Control Levels In Patients Research Articles

β2-Microglobulin and antiviral therapy for chronic hepatitis type B

During a randomized controlled trial of interferon and descyclovir therapy, the β 2-microglobulin and SGOT serum levels in 36 patients with chronic HBe-positive hepatitis B were studied in order to determine whether β 2-microglobulin has prognostic value for HBe seroconversion. Pretreatment levels of β 2-microglobulin were elevated in 39% of patients. Significant differences in mean β 2-microglobulin activity and mean SGOT between treated patients and untreated controls were observed after 4 and 8 weeks of treatment ( P<0.05). Levels in control patients remained stable. Prior to and during therapy, the mean elevation of β 2-microglobulin and SGOT levels was similar in responders ( N=7) and non-responders ( N=11). The outcome of antiviral therapy in our patients was not dependent on β 2-microglobulin levels measured before or during interferon therapy.

Epidermal growth factor receptor in adenocarcinoma of the kidney.

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGF-R) was estimated in Hypernephroma by saturation analysis using 125-I EGF as ligand. Tissue levels of this oncogene related protein were increased five-fold (24 to 99 fmol/mg protein) in comparison with the surrounding tumor free tissue (3 to 18 fmoles/mg protein). There was no apparent correlation to the stage of tumor growth or tumor differentiation and there was no correlation of EGF serum levels with tumor growth. EGF serum levels in the tumor patients did not exceed levels in control patients.

Effects of human immunodeficiency virus on the cellular immune response to Epstein-Barr virus in homosexual men: characterization of the cytotoxic response and lymphokine production.

We investigated Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-specific T cell responses in homosexual men with, and at risk for, AIDS. We studied healthy laboratory workers, healthy homosexual men, and patients with AIDS-related complex or AIDS. The cytotoxic activity, absolute number of T4 lymphocytes, and interleukin-2 (IL-2) production decreased, whereas the relative number of Ia+ lymphocytes increased with the extent of infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Cytotoxic activity correlated positively with the number of T4 lymphocytes (r = .56, P less than .001) and the amount of IL-2 produced (r = .47, P less than .01) but not with interferon production. Recombinant IL-2, but not gamma interferon, could restore cytotoxic T cell activity to control levels in patients with early HIV infection. EBV-specific serological studies paralleled the T lymphocyte investigations. The increased EBV activity observed in progressive HIV infection may be related to a diminution in the auto-reactive population of the T4 lymphocyte subset and may be amenable to IL-2 reconstitution.

Blood leukotriene levels during the acute asthma attack in children

Leukotrienes (LT) have been proposed to be important mediators in the etiology of the acute asthma attack (AAA). We therefore studied blood LT levels in 18 children having AAA. Heparinized blood samples were obtained before and after treatment with epinephrine injections and/or metaproterenol inhalations in the emergency room. The samples were acidified and subjected to Sep-pak chromatography. Reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC), ultraviolet (UV) spectroscopy and bioassay on guinea pig ileum were used to identify the LT based on comparison to data produced by standard synthetic LT samples. Radioimmunoassay (RIA) was used to further confirm the presence of LT LT C, D and E were detected in the plasma of children having AAA. Only LT C levels were significantly elevated over control values. The mean blood LT C level of control patients was 1.6 ± 1.2 nanograms per milliliter (ng/ml, mean t SEM) while that of the asthma patients was 73.8 ± 18.2 ng/ml prior to treatment. After emergency room treatment the asthma patients had a mean blood LT C level of 22.5 ± 11.7 ng/ml. Lowered levels of LT C accompanied improved clinical condition of the patients. This finding indicates that the AAA in children is associated with elevated blood levels of LT C.

Plasma antidiuretic hormone in acute respiratory failure

The role of antidiuretic hormone (ADH) in the pathogenesis of renal impaired water excretion in acute respiratory failure has not been clearly delineated. Plasma sodium concentration and plasma ADH levels (radioimmunoassay) were therefore serially measured in 13 patients with acute respiratory failure (10 with acute exacerbations of chronic lung disease and three with acute lung disease) and eight “control” patients admitted to the intensive care unit with suspected myocardial infarction. None of the patients had systemic hemodynamic, hepatic or renal dysfunction. ADH levels were significantly elevated in patients with acute respiratory failure (15.1 ± 5.2 pg/ml versus 5.7 ± 1.9 pg/ml, p < 0.05) when compared with levels in control patients. The elevated ADH levels occurred despite significantly lower plasma sodium concentration (133 ± 1 meq/liter versus 138 ± 2 meq/liter, p < 0.05) compared with control values. Moreover, markedly increased ADH values (range 1.1 to 13.0 pg/ml) were often encountered in patients with acute respiratory failure despite significant hyposmolality (263 to 275 mOsm/kg H 2O). This was not observed in any control patients. These results suggest that patients with acute respiratory failure are susceptible to water retention and hyposmolality due to nonosmotic release of antidiuretic hormone.

Lecithin: Cholesterol Acyltransferase Activity in Dialyzed and Undialyzed Chronic Uremic Patients

Lecithin cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) and lysolecithin acyltransferase (LAT) activities in plasma were significantly lower in undialyzed than in dialyzed uremic patients and controls. Both LCAT and LAT activities were normal in the maintenance dialysis group. The free/total cholesterol ratio was significantly increased in the undialyzed patients only. This ratio and LCAT were inversely related in the dialyzed group, unrelated in the undialyzed patients, and positively correlated in controls. Unlike non-uremic populations with hypertriglyceridemia in which LCAT is increased, no correlation was found between plasma triglyceride and LCAT in the uremic population studied. Our results show that both LCAT and LAT activities are reduced in undialyzed chronic uremic patients but are not significantly different from control levels in patients treated with chronic hemodialysis. These results indicate that the changes in LCAT activity contrast with those described in lipoprotein composition and metabolism which do not appear to be affected by chronic dialysis therapy.

Serotonin and the Dumping Syndrome

Recent evidence indicates that a humoral factor may be involved in the etiology of the dumping syndrome. The similarities between the symptoms of the dumping complex and those of hyperserotonemia have led to investigations designed to determine whether increased release or formation of serotonin may be involved in the pathophysiology of the dumping syndrome. Increased portal-vein serotonin levels have been demonstrated after hypertonic stimulation of proximal small bowel in dogs.¹Although altered serotonin levels in human dumping syndrome have been reported,²the serotonin changes have not been found consistently.³In the work reported here, repeated determinations in specially prepared platelet-rich plasma from peripheral venous blood showed consistent increases in serotonin levels after oral administration of glucose to patients with the dumping syndrome and after intraduodenal instillation of glucose to patients with normal gastrointestinal tracts. The levels in control patients given hypertonic glucose orally were unchanged. Thus the