Cellular Response In Patients Research Articles

Peripheral blood CD4+ T-lymphocyte count influences cerebrospinal fluid cellular response in patients with HIV-related cryptococcal meningitis

Purpose of the study Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leukocyte count in asymptomatic HIV-infected patients without central nervous system (CNS) opportunistic diseases has a positive correlation with peripheral blood CD4+ T-lymphocyte count. However, previous communications showed that this correlation is lost in patients with CNS opportunistic infections. This fact has been attributed to the low CD4 Tcell counts found in this population. These studies were undertaken in a low number of patients with different CNS opportunistic infections (cerebral toxoplasmosis, cryptococcal meningitis, Cytomegalovirus encephalitis, progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, tuberculous meningitis) considered altogether for the analysis. To date, no study has evaluated correlation between CSF leukocyte count and peripheral CD4+ T-lymphocyte count in a cohort of patients with a single CNS opportunistic infection. The objective of this study was to address this issue in patients with cryptococcal meningitis.

Identification of new prostate stem cell antigen-derived peptides immunogenic in HLA-A2(+) patients with hormone-refractory prostate cancer.

Prostate cancer refractory to hormonal manipulation requires new treatment modalities. In the present study we attempted to identify prostate stem cell antigen (PSCA)-derived peptides immunogenic in HLA-A2+ prostate cancer patients in order to develop peptide-based immunotherapy against hormone-refractory prostate cancer (HRPC). Eleven different PSCA-derived peptides, which were prepared based on the HLA-A2 binding motif, were examined to determine whether they would be recognized by cellular and humoral immune responses in 12 HLA-A2+ patients (11 with HRPC and 1 with non-HRPC). Among the PSCA-derived peptides, PSCA 7-15 and PSCA 21-30 peptides effectively induced HLA-A2-restricted peptide-specific and tumor-reactive cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of HLA-A2+ patients. The PSCA 21-30 peptide was capable of inducing peptide-specific CTLs in both cancer patients and healthy donors, whereas the PSCA 7-15 peptide was immunogenic in only cancer patients. Immunoglobulin G (IgG) reactive to the PSCA 21-30 peptide was detected in plasma of most patients and healthy donors, whereas IgG reactive to PSCA 7-15 was undetectable in all cases. These results indicate that the former peptide elicits both cellular and humoral immune responses in both patients and healthy donors, whereas the latter elicits only cellular responses in patients. These two PSCA peptides should be considered for use in clinical trials of immunotherapy for HLA-A2+ HRPC patients.

Autoantibodies and Th1/Th2 cellular responses in patients with autoimmune-related pancreatitis

Autoantibodies and Th1/Th2 cellular responses in patients with autoimmune-related pancreatitis

Cloning, Characterization, and Epitope Expression of the Major Diagnostic Antigen of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis

The 43,000-Da glycoprotein (gp43) of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis is an immunodominant antigen for antibody-dependent and immune cellular responses in patients with paracoccidioidomycosis. In order to identify the peptide epitopes involved in the immunological reactivities of the gp43 and to obtain highly specific recombinant molecules for diagnosis of the infection, genomic and cDNA clones representing the entire coding region of the antigen were sequenced. The gp43 open reading frame was found in a 1,329-base pair fragment with 2 exons interrupted by an intron of 78 nucleotides. The gene is present in very few copies per genome, as indicated by Southern blotting and chromosomal megarestriction analysis. A single transcript of 1.5 kilobase pairs was verified in the yeast phase. The gene encodes a polypeptide of 416 amino acids (Mr 45,947) with a leader peptide of 35 residues; the mature protein has a single N-glycosylation site. The deduced amino acid sequence showed similarities of 56-58% with exo-1,3- beta-D-glucanases from Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida albicans. However, the gp43 is devoid of hydrolase activity and does not cross-react immunologically with the fungal glucanases. Internal and COOH-terminal gene fragments of the gp43 were expressed as recombinant fusion proteins, which reacted with antibodies elicited against the native antigen.

Decreased Lymphocyte Response To Pha, Con‐A, And Calcium Ionophore (A23187) In Patients With Ra And Sle, And Reversal With Levamisole In Rheumatoid Arthritis

The mechanism of poor lymphocyte transformation to mitogens was studied in selected patients with rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus. Low lymphocyte response to PHA and Con-A in media containing autologous and homologous sera was usually associated with poor response to the calcium ionophore A23187, which induces blastogenesis by a different mechanism. The low lymphocyte response to mitogens in patients with rheumatoid arthritis could be restored by in vivo treatment with the anthelmintic drug, levamisole. The present findings suggest that intrinsic defects are responsible for the decreased cellular response in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus.

THE LOCAL CELLULAR RESPONSE IN PATIENTS WITH COCCIDIOIDOMYCOSIS.

The skin window technique was utilized to study the cellular response in patients with various stages of coccidioidomycosis. No significant differences were observed in these patients when compared with a control group suggesting that the cellular response, as measured by this method, is normal in patients with coccidioidomycosis, regardless of the severity and extent of the disease process. The topical application of coccidioidin to the site of abrasion did not alter the response from that obtained with abrasion alone. The presence of a normal cellular response in patients with disseminated coccidioidomycosis and a negative coccidioidin skin test implies that anergy in this instance cannot be attributed to the failure of migration of mononuclear cells to the test site. The histological appearance of the biopsies of the skin tests from a normal control with a negative skin test, from one with a positive test, and from a patient with disseminated coccidioidomycosis and anergy to coccidioidin all appeared similar with mononuclear cell infiltrates of approximately the same extent in the dermis. This discrepancy between the histological features and the clinical appearances of skin test sites provides additional evidence that delayed hypersensitivity of the coccidioidin skin test type is dependent on reactions other than the infiltration of mononuclear cells alone into the area.