Serum and tissure proteins in tuberous sclerosis. II. Immunoglobulin levels.

Serum levels of the four main immunoglobulins, IgA, IgM, IgG and IgD were estimated in a sample of 54 subjects with tuberous sclerosis and the data compared with similar findings in a sample of 100 mentally retarded subjects chosen at random. Normal levels of IgA and IgD were found in the T.S. group, but elevated levels of IgM significant at P equals 0.001 was found in 49 of the 54 cases. A reduction in IgG levels (significant at P equals 0.001) was a much less constant feature being found in 29 of the 54 subjects. The significance of these results in the light of the observation that one of the principal causes of death in T.S. is from recurrent infection is discussed.     

Immunoglobulin levels in chickens with inherited muscular distrophy

Blood serum levels of 7S Ig appear to be a highly heritable (h²=0.76) trait. A possibly weak association of high 7S Ig with the phenotype of inherited muscular dystrophy is noted. In contrast to a previous study (Sanders and Kline 1977), our survey of 4 comparisons in paired lines showed dystrophics with slightly elevated 7S Ig levels and no differences in IgM levels when compared to controls.     

Variation of superoxide dismutase levels in fetal calf serum

The results of cytogenetic studies and of other experiments based on tissue-culture systems may be influenced by various components of tissue-culture medium and by variations among batches of fetal calf serum used for supplementation of the media. Negative results may be obtained in breakage studies as a consequence of medium components with a protective effect [6]. Attention has been drawn to differences in growth pattern [8] and mitotic indices [11] in lymphocyte cultures set up with different culture media. Variations in the incidence of sister-chromatid exchanges according to differences in media [7] and sera [5] have also been observed. It has been suggested [9] that the failure of some laboratories to detect increases in sister-chromatid exchanges after treatment with the tumor promoter phorbol-myristate-acetate (PMA) may be due to high concentrations of the free-radical-scavenging enzyme superoxide dismutase (SOD) in the sera used and that heat inactivation of the sera may be responsible for these differences. In the following, we report that considerable variation in the SOD content exists between batches of fetal calf serum, up to levels with anticlastogenic effect.     

Immunoglobulin allotypes in portugal.

The frequency of several immunoglobulin allotypes has been evaluated in a sample of 419 Portuguese subjects. It was found that the percentage of Gm (1) and of Gm (2) are among the highest in Europe, although Portugal is situated in the extreme southwest of Europe. A few cases of dissociation of Gm (1) and Gm (2) were noted and attributed to the probable presence of African admixture.     

Immunoglobulin levels in various clinical groups of human Brugian filariasis in Malaysia

Quantitation of serum immunoglobulin M, G, A, D and E levels was carried out in Malaysians with Brugia malayi infections. Results showed highly elevated levels of IgM and IgE as well as moderately elevated levels of IgG. These were most significant in patients with tropical pulmonary eosinophilia or elephantiasis. Serum IgE levels were extremely high in microfilaraemic patients (6,060 +/- 3,958 IU ml) probably due to a constant antigenic stimulation by dead and dying microfilariae.     

Calving difficulty and calf survival in beef cows fed two energy levels

Angus and Hereford yearling heifers (469) were bred to either Hereford or Angus bulls and fed either a high level (13.3 Mcal of ME) or a low level of nutrition (7.3 Mcal of ME) for the last 116 days of pregnancy. The level of calving difficulty did not differ between heifers receiving the high (H) and low (L) level of nutrition the first year (36% and 34%) but was significantly higher (P < .01) in heifers receiving H the second year (33% vs. 16%). Calves born to heifers receiving H weighed at birth 2.7 kg more (P < .01) both years than calves born to heifers receiving L. In the first year of the study the size of the pelvic opening was 10 cm larger 1 week before calving (P < .01) in heifers receiving H than in heifers receiving L. Calf survival was not related to level of nutrition, breed of dam or breed of sire either year of the study.     

Plasma and tissue levels of digestive regulatory peptides during postnatal development and weaning in the calf.

Changes in the concentrations of cholecystokinin, gastric inhibitory peptide, gastrin, motilin, pancreatic polypeptide, secretin, somatostatin, and vasoactive intestinal peptide in calf plasma and antral, duodenal and/or pancreatic tissues were assessed by radioimmunoassay during postnatal development and after weaning in 50 male Holstein-Friesian calves (randomly distributed into 10 groups of 5 animals each). The calves in the first group were killed at birth while those in 6 other groups were colostrum-fed for 2 days and then milk-fed until 7, 28, 56, 70 or 119 days of age. Those in the remaining 3 groups were given the same diets until day 28, were then weaned between day 29-56, and slaughtered on days 56, 70 or 119. In milk-fed animals, changes in plasma and tissue concentrations of almost all digestive regulatory peptides were observed during the 1st month of postnatal life, especially at day 2. Weaning was accompanied by variations in the plasma concentrations of somatostatin, secretin, gastrin, pancreatic polypeptide and gastric inhibitory peptide but not by any apparent change in peptide tissue concentrations (except VIP in the duodenum). Thus, the variations in tissue concentrations are primarily age-related, while plasma concentrations were modified by age and weaning.     

Increased nuclear size in BHK21 cells after treatment with non-toxic levels of calf thymus histones.

The effect of treatment with either whole calf thymus histones, or individually isolated histones, or polyarginine, or polylysine, on the nuclear size of BHK21 cells has been investigated. Incubation of the cells with mixed histones (12.5--44 microgram/ml) for 1 h considerably increased nuclear size. Increasing the histone concentration and/or the incubation time resulted in a decrease in the effect and could result in no change in nuclear size. Treatment of the cells with polyarginine or polylysine did not affect nuclear size. Experiments with individually isolated histones showed that the nuclear size effect was almost exclusively due to the histone H4. It is argued that the changes observed most likely resulted from interaction of H4 with the nucleus, and could reflect the properties of this particular histone molecule.