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Augmentation of skin test reactivity and lymphocyte blastogenesis in patients with AIDS treated with transfer factor.
Carey JT, Lederman MM, Toossi Z, Edmonds K, Hodder S, Calabrese LH, Proffitt MR, Johnson CE, Ellner JJ.
Nine patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) were administered four doses of pooled transfer factor obtained from the lymphocytes of three healthy controls and three homosexuals with stable lymphadenopathy and serum antibody to the human immunodeficiency virus. Before receiving transfer factor, all patients exhibited anergy to skin test antigens. After four weeks of transfer factor therapy, six of seven patients tested had at least one skin test response. Lymphocyte blastogenic responses to phytohemagglutinin rose from a stimulation index of 6.77 +/- 1.31 before treatment to 19.77 +/- 6.24 after four weeks of transfer factors therapy. Smaller but significant increases were also seen in blastogenic responses to antigens. Improvements in immune responses diminished after administration of transfer factors was halted. Thus, administration of transfer factors to patients with AIDS resulted in partial immune reconstitution. Further studies are indicated to examine the clinical efficacy of this immune response modifier in the treatment of AIDS.
PMID: 2432287 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Treating AIDS patients with HIV-Specific Transfer Factor
Biotherapy 9: 41-7 (1996)
H. Hugh Fudenberg,1 Giancarlo Pizza,2 F. Raise,3 F. Gritti,3 F. Chiodo,2 C. DeVinci,2 Dimitri Viza.4- NeuroImmuno Therapeutics Research Found., Spartanburg SC 29303;
- Osp. Malpighi, 40138 Bologna, Italy;
- Osp. Maggiore, Bologna, Italy;
- Université de Paris V, Faculté de Médecine, 75270 Paris, France.
Rationale: Specific transfer factor (TF) is known to be effective in treating viral infections and preliminary studies with AIDS patients and SIV-infected macaques have produced encouraging observations.
Methods: TF was made from immunized BALB/c mice. Its activity was tested in vitro, and it was orally administered to AIDS patients with <500 CD4 lymphocytes.
Results: 20 AIDS patients, treated with TF and zidovudine (ZDV) for more than 6 months, showed improvement or stabilization of their clinical condition and/or biological parameters. Four patients with a survival prognosis of 6 months have so far survived for more than 4 years. In one patient, a regression of KS and voluminous plantar warts was noticed. Skin tests became positive in 9/12 anergic patients. Furthermore, data in 5 patients suggest that TF may activate the Th/1 cytokine secretion pattern. Three other patients had PCR's that dropped from 268,000/mm3 to 24,000/mm3; 100,000/mm3 to 2,000/mm3; and 80,000/mm3 to 0.
Conclusion: HIV specific TF can be beneficial even in advanced AIDS patients. Further studies should determine whether treatment could indefinitely arrest disease progression. TF may also be able to prevent retroviral infections; and as a prophylactic vaccine (as in the case of VZV infections in immunocompromised leukemic children), it should be further investigated in animal models.Fudenberg announces Transfer factors
success with AIDS
Arthur James Lanigan aj at scsn.net
Thu Mar 2 14:40:56 EST 1995
Professor Hugh Fudenberg, MD, world renowned immunologist,announces
an AIDS protocol breakthrough that may change the course of immune
research in AIDS and other immunodysfunctional diseases.
"According to my research in treating AIDS patients, Antigen
Specific transfer factors for the HIV virus turns on the Cytotoxic
Cell and helps control the spread of the virus."
In two recent cases under this evolving protocol, the
patients have gone from PCR positive to PCR negative. Dr.
Anthony Fauci, Director of the AIDS Division of NIH has confirmed
in a recent news interview "that the T8 plus cell may be more
important than drugs in the treatment of the AIDS virus." Dr.
Fudenberg does not put great weight on the T4 cell count, for
example. He tends to look at how functional the various immune
cells are and how well they are interacting with one another.
(CD28, CD38 & CD56/16) Recently a patient with a T4 count below
10 was introduced to this protocol. In addition to increase of
appetite, energy and general feeling of better health, his T4
count is moving up and PCR titers are moving down, indicating
positive response to this strategy.
Dr. Fudenberg will be guest lecturing to the Academy of
Orthomolecular Medicine on March 4, 1995 at the Airport Hilton,
San Francisco, CA. The title of the lecture will be: Antigen
Specific transfer factors in the Treatment of AIDS and other
Incurable Diseases". New positions are welcome to attend & join
the Academy.