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Biomedical subjects

K Kura

Publications and source records attributed to K Kura.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

A case report of the immunodysplasia syndrome and heavy chain disease associated with subacute bacterial endocarditis.

A 36-year-old man was admitted to Saitama Medical School Hospital, because of a remittent fever which had continued for approximately 6 months, hepatosplenomegaly and lymphadenopathy. He had direct Coombs' test positive auto-immune hemolytic anemia associted with subacute bacterial endocarditis (SBE). The lymphnode demonstrated focal diffuse proliferation of immunoblasts and arborizing vessels with a few small germinal centers, which resembled histological features of the immunoblastic lymphadenopathy. The immunochemical analysis revealed the presence of free IgG Fc fragments in serum. From the above results the patient was diagnosed as immunodysplasia syndrome (IDS) and heavy chain disease (HCD) associated with SBE. It was suggested that the chronic antigenic stimulation due to SBE might have some role in the mechanism of the development of the IDS and HCD in our patient.

Adult

The presence of new permeability factor in serum of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and its significance.

We have found a new permeability factor in serum of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. It is non-dialyzable, heat stable, and long acting as compared to histamine or bradykinin which is short acting. It has no esterolytic nor smooth muscle contracting activities. It is not inhibited by anti-histamine drugs, soy bean trypsin inhibitor, DFP or Cl esterase inhibitor. It is independent of the kallikrein system. It has the common antigenicity with IgG Fc fragments. Its approximate molecular weight is about 55,000. So we tentatively call this permeability factor IgG-PF. Intravenous injections of HGG-anti-HGG immune complex, which has been formed by antigen-antibody reactions in 20 times antigen excess, into rats resulted in no immune complex nephritis. However, intravenous injections of HGG-anti-HGG immune complex with IgG-PF resulted in immune complex nephritis in rats. The above immune complex nephritis was inhibited by administrations of sulfapyridine but not by administrations of anti-histamine. These results indicate that IgG-PF plays some roles in the mechanism of immune complex nephritis.

Animals

A new method for evaluating an increased general capillary permeability in patients.

The difference between total plasma volume determined with a substance which escapes from vascular beds in the presence of an increase of general capillary permeability and that determined with a substance which is confined to blood even in the presence of an increased capillary permeability may reflect the degree of an increase of general capillary permeability. The total plasma volume was determined by simultaneous injections of 131I-HSA and 51Cr tagged red cells. The capillary permeability was evaluated by calculating the difference (deltaTPV) between total plasma volume determined with 131I-HSA and that determined with 51Cr tagged red cell. deltaTPV in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, chronic active hepatitis, liver cirrhosis and subacute baterial endocarditis was larger than that of controls, averaging 204ml/m2, 178 ml/m2, 82 ml/m2, 131 ml/m2 and 179 ml/m2, respectively. The increase of deltaTPV was considered to indicate the increase of capillary permeability in these patients. A permeability increasing factor was present in serum of patients with an elevated deltaTPV. There was a significant correlation between deltaTPV and the titer of serum capillary permeability increasing factor in these patients.

Adult

Fibrin degradation products in renal diseases.

Levels of serum fibrin degradation products (FDP) were determined in patients with acute nephritis, chronic nephritis, lupus nephritis and toxemia of pregnancy by the passive hemagglutination inhibition test. Serum FDP levels were less than 10 mug/ml in normal control adults, averaging 3.2 +/- 1.2 mug/ml. The incidence of serum FDP positive patients (more than 10 mug/ml) in those with acute nephritis, chronic nephritis, lupus nephritis and toxemia of pregnancy was 28%, 73%, 100% and 100%, respectively. Their serum FDP levels averaged 8.4 +/- 5.6 mug/ml, 16.0 +/- 5.9 mug/ml, 21.4 +/- 7.6 mug/ml and 35 mug/ml, respectively. Plasma fibrinogen levels, prothrombin time, partial thromboplastin time, euglobulin lysis time and platelet counts were within normal limits in serum FDP positive patients with renal diseases, indicating that there was no severe disseminated intravascular coagulation. All FDP positive patients with renal diseases of immunological origin demonstrated the deposition of fibrin within glomeruli with complement and immunoglobulin deposits. However, FDP positive patients with toxemia of pregnancy demonstrated fibrin depositions within glomeruli without complement and immunoglobulin deposits. FDP D fragments of urine from lupus nephritis patients showed no changes in immunoelectrophoretic patterns by heat treatment, indicating that urine FDP was derived from secondary fibrinolysis.

Acute Disease

[Results of treatment with Pavlik harness for congenital dislocation of the hip (author's transl)].

The results of treatment with Pavlik harness in 168 hip joints have been reviewed. The average follow-up period was 8 years 6 months. In total 114 hip joints were treated only by Pavlik harness. Four hip joints were treated by surgical methods after conservative treatment. The results were very good in 81.0%. Subluxated hips were in 8.9%. Coxa valga et antetorta in 6.0% and deformed head in 4.1%. In a high percentage of our cases radiologically very good results were found. Joint development must be further followed up.

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