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Biomedical subjects

S Rajaraman

Publications and source records attributed to S Rajaraman.

136 records · Page 8Linked to original sources

Inability of thoracic duct drainage to prevent hyperacute rejection.

Serum and lymph albumin and Ig levels were measured during 6 weeks of lymphocyte depletion by thoracic duct drainage (TDD) in 21 patients prior to renal allotransplantation. In ten of these patients, the amount of protein lost from all sources (blood sampling, dialysis, and lymph centrifugation) was measured. The total amount of albumin lost was significantly greater than the amount of IgG lost. However, serum IgG declined at a faster rate and to a greater extent than albumin. Hyperacute or acute humoral rejection occurred in 14 grafts in 10 patients prepared by TDD despite negative crossmatch tests. These data suggest that removal of lymphocytes by TDD, rather than protein loss alone, affects IgG levels. On the other hand, TDD and IgG depletion do not prevent hyperacute or acute humoral rejection. This is most likely due to the inability of currently employed crossmatch tests to predict accurately which patients will manifest antibody-mediated graft rejection.

Drainage↗

Immunochemical measurement of serum prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP). Clinical evaluation of radioimmunoassay and counter immunoelectrophoresis.

Two radioimmunoassay procedures (RIA-1 and RIA-2) were evaluated for the quantitation of prostatic acid phosphatase in serum and compared with the enzymatic method and counter immunoelectrophoresis method for their specificity and sensitivity. Sera from 168 patients were analyzed and these included: normals, 27; untreated prostatic cancer patients Stage A, 2; Stage C, 3; Stage D, 17; cancer of prostate treated with different modalities, 42; sarcoma of prostate, 1; prostatitis, 3; nonprostatic carcinoma, 17; and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), 56. RIA-1 procedure appeared more sensitive (82% sensitivity) and specific (94.5% specificity) than the RIA-2 procedure (68% sensitivity and 91.8% specificity), but the differences were not statistically significant. The enzymatic method was found to be least sensitive (63.6% sensitivity) but also the most specific (100% specificity). Only 69 of the specimens were analyzed by counter immunoelectrophoresis, which showed sensitivity of 87% and specificity of 51.4%. False positives were observed more often in patients with nonprostatic cancer and BPH. The variations in diagnostic specificity of immunologic assays suggest the need of characterization of each antibody specificity.

Acid Phosphatase↗

Repigmentation of vitiliginous skin by cultured cells.

Epidermal cells from pigmented areas of a patient with vitiligo were cultured in MCDB-153 medium, which supports the clonal growth of undifferentiated keratinocytes and melanocytes. The cells were grown on collagen-coated substrata. After the cells reached semiconfluence, the composite of substratum and cells was emplaced onto dermabraded vitiliginous areas as a graft. Re-epithelialization of the grafted areas was complete after 2 weeks. Repigmentation was evident after 1 month and continued over the observation period of several months. There was complete and normal differentiation of the graft, including a normal distribution of melanocytes in the basal layer. Ultrastructural studies showed a normal distribution of melanosomes in the melanocytes and showed keratinocytes that were indistinguishable from the uninvolved skin.

Antibodies↗

Isolated antinuclear antibody-negative lupus nephropathy in young children.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a multisystem disease in which the kidneys are frequently involved. The clinical and histopathologic diagnosis of SLE is based on the American Rheumatism Association (ARA) and the World Health Organization classification, respectively. A few adults who qualify as SLE by the ARA criteria but are antinuclear antibody (ANA)-negative have been reported. We found only one report of a child with SLE where renal disease was the only manifestation but who had a positive ANA. This report describes 3 children who presented with the nephrotic syndrome and in whom the renal histology is highly suggestive of SLE. Short-term follow-up as failed to demonstrate other systemic involvement and the ANA has continued to be negative.

Antibodies, Antinuclear↗

Effect of varied protein intake on the nephropathy of the diabetic mouse (C57BL/s J db/db).

Protein intake has been suggested to influence progression of renal disease by affecting intraglomerular pressures and flows. The renal disease of the diabetic mouse (C57BL/Ks/db/db) has been proposed as a suitable model of human diabetic nephropathy. Ten diabetic mice and ten non-diabetic controls were placed on 1 of 3 protein intakes, 4%, 27% and 50%, and serial functional measurements were made at 2 to 3 week intervals until week 20. All diabetic animals showed similar degrees of hyperglycemia. The creatinine clearances were generally higher in the diabetic mice than the controls, except the 4% protein intake diabetic group, until week 20 when the 27% db/db mice showed a significant decline (p less than 0.05) compared to the control mice. Albumin excretion was significantly higher in the 27% and 50% protein intake db/db mice than the controls. Again the 4% group showed albuminuria not different from the control animals. Histologic studies at 20 weeks showed minimal abnormalities in the normal and 4% protein intake diabetic group. The 27% and 50% intake diabetic mice showed a progressive increase in severity of mesangial matrix expansion with segmental sclerosis. Electron microscopy confirmed these findings. Immunofluorescence microscopy showed a marked increase in mesangial immunoglobulin G and M. With similar degree of hyperglycemia, higher protein intake was associated with more severe histologic changes, greater albuminuria and early decline in GFR. Thus protein intake can markedly affect the progression of renal disease in the diabetic mouse.

Age Factors↗

Response of cultured cells from the epidermis and the buccal mucosa to TGF-beta 1 and comparison to interferon-gamma.

Normal human cells from epidermis and from buccal mucosa were cultured to confluence in three media with graded differentiation potential (at low Ca2+, high Ca2+, and supplemented with serum) and treated with transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-beta 1), as had been done previously with interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma). The response of the cells to TGF-beta 1 was monitored in terms of the expression of regulatory genes associated with proliferation and differentiation (cdc2, c-myc, p53) and of genes for structural proteins expressed at varying stages of maturation (keratins K5 and K10, involucrin, flaggrin). For both tissues, the results obtained with both agents were very similar for those genes expressed in the basal cells (cdc2, c-myc, p53, K5), regardless of their function, but diverged for the other genes, which are expressed in the suprabasal cells. Another related contrast is that, although IFN-gamma induced apoptosis in epidermal keratinocytes cultured in the serum containing medium, TGF-beta 1 did not. Thus, the two agents appear to affect the earlier stages of cell differentiation in the same way but to differ at the later stages, particularly in that IFN-gamma pushes maturation further than does TGF-beta 1).

CDC2 Protein Kinase↗

Gene expression of zinc-alpha 2-glycoprotein in normal human epidermal and buccal epithelia.

Zinc-alpha 2-glycoprotein (Zn alpha 2gp) is almost ubiquitous in body fluids. We have found it to be also present in stratified epithelia. We compare its mRNA expression in cells from human epidermis and buccal mucosa cultured in media of graded differentiation potential (attained by varying calcium ion concentration and adding serum). The Zn alpha 2gp gene is upregulated in both epithelia with differentiation and further with exposure to interferon gamma or transforming growth factor beta 1. The upregulation by these agents increases with differentiation in epidermal cells, but peaks in the low-differentiation medium in buccal epithelia. We compared gene expression levels of Zn alpha 2gp with those of characteristic cytokeratins of stratified epithelia (k5 for basal cells, K10 for epidermal suprabasal cells, and K13 for mucosal suprabasal cells). This pattern correlation associates Zn alpha 2gp cell-type dependently with late differentiation, i.e. with keratin K10 in epidermis and with K13 in buccal epithelium.

Cells, Cultured↗