To understand the role of cytokines during rotavirus infection, we assessed the kinetics of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) (proinflammatory), IL-12 (Th1 inducer), gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) (Th1), IL-4 and IL-10 (Th2), and transforming growth factor beta (Th3) cytokine responses by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in serum and intestinal contents of neonatal...

A number of diseases in man are associated with markedly increased gamma globulin levels in the serum and an even greater increase in total gamma globulin pool. The most striking of these is multiple myeloma, but elevations are also seen in cirrhosis of the liver, certain of the collagen diseases such as lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis, and a variety of chronic infectious processes...

We investigated the effect of high molecular weight polygamma- glutamic acid (hm gamma-PGA) on adiposity and lipid metabolism of rats in the presence of an obesity-inducing diet. Thirty-two Sprague-Dawley rats were fed either a normal-fat (11.4% kcal fat, NFC) or high-fat (51% kcal fat, HFC) diet. After 5 weeks, half of each diet-fed group was treated with hm gamma-PGA (NFP or HFP) for 4 weeks....

The S region of H-2 controls a polymorphism of the gamma-chain of C4 (gamma 1, gamma 2, and gamma 3) as shown by differences in their isoelectric points. The G region of H-2 was defined by the presence of an alloantigen (H-2.7) on erythrocytes and serum. We found that antisera to H-2.7 immunoprecipitated C4 and no other protein from mouse EDTA-plasma. Furthermore, all H-2.7-positive strains bea...

BACKGROUND Failure of passive transfer of maternal immunity via colostrum can occur in the bovine, and a number of blood tests have been developed to test calves for this failure. It is not clear which test is most suitable for this purpose. The objective was to examine the most commonly used tests for failure of passive transfer and to decide which is most suitable for routine laboratory use. ...

Previous studies have indicated that neopterin is synthesized in vitro by human monocyte-derived macrophages and dendritic cells upon stimulation with gamma interferon (IFN-gamma). Neopterin production under specific conditions in vitro has also been obtained upon stimulation with IFN-alpha and/or IFN-beta. However, it is unknown if any IFN-gamma-independent neopterin synthesis is possible in v...

Mechanisms accounting for gender dimorphism during immune responses are still poorly understood. Since invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells exert important regulatory functions through their capacity to produce both T helper 1 (Th1) and Th2 cytokines, we addressed the question of whether these activities could be modulated by sexual hormones. We found that in vivo challenge with the specific...

The phagocytosis of Trypanosoma musculi by macrophages in the presence of specific antibodies was investigated. In 14-day-infected mice, opsonic antibodies were detected in serum, and phagocytosis of parasites by peritoneal macrophages was observed. The mechanism of T. musculi phagocytosis was analyzed. The binding of trypanosomes to peritoneal macrophages and J774 cells was observed in the pre...

Excessive interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) production appears to be a primary immunological lesion in vitamin A-deficient experimental animals but comparable data from humans is lacking. We investigated IFN-gamma production in South African children by measurement of urinary excretion of neopterin, a product of IFN-gamma-activated monocytes or macrophages. Preschool children were examined during an...