Alteration of early T lymphocyte count in patients with herpes genitalis.

Peripheral blood samples from 52 women, including 16 with herpes genitalis and 36 healthy persons, were studied to enumerate subpopulations of lymphocytes. It was found that the mean percentage of 'active' T lymphocytes was significantly less in the patients with herpes genitalis than in the controls.     

Alteration of cell shape in the early chick embryo mesoderm by neuraminidase

Summary Living chick embryo mesoderm cells (stages 3 to 5) were exposed to neuraminidase. The mesoderm cells changed shape losing their long thin processes and become like primitive streak cells, with short flat processes. Ruthenium red staining of such treated embryos shows that the surface coat on the mesoderm cells is reduced in thickness. These results show that cell shape in the chick embryo mesoderm is at least partly determined by the thickness and the composition of the surface coat.Acknowledgment. It is a pleasure to thank Professor F. Beck for the facilities of the Department of Anatomy, University of Leicester, and Mr. G. L. C. McTurk of the University of Leicester Scanning Electron Microscope Unit for operating the ISI 60 SEM. Mr Jeff Smith and Mrs Doris Duncan gave us valuable technical assistance and Dr. A. J. Rowe kindly allowed us to use the facilities of the Electron Microscope Unit, University of Leicester School of Biological Sciences, in specimen preparation.     

CD4 and CD8 T lymphocyte interplay in controlling tumor growth

The outstanding clinical success of immune checkpoint blockade has revived the interest in underlying mechanisms of the immune system that are capable of eliminating tumors even in advanced stages. In this scenario, CD4 and CD8 T cell responses are part of the cancer immune cycle and both populations significantly influence the clinical outcome. In general, the immune system has evolved several mechanisms to protect the host against cancer. Each of them has to be undermined or evaded during cancer development to enable tumor outgrowth. In this review, we give an overview of T lymphocyte-driven control of tumor growth and discuss the involved tumor-suppressive mechanisms of the immune system, such as senescence surveillance, cancer immunosurveillance, and cancer immunoediting with respect to recent clinical developments of immunotherapies. The main focus is on the currently existing knowledge about the CD4 and CD8 T lymphocyte interplay that mediates the control of tumor growth.     

Alteration in thermal stability of ribosomes from Drosophila melanogaster with age.

Thermal analysis of high salt (0.5 M) washed ribosomal monomers from young and old male Drosophila melanogaster revealed an 8 degrees C downshift in the mean temperature of denaturation (Tm). Moreover, there was observed a marked loss in the ability of ribosomes extracted from older flies to reassociate upon cooling. These observations suggest that age-dependent alterations in the structural integrity of the rRNA-r protein complex could, at least in part, be responsible for the diminished capacity for protein synthesis in this species with advancing age.     

Study of the lymphocyte fractions in the mixed lymphocyte culture in vitro

Résumé Les lymphocytes du sang périphérique d'un sujet ont été fractionnés. Trois fractions ont été obtenues. Chaque fraction a été cultivée avec les lymphocytes vivants d'un autre individu non apparenté au premier. Le pourcentage des cellules transformées a été évalué pour chaque culture. Seule la fraction ribosomale dans laquelle se trouvent également les membranes cellulaires est active et donne un pourcentage de transformations comparable à celui obtenu lorsqu'on met en culture dans les mêmes conditions les lymphocytes, entiers et tués par congélation-décongélation, qui ont servi pour la préparation des fractions.

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Supported by a Grant from Lady Tata Foundation.     

Alteration of resistantStaphylococcus aureus cultures by contact with yeast products

Zusammenfassung Staphylococcus aureus-Stämme wurden 3 Jahre lang in unseren Laboratorien gezüchtet. Hefeextrakt wirkte kurze Zeit auf sie cin, bevor sie wieder in den Nährboden geimpft wurden. Nach dieser Behandlung kam es zu einer Antibiotikaempfindlichkeit, und die Stämme bildeten weder Coagulase noch Hämolysin. Die neu erworbenen Eigenschaften sind erblich und wurden durch mehrere Generationen beibehalten.     

Presence of autocomplementary RNA with viral specificity in cells infected with herpes virus]

RNA from cells infected with Herpes simplex virus contain a higher percentage of double-stranded RNA than non-infected cells. This percentage increases three-fold upon self-annealing. The complementary RNA sequences were shown to be virus-specific by the following criteria: (1) high melting temperature than double-stranded RNA from non infected cells; (2) higher density in caesium sulphate; (3) specific hybridization with viral DNA.     

Kinetics of lymphocyte division in blood cultures studied with the BrdU-giemsa technique

Summary Normal human lymphocytes were cultured for 72 h with different doses of BrdU. The analysis of metaphases processed with the BrdU-Giemsa method shows that in leukocyte cultures 3 different lymphocyte populations coexist which are able to perform 1, 2 or 3 rounds of replication in vitro. Moreover, it was concluded that 5 g/ml is the minimal dose of BrdU inducing good differentiation in the areas of sister chromatid exchanges.This work was supported by grants from the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas and the Comisión de Investigaciones Cientificas.     

Immunological profile of breast cancer patients in early or advanced disease

Summary Immune reactivity of patients with early or advanced breast cancer, compared with healthy controls, has been measured using in vivo and in vitro tests. The results of our study show that impairment of cellular responsiveness occurred in women with advanced disease.This work was supported in part by the CNR, Italy-USA Contract No. 7801062.65, and in part by the Region of Umbria, Italy. Acknowledgment. We wish to thank Mr Mario Andrielli for his expert technical assistance.     

Transfer of genetic information from T to B human lymphocytes during an immune response to herpes simplex virus]

Human blood lymphocytes carrying different allotypes were divided into B and T subpopulations and cultured in presence or in absence of ultraviolet inactivated Herpes Simplex Virus. Isolated B or T cells did not produce any antiherpetic activity. The B lymphocytes cultured in presence of 1 or 50% of the supernatant collected from virus exposed T cells synthesized on antiherpetic antibody with some allotypic markers of the T cell donor.     

Alteration of plasma ketamine levels in mice by probenecid

Summary Probenecid increases plasma ketamine levels in mice concurrently with an enhancement of duration of loss of righting reflex. The magnitude of these changes is directly related to the dose of ketamine and intervals between administration of compounds. Plasma levels of anesthetic are similar for all animals upon termination of hypnosis.     

The count of blood platelets and sex in humans

Summary It has been shown that there is a higher count of blood platelets and thrombopoietic activity of plasma in women than men.     

Immunological profile of breast cancer patients in early or advanced disease.

Immune reactivity of patients with early or advanced breast cancer, compared with healthy controls, has been measured using in vivo and in vitro tests. The results of our study show that impairment of cellular responsiveness occurred in women with advanced disease.     

Alteration of plasma ketamine levels in mice by probenecid.

Probenecid increases plasma ketamine levels in mice concurrently with an enhancement of duration of loss of righting reflex. The magnitude of these changes is directly related to the dose of ketamine and intervals between administration of compounds. Plasma levels of anesthetic are similar for all animals upon termination of hypnosis.