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

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

Acute polymyositis associated with W. bancrofti

Two cases of acute polymyosotis associated with W. bancrofti , presented with generalised painful swelling and weakness of the muscles. These patients had elevated muscle enzymes, a myopathic EMG pattern, inflammatory myopathy on biopsy and W. bancrofti in the peripheral blood smear. The clinical, improvement of the disorder and total clearance of microfilariae was obtained with the combination therapy of steroid and diethyl-carbamazine in comparison with steroid alone.     

Glucose preferences in wild and domestic guinea pigs

Male wild (Cavia aperea) and domestic (C. porcellus) guinea pigs were tested in two-bottle choice tests for preferences between glucose solutions of different concentrations and de-ionized water. Wild males showed significant preferences for concentrations between 0.025 and 0.4 M glucose while domestic males preferred only the 0.2 M glucose solution to de-ionized water. C. aperea males also consumed significantly greater volumes of liquid per kg body $\text{wt.}{}^{\mathrm{<mtext>3</mtext><mtext>4</mtext>}}$ during the glucose tests than did the C. porcellus males. These comparative results contrast sharply with those obtained by other authors with wild and domestic Norway rats.     

Adrenaline turnover rates in the medial preoptic area and mediobasal hypothalamus in relation to the release of luteinizing hormone in female rats

The turnover rates of adrenaline in the medial preoptic area and mediobasal hypothalamus, areas which, respectively, include the cell bodies and terminals of luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone neurons, have been measured in female rats on pro-oestrus, the day of the preovulatory surge of luteinizing hormone, and on dioestrus, the preceding day. A rise in the rate of turnover was found in the medial preoptic area coinciding with the surge of luteinizing hormone in the late afternoon of pro-oestrus; the rate of turnover at this time was higher than at the same time on dioestrus. No changes in turnover rate were found in the mediobasal hypothalamus within either of these days.The results indicate that the adrenaline-containing projections to the preoptic area may be actively involved in the production of the spontaneous preovulatory surge of luteinizing hormone in rats.     

Suppression of autoimmune disease in NZB/W F1 mice by treatment with the novel immunomodulator BTS 63155.

Autoimmune disease in NZB/W F1 mice was treated from 23 weeks of age with the novel immunomodulator BTS 63155 and, for comparative purposes, the established immunosuppressive agent cyclosporin A. Both drugs significantly improved survival compared with untreated controls. Lupus nephritis was also significantly reduced in the drug-treated groups, and this was related to reduced glomerular deposition of IgG. Autoantibody (ANA) levels were lowered by treatment with cyclosporin A, but not by BTS 63155. This latter finding may indicate a different mode of action for the two drugs. In a long term study, neither drug effected a complete cure, as autoimmune disease recurred on withdrawal of drug treatment.     

Skin tests and blood leukocyte histamine release of patients with allergies to laboratory animals

Skin tests and in vitro histamine-release reactions were used to evaluate 130 patients observed in an employee allergy clinic at a biomedical research facility. The allergens used included extracts from pollens (ragweed, grasses, trees, weeds), molds, mixed feathers, house dust, cat, dog, mouse, rat, rabbit, guinea pig, and hamster. Of all patients, 66% complained of allergic symptoms on laboratory animal exposure, although only 52% worked directly with animals. Among patients with symptoms, 91% were positive by skin test to at least one laboratory animal, and 46% had asthma. The median length of exposure to laboratory animals before onset of symptoms was 2.8 yr with 60% of the patients developing their symptoms within 3 yr. Among patients who had allergic symptoms before exposure to laboratory animals, 79% were skin test positive to laboratory animals when they were evaluated in this study. There was a close association found between the skin test and histamine-release results with the laboratory animal allergens: 91% of the 4+ skin reactors had leukocytes positive for histamine release versus 5% of the leukocyte donors with less than 1+ skin reactions. A close relationship in positive reactions to different laboratory animal allergens was also found. For example, individuals positive to mouse were positive also to rat (95%), rabbit (79%), guinea pig (83%), and hamster (88%). Patients who reacted to laboratory animals also reacted to some extent to house dust and cat and dog allergens, and about one half of the animal-allergic individuals reacted to pollens. Although nonpollen-allergic individuals can develop sensitivity to laboratory animals, the group at higher risk are allergic individuals, especially those sensitive to house dust, cats, or dogs.     

Subsensitivity of T lymphocytes to sympathomimetic and cholinergic stimulation in bronchial asthma.

The effect of adrenergic and cholinergic drugs on short incubation “active” E rosette formation was studied in 19 patients with bronchial asthma and 17 healthy controls. Both groups had an equal absolute number of baseline “active” E rosettes, but the asthmatics demonstrated a higher percent baseline value. The beta adrenergic drug isoproterenol (10^?3 M) inhibited the formation of “active” E rosettes in asthmatics by only 18.0% as compared to a 60.8% inhibition in the control group. Carbamylcholine (10^?5 M) a cholinergic agonist, also showed a lower than normal response in asthmatics, 34.3% enhancement of “active” E rosetting compared to a 52.4% enhancement in the controls. The alpha adrenergic agent phenylephrine (10^?5 M) exhibited equal enhancing effects in both groups, 34.2% in the asthmatics and 36.5% in the controls. Isoproterenol (10^?3 M) had a minimal effect on inhibition of long incubation “total” E rosettes in both groups studied. The beta adrenergic abnormality conforms to the beta blockade theory of asthma of Szentivanyi. The cholinergic abnormality is unexplained in view of the hyperresponsiveness of patients with asthma to cholinergic agents in vivo. Patients with bronchial asthma probably have an autonomic dysfunction that may play a role in the pathogenesis of their disease.     

Fine mapping of thymus enlargement gene 1 (Ten1) in BUF/Mna rats

Two polymeric autosomal loci, Ten1 and Ten2, regulate thymus enlargement in BUF/Mna (B) rats. Previously, we mapped Ten1 on chromosome (Chr) 1 to a 20 cM region between Myl2 and D1Mgh11, and Ten2 on Chr 13. To further characterize the precise position of Ten1, 34 and 37 microsatellite markers, that have a polymorphism between the B and WYK (W) and between the B and MITE (M) strains, were used for linkage analysis of thymus enlargement in 105 (WBF1 x B) blackcross (BC) and 78 (B x BMF1) BC rats, respectively. Our data showed that the D1Rat168, D1Rat112, D1Rat323, D1Got186, D1Got187 and D1Got188 markers each gave a peak logarithm of odds (LOD) score of 10.68 for linkage to the thymus ratio in (WBF1 x B) BC rats, and that the D1Rat168, D1Rat197, D1Got184, D1Got186 and D1Got188 markers each gave a peak LOD score of 7.82 in (B x BMF1) BC rats. The two LOD score peaks are coincident in the position of the rat genetic map. All of the markers mentioned above are located in the region between Igf2 and D1Mgh11, in which synteny is conserved with human 11q15.5 and the distal end of mouse Chr 7 or with human 11q13 and the proximal end of mouse Chr 19. Genes existing in these regions are discussed as candidate genes for Ten1.     

Physicochemical properties of membranes and functional status of liver mitochondria in rats with an inherited capacity for increased radical formation

Liver mitochondria of inbred W/SSM rats with inherited increased radical formation reveal the following anomalies: inhibition of oxidative phosphorylation, a lowered transmembrane potential, and alterations in protein-lipid interaction. The membrane viscosity and osmotic stability of mitochondria are unaffected. Translated fromByulleten' Eksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 119, N ^o 6, pp. 628–631, June, 1995     

Leukocyte histamine release in Hymenoptera-allergic patients. Correlation with skin test reactivity and changes following hyposensitization therapy

We have studied 46 Hymenoptera-allergic patients and 11 nonallergic controls by grading the severity of their sting reaction, determining their skin test reactivity, and performing human leukocyte histamine release with a commercial mixed stinging insect extract. A significant correlation was found between increasing severity of sting reaction and increasing skin test reactivity (p < 0.001). In $\text{41}\text{46}$ allergic patients from 15 to 100 per cent release of total cellular histamine occurred, whereas in the 11 nonallergic controls no greater than 10 per cent release of total cellular histamine was observed. Skin test reactivity correlated significantly with cell sensitivity in the allergic patients (p < 0.001). Following hyposensitization therapy, cell sensitivity generally did not change, but significant increases in antigen-neutralizing capacity (A.N.C.) of allergic serum did occur in $\text{11}\text{15}$ Hymenoptera-allergic patients.