Disturbances of lymphocyte circulation and mobilization in granulomatous disorders of the lymphoid system

Granulomatous lung diseases in the tropics

International travel, changing immigration patterns, and political upheavals have transformed the epidemiological picture of many tropical granulomatous disorders [53]. These diseases are seen with an increasing frequency in the United States, Europe, and other developed countries. Physicians must now become familiar with illnesses that were previously regarded as being "exotic" because of this increasing prevalence. Accurate diagnosis is important because therapy is significantly different for infectious granulomatous disorders than for non-infectious diseases.

Peripheral blood lymphocytes in sarcoidosis

Sarcoidosis is characterised by changes in the lymphocyte subpopulations of the peripheral venous blood in the majority of patients. Thymus derived lymphocytes (T cells) are low whilst Bursa derived lymphocytes (B cells) are usually normal in number. The T cell lymphopaenia is best regarded as a "switching off" of available receptors as in vitro treatment with Levamisole restores this population to normal control values. A functional subset of T cells, T suppressor cells (T gamma) are activated, in sarcoidosis, in peripheral venous blood. Sarcoid sera is characterised by two inhibiting fractions; one, of low molecular weight (60 000 daltons) inhibits E rosette formation by normal T lymphocytes and may be a product of T suppressor cells or epithelioid/macrophage cells: the other is an immune complex which is capable of activating normal T suppressor cells and the serum immune complex concentration is positively correlated with suppressor cell activation in sarcoidosis.

Blood lymphocyte ultrastructure and deoxyribonucleic acid content in children with systemic lupus erythematosis

Two varieties of peripheral blood lymphocytes have been disclosed in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) cases: one showing signs of degradation and nuclear chromatine elimination and the other one manifesting a state of biological activation, possibly of an immunologic nature. This karyostructural lymphocyte heterogeneity in SLE may cause a great scattering of these cells on histograms in respect to their nuclear deoxyribonucleic acid content determined by cytophotometry. On the other hand, the expressiveness of the scattering and the degree of predominance of negative tendency towards proliferation (with a shift to the left from 2 n) may thereby serve as a very objective quantitative indication of nuclear structure degradation and of loss by lymphocytes of chromatine with deoxyribonucleic acid during SLE.

Adult severe combined immunodeficiency and sarcoid-like granulomas with hypersplenism

A patient presented with lymphopenia, anergy, hypogammaglobulinemia and hypersplenism. Histologic examination of the spleen and lymph node revealed noncaseating sarcoid-like granulomas. Despite a significant rise in circulating lymphocytes after splenectomy there was in vivo and in vitro evidence of B- and T-lymphocyte dysfunction. A histologic picture mimicking sarcoidosis may occur in patients with immune deficiency. The granulomatous proliferation may represent an altered host response to antigen.