Immunotherapy Weekly articles from August 1998

Immunotherapy Weekly archives from August 1998

Findings May Help Explain Immunity To HIV in Thai Female Prostitutes.
August 10, 1998... The production of both cytotoxic T lymphocytes B often called "killer T cells" B and HIV suppressive factors may have played a role in protecting highly exposed female sex workers in Thailand from HIV infection, according to data presented by the...

29-kDa Antigen Distributed Throughout M. tuberculosis.
August 10, 1998... Murine studies suggest that the 29-kDa antigen CFP29 is widely distributed in mycobacterial species. "Work is in progress to test the recognition of recombinant CFP29 by human TB patients in different stages of disease," Ida Rosenkrands and...

Cytokine Production CD34+ Marrow Cells Increase Stroma Colony-Stimulating Activity.
August 10, 1998... Primitive CD34(+) progenitors provide a soluble positive feedback signal to induce stromal cells to produce cytokines. Cytokines are produced by the stromal cells, and they induce the proliferation and differentiation of hematopoietic cells in...

HIV Tat Selects Infecting Viral Variant.
August 10, 1998... HIV-1 has yet another amazing trick up its sleeve: its Tat protein can inhibit some strains of HIV. This seeming contradiction provides an answer to the long-standing question of exactly why, when a transmitting individual carries both...

IL-1 and TGF May Play Roles at Embryo-Maternal Interface.
August 10, 1998... Interleukin-1 and transforming growth factor may be involved in the regulation of stromal cell expression. Interleukin-1 (IL-1) is expressed in human endometrium and plays an essential role in local cellular interactions during implantation....

Natural Antigen Peptide Analogues Impact Alloimmune Responses.
August 10, 1998... Natural analog peptides may be an integral factor of T cell responses that are involved in transplant rejection. Previous studies using synthetic altered peptide ligands (analogs) have led to the fine dissection of T cell response-mediated T...

New Frontier in AIDS Research Focuses on Enhancing Immune System Defenses.
August 10, 1998... helping the immune system mount an effective defense against AIDS and its associated infections was a new research frontier discussed at the 12th World AIDS Conference in Geneva, Switzerland. While current treatments for HIV disease focus on...

Antitumor Activity of Interleukin-4 Toxin in Nude Mice Implanted with AIDS-Associated Kaposi's Sarcoma Tumor.
August 10, 1998... "Antitumor Activity of Interleukin-4 Toxin in Nude Mice Implanted with AIDS-Associated Kaposi's Sarcoma Tumor." S.R. Husain, R.J. Kreitman, I. Pastan and R.K. Puri. JDCGT, CBER, FDA, Bethesda, Maryland; Laboratory of Molecular Biology, NCI, NIH...

Ethics and Vaccine: Consensus Elusive.
August 10, 1998... When 200 people from 30 countries convene to agree on ethical standards, consensus is hard to reach. The new ethical guidelines on HIV vaccine research will be published later this year. But in many cases the document merely will outline the...

Successful Immune Reconstitution over Four Years after Thymic Transplantation in an AIDS Patient.
August 10, 1998... "Successful Immune Reconstitution over Four Years after Thymic Transplantation in an AIDS Patient." A. Nahmias, R. Hong, C. Ibegbu, F. Lee, A. Kourtis, P. Parker and E. Klein. Dept of Pediatrics, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia; University of...

Recombinant Expression and Characterization of the Major beta-Lactamase of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
August 10, 1998... Voladri, R.K.R.; Lakey, D.L.; Hennigan, S.H.; Menzies, B.E.; Edwards, K.M.; Kernodle, D.S. "Recombinant Expression and Characterization of the Major beta-Lactamase of Mycobacterium tuberculosis." Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, June...

Acyclovir-Resistant Varicella-Zoster Virus: Phenotypic and Genetic Characterization.
August 10, 1998... Fillet, A.M.; Dumont, B.; Caumes, E.; Visse, B.; Agut, H.; Bricaire, F.; Huraux, J.M. "Acyclovir-Resistant Varicella-Zoster Virus: Phenotypic and Genetic Characterization." Journal of Medical Virology, July 1998;55(3):250-254. According to the...

Neo-Organ Delivering Anti-gp41 Human Monoclonal Antibody Confers Passive Immunit.
August 10, 1998... Gene transfer delivered anti-gp41 human monoclonal antibody (mAb) confers passive immunity to immunodeficient mice (SCID) implanted with human CD4(+) cells and challenged with HIV-1. The objective of Kamel Sanhadji and colleagues from the...

HIV Lures Uninfected Cells To Their Doom.
August 10, 1998... HIV-1 issues a siren call to uninfected cells, luring them to lymphoid tissues crawling with virus. The AIDS virus docks to susceptible cells via specific chemokine receptors. Since chemokines act as cellular messengers that tell T cells when...

Licorice Extract, Other Drugs Repair AIDS-Linked Immune Imbalance.
August 10, 1998... Scientists searching for new drugs to fight AIDS-related fungal diseases have found several weapons that may one day help repair the immune systems of people with HIV disease. In tests on immune-deficient mice - results of which were presented...

Adoptive Immunotherapy Slows Some Tumor Growth.
August 10, 1998... A new treatment that activates a person's immune system appears to lead to remission in some patients with a common form of aggressive brain cancer. In a Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, study published in the July 1998 issue of the Journal...

Delayed Targeting of Nonresponsive CD Cells Enhances Transduced Gene Expression.
August 10, 1998... The prolonged stimulation of primitive hematopoietic progenitor cells is necessary to achieve retroviral-mediated gene transfer into cells that are capable of sustaining long-term hematopoiesis in vitro, study findings indicate. Primitive...

DNA-Cationic Liposome Complex Identifies Gene Targets.
August 10, 1998... It is possible to inhibit experimental allergic encephalomyelitis by a single injection of a cytokine, research findings indicate. An autoimmune disease of the central nervous system, experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) is similar to...

Scientists Identify Protein with Punch as Infection-Inflammation Fighter.
August 10, 1998... A blocked blood vessel means a medical emergency. Doctors must act quickly, usually within minutes or hours, to restore blood flow to endangered tissues beyond the blockage. Such modern technologies as inflatable balloons within the blood...

Vaccine Testing Gets Booster.
August 10, 1998... A new technique to visualize immune cell interactions could cut testing times for new vaccines from several weeks to 48 hours. Developed by researchers at the University of Minnesota in Rochester, the University of Glasgow in Scotland, and...

CD38 Stimulation Exerts Antiviral Effects and Modulates CXCR-4 Expression in Lymphoid Cells.
August 10, 1998... "CD38 Stimulation Exerts Antiviral Effects and Modulates CXCR-4 Expression in Lymphoid Cells." L. Calossol, A. Savarino, A. Pugliese and F. Malavasi. Lab of Cell Biology of Genetics, Torino, Italy; University of Torino, Torino, Italy; University...

mAbs to the Extracellular Domain of Prostate Specific Membrane Antigen (PSMA).
August 10, 1998... "mAbs to the Extracellular Domain of Prostate Specific Membrane Antigen (PSMA)." H. Liu, A. Rajasekaran, D. Scheinberg, G. Sgouros, M. Geerlings, S. Vallabhajosula, A. Hamilton, S. King, F. Carr and N. Bander. Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer...

Scientists Find Piece in HIV Puzzle.
August 10, 1998... Research into how HIV infects healthy cells could help explain why some people develop AIDS within months while others live for years without any symptoms, scientists said. Scientists from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention...

A Rational Basis for the Use of Combined Heparin/Aspirin and IVIG Immunotherapy in the Treatment of Recurrent IVF Failure Associated With Antiphospholipid Antibodies.
August 10, 1998... Sher, G.; Zouves, C.; Feinman, M.; Maassarani, G.; Matzner, W.; Chong, P.; Ching, W. "A Rational Basis for the Use of Combined Heparin/Aspirin and IVIG Immunotherapy in the Treatment of Recurrent IVF Failure Associated With Antiphospholipid...

Current Treatment Options for Malignant Melanoma.
August 10, 1998... Cohen, G.L.; Falkson, C.I. "Current Treatment Options for Malignant Melanoma." Drugs, June 1998;55(6):791-799. According to the authors' abstract of an article published in Drugs, "The incidence of malignant melanoma has increased at an...

Locking Out HIV Could Be Next Big Step.
August 10, 1998... The "next great wave" in treating HIV and AIDS could come from blocking the door through which the virus enters healthy cells in the immune system, a scientist said. In a presentation at the 12th International AIDS Conference, held in Geneva,...

In Vivo Persistence of Genetically Modified, HIV-1 Specific Syngeneic Lymphocytes in HIV-1 Discordant Identical Twins.
August 10, 1998... "In Vivo Persistence of Genetically Modified, HIV-1 Specific Syngeneic Lymphocytes in HIV-1 Discordant Identical Twins." R. Walker, C.M. Bechtel, V. Natarajan, R.M. Blaese, K.M. Hege, M.R. Roberts and H.C. Lane. INIAID/National Institutes of...

Contribution of beta-Lactamases to beta-Lactam Susceptibilities of Susceptible and Multidrug-Resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis Clinical Isolates.
August 10, 1998... Segura, C.; Salvado, M.; Collado, I.; Chaves, J.; Coira, A. "Contribution of beta-Lactamases to beta-Lactam Susceptibilities of Susceptible and Multidrug-Resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis Clinical Isolates." Antimicrobial Agents and...

Inhibition of a Mycobacterium tuberculosis beta-Ketoacyl ACP Synthase by Isoniazid.
August 10, 1998... Mdluli, K.; Slayden, R.A.; Zhu, Y.Q.; Ramaswamy, S.; Pan, X.; Mead, D.; Crane, D.D.; Musser, J.M.; Barry, C.E. "Inhibition of a Mycobacterium tuberculosis beta-Ketoacyl ACP Synthase by Isoniazid." Science, June 5, 1998;280(5369):1607-1610....

G-CSF Use Applicable In HIV Gene Therapies, Immunotherapies, and Antiretroviral.
August 24, 1998... Because granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) administration increases the numbers of naive CD4 and CD34 cells in HIV infected patients, it may have broad use in immunotherapy, gene therapy and antiretroviral therapy protocols for these...

Poliovirus Vaccine Vectors Protect Mice In Melanoma Model.
August 24, 1998... Poliovirus vaccine vectors elicited antigen-specific cytotoxic T cells and protected mice against lethal melanoma challenge. Recombinant polioviruses expressing foreign antigens may provide a convenient vaccine vector system to elicit...

Avipox AIDS Vaccine Elicits Durable Anti-HIV CTLs.
August 24, 1998... More than half of the volunteers who received a candidate AIDS vaccine developed durable, HIV specific cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) responses. The vaccine is a canarypox virus engineered to express HIV genes. The virus is capable only of a...

HAART in the Real World.
August 24, 1998... A big gap separates real patients' responses to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) from the responses reported in clinical trials. "Why don't my patients look like the patients in clinical trials?" asked Melanie Thompson, founder of...

Support Slips For Live HIV Vaccine.
August 24, 1998... Nothing went right for Charles Farthing in his eloquent defense of testing a live HIV vaccine. In a debate at the 12th World AIDS Conference, everything seemed to work against the AIDS clinician and researcher who has volunteered to be the...

Vaccinia-Based AIDS Vaccine Safe In Early Trials.
August 24, 1998... A live, recombinant vaccinia virus that expresses multiple HIV antigens is well tolerated by humans, early trial results show. The vaccine, dubbed TBC-3B by manufacturer Therion Biologics Corp., expresses the HIV env, gag, and pol genes. The...

'Cracked' Adenoproducer Cells Used in Cancer Gene Therapy Approach.
August 24, 1998... 'Cracked' adenoproducer cells may be the tool of the future for protein-gene delivery for cancer therapy. M.C. Esandi and colleagues from Leiden University, IntroGene BV, and Pathologisch Laboratorium, The Netherlands, established a new method...

Oral Immunization with Rotavirus DNA Vaccine Induces Protective Immunity.
August 24, 1998... Novel oral administration of DNA vaccine induces protective immunity against rotavirus. Most DNA vaccines are given by intramuscular injection or by gene gun delivery of DNA-coated particles into the epidermis. The induction of mucosal...

Can Wyeth Hold Its Rotavirus Vaccine Lead?
August 24, 1998... As support for universal rotavirus vaccination grows, so does the competition. The imminent approval of Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories' rotavirus vaccine (dubbed RotaShield in the U.S. and Rotamune abroad) promises the firm a generous return on its...

Protein Critical for T-Cell Development and Activation Identified.
August 24, 1998... Stimulation of the immune system involves more than a binary on-off response. When a foreign body attaches to a T-cell receptor, it sets off a chain of biochemical reactions that lead to immune system activation. Gary Koretzky, MD, PhD, Kelting...

Molecular Mimicry Antagonizes IFN-Mediated Cellular Antiviral Activity.
August 24, 1998... A functional virus-encoded interferon regulatory factor (v-IRF) has a key role in Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) gene expression. Unlike other viruses, KSHV has developed a complex form of molecular mimicry by expressing a...

Immunosuppressive Treatment Important for RA Sufferers.
August 24, 1998... Patients with rheumatoid arthritis have been shown to have an increased risk of developing cancers, but the reasons for this are unclear. Dr. Eva Baecklund and her colleagues from the University Hospital in Uppsala in Sweden studied 11,683...

Study Shows Even "Dead" HIV Damages Immune System.
August 24, 1998... Even "dead" HIV that seem to be just quietly hanging around may actually be attacking the immune system, researchers said. They said this explains why damage to the immune system continues even while strong drugs seem to be controlling HIV...

Chemokine Levels Modulated In Vivo by DNA Vaccines.
August 24, 1998... "Chemokine Levels Modulated In Vivo by DNA Vaccines." D. Weiner, K. Ugen, K.E. Ugen, J. Kim, R. Ciccarelli, S. Nylan and J. Boyer. Univ Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; USF College of Medicine, Tampa, Florida; Apollon, Malvern,...

Induction of Antitumor Immune Memory Requires CD4(+) and CD8(+) Cells, Viable Tumor, Superantigen, and Bispecific Antibody.
August 24, 1998... "Induction of Antitumor Immune Memory Requires CD4(+) and CD8(+) Cells, Viable Tumor, Superantigen, and Bispecific Antibody." L.E.Porter, I.E. Gecim, E.J. McConell, D.C. Rice and B.Ch.H. Nelson. Rochester, Minnesota. According to an abstract...

Enhanced of Phagocytosis and Germicidal Activity in Originating Neutrophils and Monocytes from Bone Marrow Cells Cultures of AIDS Patients.
August 24, 1998... "Enhanced of Phagocytosis and Germicidal Activity in Originating Neutrophils and Monocytes from Bone Marrow Cells Cultures of AIDS Patients." C.S. Barragan, G.J. Deluchi, A.M. Canizal and J. Benetucci. Fundai Htal Muniz Uspallata, Buenos Aires;...

Xenogeneic Porcine Thymic Transplantation for the Treatment of AIDS.
August 24, 1998... "Xenogeneic Porcine Thymic Transplantation for the Treatment of AIDS." B. Mkolic, K.S. Stanley and M. Sykes. Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts; NIAID, National Institute of Health, Austin, Texas. According to an abstract...

Multiple Roles of Interferon-Gamma in the Mediation of Interleukin 12-Induced Tumor Regression.
August 24, 1998... Ogawa, M.; Yu, W.G.; Umehara, K.; Iwasaki, M.; Wijesuriya, R.; Tsujimura, T.; Kubo, T.; Fujiwara, H.; Hamaoka, T. "Multiple Roles of Interferon-Gamma in the Mediation of Interleukin 12-Induced Tumor Regression." Cancer Research, June 1,...

Interaction of Recombinant Interleukin-2 with Liposomal Bilayers.
August 24, 1998... Koppenhagen, F.J.; Visser, A.J.W.G.; Herron, J.N.; Storm, G.; Crommelin, D.J.A. "Interaction of Recombinant Interleukin-2 with Liposomal Bilayers." Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, June 1998;87(6):707-714. According to the authors' abstract...

Serum Dehydroepiandrosterone (DIEA) and DHEA Sulfate Are Negatively Correlated with Serum Interleukin-6 (IL-6), and DHEA Inhibits IL-6 Secretion from Mononuclear Cells in Man in vitro: Possible Link Between Endocrinosenescence and Immunosenescence.
August 24, 1998... Straub, R.H.; Konecna, L.; Hrach, S.; Rothe, G.; Kreutz, M.; Scholmerich, J.; Falk, W.; Lang, B. "Serum Dehydroepiandrosterone (DIEA) and DHEA Sulfate Are Negatively Correlated with Serum Interleukin-6 (IL-6), and DHEA Inhibits IL-6 Secretion...

Peptides Derived From Self-Proteins as Partial Agonists and Antagonists of Human CD8(+) T-Cell Clones Reactive to Melanoma/Melanocyte Epitope MART1(27-35).
August 24, 1998... Loftus, D.J.; Squarcina, P.; Nielsen, M.B.; Geisler, C.; Castelli, C.; Odum, N.; Appella, E.; Parmiani, G.; Rivoltini, L. "Peptides Derived From Self-Proteins as Partial Agonists and Antagonists of Human CD8(+) T-Cell Clones Reactive to...

Antituberculosis Drug Resistance Surveillance in Kenya, 1995.
August 24, 1998... Githui, W.A.; Juma, E.S.; Vangorkom, J.; Kibuga, D.; Odhiambo, J.; Drobniewski, F. "Antituberculosis Drug Resistance Surveillance in Kenya, 1995." International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, June 1998;2(6):499-505. According to the...

Epidemiology and Clinical Consequences of Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis in a Guatemalan Hospital.
August 24, 1998... Harrow, E.M.; Rangel, J.M.; Arriega, J.M.; Cohen, I.; Ruiz, M.I.D.R.; Deriemer, K.; Small, P.M. "Epidemiology and Clinical Consequences of Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis in a Guatemalan Hospital." Chest, June 1998;113(6):1452-1458. According to...

An Effectiveness and Cost Analysis of Presumptive Treatment for Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
August 24, 1998... "An Effectiveness and Cost Analysis of Presumptive Treatment for Mycobacterium tuberculosis." American Journal of Infection Control, June 1998;26(3):232-238. According to the authors' abstract of an article published in American Journal of...

Initial Drug Regimens for the Treatment of Tuberculosis: Evaluation of Physician Prescribing Practices in New Jersey, 1994 to 1995.
August 24, 1998... "Initial Drug Regimens for the Treatment of Tuberculosis: Evaluation of Physician Prescribing Practices in New Jersey, 1994 to 1995." Chest, June 1998;113(6):1446-1451. According to the authors' abstract of an article published in Chest,...