Determination of certain physical and chemical characteristics of the activating serum factor from preparturient women and women with habitual abortions

Follow-up investigation of the blood sera from preparturient women and women with habitual abortions showed the presence of a factor which has an activating effect on smooth muscle preparations because it causes the release of prostaglandins. Gel-chromatographic counter flow separation and microelectrophoresis of the blood sera have shown that the isolated serum factor is a water soluble glycopeptide with a molecular weight of about 2000.     

Possible presence of autoantibodies to zone pellucida in infertile women.

Of 52 serum samples from infertile women tested against isolated porcine oocytes by immunofluorescence, 8 produced intense reactions in zonae pellucidae, while only one of 52 sera from control subjects showed the reaction. Autoantibodies to the zona may be present in these women.     

Possible presence of autoantibodies to zona pellucida in infertile women

Summary Of 52 serum samples from infertile women tested against isolated porcine oocytes by immunofluorescence, 8 produced intense reactions in zonae pellucidae, while only one of 52 sera from control subjects showed the reaction. Autoantibodies to the zona may be present in these women.This work was supported in part by a grant from WHO Task Force on Immunological Methods for Fertility Regulation Project No. 76464.     

Chemotactic and random movement of cord-blood granulocytes

Summary Chemotactic responsiveness and random movement of cord-blood granulocytes were studied with a modified Boyden's method. Cord-blood granulocytes were less active chemotactically than granulocytes from healthy children and adults, whereas the random filter movement of the cells from all three sources was about the same. In cord sera, concentrations of cell directed chemotaxis inhibitors were equal to those in sera from other age groups. Compared with the situation in healthy children and adults, the generation of chemotactic factors in cord-blood sera was impaired. This impairment was not related to an increased activity of chemotactic factor inactivators. Measurement of the cyclic nucleotide levels in granulocytes from cord-blood and from children belonging to various age groups revealed that the cord granulocytes have significantly lower concentrations of cAMP and cGMP, which could have been responsible for the decreased chemotactic responsiveness.     

Chemotactic and random movement of cord-blood granulocytes

Chemotactic responsiveness and random movement of cord-blood granulocytes were studied with a modified Boyden's method. Cord-blood granulocytes were less active chemotactically than granulocytes from healthy children and adults, whereas the random filter movement of the cells from all three sources was about the same. In cord sera, concentrations of cell directed chemotaxis inhibitors were equal to those in sera from other age groups. Compared with the situation in healthy children and adults, the generation of chemotactic factors in cord-blood sera was impaired. This impairment was not related to an increased activity of chemotactic factor inactivators. Measurement of the cyclic nucleotide levels in granulocytes from cord-blood and from children belonging to various age groups revealed that the cord granulocytes have significantly lower concentrations of cAMP and cGMP, which could have been responsible for the decreased chemotactic responsiveness.     

Serum activity inhibiting specific simian virus 40-induced transplantation resistance and its correlation with primary SV40 tumors appearance in hamsters.

Using the modified technique of transplantation test, ITR serum activity was found in most (14 out of 21) individual hamster sera obtained during the latent period of primary SV40 carcinogenesis (60 days after virus infection when newborn). On the other hand, as a rule, no ITR activity was observed in the sera of the same hamsters after tumor appearance and during their growth. ITR activity rapidly disappeared from sera of hamsters neonatally infected with SV40 after their successful immunization with the same virus during the latent period. There appears to be a correlation between the presence of ITR serum factor during the latent period and the subsequent primary SV40 tumor appearance in hamsters.     

Proposition of a reference serum for the immunochemical assay of human serum proteins]

Sera of healthy students (from Academy of Paris) aged between 18 and 30 years were collected with a view to routine clinical testing. 50 samples each representing the pooled sera of 400 individuals were investigated by evaluating 7 proteins for each pooled sample. Calculations of standard deviations showed that there existed a significant reproductibility of less than 2% for the population as a whole. These pooled sera representing 20 000 individual blood samples are proposed as a standard of human serum proteins.     

Epilepsy in women. Oestrogen and progesterone plasma levels.

Comparison is made between numbers of fits and estrogen, progesterone plasma values during the menstrual cycle of women with epilepsy. All six cycles in women with ovulation had a significant positive correlation between estrogen/progesterone ratio and scores of fits. Three periods without ovulation all showed a significant correlation to estrogen variations.     

Abnormal development of cultured rat embryos in rat and human sera prepared after vitamin A ingestion

Summary Human and rat sera were assayed for teratogenic activity using a whole rat embryo culture technique. Sera prepared from blood withdrawn 1–5 h after the ingestion of vitamin A capsules caused developmental retardation and craniofacial abnormalities. Control sera permitted normal growth and differentiation.Financial support for this project was provided by Department of Energy contract EVO 3139 (Office of Health and Environmental Research), USA (Scientific contribution 940, Storrs Agricultural Experiment Station), and by the Medical Research Council, U.K.     

Epilepsy in women. Oestrogen and progesterone plasma levels

Summary Comparison is made between numbers of fits and estrogen, progesterone plasma values during the menstrual cycle of women with epilepsy. All six cycles in women with ovulation had a significant positive correlation between estrogen/progesterone ratio and scores of fits. Three periods without ovulation all showed a significant correlation to estrogen variations.Acknowledgments. This work was supported by Gunvor och Josef Anérs stiftelse, Med. fac. University of Umeå, The Swedish Medical Research Council (Proj. No. 2148) and Karl Oskar Hansson's fund.     

Lymphopenia and lymphocyte transformation in alcoholics.

The basis of peripheral blood lymphopenia observed in patients with chronic alcoholism and liver disease was investigated by examining the effect of sera of these patients on in vitro transformation of normal human peripheral blood lymphocytes. A positive correlation was demonstrated between the serum inhibition of phytohaemagglutinin- and pokeweed mitogen-induced transformation and the degree of lymphopenia. Thus serum factors may contribute to the observed lymphopenia by inhibiting lymphocyte production in vivo.     

Properties of vascular permeability factor in human sera for guinea-pig skin.

Properties of vascular permeability factor in native human sera (PF/Nat) showed close similarities with those of necrotizing factor. Time course studies revealed that skin necrosis could be initiated by enhanced vascular permeability.     

Early B lymphocytes in man

Summary We have confirmed in man the presence of a subpopulation of B lymphocytes which cannot reexpress their immunological receptors after challenge with antibodies. These early B lymphocytes were studied in peripheral blood, in cord blood and also, with anti-idiotypic sera, in the peripheral blood of a myeloma patient.Acknowledgments. This work was supported by CNR, Progetti finalizzati, Controllo della Crescita Neoplastica. We thank Prof. J. Urbain for helpful suggestions.     

Serum activity inhibiting specific simian virus 40-induced transplantation resistance and its correlation with primary SV40 tumors appearance in hamsters

Summary Using the modified technique of transplantation test, ITR serum activity was found in most (14 out of 21) individual hamster sera obtained during the latent period of primary SV40 carcinogenesis (60 days after virus infection when newborn). On the other hand, as a rule, no ITR activity was observed in the sera of the same hamsters after tumor appearance and during their growth. ITR activity rapidly disappeared from sera of hamsters neonatally infected with SV40 after their successful immunization with the same virus during the latent period. There appears to be a correlation between the presence of ITR serum factor during the latent period and the subsequent primary SV40 tumor appearance in hamsters.Acknowledgment. The author wishes to thank Dr Galina I. Deichman for continuing advice and encouragement during the course of these studies.     

Staphylococcus epidermidis in the circulating blood of normal and thrombocytopenic human subjects: Immunological data

Summary Immunological studies, performed with human sera and rabbit antisera upon some strains ofStaph. epidermidis carried in the circulating blood of normal and thrombocytopenic subjects, indicate that the reactivity is very low and almost completely related to antigenic properties common toStaph. aureus.     

Properties of vascular permeability factor in human sera for guinea-pig skin

Summary Properties of vascular permeability factor in native human sera (PF/Nat) showed close similarities with those of necrotizing factor. Time course studies revealed that skin necrosis could be initiated by enhanced vascular permeability.Acknowledgment. The authors wish to thank Prof. H. Hayashi, Kumamoto University for encouragement and discussions.     

Rhythms of enzymatic activity in maternal and umbilical cord blood

The 24-h activity patterns of variouns enzymes were determined in human serum, red blood cells and white blood cells of maternal and umbilical cord blood. Blood was drawn from the brachial vein of mothers and from the umbilical cord within ten minutes after delivery. Corresponding blood specimens were obtained from 83 spontaneous labors, occurring at different hours over a period of 60 days. For each variable (variable=activity of a specific enzyme in one of the blood components) the results were grouped according to delivery hour, forming a 24-h pattern which was analyzed to elucidate time dependency. Five out of six corresponding maternal and fetal variables were similar with regard to pattern and peak time. The activity rhythms of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase and glucose phosphate isomerase in red blood cells of mothers and fetuses possessed a significant bimodal pattern. The activity rhythms of the latter enzyme in white blood cells and sera exhibited a significant 24-h period. Hexosaminidase activity exhibited a distinct 24-h rhythm in maternal white blood cells, but no significant rhythm could be detected in the fetal white blood cells. The activity of hexosaminidase showed, identical 24-h patterns in maternal and cord serum when analyzed by best fit cosine, and no significant time-dependency when analyzed by ANOVA.     

Evaluation of humoral response with ragweed antigen in pregnant rats

Summary No difference was observed between the homocytotropic (IgE) antibody titers in the sera of pregnant and non-pregnant rats immunized with DWSR, suggesting that there is no evidence of immunosuppressive factor in humoral response during pregnancy.     

Serum immunoconglutinins and complement in systemicLupus erythematosus

Summary IK activity titrated by the sedimentation method in sera from patients affected with SLE was found to be negatively correlated with C4 and C3 complement factors levels. The significance of this data is discussed.Index of the abbreviations used: SLE, systemicLupus eritematosus; IK, immunoconglutinins; CH50, Total haemolytic activity; C4b, Complement factor connect with the complex AgAbCl; C3b, Complement factor connect with the complex AgAbClC4C2; C3PA, C3 proactivator in the complement activation by the alternate pathway implicated; KAF, Conglutinogen activating factor inactive the C3b in C3c and C3d. Antrypol, factor that makes C3b KAF-unreactive.     

Rhythms of enzymatic activity in maternal and umbilical cord blood.

The 24-h activity patterns of various enzymes were determined in human serum, red blood cells and white blood cells of maternal and umbilical cord blood. Blood was drawn from the brachial vein of mothers and from the umbilical cord within ten minutes after delivery. Corresponding blood specimens were obtained from 83 spontaneous labors, occurring at different hours over a period of 60 days. For each variable (variable = activity of a specific enzyme in one of the blood components) the results were grouped according to delivery hour, forming a 24-h pattern which was analyzed to elucidate time dependency. Five out of six corresponding maternal and fetal variables were similar with regard to pattern and peak time. The activity rhythms of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase and glucose phosphate isomerase in red blood cells of mothers and fetuses possessed a significant bimodal pattern. The activity rhythms of the latter enzyme in white blood cells and sera exhibited a significant 24-h period. Hexosaminidase activity exhibited a distinct 24-h rhythm in maternal white blood cells, but no significant rhythm could be detected in the fetal white blood cells. The activity of hexosaminidase showed, identical 24-h patterns in maternal and cord serum when analyzed by best fit cosine, and no significant time-dependency when analyzed by ANOVA.