Three of 16 rabbits injected (intravenously) daily with crystalline bovine serum albumin (BSA) for periods in excess of 10 wk developed chronic glomerulonephritis. In vivo, animals with chronic proteinuria formed variable quantities of soluble complex after injection of antigen while animals without proteinuria exhibited rapid removal of the injected BSA. In vitro studies demonstrated that a ma...

Clopidogrel (Plavix ® ) is a selective inhibitor of platelet aggregation used preventively in the setting of myocardial infarction, coronary stent implantation and stroke [1]. Clopidogrel structurally resembles another thienopyridine antiplatelet drug ticlopidine (Ticlid ) differing only by the presence of a carboxymethyl side group on clopidogrel. The drugs differ in their toxicity profile, wi...

1. Anstey A. Azathioprine in dermatology: a review in light of advances in understanding methylation pharmacogenetics. J R Soc Med 1995;88:155-60. 2. Swanson MA, Schwartz RS. Immunosuppressive therapy: the relationship between clinical response and immunologic competence. N Engl J Med 1967;277:163-70. 3. Bach MA, Bach JF. Activities of immunosuppressive agents in vitro-different timing of azath...

Total serum hemolytic complement activity is consistently reduced in animals undergoing accelerated "serum sickness". The time of maximum reduction in complement titer invariably coincides with the time of complete antigen disappearance. This temporal relationship supports the belief that the reduction in complement titer is brought about by in vivo antigen-antibody combination. The intravenous...

A patient developed serum sickness and acute renal failure following therapy with streptokinase for myocardial ischaemia. There was a previous history of a cellulitic infection of the leg, and antibodies to streptokinase were measurable in a serum sample taken from the patient before therapy. A cryoglobulin was detected at the time of presentation with serum sickness. This contained polyclonal ...