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M B Berger

Publications and source records attributed to M B Berger.

5 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1988

Elevated concentrations of soluble interleukin-2 receptors in serum samples and bronchoalveolar lavage fluids in active sarcoidosis.

Sarcoidosis is a granulomatous disorder of unknown cause characterized by activation of T-lymphocytes. We here report the use of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the soluble interleukin-2 receptor (IL-2R) as a measure of T-cell activation in serum samples and bronchoalveolar lavage fluids in 15 patients with active sarcoidosis. The geometric mean (x divided by SEM) value for soluble IL-2R in serum samples from patients with sarcoidosis was 1,110 (x divided by 1.17) versus 224 (x divided by 1.08) U/ml for normal control subjects (p less than 0.001). Detectable levels of soluble IL-2R were present in bronchoalveolar lavage fluids from 10 of 15 patients with sarcoidosis versus only 2 of 36 normal control subjects (p less than 0.001). Levels of soluble IL-2R in serum samples from untreated patients with sarcoidosis correlated with 67gallium lung scanning scores (p less than 0.05) but not with serum angiotensin-converting enzyme concentrations or constituents of bronchoalveolar lavage. In 5 patients, the level of soluble IL-2R in serum samples fell from 1,499 (x divided by 1.20) to 476 (x divided by 1.58) U/ml (p less than 0.05) after 6 wk of successful treatment with corticosteroids, whereas the changes in soluble IL-2R in bronchoalveolar lavage fluids were more variable. These observations suggest that measurements of soluble IL-2R, particularly in serum samples, may reflect disease activity and be clinically useful in the management of patients with sarcoidosis.

Adrenal Cortex Hormones↗
PubMed1987

Elevated serum levels of soluble interleukin-2 receptors in active pulmonary sarcoidosis: relative specificity and association with hypercalcemia.

We have previously reported serum elevations of the soluble form of the interleukin-2 receptor (IL-2R), a marker of T-cell activation, in sarcoidosis. In the present study, an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for soluble IL-2R was employed to compare sera from normal controls with those from patients with active sarcoidosis or idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Sera from patients with active sarcoidosis and parenchymal lung disease (radiographic Stages II or III) had geometric mean values for soluble IL-2R of 1975 units/ml compared to 640 units/ml for normal controls (p less than 0.001, Student's t-test). By contrast, soluble IL-2R levels were lower (989 units/ml, p less than 0.05 compared to normals) in patients with active sarcoidosis but no radiographic evidence for parenchymal disease (Stages 0 or I). Soluble IL-2R levels were not elevated in patients with inactive sarcoidosis. Three of the 4 sarcoidosis patients with the highest levels of soluble IL-2R also manifested hypercalcemia. While levels of soluble IL-2R were elevated for the group of patients with IPF (1171 units/ml, p less than 0.05 compared to normals), the striking elevations of soluble IL-2R noted in active sarcoidosis were not seen and there was greater overlap with normal values. We conclude that marked serum elevations of soluble IL-2R are more suggestive of active pulmonary sarcoidosis than IPF.

Adrenal Cortex Hormones↗
PubMed1979

Treatment of experimental nocardiosis in mice: comparison of amikacin and sulfonamide.

Recent in vitro susceptibility studies have shown that amikacin inhibits more than 90% of isolates of Nocardia. This study was designed to evaluate the effect of treatment with amikacin or sulfonamides on infection caused by Nocardia asteroides with the use of murine models. In an acute lethality model in which infection was induced by intraperitoneal injection, 13 (45%) of 29 mice that had been treated with amikacin survived, in comparison to zero of 39 untreated animals in the control group and one of 39 mice that had been treated with sulfadiazine (P less than 0.001 for amikacin). When infected with a strain of N. asteroides that was resistant to amikacin, all mice that were treated with amikacin and all untreated mice died. Drug therapy was also evaluated in a chronic infection model, in which abscesses were produced by an intraperitoneal injection of N. asteroides in saline. Treatment with either amikacin (P less than 0.001) or sulfonamide (P less than 0.02) for two to three weeks significantly increased the rate of resolution of these abscesses. These murine models demonstrate that amikacin has in vivo activity against Nocardia and may be potentially useful in the treatment of human disease.

Amikacin↗