Measurement of the 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid/creatinine ration in the urine of patients with coeliac disease.

Urinary excretion of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid and creatinine has been measured in 8-hour collections from adult patients with coeliac disease, and results have been compared with a group of healthy adult controls. Results were expressed as 5-HIAA/creatinine and significantly higher values of this ratio were found in patients with coeliac disease. Measurement of this ratio is a non-invasive technique which is useful in selecting patients with suspected coeliac disease for further investigation.

Lack of association of the development of anti-sperm antibodies and other autoantibodies as a consequence of vasectomy.

The possibility of autoantibodies--other than sperm antibodies--developing as a consequence of vasectomy has been investigated in 255 volunteers. During the first year after vasectomy no obvious increase was observed in the occurrence of any of these antibodies (rheumatoid factor, antinuclear antibodies and antibodies against smooth muscle, mitochondria, gastric parietal cell, thyroid microsomes and thyroglobulin). Ninety-nine of the patients were also examined for agglutinating and immunofluorescent antibodies to sperm to see if there was any relationship between the occurrence of anti-sperm antibodies and other autoantibodies. However, the prevalence of non-sperm autoantibodies did not differ in two nearly equal groups of patients with and without indications of autoimmune reactions to spermatozoa, respectively. Consequently the present results lend no support to the hypothesis that vasectomy could induce autoimmunity to other autoantigens than sperm-specific antigens.

PIP: An earlier study was extended to determine whether "nonsperm" autoantibodies develop as a consequence of vasectomy. 500 volunteers were vasectomized, and blood samples were drawn before and at intervals of 6 months and 1 year after the procedure. 346 men submitted 2nd samples, and 255 men gave 3rd samples. All the samples were screened for the following autoantibodies: pheumatoid factor, antinuclear antibodies, antithyroid cytoplasmic antibodies, antigastric parietal cell, antismooth muscle, antimitochondria, and antithyroglobulin antibodies. 99 men were examined for sperm antibodies. There was no increase of any 1 autoantibody in samples obtained after vasectomy compared with prevasectomy samples. 45% of the 99 patients showed development or increased titer of sperm agglutinins. 47 of the 99 patients tested for sperm antibodies showed evidence of antigenic stimulation by spermatozoa or sperm products. The results show "no significant increase in the incidence of non-sperm autoantibodies during the 1 year observation period, and there was no correlation between the elicitation of sperm antibodies and nonsperm autoantibodies."

Levels of C-type viral p30 antigens in lymphoma-resistant mice.

Until relatively recently, interest has largely centered upon the causal role of oncogenic viruses especially with respect to the development of murine lymphomas. Host factors have recently come to the fore and are considered to be effective here, where we note that, in spite of relatively high levels of C-type viral antigen in the AKR X CBA F1 mouse, this hybrid remains relatively lymphoma resistant. Evidence points to an overriding host factor in this situation that is dominant with respect to tumor resistance and furthermore independent of the viral load at least as judged by levels of p30 viral antigen, an assumption confirmed by xc plaque assay.

Failure to suppress theta antigenic expression in progeny derived from pre-immunized maternal recipients.

One possible theory concerning the success of the fetus as an allograft has been attributed to maternal modification of foreign fetal antigenic expression. In this respect progeny derived from pre-immunized maternal mouse recipients, have been examined for any modification (reduction) of corresponding theta antigen determinants. Two major groups of mice were examined. The first group of embryo transplantation derived AKR homozygotes born from pre-immunized CBA recipients whilst producing the corresponding anti-thetaAKR antibody activity. The second group of naturally derived reciprocal (CBA x AKR)F1 heterozygotes were also born from pre-immunized maternal recipients. In neither group was theta expression found to be modified and the significance of this finding is discussed in respect of other situations where fetal antigenic expression is known to be altered by maternal influence.

Flavobacterium meningosepticum in the hospital environment.

Ten strains of Flavobacterium meningosepticum were isolated from routine clinical material during a period of two years. Of a number of antibiotics tested, clindamycin was the only one to which they were fully sensitive. The organism was found in chlorhexidine gluconate (Hibitane) solutions in use on the wards for the storage of thermometers and for routine disinfection.

Cross-reaction of antibodies present in sera of vasectomized mice with human swollen spermheads.

Vasectomy induced anti-sperm antibodies in mice were seen to cross react with human spermatozoa. Similarly anti-sperm antibodies in an infertile human male subject were found not only to react with human but also with bovine, porcine and murine sperm. Both observations made with preparations of swollen spermatozoa demonstrate the cross-reactivity of anit-sperm protamine activity of different species. Therefore in spite of known species dependent differences in amino acid composition and sequence of protamines, they appear to have common antigenic determinants.

Autoimmune implications of vasectomy in man.

The frequent development of sperm antibodies following vasectomy does not appear to be related to the formation of other autoantibodies. We have examined serum taken from 346 men before and 6 months after vasectomy for seven different autoantibodies. The occurrence of positive results is comparable to any normal population.

PIP: Serum taken from 346 men before and 6 months after vasectomy was examined for 7 different autoantibodies. Autoantibody was undetected in 250 cases. 96 patients gave a positive result in 1 or more tests. Although occasional positive results were seen following surgery, a pattern was absent; the incidence of positive results is comparable to any normal population. Based on the findings, vasectomy appears safe in terms of the development of detectable adverse autoimmunity.

Murine leukaemia virus expression in the AKR following thymectomy.

Thymectomy effectively prevents the development of spontaneous lymphoma in the AKR but how this effect is achieved remains to be determined. One possible mechanism, namely suppression of genomic expression of the oncogenic murine leukaemia virus now seems unlikely since levels of the group specific MuLV antigen were in comparision with their sham operated controls unaltered in both neonatally and adult thymectomized AKR.