These tools will no longer be maintained as of December 31, 2024. Archived website can be found here. PubMed4Hh GitHub repository can be found here. Contact NLM Customer Service if you have questions.


Pubmed for Handhelds

PUBMED FOR HANDHELDS

Search MEDLINE/PubMed

  • Title: Immunoregulatory changes in autoimmune disease.
    Author: Veys EM, Hermanns P, Verbruggen G, Mielants H.
    Journal: Diagn Immunol; 1983; 1(3):224-32. PubMed ID: 6238752.
    Abstract:
    Peripheral blood T cell subpopulations were determined in patients with various rheumatic diseases [rheumatoid arthritis (RA); ankylosing spondylitis (AS); reactive synovitis (RS)]. No significant variation in OKT3+ cells was found among these groups. In RA, an increased percentage of OKT4+ was found in relation to the control group. For the other groups no difference was observed. In RA, a decreased percentage of OKT8+ cells was observed. Thus, the immunologic imbalance found in RA was not encountered in AS and RS although these disease--as well as the other pathologic disorders--are characterized by serum hypergammaglobulinemia. Furthermore, the decreased number of T suppressor cells found in peripheral blood of patients with active RA was not observed in their synovial fluid. Therefore we propose a failure of localization mechanism of T suppressor-cytotoxic lymphocytes in the synovial membrane of RA. Single doses of prednisolone produced a temporary decrease in peripheral blood total lymphocytes, T cells, T helper-inducer cells, and a less marked decrease in T suppressor-cytotoxic cells, in effect, a normalization of the immune balance, characterized by a decreased T helper/T suppressor ratio. In a similar fashion, patients receiving long-term levamisole exhibited a decrease in total lymphocytes, T lymphocytes, T helper cells, and T suppressor cells 6 and 24 hr after drug intake with a subsequent normalization of the OKT4+/OKT8+ ratio.
    [Abstract] [Full Text] [Related] [New Search]