Direct analysis of airborne mite allergen (Der f1) in the residential atmosphere by chemifluorescent immunoassay using bioaerosol sampler.

Dermatophagoides farinae allergen (Der f1) is one of the most important indoor allergens associated with allergic diseases in humans. Mite allergen Der f1 is usually associated with particles of high molecular weight; thus, Der f1 is generally present in settled dust. However, a small quantity of Der f1 can be aerosolized and become an airborne component. Until now, a reliable method of detecting airborne Der f1 has not been developed. The aim of this study was to develop a fiber-optic chemifluorescent immunoassay for the detection of airborne Der f1. In this method, the Der f1 concentration measured on the basis of the intensity of fluorescence amplified by an enzymatic reaction between the labeled enzyme by a detection antibody and a fluorescent substrate. The measured Der f1 concentration was in the range from 0.49 to 250 ng/ml and a similar range was found by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). This method was proved to be highly sensitive to Der f1 compared with other airborne allergens. For the implementation of airborne allergen measurement in a residential environment, a bioaerosol sampler was constructed. The airborne allergen generated by a nebulizer was conveyed to a newly sampler we developed for collecting airborne Der f1. The sampler was composed of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) cells for gas/liquid phases and some porous membranes which were sandwiched in between the two phases. Der f1 in air was collected by the sampler and measured using the fiber-optic immunoassay system. The concentration of Der f1 in aerosolized standards was in the range from 0.125 to 2.0 mg/m(3) and the collection rate of the device was approximately 0.2%.

[Molecular heterogeneity of alpha 1-antitrypsin in the urine of the urolithiasis].

Randall's plaque theory is regarded as the most plausible mechanism of urinary stone formation; however, we speculated that urine proteins are necessarily involved in the process of stone formation. We focused on alpha 1-antitrypsin (alpha1-AT), a protein verified to be present in urinary calculi, and which is considered as a protein of inflammation, comparing its presence in healthy subjects and patients with urolithiasis. Quantitative analysis of alpha1-AT was performed with ELISA, whereas qualitative analysis was performed with SDS PAGE, two-dimensional electrophoresis, and western blotting. The results revealed a molecular heterogeneity in alpha1-AT, which can be classified into four patterns, a concentration-independent difference in alpha1-AT molecules found in the urine of patients and healthy subjects. A wider distribution of protein isoelectric points was found in urolithiasis (3.0-8.0) than in healthy subjects (4.0-5.0). We suggest that this new finding with molecular heterogeneity was due to the urolithiasis.

[Construction of urinary Tamm-Horsfall protein assay by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and establishment of reference range of healthy subject].

Tamm-Horsfall protein (THP) is the most abundant protein in the urine. THP is expressed in the renal tubule as a precursor protein having 640 amino acid residues and anchored by GPI anchor in the cell membrane. Thereafter, THP is secreted as a glycoprotein is a molecular weight of about 95-100 kD. Despite several investigations from the perspective of renal failure, the physiological role of this protein is not yet clear. It has been reported that THP is also related to certain conditions, such as kidney stone formation and urinary tract infection. To examine the excretion of THP into urine, we constructed an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) for the measurement of THP in the urine. THP was purified from healthy human urine using Diatomaceous Earth. Then we obtained an antibody to purified THP and constructed a sandwich ELISA assay system to test urine samples. The sensitivity of measurement was 0.78 ng/ml. In this assay, the concentration of THP in spot urine can be linearly measured from 0.78 ng/ml to 50 ng/ml. The CV of assay was 2.4 to 4.1%. The measurement was not disrupted by urinary albumin (approximately 15 mg/ml), hemoglobin (approximately 15 microg/ml), glucose (approximately 30 mg/ml) and ascorbic acid (approximately 10 mg/ml). Pretreatment by centrifugation or filtration of urine affected the concentration of THP because of the agglutinated form of THP. We showed that the urinary excretion rate remained almost constant in our test population, 1.00-1.65 mg/hr (average +/- 1SD 1.30 +/- 0.25) for healthy men and 0.61-1.51 mg/hr (0.90 +/- 0.30) for healthy women and 1.10 +/- 0.34 mg/hr overall.

Association between cigarette smoking and chronic kidney disease in Japanese men.

Cigarette smoking may affect urinary albumin excretion and the glomerular filtration rate in both diabetic and nondiabetic subjects. Here we investigated the association between smoking and decreased or elevated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and albuminuria by analyzing data from 7,078 Japanese men who had undergone a general health screening between 2005 and 2006. GFR was estimated with the Modified Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) equation, and low estimated GFR (eGFR) and elevated eGFR were defined, respectively, as eGFR<60 and >90.7 mL/min/1.73 m2. Albuminuria was considered present when the urinary albumin excretion ratio (UAER), expressed as mg/g creatinine, was >or=30 mg/g. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that current smoking was associated inversely with low eGFR, and positively with albuminuria and elevated eGFR. The association between current smoking and low or elevated GFR was dependent on the number of cigarettes smoked per day. Former smoking was also significantly inversely associated with low eGFR, but the association between former smoking and albuminuria or elevated eGFR was not significant, even in individuals who had stopped smoking less than 1 year before. These data suggest that cigarette smoking may increase the prevalence of albuminuria and elevated eGFR or hyperfiltration, traits that might be reversed by smoking cessation. Although this concept should be verified by future longitudinal studies, our data suggest that we may need to take into account an individual's smoking status when assessing the presence or absence of chronic kidney disease because cigarette smoking may transiently increase eGFR.

[Age specific reference ranges and clinical trial for complexed prostate specific antigen (cPSA)].

We compared the complexed PSA (cPSA) reference range of values by age against that for total PSA. The subjects were 1,210 men who underwent a complete medical checkup at our center between September and November 2003. We found an upward trend of the measured values associated with age and defined a set of expected result range by age groups. The cPSA 95th percentile upper limit value increased across all age groups: for men under 40 years, 1.38ng/ml: for men 40 to 49 years, 1.60ng/ml; for men 50 to 59 years, 2.25 ng/ml; for men 60 to 69 years, 2.50 ng/ml; and for men 70 years older, 4.31 ng/ml (The number of subjects in each group was 153, 323, 429, 220 and 77). The total PSA also increased with age: 1.85 ng/ml, 2.11 ng/ml, 2.80 ng/ml, 4.20 ng/ml, and 5.69 ng/ml, respectively. We also compared other prostatic tumor markers in urology patients.

Blood extracellular superoxide dismutase levels in hemodialysis patients pre- and post-hemodialysis and its association with lipoprotein lipase mass and free fatty acid.

BACKGROUND: Hemodialysis (HD) is a method of chronic therapy for patients with renal failure. Diabetic nephropathy is the most common underlying disease among HD patients in Japan. A characteristic problem associated with this condition is endothelial cell damage. We have been using extracellular superoxide dismutase (EC-SOD) attached to the heparan sulfate on the endothelial cell surface as a marker of vascular damage. METHODS: This study examined the pre- and post-HD levels of lipoprotein lipase (LPL). The increase in free fatty acid (FFA) is affected by a type of cytokine-like substances, which induces insulin resistance and causes abnormal lipid metabolism. RESULTS: Pre-HD blood samples showed highly significant correlations between EC-SOD and LPL mass (r = 0.792) and between EC-SOD and FFA (r = 0.675) (p < 0.0001). EC-SOD, LPL mass, and FFA were remarkably high among the patients who had been placed on HD treatment for over 20 years. CONCLUSION: Because EC-SOD and LPL mass represent heparin-binding proteins, these results were considered to reflect severe vascular damage.

Glycated high-density lipoprotein regulates reactive oxygen species and reactive nitrogen species in endothelial cells.

Nonenzymatic glycosylation of plasma proteins may contribute to the excess risk of developing atherosclerosis in patients with diabetes mellitus. Although it is believed that high-density lipoprotein (HDL) is glycosylated at an increased level in diabetic individuals, little is known about a possible linkage between glycated HDL and endothelial dysfunction in diabetes. To clarify whether glucose-modified HDL affects the function of endothelial cells, we first examined herein the level of H(2)O(2) generation from cultured human aortic endothelial cells (HAECs) exposed to a glycated oxidized HDL (gly-ox-HDL) prepared in vitro. Incubation for 48 hours with 100 microg/mL of gly-ox-HDL induced significant release of H(2)O(2) from cells and gly-ox-HDL-induced H(2)O(2) formation was inhibited in the presence of diphenyleneiodonium, an inhibitor of NADPH oxidase. In addition, stimulation of HAECs with gly-ox-HDL for 48 hours elicited a marked downregulation of catalase and Cu(2+), Zn(2+)-superoxide dismutase (CuZn-SOD), suggesting H(2)O(2) formation by gly-ox-HDL to be due to a disturbance involving oxidant and antioxidant enzymes in the cells. Treatment of HAECs with gly-ox-HDL attenuated the expression of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), but not inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and this was followed by decreased production of nitric oxide (NO) by the cells. Furthermore, in vitro experiments with glycated HDL (gly-HDL) in the presence of 2 mmol/L EDTA and Cu(2+)-oxidized HDL suggested the effect of gly-HDL on endothelial function to be possibly potentiated by additional oxidative modification. Taking all of the above findings together, gly-ox-HDL may lead to the deterioration of vascular function through altered production of reactive oxygen species and reactive nitrogen species in endothelial cells.