STUDIES ON THE RENAL FUNCTION IN RENAL AND URETERAL CALCULUS PART III. RENAL FUNCTION AFTER THE OPERATIVE REMOVAL OF THE STONE

As a part of the study on renal function in renal and ureteral calculus, in this Part III. the renal funcion after the removal of stones in the kidney and the ureter was investigated, especially by measuring the quantity and specific gravity of urine; and the differences of the fluid and phenolsulfonphthalein test between the one performed before and after the stone removal was compared, and the following results were obtained. (1) In the studies on the quantity and specific gravity of urine, a considerable improvement on the renal function could be observed in one week after the operation, at the end of the second week, the quantity and specific gravity of urine recovered to normal value in almost every case. (2) By taking an average of the daily urine quantity of a week as a daily quantity for that week, in 70% of the cases the urine quantity increased gradually every week and exceeded the level before operation, and in 7% it began decreasing again until it dropped below the level before operation, and in 23% the urine quantity began to increase gradually from the first week after the operation but it did not reach the level before operation. (3) No difference could be found in the improvement of the renal function after the operation between the renal and ureteral calculus, but the improvement were delayed more or less in the bilateral than in the unilateral cases. (4) In the unilateral cases, there was no difference in the improvement of the renal function between the sides of affection. (5) Comparing the results of the fluid and phenolsulfonphthalein test one to two weeks after the operation with that of which performed before the operation, both of them took a favourable turn, and besides, the excretion ability improved, more or less rapidly than the concentration ability

Formation of Charcot-Leyden crystals by human basophils in sputum and peripheral blood.

To confirm the formation of Charcot-Leyden crystals (CLC) in basophils, we observed basophils in sputum and peripheral blood. Sealed slide and suspension culture methods were used to observe the process of CLC formation in peripheral blood basophils and eosinophils under electron microscopy. CLC formation was observed in basophils and eosinophils, and was found to be augmented by sealed slide method. A temperature of 4 degrees C was better than 37 degrees C for promoting the formation of crystals. There was no correlation between the degranulation of these cells and the formation of CLC after stimulation with anti-IgE or anti-IgG antibodies. CLC were initially detected in the cytoplasmic granules of basophils where they continued to enlarge. No CLC were identified in mast cells under any conditions studied. These findings confirm that CLC in sputum are not exclusive to eosinophils and that CLC appear to be present in basophil-rich sites under the cell damage.</p

Low serum free light chain is associated with risk of COPD exacerbation

Background: Most exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are triggered by respiratory tract infections. Adaptive immunity via antibody production is important in preventing infections. Impaired antibody production is reported to be associated with an increased risk of exacerbations of COPD. In the present study, we elucidated whether reduced free light chains (FLCs), which are excessive amounts of light chains produced during antibody synthesis and can be used to estimate systemic antibody production, may be a promising biomarker to predict the risk of exacerbations of COPD. Methods: We enrolled stable male patients with COPD and prospectively observed them for 2 years. At baseline, serum combined FLC (cFLC; sum of kappa and lambda values) and pulmonary function were evaluated. Exacerbation was defined as a worsening of symptoms requiring treatments with antibiotics, corticosteroids or both. Results: 63 patients with stable COPD were enrolled (72.8±8.1 years, GOLD A/B/C/D=24/28/6/5), and 51 patients completed the 2-year follow-up. Serum cFLC was 31.1 mg·L−1 on average and ranged widely (1.4 to 89.9 mg·L−1). The patients with low cFLC (below the mean−sd, n=6) experienced a significantly shorter time to the first exacerbation of COPD (p<0.0001 by the log-rank test). A multivariate Cox proportional hazard model, including the COPD assessment test score, % predicted forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1 % pred), and number of previous exacerbations demonstrated that low cFLC and low FEV1 % pred were independently and significantly correlated with the risk for exacerbations of COPD. Conclusion: Low cFLC may be a B-cell-associated novel biomarker associated with risk of COPD exacerbation