Bronchocentric granulomatosis: a complication of allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis.

Hypersensitivity to the fungal antigens of Aspergillus fumigatus may result in a spectrum of immune injury collectively known as allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA). This report describes a 14-yr-old boy who presented clinical findings consistent with ABPA,including a history of asthma, blood eosinophilia, serum precipitins, and IgE antibodies to Aspergillus fumigatus. Sputum Aspergillus, pulmonary infiltrates, and dual types I and III skin reactions to Aspergillus fumigatus were observed also. Pathology of the resected right upper lobe revealed severe bronchial destruction with the findings of bronchocentric granulomatosis. Noninvasive septate fungal hyphae compatible with Aspergillus were identified. Cultures from sputum and surgical specimens grew Aspergillus and Mycobacterium intracellulare avium. The PPD-B (purified protein derivative-Batty) intradermal skin test produced a 6 mm induration (PPD-S was negative). The patient's condition has been well controlled with prednisone and several antituberculous drugs. In addition, inflammatory and immunologic parameters have begun to return to normal. The relationship between ABa and the atypical mycobacterial infection is not clear. The association of ABPA with the severe bronchial destruction seen in bronchocentric granulomatosis is emphasized to alert physicans to this serious sequelae of ABa seen in the asthmatic.     

Effects of acute and chronic treatment with imipramine on 5-hydroxytryptamine nerve cell groups and on bulbospinal 5-hydroxytryptamine/substance P/thyrotropin releasing hormone immunoreactive neurons in the rat. A morphometric and microdensitometric analysis

Summary Groups of male rats were treated for a period of 14 days with imipramine (10mol/kg) given twice daily. Separate groups of rats received a single dose treatment using the same dose and experimental design as for the repeated treatment. Employing the avidin-biotin immunoperoxidase technique for immunohistochemistry 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)-, substance P (SP)- and thyrotropin releasing hormone (TRH)-like immunoreactivities (IRs) were visualized in consecutive coronal sections of the brain stem and of the spinal cord. The IRs were studied by means of morphometric and microdensitometric procedures using automatic image analysis on profiles representing nerve terminal networks of the ventral horn of the cervical and lumbar enlargements of the spinal cord as well as their coexistence (5-HT/SP and 5-HT/TRH). With the same technique 5-HT IR was measured in the 5-HT nerve cell groups of the medulla oblongata (B 1, B 2, B 3) and of the nucleus raphe dorsalis (B 7) of the midbrain. In addition 5-HT and 5-hydroxyindolacetic acid (5-HIAA) levels were measured in the ventral and dorsal horns of the cervical and lumbar enlargements of the spinal cord using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). In the same parts of the spinal cord SP IR was studied by means of radioimmunoassay (RIA).The microdensitometric studies showed that chronic, but not acute, imipramine treatment selectively increased SP IR in the 5-HT/SP/TRH costoring nerve terminals of the medial part of the ventral horn in both the cervical and the lumbar enlargements. Furthermore, quantitative analysis of the entity of coexistence in the 5-HT nerve terminal networks of these areas showed that all the 5-HT nerve terminals contained SP and TRH IRs and that this phenomenon remained after acute and chronic imipramine treatment. The microdensitometric studies on the 5-HT nerve cell groups of the medulla oblongata and of the nucleus raphe dorsalis demonstrated that chronic, but not acute, imipramine treatment selectively increased 5-HT IR in the nerve cell bodies of the lateral part of group B 3 as evaluated from the median grey values. Acute, but not chronic, imipramine treatment significantly increased the field area of 5-HT IR of nerve cell bodies in group B 7, reflecting an increase in the mean profile area of the 5-HT IR nerve cell body profiles. Instead, the mean profile area of 5-HT IR cell bodies of group B 1 was acutely reduced by imipramine.The biochemical studies demonstrated that chronic imipramine treatment selectively reduced 5-HT utilization in the ventral horn of the spinal cord and selectively increased SP IR in the dorsal horn of the lumbar enlargement.In view of these observations it is suggested that chronic imipramine treatment specifically increases SP IR in the 5-HT/SP/TRH costoring nerve terminals of the ventral horn probably related to reduced SP release and reduced 5-HT utilization in these terminals. The results obtained in group B 7 may be explained by a regulation by the³H-imipramine raphe binding sites of fast axonal transport, an influence which may have therapeutic consequences. This mechanism may also be responsible for the increase in 5-HT IR seen upon chronic imipramine treatment in the lateral part of the 5-HT nerve cell body group B 3. Such an effect may lead to a metabolic down-regulation of group B 7, having a possible role for the antidepressant activity of imipramine. The reduction of the mean profile area of 5-HT IR cell bodies of group B 1 seen in the acute treatment can possibly be caused by, noradrenaline (NA) uptake inhibition in inhibitory NA terminals innervating the B 1 group. These results also illustrate the heterogeneities in the responses of the 5-HT nerve cell groups to antidepressant treatment. The ability of chronic imipramine treatment to increase SP IR in the dorsal horn of the lumbar enlargement may reflect the existence of a monoamine-SP interaction in the substantia gelatinosa due to the NA and/or 5-HT uptake blocking activity of imipramine. The existence of such an interaction may help to explain the antinociceptive effect of chronic imipramine treatment.Part of the paper was presented at the 17th International Congress of the International Society of Psychoneuroendocrinology, Bergen, June 29–July 4, 1986.     

Substance P and calcitonin gene-related peptide: immunohistochemical localisation and microvascular effects in rabbit skeletal muscle

Summary 1. The distribution and microvascular effects of substance P (SP) and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) were studied in the rabbit tenuissimus muscle using immunohistochemistry and intravital microscopy. 2. Individual fibers within nerve bundles and along blood vessels in the muscle were found to be immunoreactive (IR) for both SP and CGRP, thus showing an apparently complete coexistence for these peptides. In dorsal root ganglia most SP-positive cells were also CGRP-IR, but the latter cells were somewhat more numerous than SP-IR cells. 3. When applied topically to the muscle, both SP and CGRP increased blood flow in a dose-dependent manner, but CGRP was more potent and caused responses of longer duration. Both SP and CGRP dilated transverse arterioles, but they had little or no effect on the smaller terminal arterioles. This resulted in a redistribution of blood flow to the connective tissue adjacent to the muscle. 4. SP, but not CGRP, elicited vigorous vasomotion in larger arterioles and caused the formation of aggregates of platelets and leukocytes in the venules. Neither flow increase, nor vasomotion or aggregate formation were influenced by pretreatment of the animals with mepyramine, cimetidine or indomethacin. Capsaicin (1 M) had a powerful effect on transverse arterioles resembling that of both SP and CGRP. 5. It is concluded that some of the vascular effects hitherto ascribed to SP on the basis of nerve stimulation and application of capsaicin might, at least in part, be due to release of CGRP. Send offprint requests to: A. Ohlen, Department of Physiology, Karolinska Institutet, S-104 01 Stockholm, Sweden     

Sodium regulation of agonist and antagonist binding to β-adrenoceptors in intact and Ns-deficient membranes

Summary Agonist binding to various hormone receptors mediating adenylate cyclase inhibition is decreased by sodium ions. We studied the influence of Na⁺ on agonist and antagonist binding to -adrenoceptors in membrane preparations of guinea pig lung, S49 lymphoma wild-type cells (WT) and their N_s-deficient cyc^– variants by measuring binding of the antagonist, [¹²⁵I]iodocyanopindolol ([¹²⁵I]CYP). At 37° C, sodium decreased the receptor affinity for the agonist, isoproterenol, in all three membrane preparations. In lung and WT membranes, Na⁺ steepened the shallow agonist competition curves in a manner similar to and synergistic with guanine nucleotides. When binding was performend at 4° C, sodium regulation but not guanine nucleotide regulation of agonist binding was preserved. At the low temperature, [¹²⁵I]CYP affinity was reduced, and sodium increased [¹²⁵I]CYP binding in both N_s-containing and N_s-deficient membranes by increasing the antagonist affinity without significant change in total receptor number. Compared to Na⁺, Li⁺ and K⁺ were much less potent and efficient in decreasing agonist and increasing antagonist binding. Na⁺ and Mg²⁺ had opposite effects on agonist binding in the N_s-containing lung and WT membranes but not in the N_s-deficient cyc^– membranes. The data indicate that sodium not only regulates binding of inhibitory hormone receptors but also agonist and antagonist binding to the adenylate cyclase stimulatory -adrenoceptor. The finding that sodium regulation of -adrenoceptor binding is also observed in the N_{s 2} cyc^– membranes, furthermore, indicates that the target of sodium is not the -subunit of N_s but possibly a component common to both types of receptor systems regulating adenylate cyclase activity.     

Expression of P53 during lens epithelial cell apoptosis induced by ultraviolet

Cataract is a disease induced by multi- factorsand its pathologic mechanism isstill unknown.Ithasbeen accepted that ultraviolet irradiation ( UVR) isone of the most important pathogenesis.Li etal hasreported that UVR could induce the apoptosis of lensepithelial cells( LECs) and resulted in lens opacities.In order to study the pathologic mechanism of UVR-induced cataract at molecular and cellular levels,weinvestigated the apoptosisof LECs and the expressionof P5 3.1　 MATERIALSAND M…     

改性壳聚糖基导电复合材料神经导管的体内降解及组织相容性观察

目的探讨改性壳聚糖基导电复合材料神经导管的体内降解及组织相容性，以期为组织工程神经构建提供新的支架材料。方法采用微乳液聚合法合成纳米聚吡咯（polypyrrole，PPy），与壳聚糖共混后注入定制的成管模型，冷冻干燥及脱酸后，制成改性纳米 PPy/壳聚糖复合材料导管（记作 CP 导管）；再经不同程度乙酰化（乙酰化反应时间分别为 30、60、90 min）改性，制备不同乙酰度的 CP 导管（记作 CAP1、CAP2、CAP3 导管）。各导管予红外光谱、扫描电镜进行表征，使用四探针电导仪测定电导率。取 30 只雌性 SD 大鼠，于背部左、右侧各制备 4 个皮下筋膜隧道，分别植入上述导管。术后 2、4、6、8、10、12 周取材，大体观察导管形态及完整性、扫描电镜观察导管微观结构、测量导管降解率，以观察导管体内降解性能；行 HE 染色及抗巨噬细胞免疫荧光染色，观察导管体内组织相容性。结果经表征证实乙酰化改性后的各导管 1 562 cm^–1左右的酰胺Ⅱ谱带增强，表示壳聚糖乙酰化改性成功。各导管均具备导电性能，组间电导率差异无统计学意义（P>0.05）。扫描电镜观察示各导管表面相对光滑、结构致密，无明显差异。导管植入体内后，随时间延长均出现一定程度塌陷，其中 CAP3 导管尤为明显；亦出现不同程度质量丢失，且乙酰化度越高，质量变化越大（P<0.05）。扫描电镜观察示植入 12 周后材料出现较多孔隙，且随着乙酰化度增加，孔隙呈增大趋势。组织学观察显示术后早期各导管均有较多巨噬细胞、淋巴细胞浸润，随着植入时间延长，淋巴细胞有所减少、成纤维细胞增多、胶原纤维增生明显。 结论不同乙酰度的改性壳聚糖基导电复合材料神经导管均有较好的体内生物相容性、可导电、可降解，且降解性与乙酰度相关，有望为组织工程神经构建提供一种新的支架材料。     

Assessment of high-energy phosphorus compounds in the rat kidney by in situ31P nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy: effect of ischemia and furosemide

Summary ³¹P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy of the in situ rat kidney was performed by a surface coil method, and the effects of ischemia and furosemide infusion were assessed.³¹P NMR spectra of the kidney subjected to 30 min of ischemia returned completely to the pre-ischemic level after 60 min of reperfusion. But the³¹P NMR spectra after 60 min of ischemia did not recover, even after 120 min of reperfusion. Levels of -ATP and inorganic phosphate (Pi) decreased and the chemical shift of Pi increased after intravenous infusion of furosemide. This increase in chemical shift might signal an alkalotic change in intracellular pH. Furosemide infusion prior to ischemia is thought to protect the kidney from injury induced by 60 min of warm ischemia. The chemical shift of Pi returned to the pre-ischemic level earlier than -ATP and Pi. In conclusion, according to the findings of³¹P NMR spectroscopy, furosemide infusion prior to ischemia may be effective in protecting the kidney against ischemic injury. But the change in Pi peak and the causes of the dissociation of Pi and -ATP should be examined further.     

The renal nerves in the newborn rat

Immunocytochemical methods were used to investigate the distribution of afferent [calcitonin gene-related peptide-(CGRP) immunoreactive and substance P-immunoreactive] nerves and efferent (neuropeptide Y-immunoreactive and dopamine -hydroxylase-immunoreactive) nerves in the kidneys of rats within the 1st day of life. The newborn rat kidney possesses an afferent and efferent innervation. Both afferent and efferent nerves reach the kidney in the same bundles. The afferent sensory fibers predominate overwhelmingly in the renal pelvis and ureter while the efferent fibers clearly predominate in the vasculature. The corticomedullary connective tissue contains both types of innervation with a more prominent afferent innervation (CGRP immunoreactive). Only afferent arterioles of perihilar nephrons were innervated by efferent sympathetic fibers. The distribution and extent of afferent and efferent innervation is consistent with the renal nerves playing a significant role in the transition from fetal to newborn life. The close proximity between afferent and efferent fibers suggests a possible interaction between the two systems.     

肢体负压对周围动脉闭塞性病变犬皮肤SP免疫反应阳性神经纤维影响

目的　观察肢体负压对周围动脉闭塞性病变犬皮肤中 SP免疫反应阳性神经纤维的影响 .方法　犬 17只 ,随机分治疗组 10只、非治疗组 5只和正常对照组 2只 ,治疗组和非治疗组均将动物制作左后肢缺血模型 ,治疗组在模型制作后 14d,开始行患肢负压治疗 10 d(15 min·次 - 1 ) ;非治疗组不做负压治疗 ;正常对照组不行缺血模型制作及负压治疗 . 3组均行左后肢趾皮肤免疫组化染色 ,检测 SP免疫反应阳性纤维 .结果　非治疗组皮肤中 SP免疫反应阳性神经纤维均较正常对照组明显增多 (P<0 .0 1) ,治疗组较非治疗组减少(P<0 .0 1) ,但仍较正常对照组增多 .结论　肢体负压疗法可促进皮肤感觉神经纤维中 SP的释放     

P~(53)蛋白在口腔扁平苔藓癌变诊断中的意义

目的 :探索口腔粘膜扁平苔藓 (OLP) P53蛋白的表达及其在癌变诊断中的应用价值。方法 :采用 S- P免疫组化方法 ,观察在 2 5例 OLP、2 0例鳞癌 (OSCC)中 P53蛋白的表达。结果 :1 P53蛋白的阳性表达在 OLP早期已出现 ,各组间 P53阳性表达率间有显著性差异。2在 OSCC中其阳性表达率高达 80 % ,随着细胞异常增生程度的增高而增高。结论 :1在 OSCC的形成过程中 ,抑癌基因 P53的失活可能参与调节作用 ;2 P53蛋白作为判断 OLP癌变的辅助性参考指标 ,具有一定的可行性