Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0348321 (Haemophilus)
 15,372 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

A new, efficient procedure for the generation of human monoclonal antibodies has been developed. The procedure is based on the activation of human B cells in microwells by murine thymoma EL4B5 cells. This mode of B cell stimulation leads to proliferation of at least one per eight of human B cells and to a high rate of antibody production. Subsequently, supernatants of the microwells are screened by ELISA for the presence of antibody of the desired specificity and B cells from selected wells are hybridized by electroporation. To optimize the procedure, the kinetics of the B cell expansion induced by EL4B5 cells were analysed. Counting and phenotyping of cultured cells at different time points indicated that the peak of B cell expansion occurred at day 5 for tonsil B cells (16-fold increase) and at day 7 for peripheral blood B cells (20-fold increase). The B cells did not merely proliferate but also differentiated, as indicated by loss of CD20 expression and increase of CD38 expression. At the peak of B cell expansion, B cells could be hybridized efficiently with myeloma cells. The majority of the resultant hybridomas secreted human immunoglobulin. The efficiency of the procedure is exemplified by the generation of hybridomas secreting human IgG against Haemophilus influenzae from limited numbers of either human tonsil B lymphocytes or peripheral blood B lymphocytes.
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PMID:An efficient procedure for the generation of human monoclonal antibodies based on activation of human B lymphocytes by a murine thymoma cell line. 845 Feb 31

Background: Pemphigus vulgaris is an autoimmune blistering disease affecting the skin and mucous membranes. Current treatments for pemphigus vulgaris include anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive agents. Rituximab, an anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody, has been shown to be effective for the treatment of pemphigus vulgaris. However, the optimal dosage of rituximab for the treatment of this autoimmune bullous disease has not been clearly defined.The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical efficacy and adverse effects of an ultra-low dosage regimen of rituximab for pemphigus vulgaris.Methods: We performed a prospective non-randomized open case series including eight patients affected by pemphigus vulgaris. Patients were treated with an ultra-low dosage of rituximab (a single infusion of 200 mg).Results: All patients had a positive response after infusion. At the end of the follow-up period, 5 patients achieved a complete remission and 3 a partial remission. Except for one case of sepsis due to Citrobacer freundii and a pneumonia due to Haemophilus influenzae, no adverse events were documented in our patients.Conclusions: Data from our study suggest that an ultra-low dosage of rituximab could be an effective treatment for pemphigus vulgaris. Consequently, there is a need for a larger, confirmatory, randomized, multicenter trial.
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PMID:Ultra-low dose rituximab for refractory pemghigus vulgaris: a pilot study. 3202 10