The impact of co-infection by a nucleopolyhedrovirus and the endoparasitoid Microplitis pallidipes on the total hemocyte count and composition in larval beet armyworm,Spodoptera exigua

The physiological effects of nucleopolyhedrovirus (NPV) infection and parasitism by Microplitis pallidipes (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) on the hemocytes of Spodoptera exigua (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) larvae were examined. We found that compared to healthy (control) larvae, the total hemocyte count (THC) and granulocyte count in parasitized larvae increased 1 day after parasitization and then decreased, while the plasmatocyte count was not significantly affected for the first 5 days but was significantly enhanced on day 6 after parasitization. In parasitized + infected larvae, both the THC and granulocyte counts began be lower from day 1 compared to parasitized larvae, while the plasmatocyte count was generally lower than in parasitized larvae. Compared to the control, THC, and granulocyte counts of virus-infected larvae were higher 1 day after infection. Compared to that in virus-infected larvae, THC and granulocyte counts in parasitized + infected larvae began to decrease from day 1 while the plasmatocyte count generally decreased. We concluded that the host immune response of cell communities to parasitization by M. pallidipes was elicited during the development of the parasitoid egg, but that immune response was inhibited during larval development of parasitoids in the host body. Meanwhile, we found that NPV infection impeded the regulatory effect of M. pallidipes on host cellular immune responses, and parasitization by M. pallidipes similarly inhibited the host cellular immune response caused by NPV infection.     

Screening for granulopoiesis inhibitors (chalones) by different assays.

The suitability of various granulocyte chalone sources was examined; for this purpose rat ascites fluid and the conditioned media of ascites and bone marrow cells were fractionated by ultrafiltration and Sephadex gel filtration. To evaluate different assay systems, the ability of the fractions to inhibit the growth of granulocytic and T-lymphocytic colonies in agar capillaries, as well as to inhibit the uptake of [3H]thymidine in bone-marrow cells, T- and B-lymphocytes, was tested and compared. Three granulocyte colony inhibiting fractions were obtained that contained apparent chalone activities, but showed different elution parameters with molecular weights well below 10 000. Comparison of the test systems revealed that the granulocyte colony assay may detect inhibitors different from those found by the [3H]thymidine bone-marrow assay; the validity of the latter test is seriously questioned, however. The need for precisely defined assays to screen for the apparently various inhibitors is emphasized by these studies.     

Identification of a unique idiotype in cerebrospinal fluid and serum of a patient with multiple sclerosis

Anti-idiotypic antibodies were prepared in mouse ascites fluid against the CSF-IgG of a patient with multiple sclerosis. After adsorption with pooled human IgG, the ascites fluid antibodies precipitated 20% of labeled autologous CSF IgG. By using a competitive radioimmunoassay, less than one microgram of unlabeled CSF IgG produced 50% inhibition of binding autologous 125I-labeled CSF IgG, whereas 50 micrograms of normal HIgG was not inhibitory. The idiotype could be found in both serum and CSF IgG and persisted over a 5-year period. The absolute concentration of idiotype in the CSF varied somewhat but remained from 4 to 10 times greater than that of the serum. One of 14 heterologous MS CSF was found to contain small amounts of inhibitory protein; eight CSF from patients with other neurologic diseases did not contain the idiotype.     

Trypanoplasma salmositica: experimental infections in rainbow trout, Salmo gairdneri.

Trypanoplasma salmositica was successfully cultured in Hanks' medium with 10% heated fetal calf serum. The culture forms were morphologically similar to blood forms and were infective to rainbow trout by inoculation. T. salmositica produced a disease in experimentally infected rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri). The clinical signs were anemia, exophthalmia, abdominal distension with ascites, and splenomegaly. These clinical signs were observed in fish that were infected with three substrains (field substrain, cultured substrain, and cloned substrain) thus satisfying Koch's postulates. The anemia was microcytic and hypochromic and was coincident with increasing parasite number in the blood. The hemoglobin in the infected fish dropped from a normal of about 6 g% to about 1 g% in the first 10 weeks postinfection. Similarly, the hematocrit and red cell count declined as the infection progressed. Abdominal distension and exophthalmia was obvious 10 weeks postinfection. Up to 5 ml ascites fluid were recovered from each of three fish. The fluid contained large numbers of Trypanoplasma and macrophages. Some of the macrophages were engulfing the Trypanoplasma. At about this time the spleen in the infected fish was enlarged 5 to 10 times over that of control fish. The hematocrit centrifuge technique was less sensitive than wet mount examinations for the detection of the organism in blood. Fluctuations in parasite number during the course of infection may be due to antigenic change by the parasite to evade the host immune system.     

Agranulocytosis and Antithyroid Drugs

Propylthiouracil and methimazole are used widely in the treatment of hyperthyroid disorders. The most important complication of the use of these drugs is depression of the neutrophilic granulocyte count. Granulocytopenia occurs in about 4 percent and agranulocytosis occurs in about 0.3 percent of treated patients. Although this depression of the granulocyte count is reversible after the drug is discontinued, serious infection frequently accompanies agranulocytosis and accounts for almost all deaths related to the drugs. It is important to be aware of the clinical features of granulocytopenic reactions due to antithyroid drugs.     

Leucokinetic study. Morphology of the bone marrow and blood after experimental induction of marrow hypoplasia by cyclophosphamide in laboratory rats

Experimental hypoplasia of femoral bone marrow in rats was induced by cyclophosphamide, injected i.p. at various clock hours (08.00, 12.00, 16.00, 20.00, 24.00, and 04.00). Cyclophosphamide-induced neutropenia persisted for six days and was followed by transitory granulocytosis with subsequent decrease in the cont of circulating mature granulocytes. The absolute counts of circulating segmented neutrophils changed in parallel with the absolute counts of segmented neutrophils in the bone marrow. The count of circulating neutrophils was not essentially influenced by the clock hour of cyclophosphamide injection. The toxic action of cyclophosphamide upon the bone marrow exhibited a circadian rhythmicity: the greatest decrease in the count of nucleated marrow cells was found in the morning, and the least, in the evening. The minimal compartment transit times of the development stages of bone-marrow neutrophils, and the daily granulocyte production in the rat were calculated.     

Ascites Bacterial Burden and Immune Cell Profile Are Associated with Poor Clinical Outcomes in the Absence of Overt Infection

Bacterial infections, most commonly spontaneous bacterial peritonitis in patients with ascites, occur in one third of admitted patients with cirrhosis, and account for a 4-fold increase in mortality. Bacteria are isolated from less than 40% of ascites infections by culture, necessitating empirical antibiotic treatment, but culture-independent studies suggest bacteria are commonly present, even in the absence of overt infection. Widespread detection of low levels of bacteria in ascites, in the absence of peritonitis, suggests immune impairment may contribute to higher susceptibility to infection in cirrhotic patients. However, little is known about the role of ascites leukocyte composition and function in this context. We determined ascites bacterial composition by quantitative PCR and 16S rRNA gene sequencing in 25 patients with culture-negative, non-neutrocytic ascites, and compared microbiological data with ascites and peripheral blood leukocyte composition and phenotype. Bacterial DNA was detected in ascitic fluid from 23 of 25 patients, with significant positive correlations between bacterial DNA levels and poor 6-month clinical outcomes (death, readmission). Ascites leukocyte composition was variable, but dominated by macrophages or T lymphocytes, with lower numbers of B lymphocytes and natural killer cells. Consistent with the hypothesis that impaired innate immunity contributes to susceptibility to infection, high bacterial DNA burden was associated with reduced major histocompatibility complex class II expression on ascites (but not peripheral blood) monocytes/macrophages. These data indicate an association between the presence of ascites bacterial DNA and early death and readmission in patients with decompensated cirrhosis. They further suggest that impairment of innate immunity contributes to increased bacterial translocation, risk of peritonitis, or both.     

Levels of human serum granulocyte colony-stimulating factor and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor under pathological conditions

Levels of serum granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) and granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) in patients with various leukocyte disorders were estimated by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Some cases of acute myelogenous leukemia and aplastic anemia showed elevated serum levels of G-CSF and/or GM-CSF, whereas almost all of 23 healthy controls showed G-CSF and GM-CSF levels lower than 100 pg/ml. High levels of both types of CSF were noted in patients with granulocytosis due to infection. These levels became lower after resolution of the infection. Daily changes in serum CSF levels were also examined in a patient with autoimmune neutropenia, and it was found that the peripheral neutrophilic granulocyte count changed almost in parallel with the serum G-CSF level but not with GM-CSF, following the pattern with a delay of about 4–5 h, suggesting the possibility that G-CSF mainly regulates peripheral neutrophil circulation.     

Ascite chyleuse à Mycobacterium tuberculosis : un cas clinique

Chylous ascites is a rare manifestation of tuberculosis. We report the case of a 63-year-old man admitted with ascites and bilateral lower limb edema developed two years previously, with progressive increase. He had a history of microbiologically confirmed and properly treated pleuropulmonary tuberculosis, 20 years before. Although Mycobacterium tuberculosis could not be detected in the ascitic fluid, chest, abdominal and pelvic computed tomography showed findings very suggestive of tuberculosis sequelae. A lymphoscintigraphy was performed and also supported our diagnostic hypothesis of chylous ascites and lymphedema due to tuberculosis sequelae associated or not with active infection. The intention was to further investigate if any form of active tuberculosis was present due to reactivation of the infection. Unfortunately, the patient died before these assessments could be completed.     

The effect of food and water deprivation on the peripheral blood parameters of the mouse

Various peripheral blood and bone marrow parameters were determined during food and water deprivation and during food deprivation alone in order to obtain base lines that may be used to make comparisons with similar data from irradiated mice. The peripheral blood parameters following food and water deprivation were similar to those following food deprivation alone. The mean survival time was about 5 days and the weight loss 40% of the control weight. There was an absolute decrease in the total circulating lymphocyte and platelet counts, while the total granulocyte count remained unchanged or increased. The blood volume decreased, while the hematocrit and specific gravity of the blood increased. The bone marrow parameters following food and water deprivation showed that erythropoiesis was more markedly depressed than myelopoiesis. The tritiated thymidine labeling index for granulopoietic cells and megakaryocytes decreased progressively during starvation. The variations in the white blood count and the bone marrow parameters are not comparable with those found in irradiated mice having the G.I. syndrome; the changes in mean survival time, weight loss, hematocrit, and blood volume are similar.     

Kinetics of neutrophil-releasing activity of filtration leukapheresis and postleukapheresis plasma

A rat model was used to study the effect of filtration leukapheresis on the kinetics of granulocyte mobilization in normal rat donors and in recipients of plasma obtained from these donors. Our earlier observations showed that infusion of postpheresis plasma (PPP) into normal homologous recipients is consistently capable of inducing a marked granulocytosis. The effects of such a transfusion is dose related and duration dependent. This study shows that the granulocytosis occurring subsequent to administration of PPP was directly related to the duration of pheresis in the donor. Its maximum effect occurred 2–3 hr after transfusion. Animals with a low granulocyte count were less capable of mobilizing granulocytes during filtration leukapheresis than animals with a higher prepheresis count, possibly due to low endogenous stores of granulopoietin. Additionally, rats < 300 g were capable of mobilizing fewer granulocytes per volume of circulating blood than were larger (older?) animals. The maximum ability of PPP to increase circulating granulocyte numbers was found when postpheresis plasma was injected along with concurrent removal of circulating granulocytes by filtration leukapheresis.     

急性肺炎支原体感染儿童白细胞和C反应蛋白的变化及其临床意义

目的：探讨急性肺炎支原体感染后儿童白细胞及CRP变化的规律,为该病的临床治疗与诊断提供参考。方法：对65例急性肺炎支原体感染儿童和同期65例健康儿童的血常规白细胞和CRP检测结果采用t检验进行统计比较,分析二者的差异。结果：与同期健康儿童相比,急性肺炎支原体感染儿童白细胞计数增高,中性粒细胞比例及绝对值增高,淋巴细胞比例及绝对值下降,嗜酸性粒细胞、嗜碱性粒细胞及单核细胞比例及绝对值均无明显变化,CRP水平明显升高。结论：急性肺炎支原体感染儿童通过白细胞、CRP的变化可以初步判断。     

Proteinase activity and agglutination of leukemia cells.

The proteinase activity was assayed in the leukemia cells L 1210 and in the ascites fluid with [3H] acetylated haemoglobin as a substrate. The proteinase activity at pH 4.1 increased in cells and in the ascites fluid with age of the tumor. The proteinase activity at pH 7.8 was low, but the enzyme activity in the cell homogenate increased between 5th and 7th day of the tumor growth and it was also present in the ascites fluid. It was observed that the leukemia cells aggregate in vivo and in vitro at pH values of the ascites fluid above pH 7.0. It was suggested, that the aggregation of leukemia cells is due to the tumor cell proteinase activity released to the ascites fluid.     

Candida infected ascites caused by perforated ulcer

Summary A case is presented of ascites infected with Candida in a cirrhotic patient. Candida infection of the ascitic fluid and candidemia were found 24 hours after perforation of a gastric ulcer. Combined intravenous therapy with Amphotericin B and 5-Fluorocytosine eradicated the infection within two weeks. The need for comprehensive therapeutic approach in the debilitated patient prone to fungal and bacterial infection is emphasized.     

Production of recombinant granulocyte colony-stimulating factor by knocking into the active immunoglobulin heavy chain gene locus in the hybridoma cell line

The hybridoma cell line KM50 originally produces a monoclonal antibody at a concentration of ∼40 mg ml^-1 in ascites. To investigate the possibility to apply this expression system to the production of useful proteins, the cDNA encoding human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor was inserted by homologous recombination into just downstream of the promoter of the active immunoglobulin heavy chain gene of KM50. Site directed integration of targeting DNAs resulted in the disruption of expression of the immunoglobulin heavy chain proteins with a frequency of 1 in 10 ∼ 100 G418-resistance transfectants. One of the monoclonal antibody-deficient transfectants produced25 ng ml^-1 of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor in the supernatant of its cell culture the number of molecules of which corresponds to that of the monoclonal antibody originally produced by KM50. However, when this transfectant was injected intraperitoneally, it produced only a 9 μg ml^-1 concentration of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor in ascites, which is approximately 3 orders of magnitude less than the monoclonal antibody. This method may be applicable to production of other recombinant proteins, although further optimization in the conditions of production would be needed in order to reach much higher yields. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Measurement of prostaglandin F2α levels in cerebrospinal fluid of febrile and afebrile patients with advanced cancer

Prostaglandin F_2α levels were measured by radioimmunoassay in 95 samples of unextracted human cerebrospinal fluid obtained from 73 patients with advanced cancer. Concentrations okf PGE were too low to be reliably determined by this method using the commercially available kits. Forty-six of the samples assayed contained <25pg/ml PGF_2α. The remaining levels ranged from 25 to 1154 pg/ml c.s.f.; the majority contained less than 200pg/ml. A possible correlation was found between elevated c.s.f. granulocyte count and increased PGF_2α. A similar relationship was found with regard to protein. These studies failed to demonstrate a correlation between elevated levels of PGF_2α in cerebrospinal fluid and any pathophysiologic condition.     

Nonspecific suppressive effect of Ehrlich tumor ascitic fluid on transplantation immunity]

The influence of syngeneic Ehrlich ascites tumour fluid on the survival of allogeneic skin allografts was investigated on CC57BR mice. A 3--4-day delay of the allograft rejection in mice injected with ascitic fluid was revealed. Preliminary transplantation of such allograft to mice with Ehrlich tumour produced no intensification of the immunodepressive action of the ascites fluid obtained from them. The data obtained indicated the preferential significance of the antigen-independent immunosuppressive factors of ascites tumour fluid in the suppression of the transplantation immunity in vivo.     

Effects of dietary fat composition on the Ehrlich ascites tumor fluid lipoproteins.

Mice bearing the Ehrlich ascites tumor were fed diets rich in either coconut oil or sunflower oil. From 20 to 40% less lipid was present in the ascites tumor fluid when the mice were fed the sunflower oil diet. This was associated with a reduction in the amount of very low density lipoproteins (VLDL) and high density lipoproteins (HDL), the main lipoprotein fractions present in the ascites tumor fluid. The VLDL from the mice fed sunflower oil contained more cholesteryl esters and a lower free to esterified cholesterol ratio than those from the mice fed coconut oil. Very little change occurred in the composition of the HDL. All of the lipids contained in both lipoprotein fractions exhibited appreciable differences in fatty acid composition. Much more monoenoic and less polyenoic fatty acid were present in the lipids from the mice fed the coconut oil diet, but no appreciable change in saturated fatty acid content occurred. Similar changes in fatty acid composition were observed in the blood plasma of the tumor-bearing mice. There was no qualitative difference in the apolipoprotein patterns of either the ascites fluid VLDL or HDL. Pyrene fluorescence studies indicated that the fluidity of the VLDL was increased when the mice were fed the sunflower oil diets. No difference in HDL fluidity, however, was observed by this technique. These results indicate that the amount, composition, and physical properties of certain of the lipoproteins contained in the ascites tumor fluid can be modified by changing the composition of the dietary fat fed to mice bearing the Ehrlich ascites tumor.     

Purification of mouse monoclonal anti-HCG IgG1 from ascites fluid by hydroxylapatite chromatography

Summary Mouse monoclonal IgG₁ antibody to human chorionic gonadotropin from ascites fluid was purified by one-step hydroxylapatite chromatography. The purified monoclonal antibody is over 90% yield and essentially free of contaminating mouse IgG found in ascites fluid.     

Quantitation of T- and B-lymphocytes in peripheral blood of patients with solid tumours. I. Relation to other parameters of in vivo and in vitro immune competence.

The absolute number of T- and B-lymphocytes in the peripheral blood was measured in 22 patients with disseminated nonlymphoid solid malignant tumours. Patients with normal absolute lymphocyte counts had normal absolute numbers of T- and B-lymphocytes; patients with low counts had low numbers. The percentage of T- and B-lymphocytes was similar, in both groups of patients, to that of healthy control subjects. Patients with a normal absolute lymphocyte count had better in vitro lymphocyte responses to mitogenic agents than did patients with low absolute lymphocyte counts. Improvement of depressed in vitro lymphocyte responses to normal on culture of cells in AB plasma was most likely in patients with normal absolute lymphocyte counts. The absolute lymphocyte count by itself, then, provides useful information about the immune status of patients with solid malignant tumours.