ABSTRACT
Elicitor treatment or mechanical damage to Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi (skullcap plants) callus causes an immediate insolubilization of a 36-kDa protein into cell walls. The 36-kDa protein was identified as peroxidase 1 by analysis of its internal amino acid sequence and by immunoblotting using affinity-purified anti-peroxidase 1. Insolubilized peroxidase 1 is cross-linked to lignin through covalent bonds, and the cross-linking is catalyzed in the presence of H(2)O(2) by peroxidase 1 itself. The properties of insolubilized peroxidase 1 resemble those of defense-related structural proteins (extensins and proline-rich proteins) cross-linked to cell wall. Although the isozymes peroxidases 2 and 3 have enzyme activities similar to peroxidase 1, they are not insolubilized by stress treatment. Molecular characterization established that peroxidase 1 contains regions characteristic of structural proteins, but peroxidases 2 and 3 do not have such regions. These results suggest that among the three isozymes, only peroxidase 1 has a structural protein-like function as well as an enzymatic function.
Subject(s)
Peroxidase/metabolism , Amino Acid Sequence , Base Sequence , Cell Wall/enzymology , Cloning, Molecular , DNA, Complementary , Kinetics , Molecular Sequence Data , Peroxidase/chemistry , Peroxidase/genetics , Plants/enzymology , Sequence Homology, Amino Acid , SolubilityABSTRACT
Clinical efficacy and safety of pareteral sulbactam/ampicillin (SBT/ABPC) was compared with cefotiam (CTM) in a randomized clinical trial of pneumonia in the elderly at 13 National Hospitals of Kyushu island. 37 patients received SBT/ABPC 3 g i.v., b.i.d., and 31 patients received CTM 1 g i.v., b.i.d. for 7 to 14 days. 1. 68 patients (37 for SBT/ABPC and 31 for CTM) were evaluated for safety. No statistical differences were noted in the patients' backgrounds of either group. 2. The clinical efficacy of SBT/ABPC was 96.3% (26/27 cases) while CTM was 75.2% (17/23 cases). This was found to be statistically significant (Fisher's exact test: p < 0.05). 3. 100% of evaluated cases (10 for SBT/ABPC and 4 for CTM) showed bacterial elimination. 4. No side effects were observed in the study. 5. Abnormal laboratory findings were noted in 10.8% (4/37 cases) for SBT/ABPC and 3.2% (1/31 cases) for CTM. The major adverse events were mild elevation of GOT, GPT and A1-P for SBT/ABPC, and mild platelets overproduction for CTM. No statistical differences were noted in both groups. These results are consistent with SBT/ABPC as a highly effective antibiotic in the treatment of elderly patients with pneumonia.
Subject(s)
Drug Therapy, Combination/administration & dosage , Pneumonia, Bacterial/drug therapy , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Alanine Transaminase/blood , Ampicillin/administration & dosage , Ampicillin/adverse effects , Aspartate Aminotransferases/blood , Cefotiam/administration & dosage , Cefotiam/adverse effects , Cephalosporins/administration & dosage , Cephalosporins/adverse effects , Drug Evaluation , Drug Therapy, Combination/adverse effects , Female , Humans , Infusions, Intravenous , Male , Sulbactam/administration & dosage , Sulbactam/adverse effects , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
Six cases of allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) were evaluated. In four cases, diagnosis and steroid therapy were delayed, which resulted in irreversible pulmonary dysfunction. The important points for early diagnosis were: (1) Differentiation from pulmonary tuberculosis, (2) the presence of bronchial asthma was not essential for diagnosis, and (3) fungi other than Aspergillus fumigatus might cause this syndrome.
Subject(s)
Aspergillosis, Allergic Bronchopulmonary/diagnosis , Adult , Diagnosis, Differential , Female , Humans , Male , Tuberculosis, Pulmonary/diagnosisABSTRACT
Asthmatic symptoms are worsened after drinking small amounts of alcoholic beverages in Japanese asthmatic patients. Our previous results showed that the ingestion of pure ethanol caused a fall in FEV1.0 in about half of the Japanese asthmatics we studied. We studied the inhibitory effects of pretreatment with three kinds of anti-asthmatic agents on ethanol-induced bronchoconstriction in six Japanese asthmatic patients. We tested oral cyproheptadine hydrochloride (8 mg), which is an anti histamine agent, inhaled disodium cromoglycate (2 mg), which has an inhibitory effect on the release of chemical mediators from mast cells, and inhaled atropine sulfate (3 mg), which is an anti-cholinergic agent. Pretreatment with cyproheptadine significantly inhibited the fall in FEV1.0 120 minutes after ethanol challenge (p less than 0.05). Inhaled DSCG had significant inhibitory effects on the fall in FEV1.0 15 and 30 minutes after ethanol challenge (p less than 0.05). Inhaled atropine had no inhibitory effect. These results suggest that histamine, released from mast cells, plays an important role in ethanol induced bronchoconstriction in Japanese asthmatic patients.
Subject(s)
Alcohol Drinking/adverse effects , Asthma/drug therapy , Atropine/therapeutic use , Bronchoconstriction/drug effects , Cromolyn Sodium/therapeutic use , Cyproheptadine/therapeutic use , Ethanol/antagonists & inhibitors , Adult , Aged , Asthma/physiopathology , Female , Humans , Male , Middle AgedABSTRACT
A 15-year-old man with food-dependent exercise-induced anaphylaxis is reported. The patient had begun to run 4 hours after he had lunch on fried shrimps. When running about 2000 m, he suffered from general cutaneous erythema with itching, urticaria, angioedema of face and dyspnea. He had experienced the similar episodes associated with postprandial exercise before. Skin test and IgE-RAST were positive for shrimp. Exercise challenge test after having 20 g boiled shrimp was conducted, and the elevation of plasma histamine level was recognised. 25 cases with food-dependent exercised-induced anaphylaxis have reported in Japan. 13 of 25 cases were related with wheat, and 10 cases were related with shrimp. 14 of 25 cases had experienced the similar episodes. Exercise as part of planned health program has virtually mushroom world-wide. Therefore, the fact that anaphylaxis can be a complication of such exercise must be recognised if appropriate prevention and treatment are to be administered.
Subject(s)
Anaphylaxis/etiology , Decapoda , Exercise , Food Hypersensitivity/etiology , Adolescent , Anaphylaxis/immunology , Animals , Food Hypersensitivity/immunology , Humans , Immunoglobulin E/analysis , MaleABSTRACT
A 75 year old woman who was admitted to Higashisaga National Hospital due to chronic bronchitis showed a high fever (39.2 degrees C) and marked lymphadenopathy of the bilateral inguinal lymph-nodes. Chest X-ray showed diffuse infiltration. Cryptococcus was detected in biopsied lymph-nodes. Although 5-fluorocytosine, miconazole, amphotericin-B were administered for six weeks, she died and an autopsy was performed. Disseminated cryptococcosis was observed in the lung, liver, spleen, kidney, bone marrow, and lymph-nodes of the lung hilum, paratrachea, retroperitoneum, gall bladder and groin. She was a human T cell leukemia type I (HTLV-I) carrier, and this could be related to disseminated cryptococcosis.
