Senile Cardiac Amyloidosis: Evidence of Two Different Amyloid Substances in the Ageing Heart

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Abstract
Lymphocytes were eluted from the synovial tissue of 17 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and 1 with ankylosing spondylitis. In 8 of these patients immunoglobulin [Ig] production by synovial lymphocytes in the presence and absence of pokeweed mitogen was studied. In 9 patients T [thymus-derived] lymphocytes were isolated from the eluted cells, and T helper and suppressor cell functions were evaluated in an allogeneic co-culture system. Peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) from 28 normal donors were also studied for comparison. Ig produced by synovial lymphocytes was higher than in PBL of normal donors. The stimulation index of synovial tissue lymphocytes was lower. Most normal donors had suppressor cell activity in their peripheral blood, whereas in synovial tissue lymphocytes a statistically significant number of patients had none. Synovial tissue lymphocytes showed helper activity not differing significantly from that of the T lymphocytes from peripheral blood of normal individuals.