Jeanna Schwartz

HEREDITARY NATURE OF THE BEHAVIOUR OF ERYTHROCYTES IN THE IMMUNE ADHERENCE HAEMAGGLUTINATION PHENOMENON.

157 randomly sampled individuals and 71 families with 182 offspring have been examined for the pattern of reactivity of red blood cells in the immune‐adherence haemagglutination test (IAH).

THE BASOPHIL DEGRANULATION TEST IN PATIENTS HYPERSENSITIVE TO DRUGS

Tbe exact diagnosis of allergic states and tbe particular allergen involved is frequently difficult because reliable in vitro tests bave not been available until very recently. Tbe tecbnique described by S/ze/Zey &. Juhlin (1961, 1962), devised for determination of a specific allergen in tbe test tube, is based on tbe degranulation of basophil granulocytes obtained from allergic individuals, in tbe presence of the particular allergen. Shelleys (1962) modified technique consists in the observation of degranulation of normal rabbit basophil cells, when put in contact with the serum from an allergic patient and the allergen involved. These techniques and especially the second, offer important practical possibilities. Shelley (1963) has recently demonstrated the practical value of the test in the detection of penicillin hypersensitivity and for a small number of other drugs. Katz (1964) and his co-workers have also recently evaluated this test in penicillin allergy. Similar results have been found in our laboratories {Klopstock et al. 1962).

Influence of the synthetic pentapeptide LAsp-Ser-Asp-Pro-Arg on the direct and indirect mast cell degranulation induced by reaginic antibodies.

The Prausnitz-Kustner (PK) reaction in man is a known method for proving the presence of reagin IgE antibodies towards various allergens (7). During recent years a method has been devised for detection of IgE-type antibodies in •vitro either in human patients or experimental animals. This method is based on mast cell degranulation test in a direct way by using cells from the sensitized individual (9,11) or in the indirect form by employing normal rat mast cells (8,10,11). It was claimed recently (3) that a synthetic pentapeptide can inhibit the PK reaction and that this effect is due to similarity in structure with the specific IgE binding site for the mast cells (2). The amino acid sequence of the pentapeptide is L^sp-Ser-Asp-Pro-Arg (3). The present work was started in order to find out whether the synthetic pentapeptide can also inhibit the in vitro mast cell degranulation characteristic for the reaction between suitable antigen and IgE bound to mast cells. For this pur-

Interpretation of the multinucleated giant cell in human trophoblast cultures.

Morphology of human trophoblast culture has been studied in relation to certain conditions such as duration of the pregnancy, age of the culture, and strength of the trypsinization. ‘Multinucleated giant cells’ appear to be actually fortuitous transversal sections of chorionic buds. Their presence and aspects depend on the degree of trypsinization. Origin of epithelioid polygonal cells and of fibroblast cells is discussed.

MAST CELL SENSITIZING ANTIBODY (MCSAb) RESPONSE IN EXPERIMENTAL CANDIDIASIS: CHROMATOGRAPHIC STUDIES

A single dose of the yeast-like fungus Candida albicans (CA), mixed with Complete Freunds Adjuvant (CFA), and inoculated into guinea-pig foot-pads, provoked the productions of homologous mast cell sensitizing antibodies (MCSAb) present in the psiI-globulin fraction only, and of agglutinins localized in the same fraction. Heterologous MCSAb and skin-sensitizing antibodies detectable by passive cutaneous anaphylaxis (PCA) were constantly absent. These facts are in contradiction to results of previous experiments performed with other antigens; which after similar inoculation elicited production of heterologous MCSAb attaching themselves on rat mast cells (MC) and present in the psi2 fast moving globulin, homologous MCSAb localized in the psiI-globulin and in the psi2 fast moving globulin, and PCA antibodies. The immunogenicity of CA is discussed.

Antigenic Relationships between Candida albicans and Various Yeasts as Reflected by Immunoglobulin-Class Specificity

A group of guinea pigs was inoculated into the foot pads with a single dose of Candida albicans in complete Freunds adjuvant, while another group was similarly inoculated once in the foot pads but also several times intramuscularly, with Candida alone. All guinea pigs were bled at different intervals after immunization and sera were separated chromatographically into IgG and IgM fractions. In order to study the antigenic relationships as reflected by immunoglobulin-class specificity, IgG and IgM fractions and whole sera obtained from guinea pigs differently immunized, were tested for the presence of agglutinins against C. albicans, six other species of Candida, and species of the ascosporogenous genera Saccharomyces, Kluyveromyces and Schizosaccharomyces. The results show that (1) only IgG fractions of the different sera prepared contained the specific anti-C. albicans antibodies; (2) IgG and IgM fractions of the sera obtained from a single inoculation did not reveal a specific pattern expressing antigenic relationships of the yeast studied, and (3) the IgM fractions of the sera obtained from several inoculations had a more homogenous pattern of reactivity, since mainly these contained the agglutinins against the ascosporogenous yeast species.

Reevaluation of the Polyvinylpyrrolidone Sedimentation Test in the Diagnosis of ABO Hemolytic Disease of the Newborn

Abstract. The rate of cord erythrocytes sedimentation in 1.5% polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) solution was investigated. Of 70 infants showing accelerated sedimentation rate, 49 had signs of hemolytic disease. Rh incompatibility did not affect the sedimentation rate. Infectious diseases might cause a slight increase in the rate of sedimentation. The test was found to be very sensitive. It could detect ABO incompatibilities even in absence of marked bilirubinemia. Furthermore, positive identification of incompatibilities were obtained in ABO‐HDN cases where both direct and indirect Coombs tests were negative. High correlation was noted between anti A and B titer of maternal sera and the accelerated sedimentation of newborn red blood cells. The erythrocytes sedimentation test in PVP (PVP‐ESR test) is recommended for the early detection of cases in which the red cells are affected by IgG anti‐A or anti‐B.

Reactivity of monkey erythrocytes in immune adherence.

Abstract. Blood samples from 31 humans and 21 monkeys (9 Cercopithecus aethiopiae, 7 Macacus rhesus and 5 Papio anubis), were examined for suitability in the immune‐adherence phenomenon, which is known to provoke agglutination of ‘primate’ red cells, when added to an antigen‐antibody complex in presence of complement. The 21 monkey blood samples were all negative; in the meantime, under same conditions, only 5 of 31 human blood samples were unsuitable (similar values were obtained with human blood samples in prior research). The high frequency of negativity among the three monkey genera is probably due to the absence of a surface receptor on their red cells; suitability of primate red cells for immuneadherence should be reconsidered in accordance with this finding.