Anti-single stranded DNA (ssDNA) and anti-double stranded DNA (dsDNA) B cells are regulated in non-autoimmune mice. In this report we show that while both anti-ssDNA and anti-dsDNA B cells are blocked in their ability to differentiate into antibody-secreting cells, other phenotypic and functional characteristics distinguish them from one another. Splenic anti-ssDNA B cells are found distributed...

The aim of this study was to determine if knowledge of both the serum HCV RNA and serum anti core IgM antibody status enabled one to predict the histological severity in chronic hepatitis C. We studied 45 female patients with chronic hepatitis C infection. The presence or absence of IgM antibodies to HCV and HCV RNA by PCR in each patient's serum was determined. Liver biopsies performed were sc...

Two distinct paraproteins (IgG(2)-K and IgM-K) from one patient shared identical light chains and significant portions of the variable regions of the heavy chains. Idiotypic determinants on the IgG and IgM molecules were shared. Earlier studies, using class-specific antisera, showed that these paraproteins were produced by two different populations of cells. The present study, using rhodamine a...

Background: Viral hepatitis in acute and chronic form remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in India. Exposure to Hepatitis A Virus (HAV),Hepatitis E virus (HEV),Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) and Hepatitis C Virus infection vary in different parts of country with different socioeconomic groups. The prevalence of HAV, HEV, HBV, and HCV infection among children up to 12 years, adolescents be...

BACKGROUND Viral hepatitis is an important preventable infectious disease with various rates of occurrence in different areas of the world. The main objective of the present study was to evaluate the role of some risk factors in predicting a positive acute viral hepatitis marker among patients with suspected acute viral hepatitis in a primary health care setting in Baghdad. Besides, finding out...

The penicillin allergy is being increasingly recognized as a significant public health problem. Immunological responses to penicillin and other beta-lactam antibiotics are classified as immediate and non-immediate responses. This research aimed to develop an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the detection of the reactive antibody value against penicillin in various species of animals...

Increased mRNA translation drives carcinogenesis and is an attractive target for the development of new anti-cancer drugs. In this work, we investigated effects of phenethylisothiocyanate (PEITC), a phytochemical with chemopreventive and anti-cancer activity, on mRNA translation. PEITC rapidly inhibited global mRNA translation in human breast cancer-derived MCF7 cells and mouse embryonic fibrob...

Background/Objective: To clarify the state of different immunologic factors in patients with acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD) compared to healthy individuals.Patients and Methods: Patients with ARF (#21), patients with RHD six months after the onset of ARF (#19), and healthy children from the same age group with normal physical examination and no history of pharyngi...

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a RNA virus transmitted enterically. A study of anti-HEV antibodies in 145 human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infected subjects found that 14.4% of them were reactive to anti-HEV antibodies. Anti-HEV IgG and anti-HEV IgM was detected in 10.3% and 4.1% of the subjects respectively. Prevalence of anti-HEV (either IgG or IgM) was similar across all adult ages (p...