Increased acidophilia of eosinophil granules after EDTA treatment

Summary The acidophilic reaction of eosinophil leucocyte granules from human, pig and horse blood smears was investigated by using May—Grünwald—Giemsa staining after previous treatment with EDTA and sodium citrate solutions. The same peak at 530 nm, but absorption values considerably higher than those of controls, were found in eosinophil granules after application of chelating agents, indicating that removal of metal cations could unmask basic groups in these structures.     

Taenia solium: cell reactions to the larva (Cysticercus cellulosae) in naturally parasitized, immunized hogs

In hogs naturally infected with Taenia solium larvae (i.e., Cysticercus cellulosae), we studied the host response induced by antigens obtained from the larvae. Histopathological studies of cysticerci removed after 4 and 8 weeks of immunization showed an intense inflammatory reaction surrounding the larvae. The response was greater in the 8-week specimens. A dense layer of eosinophils was in close contact with the external membrane of the bladder wall and, in several cases, the eosinophils had infiltrated this tegument. Many eosinophils were seen in the spiral canal of larvae. This infiltration by eosinophils increased with time. Preparations from the 8-week samples showed many degenerated and disrupted eosinophils whose granules were found in close contact with the outer membrane of the larval tegument and, in some cases, had entered through the broken surface of this structure. More than 90% of the larvae were found in various stages of degeneration; the rest were completely destroyed and surrounded by a mass of eosinophils. After immunization, peripheral blood eosinophilia increased to 17%, whereas the eosinophilia of the control hog was 4% throughout the study. The larval worms removed from control hogs showed intact structures, with a low degree of infiltration by eosinophils and a discrete inflammatory reaction surrounding the bladder wall of the larvae.     

Monotherapy with acebutolol in hypertensive diabetic patients

Monotherapy of hypertension with acebutolol in diabetics in daily dose of 200-400 mg for 6 weeks induced only non-significant and practically not acceptable hypotensive effect in groups of patients with hypertension and diabetes type I or type II without nephropathy. No therapeutical effect was observed in hypertension in diabetics type I with nephropathy. Administration of acebutolol to hypertensive diabetic patients with nephropathy resulted in tendency to increase in albuminuria. Values of creatinine clearance did not change at the same time. Also no effect of acebutolol on glycemic or lipid indices was observed. The lack of clear hypotensive effect under studied conditions of acebutolol in diabetic patients contrasted with its significant action in comparative group of hypertensive non-diabetic subjects.     

HLA genotypes and HLA-linked genetic markers in Italian patients with classical 21-hydroxylase deficiency

Summary HLA genotype and HLA-linked marker data for 40 unrelated patients from central Italy and 2 unrelated patients from Sardinia with congenital adrenal hyperplasia due to 21-hydroxylase deficiency (21-OH-def) were analyzed. The results confirm that the HLA-linked 21-OH-def gene is associated with several different HLA determinants and complete HLA haplotypes, although the only determinant with significantly increased frequency was the complement C2 allele C2B. The HLA antigens B8 and DR3 were found in significantly decreased frequencies. The haplotype A3, Cw6, Bw47, BfF, DR7, which is exceptionally rare in the general population but which has been found in many other 21-OH-def patients from diverse geographical origins, was also found in one of the Italian patients. This and other HLA haplotype associations found among the Italian patients may represent mutations that have occurred on HLA haplotypes with genetic linkage disequilibrium or, alternatively, may represent mutations that have not yet had time to become randomly associated with different HLA complex determinants. The marked negative associations with B8 and DR3 could, however, result from an interaction between the gene products of the HLA complex and the 21-OH-def phenotype.