title: Expression of transferrin receptors on lymphocytes: its correlation with T-helper/T-suppressor cytotoxic ratio and rejection in heart transplant recipients.
abstract: Forty-one heart transplant recipients were monitored serially for the expression of transferrin receptors and T-helper/T-suppressor cytotoxic ratios on circulating lymphocytes during the hospitalization periods after heart transplantations (60.5 +/- 18.9 days). These values were retrospectively correlated with the patients' clinical status with respect to rejection and infection. During clinically stable periods the average values of percentage of transferrin receptor-positive lymphocytes and T-helper/T-suppressor cytotoxic ratios were 5.9 +/- 4.3 and 1.5 +/- 1.0, respectively. The percentage of transferrin receptor-positive lymphocytes increased to a level of 12.0 +/- 5.4 (p less than 0.001) during the early prerejection phase and remained at this level throughout the rejection period. T-helper/T-suppressor cytotoxic ratios increased to 1.96 +/- 0.92 during the early prerejection phase (p less than 0.05), peaked at 2.30 +/- 1.21 during the late prerejection phase (p less than 0.01), but began to decline by the rejection period. After rejection treatment percentage of transferrin receptor-positive lymphocytes decreased to 8.4 +/- 5.3 (p less than 0.05), and T-helper/T-suppressor cytotoxic ratios decreased to normal levels. In contrast, in patients with infectious complications, a remarkably elevated percentage of transferrin receptor-positive lymphocytes (20.7 +/- 11.7) and relatively low T-helper/T-suppressor cytotoxic ratios (1.3 +/- 0.5) were noted. The data show an association between the clinical status, such as rejection and infection, and these immunologic measurements as transferrin receptor-positive lymphocytes and T-helper/T-suppressor cytotoxic ratios in heart transplant recipients.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Medical College of Virginia, Richmond.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hoshinaga
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mohanakumar
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Pascoe
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Szentpetery
authors.forename: H M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: R R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Lower
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006084:Graft Rejection; D016027:Heart Transplantation; D006801:Humans; D007239:Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011990:Receptors, Transferrin / Q000032:analysis*; D012008:Recurrence; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000145:classification* / Q000378:metabolism; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000378:metabolism; D006377:T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer / Q000378:metabolism; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D011990:Receptors, Transferrin