Leucocyte migration inhibition test in cases of ischaemic heart disease

Cellular immunity in congestive cardiomyopathy. Hypersensitivity to cardiac antigens

The presence of type IV hypersensitivity to cardiac antigens in 26 patients with congestive cardiomyopathy was sought by two in vitro techniques. Neither test showed a significant group abnormality, but 10 patients did have hypersensitivity to heart antigen, in particular to congestive cardiomyopathic heart antigen. These patients were characterised by worse haemodynamic data and a more rapid and malignant course of the disease than in the rest of the group.

Cell-mediated immune responsiveness to cardiac extracts by peripheral blood leukocytes from patients after myocardial infarction or open-heart surgery

A microdroplet in vitro procedure measuring migration inhibition was utilized to assess cell-mediated immune reactions by peripheral blood leukocytes from patients after myocardial infarction or cardiac surgery. The antigen preparations were derived from human cardiac tissue. Whereas whole-cell extracts and human myoglobin preparations had little effect on migration, mitochondrial preparations markedly inhibited the migration of blood leukocytes from a majority of the patients. Inhibition of migration appeared to reflect development of cell-mediated immunity to heart antigens after myocardial infarction or surgery. These results extend observations of anticardiac immune development in patients following cardiac injury. Two patients demonstrated a direct relationship between enhanced migration inhibition and clinical disease. It is likely that autoreactive responses to cardiac tissue may be involved and influence subsequent physiological events following initial cardiac infarction or surgery.

Inhibition of leucocyte migration by stimulated mononuclear cell supernatants from patients with ischaemic heart disease

Leucocyte migration inhibition in patients with ischaemic heart disease was evaluated as an assay for progressive myocardial damage. Abnormal results were observed in 50% of patients with ischaemic cardiac disease. The prevalence of abnormal leucocyte migration inhibition was unrelated to clinical presentation, extent of coronary artery disease, or degree of impairment of left ventricular function. Six of the eight patients with unstable angina pectoris and abnormal leucocyte migration inhibition developed life threatening cardiac complications in the follow-up period compared with five patients with unstable angina and normal tests who developed no complications. A similar association between abnormal leucocyte migration inhibition and complications was not observed in patients with angina pectoris or previous myocardial infarction. Thus, leucocyte migration inhibition may be useful as a prognostic marker in unstable angina and may be an important additional variable to identify a high risk subset.

Variable effect on peripheral blood leucocytes during JE virus infection of man

The peripheral blood leucocytes of twenty-four cases of Japanese encephalitis (JE) were studied and the findings were compared with those in twenty-five normal health controls of matching age and sex. In the early phases of the disease marked neutrophil leucocytosis was seen which returned to almost normal levels by the fourth week. Lymphopenia was associated with diminished T lymphocytes but the number of B lymphocytes remained within the normal range. Though the number of T lymphocytes was reduced, their function of leucocyte migration inhibition in the presence of JE virus antigen was significantly higher. The phagocytic activity of the neutrophils, as shown by the uptake of neutral red dye, was diminished but the phagocytic activity of monocytes as shown by the uptake of neutral red dye, was diminished but the phagocytic activity of monocytes as shown by the uptake of neutral red dye or ingestion of latex particles remained unaffected. HI antibodies against JE virus were significantly higher in cases of encephalitis as compared with the control group. Thus, JE virus infection in man has a variable effect on different components of the peripheral blood leucocytes.