Anti-bungarotoxin anti-serum, which has the internal image of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAchR), was used as a tool to measure anti-idiotype antibodies(Anti-Id) to antibodies to ligand of nAchR in sera from 81 with myasthenia gravis (MG). Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was adopted. The positive rate was 46. 9% (38/81). The specific cross inhibitory test with nAchR was positive. Anti-Id to antibodies to ligand of nAchR in sera of different types of MG patients classified according to modified Osserman's standards and MG patients with or without thymoma were compared in this study and the role of Anti-Id to antibodies to ligand of nAchR in the autoimmunity of MG and the possibility of therapeutic use of Anti-Id are discussed.

The PHA-induced interleukin-2 (IL-2) production from peripheral blood monoous cal cells (PBMNC) of myasthenia gravis(MG) patients was stud led.PBMNC were cultured with PHA and supernatants containing IL-2 were harvested 48 h later.An IL-2 microassay bas^d on dependant cell line CTLL was adopted referring to Gillis' method The IL-2 production from PBMNC of MG group (30 cases) was significantly lower than that of normal group(27 cases).The values were 26.01?9.11 U/ml and 42,52?13.43 U/ml, respectively (P

Thymus has an important significance to the pathogenesis and treatment for myasthenia gravis (MG). Thymoma accounts for 10 to 15% in the MG patients, which is short of localized damage feature so as to make misdiagnosis usually. Using citric acid extracted sacrolemma protein antigen from human skeletal muscle, CAE-Abs in the sera of 103 MG patients were detected by indirect hemoagglutination assay (IHA) and the positive rate was 78.9% (cases of 15/19); and then the CAE-Abs in the sera of 123 MG patients were detected by ELISA and the positive rate'was 82.6% (cases of 19/23). But the positive rate of CAE-Ab in the sera of MG without thymoma was only 0-4.0% (cases of 3/77). This results indicate that CAE-Ab has significant correlativity for MG with thymoma.

According to the differentiation of symptamcomplex theory of Spleen Deficiency on myasthenia grvis, with our clinical experience of treatment for some years. Astragalus Saponins and Buzhong Yiqi compound were selected to make phannaceutic experiment for peripheral blood mononuclear cells culture of 14 samples of 10 myasthenia gravis patients. Two controlled groups were given with the treatment of dexamethasone and 60Co respectively. The results showed that liters of nAchR-Ab in cells culture superatants were significantly decreased by watersoluble Astragalus saponias (418.8-2328 fmol/rnl- 0 fmol/ml in 6 cases; 1143 -1235 fmol/ml - 43-157 fmol/ml in 2 cases). Buzhong Yiqi compund could enhance the immunoregulatory action.