Therapeutic effect and titers of the specific IgE and IgG antibodies in patients with sea squirt allergy (Hoya asthma) under a long-term hyposensitization with three sea squirt antigens.

Hyposensitization therapy with each of three sea squirt antigens, Gi-rep (molecular weight [MW] 106,000), Ei-M (MW 22,800), and DIIIa (MW 9980), have succeeded in 72%, 90%, and 36% of patients with sea squirt allergy, respectively, within the first year, and the effect has been maintained during subsequent 4-year maintenance therapy. All available sera from some of the hyposensitized patients were also examined for IgE and IgG titers against the most effective therapeutic antigen, Ei-M, and it was revealed that the Ei-M-specific IgG titer increased rapidly in the successfully hyposensitized patients, regardless of the therapeutic antigen used, except for a few patients. Furthermore, the high specific IgG titer, as well as the therapeutic effect, was maintained during the subsequent maintenance therapy. No such increase in the specific IgG titer was detected in all unsuccessfully hyposensitized patients. In contrast, the Ei-M-specific IgE titer was practically unchanged in all allergic patients, independent of the therapy. Therefore, the effect of the hyposensitization therapy was closely dependent on the induction of the specific IgG capable of competing with the specific IgE for a certain asthma-inducing antigen, like DIIIa. The apparently low therapeutic efficiency of DIIIa was attributed to its relatively low immunogenicity to induce the specific IgG.

[Clinical studies on cefoxitin in the treatment of respiratory tract infections].

The clinical effects of cefoxitin (CFX) were studied in 31 cases of respiratory tract infections. The results were as follows: As for the clinical effects, CFX was excellent in 5 cases, good in 13, fair in 8 and poor in 5 out of 31 patients; the efficacy rate was 58.1%. The efficacy rate was 57.1% in bronchopneumonia, 61.1% in pneumonia and 50.0% in acute exacerbation of chronic respiratory tract infections. The efficacy rate was 70.6% in the group of 4 g/day or less and 42.9% in the group of 6 g/day or more. The efficacy rate was 50.0% in 6 cases that had not been responded to other antibiotics previously. As for side effects, skin eruption was observed in only 1 patient. No abnormality was observed in laboratory tests due to CFX. In conclusion, CFX is a useful drug in the treatment of respiratory tract infections.