RESUMO
Anticardiolipin and anti-beta2GP1 antibodies were measured in 50 patients with HTLV-1-associated Myelopathy-Tropical Spastic Paraparesis (HAM-TSP) and the results were compared with those obtained for 34 HTLV-1-positive and 35 HTLV-1-negative controls, as well as 128 SLE patients. aCL but not anti-beta2GP1 was associated with HTLV-I infection. aCL was more prevalent than anti-beta2GP1 (32 percent vs. 8 percent) and was not associated with anti-beta2GP1 in HAM-TSP. IgA was the dominant isotype of aCL and anti-beta2GP1. The data suggest that tin HAM-TSP, IgA aCL are frequent and are associated with HTLV-1 infection.(Au)
Assuntos
Humanos , Anticorpos Anticardiolipina/sangue , Anticorpos Antifosfolipídeos/sangue , Glicoproteínas/imunologia , Paraparesia Espástica Tropical/imunologia , Estudos de Casos e Controles , Infecções por HTLV-I/imunologia , Imunoglobulina A/sangue , Isotipos de Imunoglobulinas/sangue , Lúpus Eritematoso Sistêmico/imunologiaRESUMO
Houses features contribute to house dust mite abundance and, therefore, exposure to mite allergens. Our study assessed the hypothesis that modernization of the domestic environment in a tropical setting may lead to a level of allergen from the house dust mites Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Trouessart) and D. farinae Hughes that previously has been defined clinically as at risk for people who suffer from allergic disease. Allergen (Der p 1 and Der f 1) levels were measured at 4 sites (mattress, bedroom floor, living room floor, and furniture) in 17 houses in Barbados during dry and rainy seasons. Der p 1 (17 of 17 homes) at all 4 sites did not vary significantly from the dry to rainy season. Allergen levels varied according to site, and were highest in living room furniture in both seasons (geometric mena 40.37 and 64.17 micrograms/g, respectively). Concentration of Der p 1 allergens were higher in concrete than in wood or mixed concrete and wood houses. Der f 1 (9 of 17 homes) levels were lower than Der p 1 by 1/1,000 (both seasons). Results indicated that season is less important in regard to levels of Der p 1 than house construction and confirm other studies that implicate D. pteronyssinus as a more abundant source of allergen than D. farinae in this tropical setting.(AU)
Assuntos
21003 , Humanos , Alérgenos/análise , Glicoproteínas/análise , ÁcarosRESUMO
Factors B and D as well as the total activity of the alternative pathway of complement activation were measured using a functional assay in sera from 29 patients with sickle cell anaemia and 18 normal controls. Total alternative pathway activity was reduced in the patients compared with controls. In patients with abnormally low total alternative pathway activity factor D levels were normal, whereas factor B levels were significantly depresed to a mean level of about half of normal. Regression analysis in patients also showed a singnificant relation between total alternative pathway activity and factor B levels. A deficiency of factor B is the likely cause of the defect in the complement system in patients with sickle cell anaemia. Such a defect may contribute to the excessive proneness of such patients to severe infection.(AU)