title: [Evaluation of T cell subsets in myasthenia gravis by anti-T cell monoclonal antibodies].
abstract: In this paper, T lymphocyte subsets were measured in the peripheral blood of 46 patients with myasthenia gravis (MG) and 86 healthy controls, by using a modified microcytotoxicity assay and OKT monoclonal antibodies. The results showed that the OKT+3, OKT+4, OKT+8 cells of the patients with MG decreased significantly as compared with those of the controls (57.71% versus 66.42%; 34.50% versus 41.65%; 21.23% versus 27.19% respectively, P less than 0.01), and the OKT4/OKT8 ratio increased significantly (2.19 versus 1.64, P less than 0.05). Furthermore, the patients with the ocular type had less OKT+8 cells than those with the general type (14.19% versus 23.47%, P less than 0.05 and had a high OKT4/OKT8 ratio (3.27 versus 1.57, P less than 0.01). No correlating changes of T cell subsets with clinical conditions in that age, sex, and severity showed, and also that there was no difference between the patients whether prednisone was used or not (P greater than 0.05).
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Q
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Gong
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Xu
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000276:immunology; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009157:Myasthenia Gravis / Q000276:immunology*; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal