Association between cord blood IgE and genetic polymorphisms of interleukin-4, the β-subunit of the high-affinity receptor for IgE, lymphotoxin-α, and tumor Necrosis factor-α

High cord blood immunoglobulin E (cbIgE) is known to be associated with increased risks of atopic diseases in childhood. The relationship between genetic polymorphisms and high cbIgE has not been well documented. A cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the association between cbIgE and genetic polymorphisms of interleukin (IL)-4 -590C/T, the beta-subunit of the high-affinity receptor for IgE (FcepsilonRI-beta) E237G, lymphotoxin (LT)-alphaNcoI alleles, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha -308G/A. A total of 320 mother-neonate pairs were recruited from four maternity hospitals from different locations of Taiwan. Cord blood was obtained and assayed for cbIgE. Polymerase chain reaction followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism was used to assess the genotypes. Three hundred pairs of mothers and neonates were included in the final analysis. Infants with IL-4 -590 C allele were found to have higher risk of elevated cbIgE (> or =0.35 IU/ml, 24.3%) (p = 0.004). After adjusting for gender, birth order, maternal age, and history of allergic disease in maternal and paternal families, odds ratios for CC and CT genotypes were 4.41 and 3.16 (95% confidence interval 0.78-22.67, and 1.66-6.13), respectively, using TT genotype as reference. The genotypes of FcepsilonRI-beta, LT-alpha, and TNF-alpha were not associated with cbIgE before or after the adjustment. Our finding suggested a significant association of cbIgE with genetic polymorphism of IL-4 -590C/T, but not with the genotypes of FcepsilonRI-beta, LT-alpha, and TNF-alpha.     

Case of acute urinary retention as a result of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs

Abstract:   A 19-year-old woman presented at our hospital with acute urinary retention in September 2005. She had experienced the same chief complaint twice previously. She had used non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs before acute urinary retention. The results of physical examinations were unremarkable, and her neurologic signs were not remarkable. The basic laboratory test values were all normal and a psychiatric assessment indicated that her symptoms were not psychogenic. Magnetic resonance imaging was carried out, but revealed only a slight bulging in the L3/L4/L5 disk. Water cystometry showed acontractile detrusor. We made a diagnosis of acute urinary retention as a result of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs because of her use of such drugs before the development of symptoms on multiple occasions. This patient was regularly followed up as an outpatient, and she could void smoothly in February 2006. This is the first report which acute urinary retention associated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in Japan.     

First-line high-dose chemotherapy combined with peripheral blood stem cell transplantation for patients with advanced extragonadal germ cell tumors

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of first-line high-dose chemotherapy (HDCT) combined with peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT) for patients with advanced extragonadal germ cell tumors (EGGCT). METHODS: Six male patients with advanced non-seminomatous EGGCT were treated with HDCT combined with PBSCT following 2-3 cycles of conventional-dose induction chemotherapy. The regimens used for HDCT were carboplatin, etoposide and ifosfamide (ICE) in five patients and ICE plus paclitaxel (T-ICE) in one patient, and that for induction therapy was cisplatin, etoposide and bleomycin (PEB) in all patients. As a rule, HDCT was continuously administered until alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and beta-human chorionic gonadotropin normalized (beta-HCG). RESULTS: Following 1-6 courses of HDCT (median, 4 courses), beta-HCG and AFP were normalized in all patients, and five and one patient were diagnosed as showing partial remission and stable disease, respectively. Five patients underwent surgical resection of residual tumors after HDCT, yielding necrotic tissue in two, mature teratoma in two, and viable cancer tissue in one, and the surgical margin was negative in all patients. At a median follow-up of 36 months, five patients were alive and disease-free, whereas the remaining one died of disease progression. Although all patients had grade 3 hematological toxicity, there was no treatment-related death by combining PBSCT. CONCLUSIONS: First-line HDCT with PBSCT could be safely administered to patients with advanced EGGCT, and the antitumor effect of this treatment was comparatively favorable. First-line HDCT therefore may represent an attractive option for patients with advanced EGGCT.     

Long-term results of first-line sequential high-dose carboplatin, etoposide and ifosfamide chemotherapy with peripheral blood stem cell support for patients with advanced testicular germ cell tumor

OBJECTIVE: Standard chemotherapy shows relatively low long-term survival in patients with poor-risk testicular germ cell tumor (GCT). First-line high-dose chemotherapy (HD-CT) may improve the result. High-dose carboplatin, etoposide, ifosfamide chemotherapy followed by autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT) was investigated as first-line chemotherapy in patients with advanced testicular GCT. METHODS: Fifty-five previously untreated testicular GCT patients with Indiana 'advanced disease' criteria received three cycles of bleomycin, etoposide and cisplatin (BEP) followed by one cycle of HD-CT plus PBSCT, if elevated serum tumor markers were observed after three cycles of the BEP regimen. RESULTS: Thirty patients were treated with BEP alone, because the tumor marker(s) declined to normal range. Twenty-five patients received BEP and HD-CT. One patient died of rhabdomyolysis due to HD-CT. Three and six (13% and 25%) out of 24 patients treated with BEP and HD-CT achieved marker-negative and marker-positive partial responses, respectively. The other patients achieved no change. Fifteen (63%) are alive and 14 (58%) are free of disease at a median follow-up time of 54 months. Severe toxicity included treatment-related death (4%). CONCLUSIONS: HD-CT with peripheral stem cell support can be successfully applied in a multicenter setting. HD-CT demonstrated modest anticancer activity for Japanese patients with advanced testicular GCT and was well tolerated. This regimen might be examined for further investigation in randomized trials in first-line chemotherapy for patients with poor-risk testicular GCT.     

The effect of seamustard on blood lipid profiles and glucose level of rats fed diet with different energy composition

Recently, Korean people are consuming seaweeds almost 3.5 times more now than three decades ago. It is well known that seaweeds contain lots of soluble dietary fiber in addition to micronutrients such as β-carotene, iodine and some bioactive components. Seaweeds are considered to be effective for preventing chronic diseases including obesity, diabetes mellitus, atherosclerosis, cancer or constipation. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of seamustard intake on body weight gain, blood glucose level and lipid profiles in rats fed diets with different energy nutrient composition. Male Sprague-Dawley rats (average initial weight 103.7 g) were divided into groups for two experiments as follows; Control, M2.5 & M5 groups (Exp. I) and M5, M10, HCM5, HCM10, HFM5 & HFM10 groups (Exp. II). The rats were fed diet and water ad libitum for 4 weeks. In general, there was no significant difference in blood glucose and triglyceride concentration among groups. In Exp. I, serum LDL-cholesterol level of rats fed diet with 5% seamustard powder (M5) was significantly lower than that of control group, while HDL-cholesterol level, TC/LDL ratio and weight of adrenal gland were higher. In Exp. II, food intake, body weight gain and EER of high fat diet with 10% seamustard group (HFM10) were the lowest among groups. Except gastrocnemius muscle, all organ weights of HFM10 group were the lowest. Fecal cholesterol excretion and serum LDL-cholesterol concentration of HFM10 group were the highest, while serum HDL-cholesterol level was the lowest among groups. Interestingly, HDL-cholesterol concentration was the highest in HCM5 group among groups. From these results, it was suggested that seamustard intake might be more effective for body weight control, but not for improving blood lipid profiles in high fat diet than in high carbohydrate diet.     

Elemental composition and water content of myelinated axons and glial cells in rat central nervous system

The distribution of elements (e.g. Na, Cl, K) and water in CNS cells is unknown. Therefore, electron probe X-ray microanalysis (EPMA) was used to measure water content and concentrations (mmol/kg dry or wet weight) of Na, Mg, P, S, Cl, K and Ca in morphological compartments of myelinated axons and glial cells from rat optic nerve and cervical spinal cord white matter. Axons in both CNS regions exhibited similar water content ( 90%), and relatively high concentrations (wet and dry weight) of K with low Na and Ca levels. The K content of axons was related to diameter, i.e. small axons in spinal cord and optic nerve had significantly less (25–50%) K than larger diameter axons from the same CNS region. The elemental composition of spinal cord mitochondria was similar to corresponding axoplasm, whereas the water content (75%) of these organelles was substantially lower than that of axoplasm. In glial cell cytoplasm of both CNS areas, P and K (wet and dry weight) were the most abundant elements and water content was approximately 75%. CNS myelin had predominantly high P levels and the lowest water content (33–55%) of any compartment measured. The results of this study demonstrate that each morphological compartment of CNS axons and glia exhibits a characteristic elemental composition and water content which might be related to the structure and function of that neuronal region.     

Estimation of average flow in ungated 3D phase contrast angiograms

Three dimensional (3D) phase contrast angiograms contain velocity data, which is discarded after the reconstruction of the projections. In extension to earlier work on velocity quantification with ungated 2D phase data, this paper shows that a useful estimate of the average velocity and flow rate can be extracted from ungated 3D phase contrast angiograms. Simulations and experiments in a phantom and in vivo were performed. For pulsatile flow and strong spin saturation, an over-estimation of the flow rate at the net in-flow end of the imaging volume and underestimation at the net out-flow end was observed. Imaging at lower RF tip angles yielded flow rates close to the correct value within the entire imaging volume. In contrast to ungated 2D experiments, the flow rates determined by repeated 3D experiments showed no variation.     

Central circulation in rats with different tolerance to acute blood loss

Study of the dynamics of cardiac output in rats with different tolerance to acute massive blood loss showed that the pumping ability of the heart remains intact during the entire posthemorrhagic period in all high-resistant and in 65% low-resistant rats. In 35% rats that were low-resistant to blood loss, the cardiac output deficiency syndrome developed after cessation of bleeding against the background fall in arterial pressure and a decrease in the hepatic blood flow, which are the signs of rapid variant of the dysfunction produced by acute blood loss. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 126, No. 10, pp. 384–388, October, 1998     

Acute cardiac and pulmonary arrest after infusion of vancomycin with subsequent desensitization

J Allergy Clin Immunol 1997;100:853-4.     

Effect of hepatitis C antibody screening in blood donors on post-transfusion hepatitis in Taiwan

A national screening programme for antibody to hepatitis C virus (HCV) in blood donors in Taiwan began in July 1992 using a second-generation immunoassay. To study the impact of this screening on post-transfusion hepatitis in Taiwan, a prospective study on post-transfusion hepatitis, that was started in 1987, was continued. As of June 1994, 245 patients who received a blood transfusion after July 1992 had completed a follow-up period for more than 6 months post-transfusion. Of them, seven (2.8%) recipients developed acute post-transfusion hepatitis. The hepatitis in six cases could not be attributed to infection by hepatitis A, B, C, D, E viruses or cytomegalovirus (CMV) or Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). The remaining patient seroconverted to both IgG and IgM anti-CMV. All seven patients recovered in 6 months without development of chronicity, and the mean peak alanine aminotransferase level was lower compared with that of the cases before anti-HCV screening (i.e. pre-July 1992). These results indicate that the current anti-HCV screening has effectively interrupted HCV transmission through blood transfusion in Taiwan.