Kimura's disease associated with minimal change nephrotic syndrome: A case report

Kimura's disease is a rare disorder that involves regional lymph nodes and the major salivary glands, which become infiltrated by eosinophils and lymphocytes. Renal lesions associated with Kimura's disease are rare. We describe the case of a 60-year-old Japanese woman who first noted a nodular mass in a salivary gland. As the nodule grew, nephrotic syndrome and heart failure developed. A biopsy of the nodule revealed Kimura's disease, and surgical excision was performed. After the operation, the heart failure and nephrotic syndrome, which were diagnosed as minimal change disease on renal biopsy, improved rapidly without steroid therapy. Four months later, the nephrotic syndrome recurred without recurrence of Kimura's disease. The patient showed marked improvement during prednisolone therapy (40 mg/d) and was in complete remission 4 weeks after the initiation of steroid therapy. This case shows that surgical excision and prednisolone therapy are useful for nephrotic syndrome associated with Kimura's disease.     

Correlation between inflammatory cellular responses and chemotactic activity in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid following intratracheal instillation of nickel sulfate in rats

In a preceding study, we reported that the numbers of macrophages and polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) were increased in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) following the intratracheal instillation of nickel sulfate (NiSO₄) in rats. In the present study, BALF chemotactic activities for both macrophages and PMN were measured to investigate if the increases of these inflammatory cells in BALF depend on increases in chemotactic activities in epithelial lining fluid (ELF) of the lung. Both the number of PMN and the PMN chemotactic activity peaked at 2 days post-instillation and they were significantly correlated. However, the PMN chemotactic activity was inversely correlated with concentration of leukotriene B₄ (LTB₄), a well-known chemotaxin. Although PMN were not observed in control BALF, LTB₄ concentration in the control ELF (ca. 5×10^–7 M) was estimated to have a potential to attract PMN chemotactically through a membrane in in vitro migration assay. These results suggest that the presence of LTB₄ in ELF itself does not trigger transpulmonary PMN infiltration. The rat BALF were fractionated by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and PMN chemotactic activity of each fraction was measured. The elution profiles of PMN chemotactic activity showed that there were at least two different chemotaxins in BALF obtained from the NiSO₄-exposed rats. Macrophage chemotactic activity in BALF also peaked at 2 days post-instillation. However, the number of macrophages was not significantly correlated with the chemotactic activity for macrophage in BALF. The HPLC study showed that the macrophage chemotactic substance in the BALF obtained from NiSO₄-exposed rats was different from complement fragment (C5a) and its MW was estimated to be 10 – 12 kD. Received: 1 December 1993/Accepted: 16 March 1994     

Strain difference in transgene-induced tumorigenesis and suppressive effect of ionizing radiation

Transgenic expression in medaka of the Xiphophorus oncogene xmrk, under a pigment cell specific mitf promoter, induces hyperpigmentation and pigment cell tumors. In this study, we crossed the Hd-rR and HNI inbred strains because complete genome information is readily available for molecular and genetic analysis. We prepared an Hd-rR (p53^+/−, p53^−/−) and Hd-rR HNI hybrid (p53^+/−) fish-based xmrk model system to study the progression of pigment cells from hyperpigmentation to malignant tumors on different genetic backgrounds. In all strains examined, most of the initial hyperpigmentation occurred in the posterior region. On the Hd-rR background, mitf:xmrk-induced tumorigenesis was less frequent in p53^+/− fish than in p53^−/− fish. The incidence of hyperpigmentation was more frequent in Hd-rR/HNI hybrids than in Hd-rR homozygotes; however, the frequency of malignant tumors was low, which suggested the presence of a tumor suppressor in HNI genetic background fish. The effects on tumorigenesis in xmrk-transgenic immature medaka of a single 1.3 Gy irradiation was assessed by quantifying tumor progression over 4 consecutive months. The results demonstrate that irradiation has a different level of suppressive effect on the frequency of hyperpigmentation in purebred Hd-rR compared with hybrids.     

Effect of negative air ions on computer operation, anxiety and salivary chromogranin A-like immunoreactivity.

The effects of negative air ions on computer operation were examined using a biochemical index of the activity of the sympathetic/adrenomedullary system (i.e. salivary chromogranin A-like immunoreactivity (CgA-like IR)) and a self-report questionnaire (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Anxiety State--STAI-S). Twelve female students carried out a word processing task for 40 min. The salivary CgA-like IR increased more than three times on the task, but the salivary cortisol did not change. The increase in the CgA-like IR level was attenuated by the exposure to negative air ions during the task. The exposure to the ions during the recovery period following the task was effective for rapidly decreasing the CgA-like IR level that had increased after the task. These effects by negative air ions were also observed using STAI-S. Task performance was slightly but significantly improved by the presence of negative air ions. These results suggest that negative air ions are effective for the reduction of and the prompt recovery from stress caused by computer operation.     

Influx and efflux transport of H1-antagonist epinastine across the blood-brain barrier.

We investigated influx and efflux transporters involved in blood-brain barrier transport of the nonsedative H1-antagonist epinastine. The basal-to-apical transport of [14C]epinastine was markedly higher than that in the opposite direction in LLC-GA5-COL150 cells stably transfected with human multidrug resistance (MDR)1 gene. The brain-to-plasma concentration ratio of [14C]epinastine in mdr1a/b(-/-) mice was 3.2 times higher than that in wild-type mice. The uptake of both [3H]mepyramine and [14C]epinastine into immortalized rat brain capillary endothelial cells (RBEC)1 showed temperature and concentration dependence. The kinetic parameters, K(m), V(max), and uptake clearance (V(max)/K(m)), of the initial uptake of [3H]mepyramine and [14C]epinastine by RBEC1 were 150 microM, 41.8 nmol/min/mg protein, and 279 microl/min/mg protein for mepyramine and 10.0 mM, 339 nmol/min/mg protein, and 33.9 microl/min/mg protein for epinastine, respectively. The uptake of [3H]mepyramine and [14C]epinastine by RBEC1 was inhibited by organic cations such as quinidine, amantadine, and verapamil, but not by other organic cations, tetraethyl ammonium, guanidine, and carnitine. Organic anions such as benzoic acid, estrone-3-sulfate, taurocholate, and neutral digoxin were not inhibitory. Furthermore, some cationic H1 antagonists (chlorpheniramine, cyproheptadine, ketotifen, and desloratadine) inhibited the [3H]mepyramine and [14C]epinastine uptake into RBEC1. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that the combination of efficient efflux transport by P-glycoprotein and poor uptake by the influx transporter, which is identical with that responsible for the uptake of mepyramine, account for the low brain distribution of epinastine.     

Changes of NK Cells in Preeclampsia

The regulation of uterine and circulating peripheral blood natural killer (NK) cells has been associated with reproductive immunology such as recurrent pregnancy losses, implantation failures, or preeclampsia. Preeclampsia is a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy characterized by increased blood pressure accompanied by proteinuria and is a major cause of maternal and fetal mortality. Natural cytotoxicity receptors (NCRs) are unique markers, which regulate NK cell cytotoxicity and cytokine production. The relation of NCRs to reproduction is not fully characterized yet. The different profile of NCRs expression may suggest presence of abnormal regulation of NK cell in women with reproductive failures. Pregnant women with preeclampsia carry immunological abnormalities of NCRs on peripheral blood NK cells during pregnancy. The lower expression of NKp46⁺ NK cells in women with preeclampsia may account for the higher production of NK1 cytokine that is known as NK1 shift in pregnant women with preeclampsia. Evaluation of NKp46 on peripheral blood NK cells may be applicable to find the onset of preeclampsia. In this review, various expressions of NK cell surface markers including NCRs on NK cells, NK cell cytotoxicity, and production of cytokines and angiogenic factors by NK cells were reviewed in relation to preeclampsia.