Serum lactate dehydrogenase in detecting liver damage associated with pre-eclampsia

Assessment of liver damage by estimation of serum enzymes including lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and its hepatic fraction, LDH5, was made in 60 normal pregnant women, 20 patients with pre-eclampsia and 10 with eclampsia. Definite evidence of damage was found in patients with pre-eclampsia and eclampsia and was related to the severity of the disease.

Serum proteins and immunoglobulins in leprosy

Serum proteins and immunoglobulins were studied in patients suffering from various types of leprosy. A significant increase in total protein and decrease in albumin was found in all types of leprosy except borderline-tuberculoid. Gamma globulin was found to be increased in all types. An increase of alpha-2-globulin in lepromatous, a decrease of beta globulin in borderline-lepromatous, and a decrease of alpha-2 and increase of beta globulin in borderline-tuberculoid were observed. These changes do not seem to be of diagnostic importance. A statistically significant increase of IgG in borderline-lepromatous and lepromatous, IgM in all types of leprosy and IgA only in lepromatous was found. The increase of different immunoglobulins in leprosy, especially the lepromatous type, suggests a humoral response which was found to be directly proportional to the severity of the lesion.

Adoptive transfer of immunity from mice immunized with ribosomes or live yeast cells of Histoplasma capsulatum

This investigation was designed to compare the role of lymphoid cells and immune serum in protective immunity induced by immunization with ribosomes or live yeast cells of Histoplasma capsulatum. Spleen cells, peritoneal cells, and serum from C3H mice immunized with Histoplasma ribosomes or live cells were transferred intravenously to separate groups of syngeneic recipients. All recipients along with a set of immunized and control mice were challenged intravenously with 4 x 10(6) yeast cells of H. capsulatum, and protection was assessed. Immunization with ribosomes or live cells provided 90 to 100% protection. Mice receiving filtered spleen cells or peritoneal cells from donors immunnized with live cells showed 90 to 100% protection; 80 to 90% protection was observed for mice receiving cells from ribosome-immunized donors. In contrast, no evidence of protection was seen in mice receiving serum from either live-cell- or ribosome-immunized mice. Peritoneal cells were far more efficient than spleen cells in adoptive transfer of immunity. The adoptive immunity in recipients persisted for at least 3 weeks after transfer, the longest period tested in the present study. These results indicate that the immunity elicited by immunization with Histoplasma ribosomes or live cells is mediated by a cellular mechanism.

Binding of (45)Ca (2+) to particulate fractions of coleoptile tissue

Using recently developed techniques, we have investigated the binding of (45)Ca(2+) to membrane preparations from corn (Zea mays L) and oat (Avena sativa L) coleoptile tissue. Scatchard plot analysis reveals at least two Ca(2+)-binding sites in each tissue, a high affinity binding site (K m=7.7×10(-7) M, n=6.9×10(-10) mol·0.5 g f.w.(-1) in corn, K m=4.93×10(-6) M, n=2.29×10(-9) mol·0.5 g f.w.(-1) in Avena) and a low affinity binding site (K m=9.01×10(-5) M, n=5.4×10(-8) mol·0.5 g f.w.(-1) in corn; K m=1.03×10(-4) M, n=3.40×10(-8) mol·0.5 g f.w.(-1) in Avena). There is also some evidence of a third, lower affinity binding site in each tissue, especially corn.More detailed studies with corn coleoptile homogenates show that they contain a potent dialyzable inhibitor of Ca(2+) binding. Monovalent cations were observed to be ineffective as inhibitors of Ca(2+) binding in corn. However, of six divalent cations tested, all were capable of strong inhibition of Ca(2+)-binding and there appeared to be a relationship between size of the atomic radius of the ion and potency as an inhibitor of calcium binding.

Determination of thyroglobulin antibodies in obese strain chicken sera using chromic chloride as a coupling reagent

Chromic chloride was used for the coupling of chicken thyroid extract on human and chicken erythrocytes. With the coated cells thyroglobulin antibodies were determined in Obese Strain chicken sera. Ultracentrifugation of the sera prior to testing could be omitted. The method is more sensitive, less antigen requiring and less time-consuming than the previous tanned agglutination test.

Stimulation of heterophil hemagglutinins in chickens by a viral vaccine and chicken thyroid extract

The formation of heteroag-glutinins against human group O, horse and sheep erythrocytes was studied in groups of chickens injected with various materials. Production of antibodies cross-reacting with some or all of the test cell types was induced both with chicken thyroid extract, with or without adjuvant, and with inactivated infectious bronchitis vaccine with adjuvant. The chicken tissue in the injection materials is considered to be responsible, to a great extent, for the stimulations recorded. Also complete Freund’s adjuvant alone, however, had a stimulating effect. The heterogeneity of the antibody response as regards specificity, and differences in the responsiveness of individual chickens, were demonstrated.