title: Impaired conA suppressor cell activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis shows normalization during fasting.
abstract: Normal controls and patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) were investigated with respect to quantitative lymphocyte proliferation (LP) after concanavalin-A (conA) activation and to conA-induced suppressor cell activity (conA-SC). Measurements and assessment of RA activity were made at the beginning and end of a 10-day fast. The controls showed depressed (p less than 0.05) LP at the end of the fast, but no change in conA-SC activity. The RA group showed subnormal (p less than 0.05) LP and conA-SC (p less than 0.01) at the beginning of the experiment. After fasting they showed clinical improvement, the LP was not further depressed, and the initially low conA-SC had become normal.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000276:immunology*; D003208:Concanavalin A / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005215:Fasting; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D003208:Concanavalin A