title: Considerations on the changes of certain immunologic cells in silicosis.
abstract: Cell-mediated immunity was estimated in a group of 68 patients divided into three subgroups according to the evolutive stage of disease. It was demonstrated that in silicosis there is a disturbance of immunity. The detection of E rosettes and of activated rosettes was carried out according to the classical method. The mean percentage of total T lymphocytes was found lower in silicosis (62 +/- 2% statistically significant for p < 0.05), compared to the control group (66 +/- 4.6%). The study revealed a decrease of T helper lymphocytes, an increase of T suppressor/cytotoxic lymphocytes and a decrease of the T helper/T suppressor ratio (1.96 +/- 0.13) in silicosis as compared to the control group (2.83 +/- 0.31). The presence of these changes in silicotic patients suggested the participation of cell-mediated immunity in the pathogenesis of disease, the cell mediated immunity being directly responsible for the evolution of silicosis.
authors.affiliation: N. Gh. Lupu Clinical Hospital, Bucharest, Romania.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cojocaru
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Mitrea
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dinu
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Niculescu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D018655:Lymphocyte Count; D008875:Middle Aged; D012397:Rosette Formation; D012829:Silicosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D006377:T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer / Q000276:immunology; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000276:immunology