Takayasu's arteritis: role of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and its 65 kDa heat shock protein.

BACKGROUND: Mycobacterium tuberculosis has been implicated in the pathogenesis of Takayasu's arteritis (TA). Recently, its 65 kDa heat shock protein (HSP) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of other autoimmune diseases. We thus decided to study humoral immune response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigens in patients with TA. AIM: To study humoral immune response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis and its 65 kDa HSP, a putative autoantigen, in patients with TA. METHODS: Antibodies to sonicated Mycobacterium tuberculosis extract (MBA) and its recombinant 54 kDa protein were measured using ELISA in 36 patients with TA and 35 healthy controls. Levels exceeding mean +2 S.D. of the controls were taken as positive responses. RESULTS: Abnormally elevated levels of IgG, IgM and IgA antibodies against MBA were present in 6, 20 and 7 patients respectively whereas those against r65 kDa protein were present in 6, 7 and 33 patients, respectively. Though the levels of IgG antibodies were also elevated, those of IgM and IgA antibodies were elevated to a greater extent. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with TA have heightened immune response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigens, in particular to its 65 kDa HSP, suggesting that this organism may have a role in the immunopathogenesis of this disease.

Difficult mitral valvuloplasty: an "over the wire" modification of Inoue technique.

Failure to cross the mitral valve remains an important cause of the technical failure in performing mitral valvuloplasty with the Inoue technique, especially during initial experience of the operator. We report two such cases where conventional methods failed and an "over the wire" modification of the Inoue technique had to be utilized. This particular modification can be beneficial in the rare cases where negotiating the Inoue balloon across the mitral valve is particularly difficult.

Myocardial ischemia after 5-fluorouracil chemotherapy.

A 40-year-old male patient with carcinoma of the tonsil was put on a 5-fluorouracil and cisplatinum regimen. On day 2 during 5-fluorouracil infusion, he had features of myocardial ischemia manifesting as angina and ST-elevation in ECG. These vasospastic ischemic changes subsided after nitroglycerine plus nifedipine therapy. Such vasospastic toxicity of 5-fluorouracil is rare and few such cases have been reported.

Myocardial reperfusion in acute experimental ischemia. Beneficial effects of prior treatment with steroids.

To test the hypothesis that prior steroid administration may enhance the mechanical and metabolic response to myocardial reperfusion, regional myocardial function (Hg-in-silastic length gauges), transmyocardial lactate balance and K+ difference were measured in 12 control and 13 treated (30 mg/kg methyl-prednisolone, 30 to 60 min postocclusion) dogs. At three hours of ischemia, systolic shortening in the ischemic segment was greater in treated dogs (40.6% vs. 12%, P less than 0.05), while both lactate balance and K+ arteriovenous difference became positive. Lactate balance and K+ difference remained negative in the untreated animals. After three hours of occlusion and one hour of reperfusion, recovery of shortening was significantly greater in the treated animals (75.9 vs. 31.6%, P less than 0.05). In addition, while lactate balance remained negative among the control dogs, it further improved in the treated dogs. Thus, steroid administration during experimental coronary occlusion impedes the progression of ischemia and is additive to reperfusion in reversing ischemic dysfunction.