Cytotoxic T lymphocyte responses in the peripheral blood of children born to human immunodeficiency virus-1-infected mothers.

Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) are present at high activities in adult patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). In this report, CTL effectors were identified in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of children born to HIV-1-infected mothers. These CTL killed HLA-matched HIV-1-infected H9 target cells or doubly transfected P815-A2-env, gag or nef mouse tumor cells, which expressed the viral antigens in association with HLA-A1/A3 or HLA-A2, respectively. HIV-1-specific CTL were detected early after birth (less than 2 months) and remained present during the asymptomatic phase of the infection. As in HIV-1-infected adults, HIV-specific CTL declined with disease progression. Surprisingly, HIV-1-specific CTL were detected in the PBMC of three children who subsequently became seronegative.

HLA linked immune response to S and pre-S2 gene products in hepatitis B vaccination.

In order to detect a possible HLA linked genetic control of human immune responses to hepatitis B virus, forty healthy adult persons of the same age typed for HLA-A, -B and -DR antigens, were vaccinated against virus hepatitis B and sequentially tested for anti-HBs and anti-pre-S2 antibodies. They received three injections of Hevac-B Pasteur vaccine, the second 1 month and the third 3 months after the first. Following the third immunization, 38 individuals (95%) had a protective level of anti-HBs antibodies and 17 (42.3%) had a positive level of anti-pre-S2 antibodies. HLA-A11 antigen was significantly more frequent (pc = 0.007) among anti-HBs high responders than low responders. In addition, anti-HBs high responders were more frequently HLA-DR1, and less frequently HLA-DR4 and DR7 positive; corrected values, however, were not significant. Anti-pre-S2 high responders showed an apparent increase of HLA-B7, B14 or DR3 antigens, when compared to low responders (pc not significant).

[Immune status in infantile autism. Correlation between the immune status, autistic symptoms and levels of serotonin]. / Etat immunitaire dans l'autisme infantile. Corrélations entre état immunitaire, symptômes autistiques et taux de sérotonine.

In sixteen autistic children high values of IgG and a high level of lymphocyte stimulation with PHA were observed. Principal component analysis showed: 1) a significant correlation between basic lymphocyte mitogenic activity and the clinical symptoms opposition and hyperactivity, 2) a significant correlation between high Ig levels, high PHA stimulation responses and the main autistic symptoms (withdrawal, inaffectivity, hypoactivity, mannerism, stereotypy and negatively echolalia), 3) a significant correlation with serotonin uptake by platelets and high immunological responses. Such correlations are strongly in favor of an immunologic component in autistic disease.

Respective roles of immune and nutritional factors in the priming of the immune response in the elderly.

Ninety-six institutionalized elderly (greater than 70 years old) (mean age: 82 +/- 7 years) subjects, negative for tetanus toxoid antibodies were primed with tetanus toxoid vaccination and dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB). Correlations were studied between some immunological parameters, nutritional parameters prior to immunization and the immune response intensity after it. Levels of tetanus toxoid specific IgG (ELISA assay) were positively correlated with monocyte phagocytosis, DNCB response and prealbumin levels, and negatively correlated with total IgG, monocyte immune degradation and tetanus toxoid lymphocyte stimulation. No correlation was observed with IgA, IgM, PHA stimulation. Tetanus toxoid lymphocyte stimulation correlated positively with response to DNCB, and negatively with tetanus toxoid IgG as well as total IgG. DNCB response correlated with prealbumin, tetanus toxoid IgG and tetanus toxoid lymphocyte stimulation. Therefore, it appears that malnutrition, as measured by prealbumin level, is one of the main factors contributing to the inconstant senile immunodeficiency. Monocyte antigenic degradation function unaltered with age can impair immune response while conserved or increased phagocytosis enhances immune response in the elderly. High total IgG levels were linked with low specific responses to priming antigens. High specific antibody levels also correlated negatively with cellular specific response. It is assumed that regulatory IgG antibody accumulation, likely anti-idiotypic antibodies, play an important role in senile immunological depletion.

[Plasma zinc levels in elderly hospitalized subjects. Correlation with other nutritional and immunological markers and survival]. / Le zinc plasmatique chez le sujet âgé institutionnalisé. Corrélations avec d'autres marqueurs nutritionnels, immunologiques et la survie.

Plasma zinc levels were measured in 95 elderly patients hospitalized in a long stay unit and in 100 healthy controls under 65 years of age. Plasma zinc concentrations were significantly lower in the elderly patients, as compared to the younger subjects (p 0.001). The correlations with serum prealbumin (p 0.05) and serum albumin (p 0.05) concentrations and the frequent association with protein-calorie malnutrition suggest that the low serum zinc levels mirror a low dietary zinc intake. Immunological tests in the elderly show moderate lymphopenia, high serum IgA and frequent depression of delayed cutaneous hypersensitivity to DNCB and PHA. We find a significant correlation between plasma zinc concentration and peripheral blood lymphocyte counts, but not the other immunological parameters. Linear discriminant analysis shows that the association of low plasma zinc values, low serum protein concentration and high serum IgG concentration implies poor prognosis.

Human dialysable leucocyte extracts (transfer factor) in interstitial pneumonia. A retrospective trial in immunodeficient patients.

Thirty-six cases of interstitial pneumonia in acquired immunodeficient states were treated with transfer factor (Dialysable Leukocyte Extract) and studied retrospectively. The criteria of efficacity of this treatment were: rapidity of immediate improvement, improvement after failure of other immunostimulant therapy and demonstration of a dose-related effect. The mechanism of the therapeutic action is unclear. There is no evidence in favour of "transfer" of cell mediated immunity. A non-specific mode of action (adjuvant effect, interferon synergy, proinflammatory action) seems much more likely.

Evidence for the presence of insulin binding sites in isolated rat intestinal epithelial cells.

Insulin receptors have been demonstrated in isolated rat intestinal epithelial cells. The specific binding of 125I-insulin was time--and temperature--dependent, the optimal temperature of study being 15 degrees. Dissociation of bound 125I-insulin by an excess of unlabelled hormone was rapid and attained 66 +/- 2% in 2 h. When initiated by dilution, the dissociation attained 35 +/- 4% in 2 h, and 72 +/- 1% in 2 h when 10(-7) mol/l unlabelled insulin was added. The pH optimum for the binding process was between 7.5 and 8, and the binding increased proportionally to cell protein concentration up to 1.5 mg/ml. Under standard conditions (2 h at 15 degrees) the degradation of the labelled hormone in the medium accounted for 20--50% of total tracer, depending on the concentration of cells. At apparent equilibrium (2 h at 15 degrees), unlabelled insulin in the range of 10(-10) to 10(-7) mol/l inhibited competitively the binding of 4.3--7 X 10(-11) mol/l 125I-insulin; fifty per cent inhibition was obtained with 3 X 10(-9) mol/l native insulin. Scatchard analysis, after correction for degradation, gave curvilinear plots, that may be explained by two orders of binding sites, with 2,000 +/- 200 sites/cell of high affinity (Ka = 2.2 +/- 0.2 X 10(9) l/mol) and 39,000 +/- 3,000 sites/cell of low affinity (Ka = 5.6 +/- 1.6 X 10(7) l/mol). The potency of proinsulin to compete with 125I-insulin for the binding site was 3% that of insulin, unrelated peptides were inactive. Such results give a molecular basis to different reports suggesting that the intestine could be a target-tissue for insulin.

[Immunological study of primary non-obstructive myocardiopathies. A report on 37 cases (author's transl)]. / Etude immunologique dans les myocardiopathies primitives non obstructives. A propos de 37 observations.

The pathogenicity of primary non-obstructive myocardiopathies remains unknown at the present time. Immunological disturbances have been demonstrated but their role is open to discussion. A comparison between 37 such patients and 37 control subjects with cardiac insufficiency, similar according to age and sex, gave the following results: circulating immune complexes levels, anti-organ or anti-tissue antibody levels, and the levels of serum complement and its fractions were the same in both groups. Serum IgA levels were significantly higher in the "patient" group, and this appears to be partly related to alcoholism. Finally, an antimyocardial cellular immunity exists. These results would appear to demonstrate that conventional immunological techniques are of limited value in primary cardiac insufficiency.

Characterization of human dialyzable transfer factor from normal and chronic lymphoid leukemia sources.

Dialysates of lymphomonocytes can be roughly quantified through the use of optical density and measurements of RNA and protein contents. Dialysates of normal lymphocytes (N-TFd) contain about 224 +/- 67 mug of RNA-like material per 10(8) cells, 75 to 90% of which is eluted in fractions II and III on Biogel P10 chromatography. In contrast, dialysates of lymphocytes from patients suffering chronic lymphoid leukemia (CLL-TFd) contain approximately 12 times less RNA-like material (about 27 +/- 11 mug per 10(8) lymphocytes) and have a different characteristic chromatographic pattern. Bioassays with crude dialysates confirm (a) that N-TFd increases 3H-thymidine incorporation by nonsenstitized lymphocytes "in vitro" in the presence of PPD, and (b) that inbred Lewis rats develop positive skin tests (systemic transfer) after receiving injections of N-TFd or of fractions II and III from Biogel fractionation of N-TFd. Neither test gives positive results when CLL-TFd is used.

[Production of a dialysable transfer factor of cell mediated immunity by lymphoblastoid cells in continuous proliferation]. / Production de facteur de transfert dialysable de l'immunité à médiation cellulaire par des cellules lymphoblastoïdes en prolifération continue

Four lymphoblastoid cell lines tested in this work contain normally a dialysable moiety having by ultraviolet spectroscopy, column chromatography (Biogel P 10) and chemically the same properties than human dialysable Transfer Factor (TFd), but unable to transfer cell mediated immune response against common antigens. Two of them are able to do so after incubation with minimal amounts of TFd. Production of a molecule identical to human TFd is possible in some lymphoblastoid cell lines after induction with TFd.