL 2 (rIL 2), 12 to 57% of highly purified B cells from four of five tested patients expressed Tac antigen. Both phorbol ester and rIL 2 were required for maximal Tac antigen expression. Functional studies revealed that phorbol ester-activated (but not resting) CLL B cells responded to rIL 2 with [3H]thymidine incorporation and with enhanced secretion of IgM. Tac+ B cells were isolated in two cases on a fluorescence-activated cell sorter. In one patient, stimulation of Tac+ B cells with rIL 2 resulted in enhanced [3H]thymidine incorporation but no change in IgM secretion, as compared with Tac- B cells; in the second patient, stimulation of Tac+ B cells with rIL 2 did not result in [3H]thymidine uptake, but did result in significant IgM secretion. These findings indicate that certain leukemic B lymphocytes can be induced to express IL 2 receptors and respond to IL 2. The use of resting clonal B cell populations arrested at distinct stages of differentiation may help to better define the stage(s) at which IL 2 acts directly on B cells to induce proliferation and/or terminal differentiation.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Developmental and social factors in Nigerian children's accidents.

Accidents to children are discussed in terms of developmental and social factors in Nigeria. The types of accidents involving children and age trends in accident incidence are reported. Physical, perceptual, cognitive and social development are discussed. Social factors identified are family variables, the physical environment, and attitudes and folk beliefs.

Accidents↗