key words: Chronic renal failure, hemodialysis, HBs vaccination, lymphocyte subpopulations, proliferative responses Immune responsiveness in 79 patients with chronic renal failure (CRF) was studied using monoclonal antibodies to each of the lymphocyte subpopulations and a T cell-independent B cell mitogen, Staphylococcus aureus Cowan I (STA). Among them, eight hemodialysis (HD) patients were given HBs vaccine and were followed for the anti -HBs antibody responsiveness . The results obtained were as follows. 1) Anti-HBs antibody responses in HD patients were suppressed, and low levels and late appearance of the antibodies were observed as compared to those in healthy controls. 2) Immunological studies revealed reduced OKT4/OKT8 ratios in low responders to HBs vaccination as compared to those in responders. 3) As the duration of HD increased, so did the percentages of OKT8+ cells, while those of OKB1+ cells declined. 4) The proliferative responses of peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) stimulated with STA were decreased in the patients with CRF, except for those on HD for one to five years, and the in vitro syntheses of immunoglobulins (lg) from the PBL were also decreased.From these results, it was considered that the suppression of anti-HBs antibody responses to HBs vaccination in HD patients may be related in part to the increased ratio of OKT8+ cells, and such an increase of OKT8+ cells is intensified with the prolongation of HD.
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