Generation of cytotoxic T lymphocytes during coxsackievirus tb-3 infection. II. Characterization of effector cells and demonstration cytotoxicity against viral-infected myofibers1

This report describes studies characterizing the virus-specific cytotoxic effector cells which are present in the spleens of mice 7 days after infection with Coxsackievirus B-3. An in vitro 51Cr assay employing eyngeneic virus-infected neonatal fibroblasts was used to measure cytotoxic activity. Treatment of immune cells with (anti-thy-1.2) and complement abolished dtheir cytotoxic activity, but no reduction occurred when B cells were removed by incubation with anti-Ig and complement or macrophages eliminated by adherence depletion. The findings therefore imply that the cytotoxic reaction was mediated by sensitized T cells and that B cells and macrophages did not play an important role. Reciprocal assays performed with BALB/c and CBA/J cells showed that Coxsackievirus-immune spleen cells lysed infected syngeneic targets but not allogeneic targets, providing further evidence that cytotoxicity was mediated by effector T cells. In addition and in vitro assay system employing neonatal myocardial cells was developed and used to demonstrate that Coxsackievirus-infected myofibers were susceptible to destruction by immune spleen cells. The evidence suggests that mice infected with Coxsackie B viruses are able to mount a cell-mediated immune response with production of cytotoxic T cells which have the capacity to damage tissues infected with these agents.

Generation of cytotoxic T lymphocytes during coxsackievirus B-3 infection. I. Model and viral specificity1

The production of cytotoxic cells in the spleen of adult male BALB/c mice infected with Coxsackievirus B-3 has been examined. An in vitro 51Cr release assay was used to measure cytotoxic activity against virus-infected and uninfected neonatal sygeneic fibroblasts. Cytotoxicity of immune spleen cells against virus-infected targets was detected on the 3rd day after infection, reached a peak on day 7, and then declined to low levels by days 12 and 14. Spleen cells obtained 3 and 5 days after infection also exerted cytotoxicity against uninfected fibroblasts, but by the 7th day there was little or no reactivity against uninfected target cells, although activity against infected fibroblasts was maximal at this time. Reciprocal assays performed by using Coxsackie and vaccinia viruses provided evidence of virus specificity of the cytotoxic reaction. When spleen cells were obtained 7 days after infection, the Coxsackievirus-immune population was not cytotoxic for vaccinia-infected fibroblasts, and the vaccinia-immune population was not cytotoxic for Coxsackievirus-infected targets, although each immune cell preparation caused significant lysis of fibroblasts infected with the homologous virus. Additional studies showed that primary mouse or hyperimmune rabbit anti-Coxsackieviral serum could not block immune spleen cell cytotoxicity or induce complement-mediated lysis of infected targets. The findings indicate that Coxsackievirus infection results in surface membrane alterations, but no evidence was obtained that antiviral antibody could react with the infected cells.

Effect of adjacency on the distribution of new stutterings in two successive readings

The consistency with which stuttering tends to occur on the same words in successive readings of a passage, though high enough to warrant the assumption that stuttering is a response to stimuli, is generally far from perfect. It was hypothesized that this is partly because stuttering sometimes occurs adjacent to previously stuttered words rather than on them, as a result of a type of adjacency effect. Ten stutterers read a 300-word passage twice in succession. The words stuttered for the first time in the second reading were analyzed to determine whether an unusually large proportion of them were adjacent to words stuttered in the first reading. No such tendency was found.

3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaric aciduria, combined with 3-methylglutaconic aciduria

1. A baby with severe metabolic acidosis was found to excrete abnormal amounts of 3-methylcrotonic acid, 3-methylglutaconic acid and 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaric acid in urine. 2. Several other abnormal constitutents appear to be products of side-reactions and include 3-hydroxy-3-methylbutyric acid and 3-methylglutaric acid. 3. The profile of acids in urine indicates a blockage in the sixth step of leucine catabolism, the cleavage of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA to acetoacetic acid and acetyl-CoA.

Serotonin metabolism in normal and abnormal infants during the perinatal period

The concentration of serotonin (5-HT) and 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid (5-HIAA) in various body fluids was measured during the perinatal period in two groups of infants born with normal and pathological conditions, respectively. Evidence was obtained showing that fetal blood 5-HT level was relatively stable, uninfluenced by maternal or fetal factors, and was about half the value of the maternal blood. High levels of 5-HIAA and evidence of an active decomposition of 5-HT were found in the amniotic fluid. These findings suggest that 5-HT in utero is subjected to a very active metabolic turnover. The origin of the fetal blood 5-HT and the significance of the placenta in the control of intrauterine 5-HT metabolism is discussed. There was no clear evidence of abnormal 5-HT metabolism in toxemic pregnancies, premature babies, and an infant with Down's syndrome in the perinatal period.

A Rare Complication of Corneal Abrasion in Otorhinolaryngology Procedure: Lessons Learnt

Despite their close anatomical relationship, orbital complications rarely occur during otorhinolaryngology operations. The well-known complication is the orbital injury during endoscopic sinus surgery. Procedures such as tonsillectomy or sinus surgery limited to the ostium widening rarely induce such an injury. We report two cases of corneal abrasion after otorhinolaryngological operative procedures. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjms.v11i1.9826 BJMS 2012; 11(1): 61-62