Post-polio syndrome patients treated with intravenous immunoglobulin: a double-blinded randomized controlled pilot study

Post-polio syndrome (PPS) is characterized by new muscle weakness, atrophy, fatigue and pain developing several years after the acute polio. Some studies suggest an ongoing inflammation in the spinal cord in these patients. From this perspective, intravenous immunoglobulin (IvIg) could be a therapeutic option. We performed a double-blinded randomized controlled pilot study with 20 patients to investigate the possible clinical effects of IvIg in PPS. Twenty patients were randomized to either IvIg 2 g/kg body weight or placebo. Primary endpoints were changes in pain, fatigue and muscle strength 3 months after treatment. Surrogate endpoints were changes in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cytokine levels. Secondary endpoints were pain, fatigue and isometric muscle strength after 6 months. Patients receiving IvIg reported a significant improvement in pain during the first 3 months, but no change was noted for subjective fatigue and muscle strength. CSF levels of tumour necrosis factor- α (TNF- α ) were increased compared with patients with non-inflammatory neurological disorders. In conclusion, in this small pilot study no effect was seen with IvIg treatment on muscle strength and fatigue, however IvIg treated PPS patients reported significantly less pain 3 months after treatment. TNF- α was increased in the CSF from PPS patients. The results are promising, but not conclusive because of the low number of patients studied.     

Indium-111 labelled pooled human immunoglobulin imaging to monitor the efficacy of specific therapy for Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia

Functional imaging is ideally suited to monitoring the effect of specific therapy on disease processes. In this pilot study five patients with AIDS and Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) were imaged with Indium-111 labelled pooled human immunoglobulin (111In-HIG) during infection and after therapy for PCP. The lung activity of t t tln-HIG, measured as a lung/heart ratio, was calculated in a study performed during infection with PCP and after therapy. In all five patients the lung/heart ratio of t t 1ln-HIG was reduced after treatment. The mean reduction in heart/lung ratio was 27% (range 12%-53%). If these results are confirmed by a larger study, ¹¹In-HIG will be useful in monitoring the response of PCP to therapy in patients with AIDS.     

Natural history of atopic dermatitis and its relationship to serum total immunoglobulin E in a population-based birth cohort study

We investigated the natural history of atopic dermatitis (AD) in a population-based birth cohort and assessed whether children at risk of visible eczema at 5 years of age can be identified from total immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels measured at 8, 12 and 18 months. AD data collected included a whole body examination for visible eczema at 49 months (4 years) and 61 months (5 years) of age and parent completed questionnaire data throughout their early lives. Children were divided into four groups based on their natural history of early AD: persistent (AD at 1, 6, 18, 30 and 42 months, n  = 34), intermittent early onset (before 18  months of age, n  = 495), intermittent late onset (18–42 months of age, n  = 273) and unaffected ( n  = 429). Visible eczema at 5 years of age was present in 12.2% (117/957) (95% confidence interval [CI] 10.1–14.3%) of the children. Levels of total IgE at 8, 12 and 18 months of age were associated with early onset of AD, but not with AD of later onset. For all four natural history groups, the geometric mean total IgE at 12 months was higher in those who subsequently had visible eczema than those who did not. However, the degree of overlap was such that total IgE at 12 months of age was a poor predictor of eczema at age five. A cutoff point of 78 kU/l had the highest positive predictive value for visible eczema at 5 years of age of 28.6%, with a sensitivity of 12% and specificity of 95%.     

慢性乙型肝炎患者APOBEC3G mRNA水平对肝组织损害的预测

目的 研究慢性乙型肝炎患者PBMC和活检肝组织的APOBEC3G(A3G)mRNA表达状况并探讨两者之间的相关性;研究A3G mRNA转录表达水平与血清HBV DNA、ALT、PT水平及乙型肝炎肝组织学活动度Knodell计分的相关性.方法 采用实时荧光相对定苗RT-PCR的方法 检测45例慢性乙型肝炎患者PBMC及肝组织中A3G mRNA的表达水平,同时采用实时荧光定量PCR方法 检测血清HBV DNA;常规检测TBil、ALT、PT及乙型肝炎肝组织学活动度Knodell计分.同时设15例健康体检者为阴性对照组.结果 ①慢性乙型肝炎患者PBMC、肝组织均表达A3G mRNA.PBMC A3G mRNA表达水平与活检肝组织A3G mRNA表达呈正相关(r=0.457,P<0.05);②PBMC A3G mRNA与肝组织炎症活动度呈负相关(r＝-0.441,P<0.05);③PBMC A3G表达水平与HBV DNA呈正相关(r=0.299,P<0.05),与TBil、ALT、PT无相关性.结论 本组研究显示:①体内研究慢性乙型肝炎患者A3G mRNA抗HBV作用,可首选外周血作为临床适用样本.②慢性乙型肝炎患者PBMC A3G mRNA水平可预测其肝组织损害程度,PBMC A3G mRNA水平越高,肝组织损害越轻.     

大剂量免疫球蛋白治疗重型格林-巴利综合征疗效观察

目的:观察大剂量静脉滴注免疫球蛋白(HD-IVIG)治疗重型格林-巴利综合征(GBS)的疗效.方法:选择确诊为重型GBS的病例13例,于首次发病后2周内给予HD-IVIG治疗,剂量为0.4g*kg-1*d-1,连续5天为一疗程.治疗前后采用神经功能缺损评分法进行疗效评价.结果:13例GBS患者治疗前后神经功能缺损评分分别为4.23±0.44与2.54±1.45,治疗后比治疗前降低1.69±1.18,差异有显著性(P＜0.01),同时治疗前后有很高的相关性(P＜0.01).结论:HD-IVIG 治疗重型GBS疗效出现早,人工辅助通气时间短,可作为治疗重型GBS的首选方法.     

军人花粉症106例快速免疫治疗

目的　探讨军人花粉症治疗的有效方法。方法　采用提高起始浓度和快速递增浓度 ,上臂外侧皮下注射的方法对 10 6位军人花粉症患者行快速免疫治疗 ,并对每一位患者治疗前后检测血清中总IgE和嗜酸细胞阳离子蛋白 (ECP)。 结果　治疗前后患者总IgE和ECP值有显著性差异。 10 6例患者经 1～ 3年随访复查 ,78例 2个以上发病季节未发作 ,或仅有轻微鼻痒、眼痒 ,18例症状减轻 ,发病时间缩短半月 ,10例症状无明显改善。显效 82例 ,有效 14例 ,无效 10例 ,总有效率为 90 .5 7%。结论　快速免疫治疗能使患者血清总IgE和ECP下降 ,对军人花粉症疗效好。     

小肠吸收胆固醇的分子生物学研究进展

胆固醇通过分布于十二指肠和近段空肠黏膜上皮细胞刷状缘膜的Niemann—Pick C1样蛋白1摄取，ATP结合盒G5、G8抑制小肠对胆固醇的摄取过程。进入上皮细胞的胆固醇大多数被乙酰辅酶A，胆固醇转乙酰基酶2酯化，随后通过组装形成乳糜微粒，经淋巴管进入血循环；另一部分胆固醇则以未酯化形式直接进入血循环形成高密度脂蛋白颗粒。这些过程受核受体——肝脏X受体的调控。年龄、性别、黏膜屏障和小肠传输速度也影响胆固醇的吸收。     

Mechanism of toxic action of fluoride in dental fluorosis: whether trimeric G proteins participate in the disturbance of intracellular transport of secretory ameloblast exposed to fluoride

In enamel fluorosis model rats treated with sodium fluoride, secretory ameloblasts of incisor tooth germs exhibited disruption of intracellular trafficking. We examined whether heterotrimeric G proteins participated in the disruption of vesicular trafficking of the secretory ameloblast exposed to fluoride, using immunoblotting and pertussis toxin (IAP)-induced adenosyl diphosphate (ADP)-ribosylation for membrane fractions of the cell. Immunoblotting of crude membranes, post supernatants of the ameloblast, with anti-G_i3/o and anti-G_s antibodies showed that G_i3 or G_o proteins existed in the secretory ameloblast, but G_s protein did not. Immunoblotting of the subcellular membrane fractions indicated that the G_i3 or G_o proteins were located in the Golgi membrane, but were not in the rough endoplasmic reticulum (rER) membrane. Autoradiograph of IAP-induced ADP-ribosylation, however, showed the existence of IAP-sensitive G proteins both in rER and Golgi membranes. Fluoride treatment decreased the G proteins bound to both membranes. These findings indicate that different G proteins, both of which are IAP-sensitive, are present in the rER and Golgi apparatus, and suggest that these G proteins participate in the disturbance of intracellular transport of the secretory ameloblast exposed to fluoride. Received: 24 June 1998 / Accepted: 8 September 1998     

Distribution of metabotropic glutamate receptor mGluR5 immunoreactivity in rat brain

The receptor mGluR5 is a metabotropic glutamate receptor with messenger RNA abundantly present throughout cortex, hippocampus, and caudate/putamen that is also coupled to phosphatidyl inositide hydrolysis and calcium mobilization. In this study, the distribution of mGluR5 was examined in rat brain by immunocytochemistry. The antibody utilized is highly specific and does not cross react with the most closely related other metabotropic glutamate receptor, as determined by Western blot analysis of nonneuronal cells transfected with metabotropic receptor coding sequences. The receptor mGluR5 is widely expressed with the highest density in olfactory bulb, caudate/putamen, lateral septum, cortex, and hippocampus, as confirmed with both immunocytochemistry and Western blot analysis. Electron microscopic studies in hippocampus and cortex indicate that the labeling is mostly on membranes of dendritic spines and shafts. Light and electron microscopic evidence indicates that some mGluR5 immunoreactivity is located in presynaptic axon terminals, suggesting that mGluR5 may function as a presynaptic receptor.     

见于湖南的一例血红蛋白G-台中家系

见于湖南江华县的一例慢泳血红蛋白α链变种,其先证者为汉族青年,属杂合子。家系调查发现其父、大姐和弟均携有同样的异常Hb。血液学常规检查一般正常。除先证者肝在肋缘下0.5cm扪及外,无任何临床症状。经一级结构分析,确证此例为HbG一台中[α74(EF3)Asp→His]。功能观测其氧平衡特征与HbA无差异。这是见于湖南的首例。