Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to P Ali-Salaam.
Once melanoma cells leave the skin and travel to the lymph nodes, they have metastasized, thereby reducing chances for the patient's long-term, disease-free survival. Methods for tracing and removing lymph nodes include elective lymph node dissection, lymphoscintigraphy, and sentinel lymph node biopsy. This article reviews the concepts, procedures, and effectiveness of these techniques.
Lyme borreliosis in transgenic mice tolerant to Borrelia burgdorferi outer surface protein A (OspA) from the weakly virulent B. burgdorferi 25015 was assessed because the response to OspA has been implicated in protective immunity and is suspected in disease pathogenesis. B. burgdorferi 25015 is infectious but does not cause significant arthritis in C3H/HeN mice. Tolerance of mice to B. burgdorferi N40 OspA had no effect on disease. Since B. burgdorferi N40 is more virulent than and genetically distinct from B. burgdorferi 25015, the generality of these findings was investigated. OspA-25015-transgenic mice were tolerant to OspA-25015 and did not develop OspA antibodies or cellular responses following immunization with OspA-25015. The development and resolution of Lyme arthritis was similar in transgenic and nontransgenic littermates, suggesting that ablation of the OspA-25015 response does not cause B. burgdorferi 25015 to become more arthritogenic.
There are numerous methods for reconstruction of the orbit. The choices depend on the patient's age, the type of tumor, and the specific anatomic and functional demands required. Three-dimensional reconstructions, including bone and soft-tissue, and the particular needs of the ocular system must be considered, especially when subtotal or globe preservation procedures are used.
Sera from selected patients with Lyme disease in different stages were used to passively immunize mice against Borrelia burgdorferi challenge to determine if human antibodies could protect the animals from infection. Sera from 2 patients with late-stage Lyme disease that contained strong antibody reactivity to proteins in B. burgdorferi lysates, including antibodies to the outer surface proteins (Osps) A and B, partly protected mice from infection after challenge with a small inoculum (10(2)) of B. burgdorferi. Mice immunized with sera from either of these 2 patients developed significantly fewer infections from the borreliae (patient 1 serum, 5%; patient 2 serum, 25%) relative to control mice (patient 1 serum, 90%; patient 2 serum, 74%). In contrast, sera from 2 patients with early or late Lyme disease that lacked antibodies reactive to OspA and OspB did not confer protection. Immunity appeared to be related, at least in part, to the presence of a strong humoral response to the Osps. These results suggest that during prolonged infection, some patients develop an immune response that may be partly protective against reinfection with B. burgdorferi. Therefore, although most patients do not mount a strong humoral response to the Osps during natural infection, vaccination with an Osp may elicit protective immunity.
The immunogenicity and antigenicity of a multiply antigenic peptide construct containing four copies of the synthetic peptide TGAQTIKGQKLYFKANGQQVKG were measured in rodents and humans, respectively. The composition of this peptide construct (termed GLU) was derived from a major repeating sequence in the C-terminal region of mutans streptococcal glucosyltransferases that synthesize water-insoluble glucan (GTF-I). The GLU peptide elicited high levels of serum immunoglobulin G antibody to GLU after subcutaneous injection into Sprague-Dawley rats. These antisera also reacted with intact GTF isozymes from Streptococcus sobrinus and Streptococcus mutans (by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay [ELISA] and Western blot [immunoblot] analyses) and with an 87-kDa glucan-binding protein from S. sobrinus (by Western blot). The synthesis of filter-retained glucan by GTF-Sd of S. sobrinus could be inhibited (30%) by preincubation with anti-GLU rat serum. Splenic and lymph node lymphocytes from rats injected once with S. sobrinus GTF isozymes demonstrated significant proliferation after 5 days of culture with GLU. The GLU peptide reacted with 4 of 29 human parotid saliva samples and 5 of 29 human serum samples (by ELISA). These results suggest that the GLU peptide contains B- and T-cell epitopes that are similar to those of intact mutans streptococcal GTFs and possibly certain other glucan-binding proteins as well. Furthermore, since antibody to this epitope(s) appears to inhibit GTF function, sequences within this peptide construct may have value for inclusion in a synthetic dental caries vaccine.
Lower labial, upper labial, palatine (minor), and parotid (major) gland saliva samples from 18 young adult males were quantitatively assayed for the presence of IgA1, IgA2, IgM, and IgG. The mean (+/- standard deviation) concentrations of IgA (sum of IgA1 + IgA2) were 79 +/- 42 micrograms/mL (parotid), 111 +/- 42 micrograms/mL (lower labial), 69 +/- 72 micrograms/mL (upper labial), and 88 +/- 68 micrograms/mL (palatine). Total IgA concentrations were positively correlated among different minor-gland samples from the same subject, although these correlations did not reach significance. Upper-labial-gland saliva samples contained significantly (at least p less than 0.05) lower concentrations of IgA1 than those found in parotid or lower-labial minor-gland secretions. All three minor-gland sources of saliva contained significantly (p less than 0.002) higher levels of IgG than did parotid saliva. Upper-labial fluids had significantly (p less than 0.02) higher IgG concentrations than lower-labial saliva. IgM could be detected in 89% of parotid saliva samples and 75% of the palatine saliva samples. Palatine IgM concentrations (8.2 +/- 17.8 micrograms/mL) were significantly (p less than 0.05) higher than parotid IgM concentrations (0.6 +/- 0.4 micrograms/mL). IgM was detected much less frequently and at lower concentrations in lower- and upper-labial-gland saliva. These data reveal that minor-gland saliva from different oral sites may contain distinctive immunoglobulin isotype patterns, and expressions of host defense may vary within each micro-environment.