A cytological, cytochemical, and cytometric study of plasma cells from 195 cases of multiple myeloma showed that, contrary to earlier reports, flaming cells, thesaurocytes, and intranuclear inclusions are not confined to IgA-secreting cases but are common also in IgG and Bence Jones varieties of myeloma. IgA-secreting cells are not larger, nor do they have a lower nuclear cytoplasmic ratio than...

Aluminum hydroxide (alum) is the most widely used adjuvant in human vaccines. Nevertheless, it is virtually unknown whether alum acts on B cells. In the present study, we explored the direct effect of alum on Ig expression by murine B cells in vitro. LPS-activated mouse spleen B cells were cultured with alum, and the level of isotype-specific Ig secretion, IgG1 secreting cell numbers, and Ig ge...

To preserve pancreatic endocrine and exocrine function, various types of pancreatic resection, including central pancreatectomy, have been introduced as less invasive surgeries. However, postoperative pancreatic leakage has been demonstrated to be the most frequent complication following pancreas-preserving surgery. The authors' new surgical technique, a jejunal wall-covering method, helps to p...

Monocytes have long been considered a heterogeneous group of cells both in terms of morphology and function. In humans, three distinct subsets have been described based on their differential expression of the cell surface markers CD14 and CD16. However, the relationship between these subsets and the production of cytokines has for the most part been based on ELISA measurements, making it diffic...

A reverse hemolytic plaque-forming cell (PFC) assay for the enumeration of immunoglobulin-(Ig)secreting cells in nonimmunized rabbits was developed by using erythrocytes coated with anti-Ig antibody. These indicator cells lysed after reacting with the secreted Ig antigen and complement. The anti-Ig antibodies used were specific for the b4 or b5 allotypic specificities, which are antigenic deter...

Along humoral immune responses, different stimuli drive the differentiation of B lymphocytes to Ig-secreting plasma cells in discrete microenvironments. The Blimp-1 transcription factor is up-regulated early during the transition of mature B cells to IgM-secreting plasma cells. In the present study, we have examined the requirement of Blimp-1 in plasma cell formation after both T cell-independe...

INTRODUCTION Allergic women have been reported to give birth to more children than non-allergic women, speculatively explained by the former's predisposition for Th2 polarization, possibly favoring pregnancy. AIM The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that allergy is associated with more Th2-deviated responses to paternal antigens throughout pregnancy. METHODS Blood samples were c...