IL-2 does not enhance the conversion to complete donor chimerism following nonmyeloablative hematopoietic cell transplantation in dogs.

A dog model of stable mixed hematopoietic chimerism was established in which leukocyte-antigen-identical littermates receive nonmyeloablative total body irradiation before hematopoietic cell transplantation and postgrafting immunosuppression with mycophenolate mofetil and cyclosporine. Unmodified donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI) into stable mixed chimeras failed to increase donor chimerism, while DLI from donors sensitized to recipient minor-histocompatibility antigens promptly converted all recipients to complete donor chimerism. This established a model for studying approaches to enhance the graft-versus-host (GVH)-effect, a potential surrogate for graft-versus-leukemia activity. We asked if interleukin-2 (IL-2) given after unmodified DLI could result in reliable conversion to complete donor chimerism. IL-2, 4 x 10(5) IU/kg/day, was administered to six mixed chimeric dogs for 14 days. Four dogs received unmodified DLI with IL-2. At 20-40 weeks after DLI, all dogs remained mixed chimeras. For the two recipients of IL-2 only, mixed chimerism also remained unchanged. These results show that IL-2 given with DLI after nonmyeloablative transplantation in dogs is not effective in reliably converting mixed to complete donor chimerism.

Engraftment of DLA-haploidentical marrow with ex vivo expanded, retrovirally transduced cytotoxic T lymphocytes.

Genetically modified donor T cells with an inducible "suicide" gene have the potential to improve the safety and availability of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation by enhancing engraftment and permitting control of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). However, several clinical studies of gene-modified T cells have shown limited to no in vivo function of the ex vivo expanded T cells. Using the well-established dog model of allogeneic marrow transplantation, the question was asked if retrovirally transduced, donor derived, ex vivo expanded cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) that are recipient specific could enhance engraftment of dog leukocyte antigen (DLA)-haploidentical marrow following a single dose of 9.2 Gy total body irradiation and no postgrafting immunosuppression. In this setting, only 4 of 11 control recipients of DLA-haploidentical marrow without added CTLs engrafted. CTLs did not enhance engraftment of CD34(+) selected peripheral blood stem cells. However, recipient-specific CTLs enhanced engraftment of DLA-haploidentical marrow in 9 of 11 evaluable recipients (P =.049). All dogs that engrafted developed multiorgan GVHD. To facilitate in vivo tracking, 8 dogs received CTLs transduced with a retroviral vector encoding green fluorescent protein (GFP) and neomycin phosphotransferase (neo). Recipients that engrafted had sharp increases in the numbers of circulating GFP(+) CTLs on days +5 to +6 after transplantation. GFP(+) CTLs isolated from blood were capable of recipient-specific lysis. At necropsy, up to 7.1% of CD3(+) cells in tissues were GFP(+) and polymerase chain reaction in situ hybridization for neo showed infiltration of transduced CTLs in GVHD-affected organs. These results show that ex vivo expanded, transduced T cells maintained in vivo function and enhanced marrow engraftment.

[Use of multivitamin drink and oil solution of beta carotene in the treatment of children with chronic gastroduodenitis]. / Ispol'zovanie vitaminizirovannogo napitka i maslianogo rastvora beta-karotina v lechenii detei s khronicheskim gastroduodenitom.

Inclusion of vitamin-containing soft drink and oil solution of beta-carotene in the diet of the 4-14 years old children suffering from gastrointestinal diseases lead to vitamin and antioxidant status improvement with simultaneous positive effects on their clinical condition. Polyhypovitaminosis frequency had decreased. Thus, there is every reason to fortify diets of the patients suffering from gastrointestinal diseases with vitamins-antioxidants.

[Seasonal variations of vitamin sufficiency in pregnant women (Mzensk City)]. / Sezonnye razlichiia v obespechennosti vitaminami beremennykh (g. Mtsensk).

The investigation of sufficiency of vitamin C, A, E, B2, B6, carotenoids and iron dietary intake has been carried out in 61 pregnant women in spring and early autumn 1998. There were no women adequately supplied with all vitamins irrespective of season and residence. Most of them (70-80 per cent) had combined deficiency of 3-5 vitamins in spring. About 50 per cent of women had combined insufficiency of vitamins and iron. Intake of vitamins improved in autumn especially due to vitamins C, A, E and carotenoids. The frequency of 3-5 vitamins deficit decreased while occurrence of combined deficiency of vitamin B6 and carotenoids still often took place. Thus, normalization of vitamin status of pregnant women is necessary all year round.

[The effect of vitamin- and beta-carotene-enriched products on the vitamin A allowance and the concentration of different carotenoids of the blood serum in victims of the accident at the Chernobyl Atomic Electric Power Station]. / Vliianie produktov, obogashchennykh vitaminani i beta-karotinom, na obespechennost' vitaminom A i kontsentratsiiu razlichnykh karotinoidov v syvorotke krovi lits, postradavshikh ot avarii na ChAES.

The results of clinical trials of efficiency of foods enriched by vitamins and beta-carotene in people suffered from Chernobyl's accident are presented. The level of beta-carotene in clinical diets was the same during trial. Daily consumption of enriched food supplying ingestion of 4-5 mg of beta-carotene increased the level of beta-carotene in serum by 2-4 times. The concentration of total carotenoides in serum was increased by 1.6 times practically at the expense of beta-carotene.