0000000000065975
AUTHOR
G. Hess
Antibodies to hepatitis B virus x-protein in sera of patients with acute and chronic acitve hepatitis
Sera of patients with acute (AH) and chronic active hepatitis (CAH) were tested for anti-hepatitis B virus (HBV) x-protein (HBx) by immunoblotting, using recombinant MS2- and beta gal-HBx fusion proteins as substrate. Antibodies against HBx were detected in 5 out of 17 patients with AH at an early stage of infection, and in 13 out of 35 patients with CAH. Positive sera from AH patients showed a relatively weak anti-HBx reactivity when compared to sera from CAH patients. In follow up studies we tested serial serum samples from patients positive for anti-HBx. Patients with AH were observed for 3 to 6 weeks and CAH patients for up to 51 months. In general anti-HBx reactivities appeared to be s…
Monoklonale Gammopathie bei HIV-Infektion
A lambda-light chain-IgA plasmocytoma, accompanied by a changing clinical picture of fever, nocturnal perspirations and weight loss, developed in a 46-year-old homosexual male with AIDS, stage IV (classification according to the Centers for Disease Control). He had been suffering from recurrent Salmonella septicaemia. Serum protein electrophoresis demonstrated marked elevation of the beta- and gamma-fractions (44% and 24%, respectively). There were 15% plasma cells in the differential blood count and in the bone marrow smear. Immunoelectrophoresis demonstrated free lambda-light chains. The IgA concentration in cerebrospinal fluid was raised to 202 mg/l, and there was an IgA paraproteinaemia…
Sub-acute effects of interferon-α2 on adrenocorticotrophic hormone, cortisol, growth hormone and prolactin in humans
Abstract This study investigated the chronic effects of interferon-α2 (IFN-α2) on hormonal secretion in humans. Six patients suffering from chronic hepatitis B or C infection received SC doses of 3 million IU IFN-α2 three times a week for 4 mo. Each patientwas examined for hormone secretion four times: the day before initial IFN-α2 administration (day 0), the day of the first injection (day 1), and 4 wk after start of IFN therapy on days 27 (without IFN administration) and 28 (with IFN administration). Adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH), cortisol, growth hormone (hGH), and prolactin (PRL) were measured in plasma samples drawn at 30-min intervals between 1600h and 2400h. Acute administratio…
Hepatic expression patterns of the large and middle hepatitis B virus surface proteins in viremic and nonviremic chronic hepatitis B.
The envelope of hepatitis B virus consists of large, middle, and small hepatitis B surface proteins. Recent data from in vitro studies suggest that intracellular expression and distribution of the three polypeptides may be variable. These observations in artificial expression systems prompted this analysis of the occurrence and distribution of the three hepatitis B surface proteins in the liver tissue of substantial viremic (hepatitis B virus DNA- and hepatitis B e antigen-positive) and low-viremic or nonviremic (hepatitis B virus DNA-negative, anti-hepatitis B e antigen-positive) carriers by specific monoclonal antibodies against large, middle, and small proteins. Patients with an active f…
Diagnosis of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection: multicenter evaluation of a newly developed anti-HIV 1 and 2 enzyme immunoassay.
A new anti-human immunodeficiency virus type 1 and 2 (anti-HIV 1 and 2) test is described. It uses recombinant p24 and peptides covering gp32, gp41, and gp120 to identify HIV-1 and HIV-2 infections. This test has been shown to be specific (99.5%) and sensitive (99.8%). In this respect, the assay was equal or superior to anti-HIV 1 and 2 tests run as references. The test was able to discriminate sera from patients with HIV infections from those from uninfected individuals with excellence; it also exerted high intra- and interassay precisions. The "modular" concept of the test allows the use of single components (gp32 or gp41) to separate between HIV-2 and HIV-1 infections, respectively.
Spread of hepatitis B virus infection among family contacts of asymptomatic HBsAg carriers
Family members of 34 asymptomatic HBsAg carriers were tested for different hepatitis B virus (HBV) markers. Among 67 family members tested 24 (36%) presented signs of a past or ongoing HBV-infection. Spread of HBV-infection was particularly high in those families in which the HBsAg carrier was positive for HBeAg and Dane particle-associated DNA polymerase activity. Non-parenteral “horizontal” transmission of HBV among spouses and brothers and sisters and probably parenteral vertical transmission of HBV from carrier mothers to their infants occurred in approximately the same frequency. Fathers transmitted HBV unfrequently to their offsprings. The results show that the risk to acquire a HBV-i…
In vivo and in vitro induction of natural killer cells by cloned human tumor necrosis factor
The natural killer (NK) cell activity of mice in the peritoneal cavity is very low or undetectable and testing peritoneal NK cells is a useful model for studying the influence of activating substances upon local injection. Injection of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) at doses of 10-200 ng caused a marked activation of NK cell activity which was maximal after 24 h and declined rapidly on day 2. A similar effect was observed when interferons alpha and beta were injected, and there were additive results when interferon was injected together with TNF. The NK cell nature of the effector cells activated by TNF was substantiated by the finding that previous injection with anti-asialo GM 1 antibody pre…
Development of integrated superconducting quadrupole doublet modules for operation in the SIS100 accelerator
The FAIR project (Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research) evolves and builds an international accelerator- and experimental facility for basic research activities in various fields of modern physics. Within the course of this project, integrated quadrupole doublet modules are in development. The quadrupole doublet modules provide a pair of superconducting main quadrupoles (focusing and defocusing), corrector magnets, cryogenic collimators and beam position monitors as integrated sets of ion-optical elements. Furthermore LHe cooled beam pipes and vacuum cold-warm transitions are used as ultra-high vacuum components for beam transportation. Superconducting bus bars are used for 13 kA curren…