Aeroallergen-induced immediate asthmatic responses and late-phase associated pulmonary eosinophilia in the guinea pig: effect of methylprednisolone and mepyramine

Guinea pigs were sensitized by intraperitoneal injection of ovalbumin, 10 micrograms mixed with 100 mg A1(OH)3 in saline. On days 15-30 sensitized guinea pigs were challenged with ovalbumin aerosol (0.5 mg/ml, 30 s, 15 psi) which produced immediate asthmatic responses characterized by dyspnea, convulsions, and some deaths during the first 14 min. Twenty to 24 h later the animals were sacrificed with an overdose of pentobarbital, and lungs, bronchi, and lower trachea were dissected and fixed in 10% neutral buffered formalin. Histopathological examination of randomly coded tissues of the respiratory tract revealed a pulmonary eosinophilic cellular infiltrate in the epithelium/subepithelium of trachea, bronchi, and bronchioles as well as the peribronchial, peribronchiolar, and perivascular areas of the lungs. Oral administration of mepyramine (10 mg/kg) 2 h before aeroallergen challenge provided complete protection against immediate asthmatic responses and prevented deaths during the first 14 min without influencing the late phase associated lung eosinophilic cellular infiltrate. The immediate asthmatic responses were not influenced by methylprednisolone (30 mg/kg) administered orally 24 and 2 h before aeroallergen challenge. Following an additional dose of methylprednisolone 4 h after challenge, there was a significant inhibition of pulmonary eosinophilia (30 mg/kg; -24 h, -2 h, and +4 h). These observations suggest that histamine is the principal mediator of immediate asthma attacks in guinea pigs. Methylprednisolone may be acting by inhibiting the production of eosinophil chemotactic factor of anaphylaxis (platelet-activating factor or leukotriene B4) from the alveolar macrophages, T lymphocytes, and perhaps other cells, thus preventing pulmonary eosinophilia.     

Cloning, expression, and catalytic activity of Helicobacter hepaticus urease

Helicobacter hepaticus causes disease in the liver and lower intestinal tract of mice. It is strongly urease positive, although it does not live in an acidic environment. The H. hepaticus urease gene cluster was expressed in Escherichia coli with and without coexpression of the Helicobacter pylori nickel transporter NixA. As for H. pylori, it was difficult to obtain enzymatic activity from recombinant H. hepaticus urease; special conditions including NiCl2 supplementation were required. The H. hepaticus urease cluster contains a homolog of each gene in the H. pylori urease cluster, including the urea transporter gene ureI. Downstream genes were homologs of the nik nickel transport operon of E. coli. Nongastric H. hepaticus produces urease similar to that of H. pylori.     

Ciprofloxacin treatment failure in a patient with resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae infection following prior ciprofloxacin therapy

Reported here is the case of a patient with underlying chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in whom ciprofloxacin treatment of a lower respiratory tract infection failed subsequent to ciprofloxacin treatment of an exacerbation of COPD several weeks earlier. During the second course of ciprofloxacin therapy, the patients condition continued to deteriorate, and she was admitted to the intensive care unit. Bilateral pneumonia was diagnosed. Streptococcus pneumoniae, serotype 11A, resistant to ciprofloxacin was isolated from the sputum. Sequencing revealed a S79F mutation in parC and there was evidence of an efflux pump. The patient improved rapidly after administration of azithromycin and ampicillin/sulbactam. This report of treatment failure due to ciprofloxacin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae shows that fluoroquinolones should be avoided when treating patients who have recently received this class of antibiotics.     

Identification of HHV8 in early Kaposi''s sarcoma: implications for Kaposi''s sarcoma pathogenesis.

AIMS: Kaposi's sarcoma is a vascular tumour of uncertain pathogenesis possibly caused by an infectious agent, identified in high risk groups. Accumulating solution phase polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and seroepidemiological data suggest that a previously undescribed herpes DNA virus (human herpesvirus 8 (HHV8)) is the causative agent. Using a unique cohort of early Kaposi's sarcoma, the precise cell type infected with HHV8 in such lesions was identified to elucidate further the role of HHV8 in the pathobiology of Kaposi's sarcoma. METHODS: Sixteen cases of early Kaposi's sarcoma (derived from skin and lymph node) were assessed for the presence of HHV8 using both standard solution phase PCR and TaqMan PCR to the KS330 Bam region of HHV8. In situ amplification was also performed on a selected group in an attempt to identify the candidate infected cells. RESULTS: Using both conventional solution phase and TaqMan PCR, 87% of cases were positive. In addition, HHV8 amplicons were localised in situ to endothelial and spindle cell proliferations in early Kaposi's sarcoma. The HHV8 viral load varied from lesion to lesion. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of HHV8 in early lesions supports a role for HHV8 in the pathogenesis of Kaposi's sarcoma. Coupled with recent seroepidemiological studies, these results suggest that HHV8 is the aetiological agent of Kaposi's sarcoma. Its precise interaction with other factors known to be involved in the development of Kaposi's sarcoma, including cytokines and anti-apoptosis genes, requires elucidation.     

Clonal chromosome abnormalities in human breast carcinomas I. Twenty-eight cases with primary disease

Cytogenetic analysis was performed on a selected series of short-term cultures of primary breast carcinomas from 28 patients. All patients had histopathologically confirmed malignancies, with the majority (25/28 cases) demonstrating infiltrating ductal carcinoma. All 28 cases evidenced clonal chromosome abnormalities, with 10/28 displaying only numeric aberrations, whereas 18/28 displayed clonal structural alterations. In near-diploid tumors the most common numeric changes were — 17 and — 19. However, trisomy 7 was the only numeric change in two near-diploid tumors. Structural chromosome alterations were primarily isochromosomes, apparent terminal deletions, and unbalanced non-reciprocal translocations. Chromosomes 1 (10/18–56%) and 6 (8/18–44%) were most frequently altered in this series. Breakpoints of clonal structural abnormalities were shown to cluster to several chromosome segments, including 1p22-q11, 3p11, 6p11–13, 7p11-q11, 8p11-q11, and 19q13. Analysis of the gain or loss of specific chromosome segments revealed that the most consistent tendency was over-representation of 1q, 3q, and 6p. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.