Asparagine-linked sugar chains of plasma membrane glycoproteins from acute lymphocytic leukemia cells (Null-ALL, Common ALL, Pre-B-ALL, T-ALL) and B lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCL) transformed by Epstein-Barr virus were investigated. The sugar chains were quantitatively liberated as radioactive oligosaccharides from polypeptide portion by hydrazinolysis followed by N-acetylation and NaB³H₄ reduction. The structure of these sugar chains were determined by the chromatography and the sequential glycosidase digestion.
In result, the main oligosaccharides in asparagine-linked sugar chains of plasma membrane glycoproteins in all type of the cells were biantennary complex sugar chains of Gal₂•GlcNAc2•Man₃•GlcNAc•Fuc•GlcNAc_OT•Moreover, biantennary sugar chain with bisect N-acetylglu-cosamine (Gal₂•GlcNAc₂•Man₃•GlcNAc•GlcNAc•Fuc•GlcNAc_OT) was observed in only EAC⁺ Common ALL and LCL cells. Therefore it was suggested that this structure was concerned with the B cell function.

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Natural killer (NK) activity and NK related surface markers (Leu 7, Leu 11) were analyzed in patients with primary immunodeficiencies.
NK activity was normal in one patient with DiGeorge syndrome and in six with common variable immunodeficiency. Conversely, NK activity was depressed in one patient with WiskottAldrich syndrome and in one with severe combined immunodeficiency (ADA-), and the activity was higher than the control in one case of combined immunodefiency with predominant T cell defect.
The percentage of Leu 7⁺ or Leu 11⁺ cells does not always correlated with NK activity.
The implication of these results was discussed.

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Asparagine-linked sugar chains of membrane glycoproteins from healthy and Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome patient's (WAS) erythrocytes were investigated. Membrane fractions were prepared by the hypotonic shock and the centrifugation. Analysis of the asparagine-linked sugar chains of glycoproteins was carried out by the chromatography and the sequential exoglycosidase digestion. In results, the main oligosaccaride in asparagine-linked sugar chains of the membrane of erythrocytes from healthy and WAS were biantennary sugar chain with bisect N-acetyl-glucosamine (Gal₂•GlcNAc₂•Man₃•GlcNAc•GlcNAc•Fuc•GlcNAc_OT) respectively. Moreover, there was biantennary sugar chain with fucose, but was not biantennary sugar chain without fucose, in both erythrocytes membrane.

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The monoclonality of immunoglobulin (Ig) produced by B cells in the peripheral blood was investigated in patients with myeloma, macroglobulinemia and benign monoclonal gammopathy (BMG) to evaluate the presence of monoclonal B cells. The lymphocytes were cultured with or without pokeweed mitogen (PWM) for seven days, and allogenic co-culture of B cells and T cells was performed to determine the effect of T cell function on the Ig production by monoclonal B cells. The IgG, IgA, IgM and κ/λ ratio of each class produced and released into the culture medium by B cells were measured by enzyme immunoassay, and the increment of monoclonal Ig was assigned by the deviation of κ/λ ratio of light chain of the Ig. The monoclonal change in the Ig production by B cells in the peripheral blood was observed both in myeloma and in macroglobulinemia, although the increment was more significant in macroglobulinemia than in myeloma. In contrast, such change was not observed in BMG. The Ig production by monoclonal B cells in the peripheral blood from myeloma patients was not enhanced by the addition of PWM. Furthermore, the kinetics of the Ig production by monoclonal B cells showed a linear increase that was different from biphasic pattern with exponen-tial increase of Ig production by normal B cells during the late period of the culture. It was suggested that the Ig production by monoclonal B cells was not dependent on the helper-T cell function in myeloma. When the monoclonal B cells were co-cultured with normal T cells in place of myeloma T cells, the monoclonal Ig production was not enhanced. This result also suggests that the Ig production by monoclonal B cells was not influenced by suppressor cells (Leu 2a⁺ Leu 7⁺) that was shown in our previous report to increase in the peripheral blood of myeloma patients. It is concluded that patients with myeloma and macroglobulinemia have a B cell clone in the peripheral blood which can independently differentiate into the monoclonal Ig-secreting cell without participation of immuno-regulatory cells.

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We examined the fundamental assay condition of 48 Well Micro Chemotaxis Chamber to mesure the monocyte chemotaxis in children. By using polycarbonate membrane filter (5 μm pore, polyvinyl pyrrolidone-free), we confirm the chemoattractant dose-dependent chemotaxis and positive correlation between the number of migrated monocytes and the number of monocytes in the upper well or the incubation time.
The chemotaxis of monocyte was not affected by the preincubation of monocyte with theophylline, salbutamol sulfate, sodium cromoglycate and prednisolone.
In the study of MCLS patients, chemotaxis index (chemotaxis to zymosan activated serum/random migration) was lower in the patients with positive CRP than in the patients with negative CRP or normal controls. And the index increased as CRP decreased.

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Flow cytometric analysis of acute non-lymphocytic leukemia (ANLL) cells was performed using Spectrum III for the purpose of comparison with the FAB classification.
Leukemia cells of 20 patients with ANLL, including 5 with M1, 5 with M2, 2 with M3, 4 with M4, and 4 with M5, were assayed for both cytogram and phenotype.
Cytograms of M1 and M2 cells mostly showed LM type, while those of M4 and M5 showed MG type except for one case of M5 which showed LMG type. Only one case each of M1 and M2 had a cytogram of MG type but it was not possible to distinguish its leukemia cells from those of M4 or M5 morphologically.
M1 and M2 cells showed a common phenotype and that of M4 and M5 cells was also similar. Leukemia cells of the former type were positive for either of the panmyeloid antigens recognized by several monoclonal antibodies such as MY7, MY9 and Leu M1 but were negative for monocytic antigens. On the other hand, leukemia cells of the latter type had both panmyeloid antigens and monocytic antigens such as MY4, Leu M3 and OKM5.
In conclusion, we were unable to link these data to the FAB classification directly but were able to classify ANLL into two distinct subgroups, non monocytic ANLL (M1, M2) and monocytic ANLL (M4, M5), by the flow cytometric analysis.

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The inhibition of interleukin 2 (IL-2) response by seminal plasma (SP) was investigated using recombinant interleukin 2 (rIL-2) and IL-2 dependent cell line (NKC-3). Remarkable inhibition of ³H-thymidine uptake was observed, when SP was added to the NKC-3 line culturing in IL-2 containing medium. Such inhibitory effect could not be found by addition of SP to IL-2 independent cell line such as NS-1 or YAC-1. The inhibitory effect of SP could only be observed when SP was added at the initiation of culture, but it was not observed when SP was added 6 hours before harvest. Gel filtration using Sephacryl-300 revealed that the most intensive inhibition of IL-2 response existed over M. W. 740, 000 with broad distribution. Immunosuppressive factor (ISF) of SP was demonstrated to be an ultracentrifugable macromolecule, because it was sedimented by ultracentrifugation at 105, 000 G for 2 hours. SP and rIL-2 were mixed and then ultracentrifuged at 105, 000 G for 2 hours. The result demonstrated that IL-2 activity was completely retained in supernatant. NKC-3 cells culturing in the presence of SP for 2 hours restored IL-2 response by the washing to remove SP. The binding of ¹²⁵I-rIL-2 to NKC-3 cells was inhibited by SP. Flow cytometry using monoclonal antibodies (3C7, 7D4) against IL-2 receptors indicated that the binding of the monoclonal antibodies to IL-2 receptor decreased by addition of SP to NKC-3 cells. These results indicated that ISF of SP did not bind directly with nor neutralize IL-2 but prevented IL-2 from binding to IL-2 receptors.

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A 57-year-old man was admitted to our hospital because of fever, arthralgia, abdominal pain, and peripheral neuropathy. Two years prior to admission he developed bronchial asthma and had asthmatic attacks several times.
On admission, laboratory data disclosed leukocytosis (27700) with marked eosinophilia (69.5%), elevated sedimentation rate and serum IgE level. Test for C-reactive protein gave 2+ positive, but tests for anti-nuclear antigen and rheumatoid factor were negative. Histological examination of skin and muscle biopsy specimens obtained from the left calf disclosed no apparent findings for angiitis and granuloma, but mild eosinophilic infiltrations to perivascular region.
Treatment with 60mg prednisolone daily, dramatically improved clinical symptomes and laboratory abnormalities except for peripheral neuropathy which showed only a slight improvement in it's intensity.
Based upon the clinical features, allergic granulomatous angiitis was initially suspected, however, hypereosinophilic syndrome was finally thought to be a most likely diagnosis in this case, because of a lack of histological findings of angiitis and granuloma in the biopsy specimens.

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A 23-year-old woman with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) known since age 15 years developed multiple urticaria-like lesions associated with hypocomplementemia unresponsive to 30 mg/day prednisolone. Following the intravenous infusion of 1 g of methylprednisolone daily for 3 days, skin lesions subsided and hypocomplementemia was promptly corrected. Histopathological examinations of the biopsied specimen of the skin lesion demonstrated leukocytoclastic vasculitis. A review of the literature indicates that leukocytoclastic vasculitis with the clinical picture of urticaria-like lesion may complicate SLE associated with hypocomplementemia. Some of these patients have been reported to develop progressive renal failure, a tendency which needs to be confirmed by further study.

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The etiologic role of the thymus and thymoma in myasthenia gravis (MG) is still obscure. In this report, we presented a MG patient affected with thymoma whose myasthenic symptoms had disappeared after the surgical removal of thymoma together with non-thymomatous thymus. The patient had been continuously in remission when the thymoma recurred 6 years after.
We have speculated that there is a possibility that either the thymomatous or non-thymomatous thymus can have an effect positively or negatively on the development of myasthenic symptoms.

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An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used as an inhibition test to detect the antibody (anti-pAR) to the hepatitis B virus (HBV) -associated polymerized human serum albumin (pHSA) receptor (HBV-pAR) in 476 subjects. Anti-pAR was detected with high frequency in liver disease patients with anti-HBs and in those with advanced liver disease. It was also detected in 2 HBsAg-positive chronic active hepatitis (CAH), 1 HBsAg-positive liver cirrhosis and 2 HBsAg-, anti-HBs-negative CAH patients with high sGPT levels. During acute exacerbation of 2 HBsAg CAHs, HBV-pAR activity reached its peak 1-2 months before and after to the peak of sGPT level, and the anti-pAR titer was parallel to the peak of sGPT level. The assay of anti-pAR appears to have value in estimating the severity of the liver disease.

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The existence of the receptor for polymerized human serum albumin (pHSA) on hepatitis B virus (HBV-pAR) is reported for attachment of HBV to human hepatocytes. However, the characterization of the HBV-pAR is still unclear. In the present study, the characterization of HBV-pAR was investigated by SDS-PAGE, Western-blotting using monoclonal antibody to HBV-pAR (TS-1), HRPO-pHSA and HRPO-anti-HBs, and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) methods. The HBV-pAR preparated from purified HB surface antigen (HBsAg) particles was consisted of 5 kind of paptide 67, 52, 35, 31 and 8 K daltons (Kds), and the determinant of HBsAg was consisted of 6 kinds of peptide 67, 52, 35, 31, 27 and 22 Kds. On the other hand, the main component of the peptide 67 Kd was human serum albumin (HuSA) and it was indicated by the use of HPLC Mono-Q prepacked HR 5/5 column that the HBV-pAR activity was contained in the other 3 to 4 components differentiated from HuSA. These results was supported that the peptide 8 Kd is contained in each peptide with HBV-pAR, and the peptide is useful for HBV-vaccine antigens.

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