Kiyoshi Nishikawa

A study of CD45RO, CD45RA and CD29 antigen expression on human decidual T cells in an early stage of pregnancy.

The decidua is the place where the fertilized egg is implanted and where the immunocompetent cells of the mother come into direct contact with genetically disparate cells of the conceptus. Although the T cells in the decidua are exposed to fetal antigens, the fetus is not rejected by maternal immunocompetent cells. In the present study, we examined surface markers to determine whether the T cells in the human decidua are naive T cells without or memory T cells with a history of antigen stimulation. Although few T cells were present in the decidua, as compared to the peripheral blood, CD45RO+, CD29+ and CD45RA- CD4+ T cells as well as CD45RO+, CD29+ and CD45RA- CD8+ T cells, which are considered to be memory T cells, were in the majority, with only small numbers of CD45RO-, CD29- and CD45RA+ CD4+ and CD8+ cells, which are naive T cells, present. Also, the decidual mononuclear cells secreted IL-2 and IL-4. Since IL-4 is secreted only by memory T cells, it is suggested that in the decidua memory T cells increase in number and secrete cytokines, thereby in some way influencing the phenomenon of fertility.

Impaired high-shear-stress-induced platelet aggregation in patients with chronic renal failure undergoing haemodialysis

We investigated shear‐induced platelet aggregation (SIPA) in 30 patients with chronic renal failure (CRF) undergoing haemodialysis. 26 patients showed a significant decrease in SIPA at high shear stress but no change in SIPA at low shear stress. The former reaction reflects the interaction between plasma von Willebrand factor (vWF) and its platelet receptors, glycoprotein (GP) Ib‐IX and lIb/ IlIa complex, whereas the latter is assumed to involve the binding of plasma fibrinogen to GP IIb/IIIa complex. These SIPA profiles in CRF patients after haemodialysis showed almost no change compared to those before haemodialysis.

NK cell activity in pulmonary tuberculosis

Natural killer (NK) cell activity, which may provide defence mechanism in the immune surveillance system, was studied in 38 patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis and 54 sex-, and age-matched healthy controls. The mean NK cell activity in patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis (58.7 +/- 26.4%) was significantly higher (P less than 0.001) than that in healthy controls (17.4 +/- 12.2%). Classifying the patients into three groups according to the state of excretion of tubercle bacilli, the mean NK cell activity in newly diagnosed patients was 43.2 +/- 20.7%, in advanced disease 59.4 +/- 30.3%, and in successfully treated patients 71.9 +/- 25.9%.

Bullous Eruption of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

A bullous eruption is now recognized as a specific complication of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We described a 22‐year‐old woman with SLE whose vesiculobullous eruptions exacerbated with a flare of visceral manifestations of the disease and resolved when the systemic disease was controlled by oral prednisolone.