Appearance of basophils in the sputum of patients with bronchial asthma

A total of 108 samples of sputum obtained from twenty patients with bronchial asthma were examined for appearance of basophils and eosinophils. Both cell types are present in sputum during an asthmatic attack and disappear at the conclusion of the attack. Their presence correlates with the severity of the disease. It has previously been demonstrated that the blood basophils count falls during attacks of bronchial asthma, and the present study suggests that basophils move from the blood stream into bronchial tissue during the acute phase of an asthmatic attack.     

Blast Crisis of Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia with Tumor Formation Characterized by T-cell Features--A Case Report

We report a case of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) associatedwith pronounced peripheral lymphadenopathy, with the cells havingthe Philadelphia (Phl) chromosome and T-cell features. A 23-year-oldman who was diagnosed as having CML and treated with busulfanwas admitted to our hospital because of increasing hepatosplenomegalyand pronounced lymphadenopathy. An axillary lymph node biopsydisclosed that the malignant cells formed rosettes with neuraminidase-treatedsheep red blood cells (En) (95.0%) and were positive for Leu1 (91.8%). Of the cytochemical reactions, peroxidase was negativeand periodic acid-Shiff, acid -naphthyl acetate esterase andß-glucuronidase were all positive. The karyotype ofthe bone marrow cells was 46 XY Phl positive (22q–), andthat of the lymph node cells was 51 XY Phl positive +8, +9,+18, +19, +21, 22q–. He was treated with various anti-leukemicagents and irradiation. Despite such treatments, he died ofpneumonia. This is a report of a CML patients with blast crisisand tumor formation characterized by T-cell features.     

Acute childhood leukemia in a patient with hemophilia: First report in Japan

This study reports an unusual case of acute leukemia which was diagnosed as hemophilia A on initial admission for leukemia. A 3 year old boy was admitted to Kagoshima University Hospital with anemia. He was diagnosed as acute lymphoblastic leukemia. At the same time he was revealed to have severe hemophilia A⁻ without any previous episodes of severe bleeding tendency or family history of this disease. The laboratory investigation showed his mother to be a carrier of hemophilia A. Although there are many cases of hemophilia which have developed malignant tumors, most of them were caused by association with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Only five cases with coexistence of leukemia and hemophilia without HIV infection have been reported and the present case is the first one in Japan. At this stage, hemophiliacs are not necessarily regarded to be a population at risk for the development of leukemia. Furthermore, no particular subtype of leukemia was characterized among these patients in the literature.     

Resetting of Tachycardia Cycle by Single and Double Ventricular Extrastimuli in Recurrent Sustained Ventricular Tachycardia

In two cases with recurrent sustained ventricular tachycardia (VT) due to re-entry, the response pattern to extrastimuli during the tachycardia was studied. In each case, right ventricular extrastimuli with longer coupling intervals during VT were followed by fully compensatory pauses and with shorter coupling intervals reset the tachycardia cycle. In one case, a plateau was produced by a single extrastimulus, resembling that seen in the response curve of sinus node automaticity as well as ectopic atrial tachycardia. Two successive stimuli produced three definite zones, i.e., fully compensatory, reset producing a plateau, and progressive prolongation zones with shortening of the coupling intervals between the two stimuli, and terminated the tachycardia with further shortening of the coupling intervals. In conclusion, resetting phenomenon was confirmed on two cases with re-entrant VT. This phenomenon cannot be used as a criterion to determine the mechanism responsible for VT.     

HPLC-studies on nonmercapt-mercapt conversion of human serum albumin

Human mercaptalbumin (HMA) and nonmercaptalbumin (HNA) could be separated by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) at neutral pH. Using HPLC, the present authors found the nonmercapt-mercapt conversion (HNA ← HMA) during hemodialysis and the mercapt-nonmercapt conversion (HMA ← HNA) after hemodialysis in chronic renal failure, indicating HMA as the covalent carrier protein for sulfur-containing amino acids.     

Risk of Lung Cancer by Histologic Type among Smokers in Miyagi Prefecture

Smoking habits of the 827 lung cancer patients aged 40 yearsor over who were treated in the Sendai Kosei Hospital from 1977–82were compared with those in the general population of a non-metropolitandistrict in northern Japan, which we recently surveyed by mailquestionnaire. The relative risks of lung cancer by histologictype adjusted by age and area of residence were as follows:1.9 for adenocarcinoma, 4.3 for squamous cell carcinoma, 3.9for small cell carcinoma and 3.4 for large cell carcinoma inmen, and 2.9, 6.4, 4.5 and 4.0 for these histologic types, respectively,in women. These elevated risks were all statistically significant(p < 0.05). These findings suggest that smoking habits shouldbe carefully considered when studying the etiology of any celltype of lung cancer, even adenocarcinoma, which often has beenthought to be unrelated to smoking habits.     

1H-n.m.r. studies on cross-relaxation phenomena in bovine mercaptalbumin (BMA) solution and partially hydrolyzed bovine plasma albumin (BPA*) gel

Bovine plasma albumin Fr. V(BPA) contains small amounts of proteolytic enzyme which catalyzes a very limited cleavage of BPA in the F-form near pH 3.8, resulting in the formation of partially hydrolyzed BPA(BPA*). BPA* had a tendency to form a transparent gel at pD 4.0 (pD range of the F-form) above 7%. Highly purified proteolytic enzyme-free bovine mercaptalbumin (BMA) was in a transparent solution at pD 4.0 even at 12.4%. after 5 days incubation at 35°. Cross-relaxation times (T_IS) between irradiated protein protons and observed protons, such as side chain and water protons, were studied on BMA solution and BPA*-gel. T_IS values of BMA solution, obtained by the saturation transfer (SATUR) and inversion recovery (INVER) methods, were a single kind of T_IS for each side chain. Those of BPA*-gel by the SATUR method indicated the presence of two kinds of T_IS, that is, short and long T_IS values for each side chain. However, those by the INVER method showed a single kind of T_IS for each side chain, corresponding to the long T_IS value by the SATUR method. The short T_IS values of BPA*-gel, observed by the SATUR method, may be due to immobile joint parts of fibrous BPA* aggregates. T_IS values from protein to water protons (T_IS(HDO)) in BPA*-gel, obtained by the INVER method, were far shorter than those in BMA solution, indicating a large amount of hydration of BPA* and rapid exchange between bound and bulk water in the gel state.     

Very high doses of valsartan provide renoprotection independently of blood pressure in a type 2 diabetic nephropathy rat model

Aim:   Angiotensin II type 1 receptor blockers (ARB) retard the progression of hypertensive diabetic kidney disease. Clinical evidence suggests that the dose of ARB required to correct hypertension is suboptimal for renoprotection evaluated by proteinuria. No systematic, prospective study has yet evaluated separately the effect of increasing doses of ARB on blood pressure and proteinuria.
Methods:   Over a period of 8 weeks, the effect of seven constant doses of an ARB, valsartan (4–160 mg/kg per day), on blood pressure and proteinuria taken as a surrogate marker of nephropathy in a hypertensive, type 2 diabetic rat model, the spontaneously hypertensive/NIH-corpulent rat (SHR/NDmcr-cp), was assessed. In this spontaneously hypertensive rat strain, a genetic mutation in the leptin receptor gene is associated with hyperphagia leading to obesity with metabolic syndrome and eventually to nephropathy.
Results:   No additional blood pressure lowering was observed above 120 mg/kg per day of valsartan, suggesting that a dose of 80–120 mg/kg per day had a maximal effect. Nevertheless, higher doses of valsartan further reduced proteinuria in a dose-dependent fashion suggesting the absence of a maximal dose. Obesity, hyperglycaemia and hypercholesterolaemia were unaffected but hypertriglyceridaemia was partially corrected at various ARB doses.
Conclusion:   ARB improve renoprotection at doses above those required for a maximal effect on blood pressure. The mechanism of the renoprotection obtained at high doses of ARB is yet to be elucidated.