| Budget Amount *help |
¥23,000,000 (Direct Cost: ¥23,000,000)
Fiscal Year 1988: ¥7,000,000 (Direct Cost: ¥7,000,000)
Fiscal Year 1987: ¥16,000,000 (Direct Cost: ¥16,000,000)
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| Research Abstract |
1. A monoclonal antibody, Ki-67, could recognize a nuclear antigen expressed in proliferating cells, but not in resting cells. In acute stage of common viral diseases, various proportions of circulating T cells expressed Ki-67-reactive nuclear antigen, whereas there was no significant appearance of Ki-67^+ cells in the cases of bacterial infection examined. Thus, enumeration of ciruculating Ki-67^+ cells might provide a useful tool for the differentiation between viral and bacterial infection in clinical practice. Of particularly interest is the fact that a significant and prolonged increase of Ki-67^+ cells in Kawasaki's disease and idiopathic myocarditis suggests the possible implication of viral agents in the pathogenesis of these disorders.
2. Producing ability of monokines, such as IL-1 and IL-6, of cord blood leukocytes assessed by a whole blood culture method was comparable to that of abult controls, indicating the monokine-producing capability to be mature at the time of birth. In various febrile conditions including Kawasaki's disease, serum levels of IL-6 were markedly elevated at the acute stage of the disease and decreased rapidly at convalescence in accordance with the decline of several species of the acute phase proteins, indicating the acute phase nature of IL-6.
3. By using three kinds of monoclonal antibodies against T-cell receptor(TCR)- / chains, anti-TCR 1 (seemingly anti-pan TCR / , anti-Ti- A, and anti- -TCS1, tissue distributions of lymphocyte subsets expressing TCR- / chains was evaluted immunohistochemically. In peripheral lymphoid organs, less than 5% of lymphocytes expressed TCR- 1^+ determinants, of which the majority were Ti- A^+ cells. The cells expressing -TCS1^+ determinants were very small in number. Clinical studies suggested that preferential proliferation of a subset of TCR- / ^+ lymphocytes in peripheral lymphoid organs might indicate impaired immune status of the host in response to viral agents.
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