Amino acid sequence of heat-stable enterotoxin produced by Vibrio cholerae non-01

AbstractThe amino acid sequence of heat-stable enterotoxin, produced by Vibrio cholerae non-01 and isolated from its culture supernatant, was determined by both Edman degradation of native and reductively carboxy-methylated enterotoxin and also a combination of fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry and carboxy-peptidase Y digestion of native enterotoxin to be as follows: Ile-Asp-Cys-Cys-Glu-Ile-Cys-Cys-Asn-Pro-Ala-Cys-Phe-Gly-Cys-Leu-Asn. This sequence is very similar, but not identical, to those of heat-stable enterotoxins produced by enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli and Yersinia enterocolitica

Cutaneous T-cell-attracting chemokine as a novel biomarker for predicting prognosis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: a prospective observational study

[Background] Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic, progressive fibrotic lung disease that leads to respiratory failure and death. Although there is a greater understanding of the etiology of this disease, accurately predicting the disease course in individual patients is still not possible. This study aimed to evaluate serum cytokines/chemokines as potential biomarkers that can predict outcomes in IPF patients. [Methods] A multi-institutional prospective two-stage discovery and validation design using two independent cohorts was adopted. For the discovery analysis, serum samples from 100 IPF patients and 32 healthy controls were examined using an unbiased, multiplex immunoassay of 48 cytokines/chemokines. The serum cytokine/chemokine values were compared between IPF patients and controls; the association between multiplex measurements and survival time was evaluated in IPF patients. In the validation analysis, the cytokines/chemokines identified in the discovery analysis were examined in serum samples from another 81 IPF patients to verify the ability of these cytokines/chemokines to predict survival. Immunohistochemical assessment of IPF-derived lung samples was also performed to determine where this novel biomarker is expressed. [Results] In the discovery cohort, 18 cytokines/chemokines were significantly elevated in sera from IPF patients compared with those from controls. Interleukin-1 receptor alpha (IL-1Rα), interleukin-8 (IL-8), macrophage inflammatory protein 1 alpha (MIP-1α), and cutaneous T-cell-attracting chemokine (CTACK) were associated with survival: IL-1Rα, hazard ratio (HR) = 1.04 per 10 units, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.01–1.07; IL-8, HR = 1.04, 95% CI 1.01–1.08; MIP-1α, HR = 1.19, 95% CI 1.00–1.36; and CTACK, HR = 1.12 per 100 units, 95% CI 1.02–1.21. A replication analysis was performed only for CTACK because others were previously reported to be potential biomarkers of interstitial lung diseases. In the validation cohort, CTACK was associated with survival: HR = 1.14 per 100 units, 95% CI 1.01–1.28. Immunohistochemistry revealed the expression of CTACK and CC chemokine receptor 10 (a ligand of CTACK) in airway and type II alveolar epithelial cells of IPF patients but not in those of controls. [Conclusions] CTACK is a novel prognostic biomarker of IPF

ネフローゼ症候群を合併したシスチン尿症の1例

The patient is 32-year-old, male who had been administered sodium bicarbonate and a small dose of α-mercaptopropionylglycine under the diagnosis of cystinuria, but during the 8th year of treatment he developed nephrotic syndrome. He suffered a number of recurrences which were treated each time with steroid only, but complete remission of nephrotic syndrome was achieved with the combined administration of methylprednisolone pulse therapy and cyclophosphamide

Purificação e caracterização parcial de um fator hemaglutinante (HAF): uma possível adesina de Escherichia coli do tipo aderência difusa (DAEC)

O fator hemaglutinante (HAF) foi extraído e purificado a partir de amostra de Escherichia coli de aderência difusa (DAEC), pertencente ao sorogrupo 0128 de E. coli enteropatogênica clássica (EPEC). O peso molecular do HAF foi estimado cm 18.000 Da usando SDS-PAGE e 66.000 Da empregando Sephadex G 100, o que sugere a estrutura do HAF consistir de 3 a 4 subunidades. O emprego da técnica "gold immunolabeling" com antissoro específico anti-HAF revelou que este fator não é uma estrutura do tipo fímbria na superfície da bactéria. O resultado do teste de imunofluorescência usando HAF purificado em células HeLa, além do fato deste fator estar presente entre os sorotipos de EPEC, sugerem que o HAF seja um possível fator de aderência das amostras de DAEC.The mannose-resistant hemagglutinating factor (HAF) was extracted and purified from a diffuse adherent Escherichia coli (DAEC) strain belonging to the classic enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) serotype (0128). The molecular weight of HAF was estimated to be 18 KDa by SDS-PAGE and 66 KDa by Sephadex G100, suggesting that the native form of HAF consists of 3-4 monomeric HAF. Gold immunolabeling with specific HAF antiserum revealed that the HAF is not a rigid structure like fimbriae on the bacterial surface. The immunofluorescence test using purified HAF on HeLa cells, in addition to the fact that the HAF is distributed among serotypes of EPEC, suggests that HAF is a possible adhesive factor of DAEC strain

IgA腎症患者における血清 Pregnancy associated α2-glycoprotein

Serum pregnancy associated α2-glycoprotein levels in 51 IgA nephropathy patients (28 males and 23 females) and 46 healthy subjects (31 males and 15 females) were determined by enzyme-immunoassay. The results showed the serum pregnancy associated α2-glycoprotein levels to be significantly increased in the IgA nephropathy patients over the healthy subjects in both sexes (males: p<0.01, females: p<0.001). Further, in the male patients, the level was significantly increased in those with proteinuria, also there was a significant negative correlation between the concentration and PSP 15 minute value and GFR. On the other hand, in the female patient group there was a significant positive correlation between serum total cholesterol level. On the basis of these findings, we presume that the determination of serum pregnancy associated α2-glycoprotein level may be useful in assuming the prognosis of IgA nephropathy