Acta medica Hungarica最新文献

Venous blood samples of 240 donors including 33 industrial and 60 historical controls were investigated in order to assess the genotoxic risk of pesticide preparing workers manufacturing monochlorinated benzene in Hungary. Mutation frequencies were determined in the hypoxanthine-(guanine)-phosphoribosyl transferase genes located on the X chromosome. DNA repair capacity was estimated following hydroxyurea treatment with subsequent UV irradiation of separated lymphocytes. Smoking as confounding factor of genotoxicity was also taken into consideration. Mutation frequencies were increased among the workers exposed to monochlorinated benzene in correlation with the duration of working time, compared to the controls. Mutation frequencies were lower than expected among non-smoker, long-exposed workers. Smoking itself proved to be an effective confounding factor in the enhancement of point mutations in the case of long-exposed workers. Smoking, however, caused no significant increase in the mutation frequency among the controls, and did not influence the DNA repair capacity of any of the groups.

A study of hepatitis B and D virus markers in 118 hepatitis B virus seropositive patients suffering from histologically confirmed chronic liver disease is reported. The prevalence of hepatitis delta infection amounted to 13.6%, whereas active hepatitis delta virus replication was proven in 6 of the cases. On the basis of these findings, conclusions--similar to those published earlier--are drawn about the role of hepatitis delta virus in the progression of chronic liver diseases. It is suggested that HBsAg-IgM complex seropositivity in patients suffering from anti-delta positive chronic liver disease supports active hepatitis delta virus replication.

Sera of 65 fasting human subjects--32 patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) aged 42-80 years and 33 healthy individuals--were tested for determination of nine lipid-related laboratory parameters, including protein-enriched LDL (low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL apo B) which is proportional to the amount of cholesterol per LDL particle. Three of the investigated parameters: protein-enriched LDL, HDL cholesterol and apo B level differed significantly in the two groups (corrected P < 0.001, P < 0.009 and P < 0.009, respectively). Discriminant analysis revealed that protein-enriched LDL, LDL cholesterol, apo B and fasting triglyceride levels, but not HDL cholesterol, were the major discriminating factors for CAD in this study. Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated to describe the association between this size-related parameter and those which in both groups seem to be most strongly associated with it: apo B/A-I ratio (i), triglyceride (ii) and LDL/HDL ratio (iii). The analysis was done separately in the two groups. In the patients with CAD the influence of these three parameters were less decisive in the determination of the protein-enriched LDL than in the controls (corr. coeff.: (i) -0.155 vs -0.358; (ii) -0.624 vs -0.791; (iii) -0163 vs -0.471). In healthy volunteers the size-reducing effect of the same parameters was more profound, and at high values of LDL/HDL ratio, apo B/apo A-I ratio and triglyceride no distinction in LDL particle size can be made any longer between CAD patients and controls. Thus the improvement of the atherogenic profile does not seem to result in the reduction of risk for CAD in terms of LDL size and composition.

Human thyroid cells in culture stimulated by TSH and TSI were used in order to detect thyroglobulin expression. After three days stimulation the cells were incubated with monoclonal thyroglobulin antibody and FITC-conjugated antiglobulin. Fluorescent index (the intensity of fluorescence related to hundred analysed cells) was estimated for each experimental group. The most effective stimulation of the thyroglobulin expression was detected after TSH stimulation at the concentration of 0.1 mU/ml. TSI from active Graves' patients provoked the highest expression of thyroglobulin at concentration of 1.0 mg/ml, but the fluorescence index was lower than after TSH stimulation. The thyroglobulin expression was intracellular, large, partly confluent granules were detectable mainly in the perinuclear area. Antigen expression on the surface of cultured thyroid cells could not be detected. The morphology of thyroglobulin expression as detected by immunofluorescence, was the same after TSH and TSI stimulation. It is concluded, that both stimulating factors, i.e. TSH and TSI, are involved in the thyroglobulin expression of human thyroid cells.

Circulating IgG and IgA anti-thyroid and anti-eye muscle antibodies were investigated in 87 patients with Graves' disease (60 cases with ophthalmopathy). The ELISA method was used. Both IgG and IgA antibodies were demonstrated against human thyroid and eye-muscle membrane or cytosol antigens. Anti-eye-muscle antibodies of the IgA type were observed more frequently than those of the IgG type (25 cases vs. 18 were demonstrated with membrane antigens and 37 cases vs. 23 with cytosol antigens). The respective distributions for thyroid antigens the cytosol fraction were 55 cases vs. 13 and 18 cases vs. 36. A significant difference was observed in the anti-thyroid IgG levels and the anti-eye-muscle membrane or cytosol levels between the patients with Graves' disease and those in control group (P less than 0.001). The difference in the IgA antibody to thyroid and eye-muscle antigens was significant between the patients with and without ophthalmopathy (P less than 0.002). The strong correlation between the levels of IgA antibodies to thyroid and those to the eye-muscle cytosol fractions might be connected with the theory of the common aetiology of the thyroid and eye diseases in Graves' ophthalmopathy (P less than 0.001). Circulating IgA anti-human thyroid and eye-muscle antibodies seemed to have a diagnostic relevance in the development of ophthalmopathy in Graves' ophthalmopathy.

The aim of our present study was to examine the ADCC reaction against liver cell in various chronic liver diseases on the basis of indirect evidence. Forty-nine liver patients and one hundred and twenty-three healthy controls were examined. Anti-LSP autoantibody was determined on rat liver membrane by using the indirect immunofluorescent method. On the other hand, Killer-cell activity against human erythrocyte target cells was established in the lymphocytes of peripheral blood. Anti-LSP autoantibodies were demonstrated in seven patients and were associated with the high Killer-cell activity in six cases. Specific ADCC reaction to liver cell membrane can be assumed if anti-LSP autoantibody presence is topped with increased Killer-cell activity.

Two patients were found to have retrograde atrioventricular conduction with premature beats during permanent ventricular pacing. In both patients the auscultatory phenomena had been heard and recorded that had been described as independent signs, but all together in the same patient had not been reported before. In one of the patients pseudotricuspid regurgitation was observed with Doppler echocardiography and the other was suspected having the same. It seems that patients with these symptoms deserve high preventive care and attention.

Therapeutical plasma exchange can be carried out by using blood cell separators based upon centrifugation or in equipments with membranes. We investigated whether activation of the complement system took place in polyvinylchloride tubes used in the blood cell separator. We also examined the changes in the classical and alternative complement pathways by an analysis of functional haemolytic titers, as well as the levels of C4, C3D, C4, albumin and alpha 1-antitrypsin. No measurable activation of the complement system was found. The decreased levels of the C3, C3d, C4, albumin and alpha 1-antitrypsin in the sera after PE could be a consequence of the haemodilution.

Serum samples from 1185 individuals (blood donors, health-care workers, patients on haemodialysis, those from other high-risk groups and those suffering from non-A, non-B hepatitis or other liver diseases) were examined for antibody to a recombinant HCV antigen. An ABBOTT HCV EIA system was used throughout and in addition a parallel study with ORTHO HCV ELISA was done in 380 of the samples to compare the two anti-HCV tests. A confirmatory neutralizing ABBOTT ELISA probe was also performed in 45 cases. The anti-HCV test was positive in 1.60% of the healthy blood donors and in 9% of subjects excluded from donation for elevated aminotransferase. In patients on haemodialysis 47%, in other high-risk-group subjects 33% anti-HCV prevalence was found. Patients with acute and chronic post-transfusion NANB hepatitis showed 40% and 70% prevalence, respectively. The two ELISA tests revealed 95% agreement in the parallel determinations. Serial end-point-dilution studies of anti-HCV-positive sera suggest that the ABBOTT test was of superior sensitivity. The results of the confirmatory test suggest that reactive (positive) samples of low optical density near to the cut-off value, required a confirmation with the naturalization test. HCV infection seems to be a common aetiological factor in PT-NANB hepatitis in Hungary, therefore, screening of blood donors for anti-HCV may be justified.

An exposure of adult mice to a pulsed magnetic field (PMF) increases thymus weight. In this work, thymic lymphocytes were studied by cellular electrophoresis because the proliferation and maturation of these cells is linked to an increase in their electrophoretic mobility (EM). Fifteen-week-old female Swiss mice were exposed for 30 min to a 6 mT PMF, 12 or 460 Hz in frequency, according to different modalities. The EM of the thymic cells, suspended in saline were measured from 0 to 96 h after the end of the exposure. For some of the mice the whole body, for others the head only or the body without the head was exposed; the animals were awaken or narcotized, prepared or not with 6-hydroxydopamine. The modifications of the EM are in favour of an action of the PMF on the thymus through the central nervous system.