Annular erythema associated with Sjögren's syndrome.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to N Teramoto.
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For the diagnosis of allergic rhinitis we measured the specific IgE and the total serum IgE in the blood. Although we had measured them by the conventional Phadebas RAST and the Pharmacia IgE RIA before, we now adopted the new Pharmacia CAP System (CAP RAST FEIA and CAP IgE FEIA). To compare these methods, we measured the specific IgE to the cedar pollen and total serum IgE in the same blood of 224 hospital staff at the regular physical examination. As a result the new Pharmacia CAP System proved to be simpler, safer, faster, easier, more specific, and more sensitive than the Phadebas RAST and the Pharmacia IgE RIA. And also these methods correlated well with each other.
Eleven cases of Hodgkin's disease (HD) were examined for the presence of the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) genome, using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to detect EBV DNA in whole paraffin-embedded tissue specimens and in single cells picked out from the specimens with a micromanipulator. The EBV genome was detected in 5 of the 11 cases by conventional PCR. Single cell PCR demonstrated the EBV genome in Reed-Sternberg cells from all the EBV-positive cases, but not from any of the EBV-negative cases. Background lymphocytes and lysozyme-positive histiocytes from EBV-positive cases did not contain the EBV genome. These results indicate an etiological association of EBV with some cases of HD.
The cardiovascular effects of 3-pyridine carboxylic acid 5-[(cyclopropylamino)carbonyl]-1,4-dihydro-2,6-dimethyl-4-(2-nitro phenyl) oxtyl ester (NP-252, CAS 132031-81-3) were examined in anesthetized closed- or open-chest dogs and Langendorff perfused rabbit hearts, and compared with those of nifedipine (NF) and nicardipine (NC). In anesthetized closed- and open-chest dogs, NP-252 (i.v.) selectively increased vertebral and coronary blood flow with a fall in mean blood pressure (MBP). These effects were nearly equipotent with those of NF and NC, but more durable. A similar effect was obtained by intraduodenal administration of NP-252. Also, NP-252 (i.v.) decreased MBP, total peripheral resistance (TPR), left ventricular pressure and dLVP/dtmax while cardiac output (CO) and stroke volume (SV) increased without apparent changes in heart rate and myocardial contractility index. Decreases in MBP and TPR by NP-252 were equipotent with NF and NC, whereas increases in CO and SV were more potent than those of the two drugs. These actions of NP-252 were longer than those of the reference agents. Further, in perfused rabbit hearts, NO-252 increased coronary perfusion flow (CPF), accompanying a slight negative inotropy. Its effect in CPF was equipotent with NF and 2 times less than that of NC, however the duration was much longer than those of the reference drugs. On the other hand, the negative inotropic effect of NP-252 was less than NF, but greater than that of NC. In the preparations controlled by pacing, NP-252 and NF lengthened atrio-His bundle conduction time, without affecting His bundle-ventricular conduction time. Lengthening effect of NP-252 was about 4 times less than that of NF. These results suggest that NP-252 acts more selectively on vascular smooth muscle than cardiac muscle, and has almost equipotent but markedly longer vasodilating actions as compared to NF and NC. It may be expected that NP-252 is a new generation of tissue specific and long acting Ca2+ antagonist.
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Annular erythema developed in 22 patients with Sjögren syndrome. Clinically, the annular erythema was subdivided into three forms: Sweet disease-like annular erythema with an elevated border (14 cases); subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus (SCLE)-like marginally scaled erythema (5 cases); and papular erythema (3 cases). Histopathologically, features commonly seen in annular erythema are deep perivascular and/or periappendageal infiltration of the lymphocytes with an admixture of neutrophils or plasma cells and less frequent epidermal changes suggestive of cutaneous lupus erythematosus. Immunoglobulin or complement deposition along the dermoepidermal junction of lesional skin was observed in 8 of 18 cases, and most of the dermal infiltrates consisted of CD4(+), 4B4(+) cells. The appearance of anti-SS-A(Ro) (100%) and anti-SS-B(La) (77%) was significantly higher in patients with annular erythema. These results suggest that patients with Sjögren syndrome might have a distinct annular erythematous lesion that is both clinically and histopathologically different from SCLE, although close immunologic abnormalities exist in these two diseases.
The efficacy of ofloxacin for the treatment of lower respiratory tract infection was evaluated in aged patients with chronic lung disease. Results are the following: improvement of leukocytosis and arterial oxygen tension was observed; peripheral blood cell analysis showed a decrease in natural killer cell counts and in helper/suppressor T cell ratio; superoxide production by peripheral blood white cells was decreased after treatment; interleukin-2 production was rather increased. We concluded that improvement in the immunological parameters indicated the efficacy of ofloxacin for lower respiratory tract infection in aged patients with chronic lung disease.
The effects of E4080 [(E)-N-[3-[N'-(2-(3,5-dimethoxyphenyl)ethyl)-N'-methyl)amino)propyl]-4- (4-(1H-imidazol-1-yl)phenyl)-3-butenamide dihydrochloride dihydrate] on ionic currents recorded from the rabbit portal vein were investigated by using the patch-clamp technique. A depolarization of the membrane produced an inward Ca current (ICa), a transient outward current (ITO), a sustained outward current (ISO) and an oscillatory outward current (IOO), whereas a hyperpolarization of the membrane produced a hyperpolarization-activated current (Ih). When ICa was evoked by a depolarizing pulse to 0 mV from the holding potential of -80 mV, 1 microM E4080 increased and higher concentrations (10 microM) inhibited ICa, whereas, at the holding potential of -60 mV, E4080 (greater than 1 microM) consistently inhibited ICa, in a concentration-dependent manner. E4080 inhibited ITO, ISO (greater than or equal to 1 microM) and Ih (greater than or equal to 0.1 microM) concentration dependently. Inasmuch as 1 microM E4080 did not inhibit ICa at the holding potential of -80 mV, the inhibition of ITO induced by 1 microM E4080 was not related to the inhibition of ICa. When a continuous depolarization (0 mV) was applied to the cell, E4080 (1 microM) produced a maintained outward current (14.0 +/- 15.3 pA), which was inhibited by glibenclamide. I infinity was inhibited by E4080 (greater than or equal to 0.1 microM) and application of 1 microM glibenclamide partly restored I infinity.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
In four patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome a distinct annular erythema developed, which was characterized by a wide, elevated border (which can be likened to a doughnut ring) and central pallor. Histologically, there was a coat sleeve-like infiltration of lymphocytes around blood vessels and nuclear debris in the connective tissue. Vasculitis or epidermal changes suggestive of lupus erythematosus were not observed, and there was no immunoglobulin deposition along the basement membrane zone. This annular erythema may be a cutaneous manifestation of Sjögren's syndrome.
Co-cultivation of thymus and spleen cells of Fisher and Lewis rats with lethally irradiated MT-2 cells harboring human T-cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-I) resulted in the establishment of lymphoid cell lines, FIRT-1, FIRS-1, LERT-1, and LERS-1, respectively. Cells of these cell lines had rat T-cell characters as demonstrated by the positive reaction to monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) to rat T cell antigens (Thy 1 and pan T). They lacked surface immunoglobulins and strongly expressed rat interleukin-2 receptor antigen (Tac) and Ia antigen. Karyotypic analysis revealed that they had the normal rat karyotype in early cultures, but showed marked aneuploidy after long cultivation. None of them expressed HTLV gag proteins (p19 and p24) or virus particles, but they contained HTLV-I proviral DNA monoclonally and weakly expressed pX gene products (p40x). They were not transplantable into syngeneic newborn rats.
In this study, we demonstrated that the patients with PSS who develop proteinuria during the course are much more prone to develop lung fibrosis, telangiectasia, serositis and esophageal hypomotility. They also exhibited positive LE cell phenomenon, lupus band test, thrombocytopenia and leukopenia. The mortality rate is significantly higher in proteinuria positive patients and abnormal clinical data described above seem to be the risk factors for the development of renal involvement in PSS.
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General pharmacological properties of guanabenz (GUB), a new anti-hypertensive agent, were studied in comparison with those of clonidine (CLD) and guanethidine (GUD). Intravenous or peroral administration of GUB caused a contraction of the nictitating membrane in cats and mydriasis in mice, while it produced an inhibitions of the gastrointestinal motility in dogs; the motility of isolated rabbit ileum; and chacol transport, salivation and gastric acid secretion in rats. GUB had no or slight inhibitory actions on contractile responses induced by peripheral sympathetic or parasympathetic nerve stimulation in various organs; however, it had antagonistic actions against the norepinephrine-induced contraction of isolated guinea-pig vas deferens. The contractile responses to epinephrine and tyramine in the nictitating membrane and to sympathetic nerve stimulation in isolated guinea-pig vas deferens were potentiated by GUB. GUB specifically antagonized the serotonin-induced contraction of the isolated rat fundus strip and nonspecifically inhibited acetylcholine, histamine or Ba2+-induced contractions of isolated guinea-pig ileum at higher concentrations. GUB exhibited local anesthetic actions and diuretic effects, but had no particular actions on neuromuscular transmission, isolated rat uterus, guinea-pig tracheal muscle and the hematic system. These effects of GUB were found to be almost identical with but less potent than those of CLD. The effects of GUD were basically different from GUB.
A novel ligase ribozyme was in vitro selected from a random-sequence RNA library including N(6)-aminohexyl-modified adenine residues in place of natural adenine residues. This ribozyme mediated the formation of a phosphodiester bond with a DNA oligonucleotide through condensation with a 5'-triphosphate moiety on the ribozyme. Among the clones isolated from this selection, one was shown to accelerate ligation about 250-fold compared to the original random-sequence RNA library. Almost no rate acceleration was observed when the N(6)-aminohexyl-groups on adenine residues were omitted. Furthermore, ligation was dependent on the presence of a template DNA oligonucleotide that bridged the two strands.
OBJECTIVE: The functions of the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-encoded small RNAs (EBER-1 and EBER-2) are unknown. We examined their fine intranuclear localization as the first step to investigate their function. METHODS: We analyzed EBER-1 and EBER-2 by in situ hybridization combined with two-color immunofluorescence tagging. RESULTS: EBER-1 was visualized as fine dots, mainly in the euchromatin. Ribosomal protein L-22 also formed fine dots, similar to those formed by EBER-1, in the nuclei of EBV-carrying cells and colocalized with the latter by double staining. EBER-2 was predominantly found in the nucleoli and was also present in the euchromatin. The two EBERs were similarly expressed in B-cell lines of the different phenotypes examined. The EBERs showed no colocalization by double staining. Image analysis indicated that the level of their expression was not correlated. CONCLUSION: The differential localization and expression of the EBER-1 and EBER-2 suggests that they may play different functional roles.
OBJECTIVES: To understand the mechanism for the refractoriness of B-chronic lymphocyte leukemia (B-CLL) cells for EBV-induced immortalization. STUDY DESIGN/METHODS: Cells from four B-CLL patients were infected with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). Noninfected and infected aliquots were exposed to CD40L. Five days later, the cultures were analyzed for cell survival, activation, DNA synthesis, and expression of EBV-encoded and of cellular regulatory proteins retinoblastoma (Rb), p53, recombinant sequence binding protein (RBP)Jk, and PU.1. The proteins were detected by immunoblotting and by immunofluorescence. RESULTS: A proportion of the cells were activated and expressed Epstein-Barr nuclear antigens (EBNAs) and elevated Rb level but not latent membrane protein (LMP)-1 and p53. They did not enter the cell cycle. Exposure to CD40L induced DNA synthesis but it did not modify the expression of the EBNAs. CONCLUSIONS: The virus could activate CLL cells, but the full course of the early events that leads to immortalization--as seen in normal B cells--did not proceed beyond a certain point. Compared to B lymphocytes, the critical point is between activation and initiation of the cell cycle.
OBJECTIVES: To understand the mechanism for the refractoriness of B-chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) cells for Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-induced immortalization. STUDY DESIGN/METHODS: Cultures were initiated with EBV-infected tonsillar B and B-CLL cells. Expression of EBNA-2 and some of the key players regulating G1/S phase transition such as c-myc expression, phosphorylation of Rb protein, expression of G1 cyclins, and the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p27 were followed. RESULTS: In line with earlier studies, EBV infection induced c-myc expression, pRb phosphorylation, D2 and D3 expression, and disappearance of p27 in normal B cells. In contrast, EBV-infected B-CLL cells remained resting and they did not express c-myc; cyclin D2, ppRb and cyclin D3 were seen only in occasional cells. Importantly, p27 expression was maintained. CONCLUSIONS: In B-CLL cells, the expression of the EBV-encoded nuclear proteins EBNAs is not followed by entrance to the cell cycle. Thus, the difference in the interaction of EBV-normal B cells and EBV-B-CLL cells is already apparent early after infection.