Effect of lead exposure on the immune function of lymphocytes and erythrocytes in preschool children

Objective: To investigate the influence of lead exposure on the immune function of lymphocytes and erythrocytes in preschool children. Materials and methods: A group of 217 children three to six years of age from a rural area were given a thorough physical examination and the concentration of lead in blood samples taken from each subject was determined. The indices of lymphocyte immunity (CD^+3CD^+4, CD^+3CD^+8, CD^+4CD^+8, CDˉ3CD^+19) and erythrocyte immunity (RBC-C3b, RBC-IC, RFER, RFIR, CD35 and its average fluorescence intensity) of 40 children with blood lead levels above 0.483 μmol/L were measured and compared with a control group. Results: The blood lead levels of the 217 children ranged from 0.11 μmol/L to 2.11 μmol/L. The CD^+3CD^+4and CD^+4CD^+8 cells were lower (P＜0.01) and the CD^+3CD^+8 cells were higher in the lead-poisoned subjects than those in the control group (P＜0.05). CD^+3 and CDˉ3CD^+19 did not show significant differences. Although the RBC-C3b rosette forming rate was lower and the RBC-IC rosette forming rate was higher in the lead-poisoned group, this difference could not be shown to be statistically significant (P＞0.05). RFIR was found to be lower in the lead-poisoned group (P＜0.01). Compared with the control group, the positive rate of CD35 was not found to be significantly different in a group of 25 lead-poisoned children (P＞0.05), while the average fluorescence intensity was lower in the lead-poisoned group (P＜0.05). Conclusion: Lead exposure can result in impaired immune function oft lymphocytes and erythrocytes in preschool children.

Association between autoimmune pancreatitis and systemic autoimmune diseases

AIM: To investigate the association between autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) and systemic autoimmune diseases (SAIDs) by measurement of serum immunoglobulin G4 (IgG4). METHODS: The serum level of IgG4 was measured in 61 patients with SAIDs of different types who had not yet participated in glucocorticosteroid treatment. Patients with an elevated IgG4 level were examined by abdominal ultrasonography (US) and, in some cases, by computer tomography (CT). RESULTS: Elevated serum IgG4 levels (919 ± 996 mg/L) were detected in 17 (28%) of the 61 SAID patients. 10 patients had Sj gren's syndrome (SS) (IgG4: 590 ± 232 mg/L), 2 of them in association with Hashimoto's thyroiditis, and 7 patients (IgG4: 1388 ± 985.5 mg/L) had systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The IgG4 level in the SLE patients and that in patients with SS were not significantly different from that in AIP patients (783 ± 522 mg/L). Abdominal US and CT did not reveal any characteristic features of AIP among the SAID patients with an elevated IgG4 level. CONCLUSION: The serum IgG4 level may be elevated in SAIDs without the presence of AIP. The determination of serum IgG4 does not seem to be suitable for the differentiation between IgG4-related diseases and SAIDs.