Lack of effect of bone marrow transplantation on airway hyperresponsiveness in an asthmatic

ABSTRACTBronchial asthma has been recognized as an inflammatory disorder in this past decade. This leads to an assumption that perfect control of inflammatory cells may cure this disease. However, herein we report on an asthmatic whose airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) did not change after bone marrow transplantation (BMT). The concentrations of acetylcholine to produce a 20% fall in forced expiratory volume in 1 s 15 days before and 98 days after BMT were 900 and 480 μg/mL, respectively. Asthma treatment with beclo-methasone dipropionate and theophylline was continued before and after BMT and a conventional supporting therapy for BMT with cyclosporine A and methylprednisolone, followed by oral administration of tacrolimus hydrate alone inhibited graft-versus-host disease. Plasma interleukin (IL)-4, IL-5 and IgE, but not interferon-γ, levels decreased after BMT. Note that the second measurement of airway sensitivity was performed under systemic administration of tacrolimus. The presented case suggests that replacement of bone marrow-derived inflammatory cells is not enough to reverse once-established AHR. Hence, AHR and airway inflammation may develop independently in some part, but both need to be present for asthma to be present in this asthmatic

Current asthma deaths among adults in Japan

Recent asthma deaths were examined from yearly reports of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare of Japan and from reports published by the Japan Asthma Death Investigation Committee on 811 deaths over the period 1992–2000. The rate and number of recent asthma deaths in Japan have been decreasing rapidly. Most asthma deaths were of patients aged 70–90 years and there has been a marked trend for increased asthma deaths in the elderly. As for the circumstances surrounding the deaths, sudden death, unstable sudden aggravation and intermittent aggravation were mainly noted. Respiratory infections, fatigue and stress were the major courses of fatal attacks contributing to deaths due to asthma. Many of the patients who died from asthma had been diagnosed as having as moderate to severe asthma and many had non-atopic asthma. There are some reports that suggest that the recent decrease in asthma deaths in Japan is correlated with the use of inhaled cortico- steroids

A Normalization of Japanese cedar Pollen Specific IgE Antibody Titers Obtained from Fluorescence Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay Using a Computer Program

Fluorescence enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (fluorescence-ELISA) is a more useful method than the ordinary ELISA to measure Japanese cedar pollen specific IgE antibody in sera from patients. However, the obtained data from it are often affected with some measuring conditions. In this paper, a new developed computer aided modified exponential function (y=a+be^) analysis was applied to normalize the specific IgE antibody of patients which obtained from the fluorescence-ELISA under various experimental conditions. The function well normalized the decrease of the data due to various dilution of β-D-galactosidase conjugated anti-human IgE antibodies. The mean values of the measured relative fluorescence unit (RFU) values from the sera of the 20 patients were 405+287 under the standard test condition (β-D-galactosidase cojugated anti-human IgE anbodies was used with 40 times dilution). When 50 times and 60 times dilutions of β-D-galactosidase conjugated anti-human IgE were used, the mean RFU values from patients were 335+241 and 310+280, respectively. However,the normalized mean values using computer program were 388+264, and 395+280, respectively

A Development of a Computer Program for Normalization of the Test Results by Fluorescence Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay for Specific IgE Antibody

Fluorescence enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (fluorescence-ELISA) is used to measure antigen specific IgE antibodies of allergic and parasitic diseases. However, the data obtained from it are often affected by varying conditions. We tried to normalize relative fluorescence unit (RFU) value from fluorescence-ELISA, which was measured under various conditions, using a computer program. From the curve of the RFU value obtained from the reference serum at 2 times serial dilution, the modified exponential function, y=a+be^, was applied to a regression curve to which data points were fitted. We prepared a microcomputer program to satisfy this algebraic equation, and carried out some simulation tests in order to demonstrate the viability of this program. It was confirmed that there was no significant deviation from the data points from the regression curve. Also the modified exponential function was good enough for quantitative analysis of RFU value obtained from fluorescence ELISA under varying conditions. The function well normalized the decreases in results of individual data obtained from various dilution of -D-galactosidase conjugated anti-human IgE antibodies