Correlation of antibodies to LAV/HTLV III in hemophiliacs with the use of virus-inactivated clotting factors

The retrovirus LAV/HTLV III, highly likely to be responsible for the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in some recipients of blood products, can be inactivated by chemical and/or heat treatment, so the use of virus-inactivated factor VIII and factor IX preparations for treating hemophilia A and B has become important. We examined hemophilic children and found that those children treated since 1979 with virus-inactivated preparations did not develop antibodies against LAV/HTLV III. In contrast, 77% of patients treated with conventional factor VIII or factor IX preparations had antibodies against this virus.

The importance of individual nucleotides for the structure and function of rRNA molecules in E. coli. A mutagenesis study

Methods of in vitro mutagenesis were employed to determine the importance of individual nucleotides within the ribosomal RNAs for the structure and function of E. coli ribosomes. A series of defined nucleotides in the genes for the 5 S and 16 S RNA were altered by transition and transversion mutations using either oligonucleotide-directed or bisulfite-catalyzed mutation procedures. Plasmids harbouring the mutated rRNA genes were expressed and the ribosomes containing such altered RNAs were investigated for impairments in RNA-protein interaction assembly and mRNA-coded tRNA binding.

Monoclonal Antibodies to Plant Growth Regulators: III. Zeatinriboside and Dihydrozeatinriboside

Four high affinity monoclonal antibodies, which recognize two plant growth regulators from the cytokinin group, namely trans-zeatin riboside and dihydrozeatin riboside and their derivatives are reported. Six hybridomas were produced from three independent fusions of Balb/c spleen cells with P3-NS1-Ag 4-1 (abbreviated NS1) or X63-Ag 8.653 (X63) myeloma cells. The mice had been hyperimmunized with zeatin riboside-bovine serum albumin conjugate or dihydrozeatin riboside-bovine serum albumin conjugate for 3 months. The hybridomas secrete antibodies of the IgG 1 or IgG 2b subclass and allow the detection of femtomole amounts of the free cytokinins, their ribosides, and ribotides in plant extracts. The use of these monoclonals in radio- and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay is also discussed.

[Increase in the prevalence of antibodies against LAV/HTLV III in drug addicts in West Germany]

Sera obtained from 927 drug addicts in 1983 to 1985 were tested for antibodies against LAV/HTLV-III. There was a steadily rising proportion of positive results: 10.1% in 1983, 17.6% in 1984 and 23.9% in 1985. In each year the prevalence of anti-LAV/HTLV-III was higher among female than male addicts. No increased proportion of positive results was demonstrable in relation to age. Among 152 sera from 1983/84, hepatitis-B markers were found in 72 (43.7%), of whom 10 (14%) were also anti-LAV/HTLV-III positive. Among hepatitis-B marker-negative sera there were 8 (6%) which were also anti-LAV/HTLV-III positive. The prevalence of anti-LAV/HTLV-III in drug addicts in prisons, rehabilitation centres, hospitals and medical practices was similar. There is a danger that prostitution by addicts for obtaining drugs will cause a penetration of LAV/HTLV-III in the rest of the population.

Monoclonal antibodies to plant growth regulators. II. Indole-3-acetic acid

The production and characterization of high-affinity monoclonal antibodies suitable for the radio- and enzymeimmunoassay of the endogenous plant growth regulator, indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), is reported. Hybridomas were produced by fusion of NS 1 myeloma cells with spleen cells from Balb/c mice immunized with IAA-bovine serum albumin conjugates. From an initial collection of 158 wells containing cells secreting monoclonal antibodies against IAA, seven were used to derive cell clones. Three of these are described here. They secrete immunoglobulin (IgG2a or IgG2b) of high affinity and specificity for IAA methyl ester and can be used to quantite picogram amounts of this compound in plant extracts by radio- and enzymeimmunoassay.

Expansion of a minor subpopulation of peripheral blood lymphocytes (T8+/Leu 7+) in patients with haemophilia

Immunological analysis of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBM) was performed in 20 patients with haemophilia A or B. One of the patients had never received clotting factor substitution in his life. Six different sources of lyophilized clotting factor were used for the other patients, but every given patient received factor from one source, exclusively. None of the patients exhibited lymphadenopathy and only one suffered from local bacterial infection. Mononuclear cell counts were within the normal range and mitogen stimulation with phythaemagglutinin (PHA) and concanavalin A (Con A) was found normal in all but two patients. Ratios of helper and suppressor cells (T4/T8) were below 1.0 in 10 of the patients. Some of these patients had a relative increase of T8+ cells and at the same time of Leu 7+ (natural killer (NK)/suppressor) cells. Double-marker analysis revealed that the subpopulation of cells expressing both the T8 and the Leu 7 antigen, which on the average accounted for 2.1% of the mononuclear cells in controls, was increased 4.5 fold (9.1%) in haemophilia patients. One patient exhibited 37.8% T8+/Leu 7+ double-marker cells. VEP13+ cells (active NK cells) were decreased below the normal range in 11 of the patients. Abnormal values for lymphocyte subsets were found in every treatment group. The patient who had never received any clotting factor exhibited normal values in all respects. In an additional set of patients, those with increased percentage of T8+/Leu 7+ cells exhibited decreased NK cell activity indicating that the T8+/Leu 7+ cells are not active NK cells.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

[Antibodies against human T-cell leukemia virus type III in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and persistent lymphadenopathy]

HTLV III and LAV, retroviruses which have recently been described in the United States and France and which seem to be different isolates of the same virus, are closely associated with the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and the lymphadenopathy syndrome (LAS). Sera from male homosexuals from the Federal Republic of Germany with AIDS or LAS were examined for antibodies to HTLV III (anti-HTLV III) by means of the enzyme linked immunoadsorbent assay (ELISA) and by an indirect immunofluorescence assay. 53% of the patients were anti-HTLV III positive as were 20% of symptomless homosexual men.

[Flavonoids of Artemisia campestris, ssp. glutinosa]

Four flavanones (pinostrobin, pinocembrin, sakuranetin and naringenin), one dihydroflavonol (7-methyl aromadendrin) and one flavone (hispidulin) have been isolated from Artemisia campestris L. ssp. glutinosa Gay and identified by spectroscopic methods. Artemisia campestris L. sous-espèce glutinosa Gay est une Composée Anthémidée largement répandue sur les sables du littoral méditerranéean et abondante dans certaines régions d'Espagne et d'Italie. Dans le cadre d'une étude chimiotaxonomique du genre Artemisia Tourn., nous nous sommes intéressés à l'analyse des flavonoïdes, composés jamais décrits, à notre connaissance, dans cette espèce d' Artemisia. Les sommités fleuries d' Artemisia campestris sous-espèce glutinosa, séchées et pulvérisées, sont dégraissées à l'ether de pétrole et épuisées par le chloroforme. Le fractionnement de l'extrait chloroformique, par chromatographie sur colonne de silice, et la purification de certaines fractions conduisent à l'isolement de six génines flavoniques, à l'etat pur. L' étude des spectres UV, des spectres de masse et des spectres de RMN [1,2] et la comparaison avec des échantillons authentiques permettent de proposer, pour ces flavonoïdes, les structures de la pinostrobine [3], de la pinocembrine [4], de la sakuranétine, de la naringénine [5] (flavanones), de la méthyl-7-aromadendrine, [6, 7] (dihydroflavonol) et de l'hispiduline [8, 9] (flavone); quatre de ces génines sont méthylées. Parmi ces flavonoïdes, la pinostrobine n'a jamais été décrite, à notre connaissance, dans la famille des Composées; la pinocembrine, la sakuranétine et la naringénine ont déjà été signalées chez quelques Astéracées et Eupatoriées [10], et l'hispiduline dans la tribu des Anthémidées ( Santolina chamaecyparissus L.) [8]. Seule, la méthyl-7-aromadendrine semble décrite, à ce jour, dans le genre Artemisia Tourn. [7].

[Differential diagnosis of liver and biliary tract diseases in a regional hospital]

Between 1 Jan 1977 and 31 Dec 1979 459 patients were admitted as cases of hepatitis and with suspicion of hepatitis. Opposite to this number stood 613 patients with diseases of the biliary ducts. Only by the large-scale use of invasive-diagnostic methods we could perform and adequate diagnostics, the results of which are demonstrated in this paper. Clinic and results of serological examinations, the value of which is without doubt, are at the present date not yet suited to substitute the liver blind puncture and the laparoscopy in the same value. Recently decisive progress was achieved in the field of diagnosis by the introduction of sensitive radiotests and enzyme immune tests for the proof of virus hepatitides. By means of these new investigation methods prerequisites have been created to reduce the still high dark number in cases of anicteric hepatitis and subclinical cases of hepatitis.