[A case of inflammatory endotracheal polyps in an asthmatic subject].

A 60-year-old asthmatic woman was admitted to our department because of bloody sputum and pneumonia. She had been treated with inhaled becromethasone dipropionate (800 micrograms/day) on an outpatient basis for 3 years. Fiberoptic bronchoscopy revealed polypoid lesions in the trachea, most of which were removed with forceps during the procedure. Numerous lymphocytes were observed in the biopsy specimen. Because immunohistochemical staining denied a monoclonal origin for the accumulated lymphocytes, the lesion was diagnosed as an inflammatory polyp. The patient was treated successfully with antibiotics for her pneumonia, and on a follow-up bronchoscopy 6 months later, only a small remnant of the lesion was noted. This is the fourth report about inflammatory polyps in asthmatics. In the previous 3 cases, however, marked eosinophil infiltration was consistently reported. The lymphocyte predominance in the present case therefore suggests a distinct etiology rather than asthmatic airway inflammation.

[A case of latex allergy with bronchial asthma].

A 26-year-old nurse consulted our department because of shortness of breath, wheezing and skin eruption after eating lunch several days before. At the consultation, the symptoms had disappeared, pulmonary function showed no abnormality, and there were no abnormal findings on chest auscultation. Latex allergy was suspected because of a history of wheezing and skin eruption after wearing latex gloves and an elevated serum IgE level specific to latex antigen. After a usage test of medical latex gloves, wheezing, skin eruption, and a decrease of FEV1.0 on pulmonary function testing were observed. The case was therefore diagnosed as latex allergy with bronchial asthma. Her symptoms were not observed after polymer coated gloves were substituted. Latex allergy is apt to complicate food allergy, an initial symptom of the present case. Specific IgE for several kinds of food was also elevated.

Pharmacokinetic analysis of the cardioprotective effect of 3-(2,2, 2-trimethylhydrazinium) propionate in mice: inhibition of carnitine transport in kidney.

The site of action of 3-(2,2,2-trimethylhydrazinium) propionate (THP), a new cardioprotective agent, was investigated in mice and rats. I.p. administration of THP decreased the concentrations of free carnitine and long-chain acylcarnitine in heart tissue. In isolated myocytes, THP inhibited free carnitine transport with a Ki of 1340 microM, which is considerably higher than the observed serum concentration of THP. The major cause of the decreased free carnitine concentration in heart was found to be the decreased serum concentration of free carnitine that resulted from the increased renal clearance of carnitine by THP. The estimated Ki of THP for inhibiting the reabsorption of free carnitine in kidneys was 52.2 microM, which is consistent with the serum THP concentration range. No inhibition of THP on the carnitine palmitoyltransferase activity in isolated mitochondrial fractions was observed. These results indicate that the principal site of action of THP as a cardioprotective agent is the carnitine transport carrier in the kidney, but not the carrier in the heart.

Application of DNA fingerprinting in the Hokkaido brown bear (Ursus arctos yesoensis).

DNA fingerprinting employing a minisatellite Myo probe was used for individual identification and paternity determination in Hokkaido brown bears (Ursus arctos yesoensis). We used two restriction enzymes, HinfI and HaeIII to make DNA fingerprints. Band patterns obtained from randomly selected bears were compared with each other, and the probability x that fragment in an individual was also present in the other was 0.69 for HinfI and 0.83 for HaeIII. The value for HinfI (0.69) was similar to that obtained from other species, such as dog and domestic animals, and the mean probability of all fragments was calculated to be 2.5 x 10(-2). The results suggest that DNA fingerprinting applying the combination of HinfI and Myo is available for individual identification. On the other hand, the ability to determine paternity seemed to be insufficient owing to the lack of paternal fragments, although the band patterns reflected the correct relationships between child and father.