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Presents a study which determined the temporal history of the pressure of a confined low-temperature plasma generated under conditions of modest laser intensity by utilizing the target as a thin witness plate to interferometrically measure the particle velocity at its rear surface. Experiment; Simple plasma model; Conclusions.

Sera from ten patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) were tested for lymphocytotoxic antibodies (LCA) before and after absorption with cord and adult erythrocytes at 4°C. Seven of the sera showed a significant reduction in cytotoxicity after absorption with the cord erythrocytes, hut minimal or no reduction following absorption with the adult red blood cells. Of the remaining three sera, the cytotoxicity was equally reduced by cord and adult red cells in one and was unaffected by absorption in two. Eluates were prepared from the two sera using cord and adult red blood cells. The cytotoxicity of the cord cell eluates was significantly greater than those of the adult red cell eluates. These data indicate that the LCA in most SLE sera have specificity for the i antigen, which is present on lymphocytes and cord erythrocytes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cellular immunity to autologous IgG was determined by a modified agarose leucocyte migration test in twenty-seven patients with rheumatoid arthritis, sixteen patients with ankylosing spondylitis, thirteen patients with Reiter's syndrome, and in a control group consisting of twenty-four healthy, gouty and osteoarthritic subjects. Lymphocytes isolated from peripheral blood were incubated with native and aggregated autologous IgG for 7 days and the supernatants were assayed for the presence of leucocyte migration inhibitory and leucocyte migration enhancement factors. Both factors have been shown to be in vitro correlates of the delayed hypersensitive reaction. Positive responses to autologous IgG were observed in twenty-three of twenty-seven patients with rheumatoid arthritis, twelve of sixteen subjects with ankylosing spondylitis, five of thirteen individuals with Reiter's syndrome, and four of twenty-four subjects in the control group. Serum antiglobulins to IgG measured by agglutination techniques were present in 77% of patients with rheumatoid arthritis and in none of the subjects with ankylosing spondylitis. There was no correlation between cellular immunity to IgG and the presence of serum antiglobulins. These data indicate that cellular immunity to autologous IgG is an immunological abnormality common to both rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mechanisms of cellular immunity were studied in an anergic female with recurrent bacterial infections, Lymphocytes transformed and produced cytotoxin in the presence of phytohaemagglutinin, but elaborated only migration inhibitory factor (MIF) in response to specific antigen. Monocytes isolated from the patient's peripheral blood were unresponsive to autologous MIF and to homologous MIF from two of three healthy adults. Humoral immunity, complement and neutrophul bactericidal activity were intact. The lymphocyte-monocyte defects found in this patient suggest that they were responsible for the anergy and predisposition to bacterial infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lymphocyte and monocyte function was studied in an anergic patient with chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis. Her lymphocytes responded in vitro to phytohaemagglutinin, but not to Candida albicans antigen. However, when the lymphocytes were cultured in the presence of C. albicans, they produced migration inhibitory factor (MIF) capable of inhibiting either human or guinea-pig monocytes. Monocytes isolated from the patient's blood were also shown to have intact IgG receptors, a system perhaps analogous to cytophilic antibody. These findings indicate that the anergic state present in our patient with mucocutaneous candidiasis cannot be attributed to a failure of antigen recognition or to a defect in MIF production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immunological studies were performed on a woman with agammaglobulinaemia and coexistent `pernicious anaemia, on her two daughters who had recurrent sinusitis, and on her husband. Serum levels of IgG, IgA and IgM were markedly reduced in the patient, whereas both daughters had a marked selective deficiency of IgA. Autoantibodies to intrinsic factor and to the gastric parietal cell were absent in these subjects, but the serum of one daughter contained thyroid auto- antibodies. Assessment of the in vitro response of lymphocytes to four phytomitogens (phytohaemagglutinin, pokeweed, wax-bean and Concanavalin A) showed an altered response to Concanavalin A and an essentially normal response profile to the other mitogens. Th responses differed, significantly from those of eight agammaglobulinaemic patients without coexistent autoimmune disease, suggesting that subtle immune differences may exist between these two groups of patients. The findings suggest that at least three immunological aberrations in this family were under genetic control; these included abnormalities in serum jrn,rnurioglobulin levels, altered in vitro lymphocyte response to Concanavalin A and an autoimmune concomitant of pernicious anaemia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Humoral and cellular immunity to hog intrinsic factor (HIF) was studied in rabbits immunized with varying doses of HIF or HIF complexed to vitamin B12. Animals immunized with large doses of HIF (1 mg) consistently produced high titres of blocking and binding antibodies to IF. At low dose immunization (10 μg), the humoral response was obviously blunted, with animals forming significantly reduced titres of antibodies to IF; several rabbits in this group made only binding antibodies and one rabbit produced neither blocking nor binding antibodies. No difference in humoral responsiveness was noted between those animals who received HIF or an equivalent amount of HIF complexed to vitamin B12. By contrast, cellular immunity as measured by inhibition of leucocyte migration was readily induced to a similar degree in both high and low dose animals, including the rabbit which had no detectable antibodies to IF. When an intermediate dose of HIF (50 μg) was used as the immunogen, four rabbits gave positive leucocyte migration tests only with HIF-vitamin B12 complex, suggesting that the interaction of HIF with vitamin B12 may enhance its antigenicity in vitro. These data demonstrate that cellular and humoral immunity to HIF can be induced and partially dissociated from each other by varying the dose of immunogen. Although the mechanism responsible for this dissociation is not clear, one explanation would be differing sensitivities of lymphocyte-populations to different doses of antigen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The response of the systemic and secretory immune systems to hog intrinsic factor (IF) was studied in rabbits. Following immunization, pregnant rabbits produced both serum and colostral antibodies to IF. Blocking and binding antibodies to IF were consistently found in sera. The colostrum of the four animals studied also contained blocking antibodies, but colostral-binding antibodies to IF were detected in only two rabbits. Blocking antibody in serum was restricted to the IgG fraction, whereas this activity was present in both the IgG and secretory IgA immunoglobulins of colostrum. Binding antibody to IF was also found within the IgG and secretory IgA of colostrum; in serum, however, the binding activity was seen in all three immunoglobulin classes. These data indicate that the systemic and secretory immune systems of the rabbit recognize the two major antigenic sites on IF and produce specific antibodies against these determinants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sera and synovial fluids from thirty-seven patients with various types of arthropathy were studied for the presence of cryoprecipitates. The isolated, washed cryoprecipitates were analysed for immunoglobulins, antiglobulins, antinuclear antibody and DNA content. Cryoprecipitates were detected in the synovial fluids, but not in the matched serum specimens of twenty-six subjects, twenty-four of whom had rheumatoid arthritis. The precipitates consisted of either IgG-IgM complexes or IgG alone. Antiglobulin activity was present in the cryoprecipitates from nineteen rheumatoid patients; of these nineteen, fifteen had antiglobulins present in serum and fourteen had antiglobulins in their whole synovial fluids. Antinuclear antibody was detected in the cryoprecipitates from ten rheumatoid patients; only three patients had antinuclear antibodies in serum and/or whole synovial fluid. DNA was demonstrated in three cryoprecipitates and seven whole synovial fluids using an antiserum specific for calf thymus single strand DNA. When the cryoprecipitates were heat-denatured prior to testing, seventeen were shown to contain DNA antigens. The synovial fluids from one patient with Reiter's syndrome and one subject with psoriatic arthropathy also formed cryoprecipitates, but neither contained antiglobulin or antinuclear antibody activity. These observations suggest that the cryoprecipitates in rheumatoid synovial fluids contain several different antibodies and antigens, including antiglobulins, imrnunoglobulins, antinuclear antibody and DNA. It is postulated that these cryoprecipitates may represent cold insoluble antigen-antibody complexes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents information on a study regarding salivary &b.gamma;A in agammaglobulinaemia. Sera and saliva from nine adult subjects with acquired agammaglobulinaemia and from two individuals with a selective absence of &b.gamma;A were studied for &b.gamma;A and secretory &b.gamma;A content. Saliva from agammaglobulinaemic patients and from those with a selective absence of &b.gamma;A contain free secretory piece, but no detectable &b.gamma;A. Of the eleven saliva studied, ten behaved as expected. In the presence of serum &b.gamma;A, secretory &b.gamma;A alone was found in saliva; in the absence of serum &b.gamma;A, only free secretory piece was detected.

The article presents a study, which determines whether the Immunoglobulin M (IgM) components of mixed cryoglobulins vary in antigenic specificity. For this purpose, the authors studied the serological interactions in three test systems of the IgM components isolated from seven different cryoglobulinaemic sera. The results of this study indicate that serological specificity may vary from one mixed cryoglobulin to another and that the monoclonal IgM components of different mixed cryoglobulins represent a heterologous group of antiglobulins.

Presents a case study on a patient with refractory megaloblastic anemia. Examination of peroxidase activity in patients; Basal rate of oxygen consumption; Distribution of cytoplasmic enzymes in mammalian neutrophils.

Presents a case of postperfusion syndrome due to cytomegalovirus. Symptoms of the disease; Interrelationships of DNA virus, autoimmunity, immune complexes, cryoglobulins and glomerulonephritis; Disorders in which cryoglobulins have been reported; Clinical expressions of immune complex disorders; Factors present or concentrated in cryoglobulins.

Immunoglobulin and complement concentrations of tears were measured using a sensitive electroimmunodiffusion assay. In the 13 subjects tested, the predominant immunoglobulin was secretory IgA (mean concentration 107 mug/mg protein; standard error of mean 15; n equal 17). The B1C component of complement was measurable in half of the subjects studied. The data illustrate that it is possible to quantify exactly certain humoral indices which may be important in the host defense of the eye. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Presents a study of intestinal vasculitis in essential, mixed cryoglobulinemia. Method of the study; Results and discussion; Conclusion.