Therapy with nebulized beta2 agonists (procaterol) in asthmatic children: pulmonary function and plasma levels after inhalation]

BACKGROUND: Relationship between post administrative changes in plasma drug levels and bronchodilation remains unknown. In this study, we measured plasma levels of procaterol, a beta2-agonist, when being inhaled through nebulizers in children with bronchial asthma to examine relationship between improvement of pulmonary function and the plasma levels. METHOD: Six asthmatic children with the mean age of 9.8 years, inhaled 0.3 ml of 0.01% procaterol solution through a nebulizer. We examined changes in pulmonary function and plasma procaterol levels before and after inhalation. RESULTS: Procaterol was detected in the plasma 2 minutes after inhalation when it already rose to the maximum level, and kept the steady until showing a decline in 30 minutes. The measured highest value was 87.8+/-45.1 pg/ml. FEV 1.0 remarkably increased 2 minutes after inhalation and was maintained until 60 minutes after inhalation. Other lung function parameters also improved. There was no significant change in the heart rate, but serum potassium concentrations significantly dropped in all patients 60 minutes after inhalation. CONCLUSION: Plasma procaterol levels promptly rose to the peak at 2 minutes after inhalation and decreased 30 minutes later. Improvement of pulmonary function started promptly at minutes after inhalation and it became a peak 60 minutes later.     

Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis with special reference to the ultrastructure of inclusions in the brain and lung.

A 7-year-old boy, who was diagnosed as typical SSPE by clinical data and laboratory findings, was autopsied and observed by immunofluorescent techniques, light and electron microscope. The morphological characteristics in the brain were perivascular cuffings with plasma cells, lymphocytes and mononuclear cells, gliosis and a large number of intranuclear and intracytoplasmic inclusions in the neuroglias and nerve cells. Various kinds of intranuclear inclusions were elucidated by electron microscopy and the fin structures of these inclusions were described in detail. At least five types of intranuclear inclusions were regarded as specific in SSPE. The presence of intranuclear inclusions of mononuclear cells in the lungs resembling the inclusions in the neuroglias suggested that the disease was not localized in the brain but could be disseminated throughout the body.     

Oral Administration of Chlorella Vulgaris Augments Concomitant Antitumor Immunity

Chlorella vulgaris, an unicellular green algae, or its acetone-extract (Ac-Ex) were administered orally to Meth A tumor bearing BALB/c or (BALB/c DBA/2)F1 (CDF1) mice. When CDF1 mice were fed daily with 10% dried powder of Chlorella vulgaris (CVP) containing diet before and after Meth A tumor inoculation, the growth of rechallenged Meth A tumor was significantly suppressed in an antigen-specific manner. Augmentation of antitumor resistance was exhibited also by Winn assay using lymph node cells of tumor-bearing mice orally administered with CVP or Ac-Ex. Antigen-specific concomitant immunity in these mice were mediated by cytostatic T cells but not by cytotoxic T cells. Natural killer cells seemed not to contribute in antitumor resistance in this system.     

Difference in the phenotypes of bronchoalveolar lavage lymphocytes in patients with summer-type hypersensitivity pneumonitis, farmer's lung, ventilation pneumonitis, and bird fancier's lung: report of a nationwide epidemiologic study in Japan

We performed a nationwide epidemiologic study of hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) in Japan by questionnaire and found that 835 cases of HP were recognized during the 1980s; 74.4% were summer-type HP, 8.1% farmer's lung, 4.3% ventilation pneumonitis, 4.1% bird fancier's lung, 2.3% other types, such as chemical worker's lung, and 6.8% of unknown causative agent. It was found that the CD4/CD8 ratios of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) lymphocytes were significantly different with the type of disease. The ratio was 0.6 +/- 0.1 (mean +/- SEM) in summer-type HP (N = 271), 4.4 +/- 0.7 in farmer's lung (N = 22), 1.6 +/- 0.3 in ventilation pneumonitis (N = 19), and 2.0 +/- 0.5 in bird fancier's lung (N = 19). In farmer's lung, the CD4/CD8 ratio in smokers was 6.2 +/- 1.9 (N = 6) in contrast with 3.4 +/- 0.7 for nonsmokers (N = 16) (p less than 0.05). It has been generally considered that the phenotypes of BAL lymphocytes in patients with HP are predominately CD8 cells. Our present results, however, indicate that the phenotypes of BAL lymphocytes vary with the type of HP, probably depending on factors such as causative agent, smoking, or staging of the disease.     

A promiscuous T cell hybridoma restricted to various I-A molecules

In a previous study, we identified T cell receptor and major histocompatibility complex (MHC) contact sites on the pigeon cytochrome c p43-58 peptide. Positions 46 and 54 of p43-58 were shown to be the MHC-binding sites. Specific amino acids were identified on the MHC-binding sites which bound to the relevant I-A molecule. In the present study, using NOD (I-A^g7) mice, we established a T cell hybridoma, NOE33-1-2, specific for a p43-58 analog 46R50E54A with arginine (R) and alanine (A) at positions 46 and 54, respectively. Interestingly, NOE 33-1-2 recognized 46R50E54A in the presence of not only I-A^g7, but also I-A^{d, s, u and v}. In contrast to previous reports that promiscuous T cells were able to recognize peptide antigens with various HLA-DR or I-E molecules consist of monomorphic α and polymorphic β chains, the promiscuous T cell clone NOE33-1-2 recognized peptides with various I-A molecules lacking the monomorphic chain.     

Dimerization and polymerization of butadiene with zero-valent nickel and protonic acids

The behavior of hydridonickel coordination compounds as catalysts for the oligomerization and polymerization of butadiene in various solvents was studied. In the presence of alcohol bis(tricyclohexylphosphine)chlorohydridonickel ( 4 , X = Cl) (HNiCl[P(C₆H₁₁)₃]₂) catalyzes the linear dimerization. With hydridotetrakis(phosphite)nickel(1+) ( 2 ) ([HNi{P(OR)₃}₄]⁺), which is prepared from tetrakis(phosphite)nickel ( 1 ) (Ni[P(OR)₃]₄) and trifluoroacetic acid, dimerization occurs in sec-alcohol but there is no reaction in tert-alcohol. The main product is 2-methylenevinylcyclopentane ( 8 ). The other products are 4-vinylcyclohexene ( 10 ), 1,5-cyclooctadiene ( 5 ), 1,3,7-octatriene ( 7 ) and 1,3,6-octatriene ( 9 ). The hydridonickel coordination compound, prepared with inorganic acids, does not afford the dimers but the 1,4-trans polymer.     

Norepinephrine reduces heat responses of cutaneous C-fiber nociceptors in Sprague-Dawley rats in vitro

Nociceptors are excited or sensitized by many inflammatory mediators as well as by elevation of tissue temperature. We have shown that there is a facilitatory synergistic interaction between norepinephrine (NE) and bradykinin (BK) on cutaneous C-fiber nociceptors in normal Lewis rats. These interactions may play an important role in the mechanism of sympathetically maintained pain. In the present experiment, using skin-saphenous nerve in vitro preparations, we tested the effect of NE on the activity of nociceptive fibers and their response to heat in normal Sprague-Dawley rats. For comparison with the previous data on Lewis rats, we also examined the effect of NE on BK response. NE (10(-5) or 10(-6) M) did not excite nociceptive fibers before repeated heat stimuli or BK superfusion (10(-5) or 10(-6) M) to the receptive field. In contrast, after a few applications of heat or BK, NE excited 20-43% of nociceptive fibers to similar magnitudes. We also found that NE sensitized subsequent BK responses, but somewhat unexpectedly that it suppressed subsequent heat responses. This occurred regardless of the presence or absence of NE-induced excitation. These results suggest different mechanisms of NE modification to the BK and heat responses of cutaneous C-fiber nociceptors.     

Culex tritaeniorhynchus and Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) as natural vectors of Dirofilaria immitis (Spirurida: Filariidae) in Miki City, Japan

Natural infections with Dirofilaria immitis (Leidy) in a population of mosquitoes and dogs and its antibodies in a human population were surveyed in Miki City, a rural area of Japan, to reveal ecological features of this arthropod-borne zo?notic parasite. Microfilaremic and amicrofilaremic infection rates in 190 dogs were 52.6 and 9.0%, respectively, as determined by the hematocrit centrifuge method and the indirect fluorescent antibody test. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test for antibodies to D. immitis showed that almost all of 917 inhabitants had antibodies in varying degrees, indicating frequent exposure of this parasite to the human population. Among the six species of wild mosquitoes sampled from 1985 through 1987 by attraction with dry ice, Culex tritaeniorhynchus Giles was the most abundant in two sites and Aedes albopictus (Skuse) in another two sites. Filarial infections were found every year in Cx. tritaeniorhynchus and Ae. albopictus collected between July and September, as examined by ELISA for detecting larval antigens in mosquito homogenate, suggesting that these species are important natural vectors in this survey area.