concanavalin-a and Soft-Tissue-Neoplasms

Reference values for postnatal serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and concanavalin A (ConA) binding subfractions of AFP in preterm and term infants are presented. Preterm infants had 10-fold higher serum concentrations of AFP than did term infants at birth. The reduction of serum values of AFP was biphasic in both groups and differed significantly between the two groups. The first declining phase continued for approximately 4 months in preterm and for 2 months in term infants, and was related to the degree of prematurity. The AFP values reached adult levels by 12 months in preterm and by 9 months in term infants. The developmental pattern of the carbohydrate moiety of AFP was determined by ConA fractioning. The proportion of the ConA nonreactive subfraction of AFP in preterm and term infants at birth was 6% and 13%, respectively; it increased more rapidly in term than in preterm infants but reached 85% to 95% by the age of 6 months in both infant groups. Our results indicate that the postnatal maturation of AFP synthesis is dependent on gestational age. Malignant recurrences of neonatal sacrococcygeal teratomas were associated with an increase in serum concentration of AFP and a decrease in the proportion of the ConA nonreactive subfraction of AFP.

Topics: alpha-Fetoproteins; Concanavalin A; Humans; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Infant, Premature; Infant, Premature, Diseases; Reference Values; Sacrococcygeal Region; Soft Tissue Neoplasms; Teratoma

The responses to Concanavalin A (Con A) of peripheral blood mononuclear cells were studied in 22 patients with malignant bone and soft tissue sarcoma. The decreases of response were shown in many cases depending on their clinical stages. The responses were increased by removal of the adherent cells from mononuclear cells by passing through a Sephadex G-10 column in 7 of 13 cases tested. The enhancement of responses to Con A was also found when indomethacin, a inhibitor of prostaglandin biosynthesis, was added to mononuclear cell suspensions. However, no additional increase of the responses was found when indomethacin was supplemented to the adherent cell-depleted mononuclear cell suspensions. Since it has been previously shown that prostaglandin was primarily produced from macrophages, the author concluded that the suppressor cells affecting on the lymphocyte transformation probably belong to monocyte-macrophage series and their suppressive effect may be mediated by prostaglandin. In the normal control, the responses of mononuclear cells to Con A stimulation were rather reduced by removal of the adherent cells, suggesting that these suppressor cells were contained only in mononuclear cells of the tumor-bearing hosts.

Topics: Bone Neoplasms; Cell Adhesion; Concanavalin A; Humans; Indomethacin; Monocytes; Sarcoma; Soft Tissue Neoplasms; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory

Forty-seven patients with mesenchymal sarcoma seen at the Mayo Clinic were tested for humoral and cellular immunologic responsiveness by means of a humoral cytotoxicity test, skin tests for delayed-type hypersensitivity, and lymphocyte transformation with concanavalin A, phytohemagglutinin, and pokeweed. Prospective follow-up of the clinical and laboratory results revealed that patients with low humoral cytotoxic indices, anergic skin test responses, or low lymphocyte transformation responsiveness tended to have the worst short-term clinical outlook.

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Bibliographies as Topic; Child; Concanavalin A; Cytotoxicity Tests, Immunologic; Female; Humans; Hypersensitivity, Delayed; Immunity; Immunity, Cellular; Lectins; Lymphocyte Activation; Male; Middle Aged; Mitogens; Prognosis; Sarcoma; Skin Tests; Soft Tissue Neoplasms