Extracorporeal immunoadsorption with IM-PH or IM-TR column.

In order to selectively remove pathogenic macromolecular reactants, a biological affinity type adsorbent (a DNA colloidin charcoal column or protein A sepharose CL4B = Prosorba) has been developed and used for the treatment of immune disorders, alloimmunization and cancer. However, because physiologically active materials are required in this procedure, it is difficult to ensure an adequate supply of raw materials (and their handling, sterilization and preservation as an immunoadsorbent. To overcome the above-mentioned problems, we developed physicochemical type immunoadsorbents IM-TR and IM-PH, which consist of polyvinyl alcohol gel where tryptophan, in the former, and phenylalanine, in the latter, is used as a ligand.

Insect-derived crude drugs in the Chinese Song dynasty.

Fifty-four kinds of crude drug derived from insects are listed in the "herbal" Jing-shi-zheng-lei-da-guang-ben-cao (1108 A.D.) edited during the Chinese Song dynasty (960-1280 A.

Reduction of Mo6+ with elemental sulfur by Thiobacillus ferrooxidans.

In the presence of phosphate ions, molybdic ions (Mo6+) were reduced enzymatically with elemental sulfur by washed intact cells of Thiobacillus ferrooxidans to give molybdenum blue. The whole-cell activity that reduced Mo6+ was totally due to cellular sulfur:ferric ion oxidoreductase (SFORase) (T. Sugio, W.

Reliable indices for the determination of viability of grafted liver immediately after orthotopic transplantation. Bile flow rate and cellular adenosine triphosphate level.

One of the major problems accompanying liver transplantation is how to evaluate the viability of the grafted tissue at an early stage. The ability to assess immediate graft function would provide results useful in the determination of prognosis. The present study was undertaken to determine whether bile flow rates after liver transplantation were correlated with adenosine triphosphate levels and the survival of rats given transplants.

Thermostable alanine racemase from Bacillus stearothermophilus: DNA and protein sequence determination and secondary structure prediction.

The nucleotide sequence of the alanine racemase (EC 5.1.1.

Monocyte-mediated suppression of rheumatoid factor production in normal subjects.

The regulatory role of normal monocytes in the production of rheumatoid factor (RF) was investigated. Monocyte depletion from normal mononuclear cells (MNC) resulted in an elaboration of IgM RF in 18 of 20 subjects. The increased RF production was inhibited by the addition to the cultures of adherent cells or their culture supernatants.

Synthesis of an Iron-Oxidizing System during Growth of Thiobacillus ferrooxidans on Sulfur-Basal Salts Medium.

It was found that the de novo synthesis of not only sulfur:ferric ion oxidoreductase (ferric ion-reducing system) but also iron oxidase was absolutely required when Thiobacillus ferrooxidans AP19-3 was grown on sulfur-salts medium. The results strongly suggest that iron oxidase is involved in sulfur oxidation. This bacterium could not grow on sulfur-salts medium under anaerobic conditions with Fe as a terminal electron acceptor, suggesting that energy conservation by electron transfer between elemental sulfur and Fe is not available for this bacterium.

Existence of a new type of sulfite oxidase which utilizes ferric ions as an electron acceptor in Thiobacillus ferrooxidans.

A new type of sulfite oxidase which utilizes ferric ion (Fe3+) as an electron acceptor was found in iron-grown Thiobacillus ferrooxidans. It was localized in the plasma membrane of the bacterium and had a pH optimum at 6.0.

Synthesis of 11C-methylated inulin as a radiopharmaceutical for imaging brain edema and pulmonary edema.

11C-methylated inulin, supposedly useful for imaging of brain edema and pulmonary edema, was prepared using cyclotron produced 11CO2. The synthesis consists of the production of 11C-methyl iodide and its coupling with inulin alkoxide sodium in dimethylsulfoxide as solvent. 11C labeled inulin was purified by alcohol precipitation.

Simple method for the analysis of food dyes on reversed-phase thin-layer plates.

A technique for the determination of food dyes using reversed-phase thin-layer chromatography on octadecyl-modified silica is described. A solvent system containing 5.0% aqueous sodium sulphate solution enables good separation of the food dyes.

Purification and some properties of sulfur:ferric ion oxidoreductase from Thiobacillus ferrooxidans.

A sulfur:ferric ion oxidoreductase that utilizes ferric ion (Fe3+) as an electron acceptor of elemental sulfur was purified from iron-grown Thiobacillus ferrooxidans to an electrophoretically homogeneous state. Under anaerobic conditions in the presence of Fe3+, the enzyme reduced 4 mol of Fe3+ with 1 mol of elemental sulfur to give 4 mol of Fe2+ and 1 mol of sulfite, indicating that it corresponds to a ferric ion-reducing system (T. Sugio, C.

Ischemic damage prevention by coenzyme Q10 treatment of the donor before orthotopic liver transplantation: biochemical and histologic findings.

This study was undertaken to determine whether pretreatment of the donor rat with coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) would protect against hepatic ischemia induced for 30 minutes at normothermic body temperature. Fresh liver transplants were used as controls (minus warm ischemia of 30 minutes) and gave a 1-week survival rate of 84.6%.

Development of potent aldose reductase inhibitors having a hydantoin structure.

Seventeen hydantoin derivatives were tested as inhibitors of aldose reductase, an enzyme believed to participate in the initiation of diabetic complications. Nine compounds with high inhibitory activities (IC50 values against purified rat lens aldose reductase less than or equal to 1.06 X 10(-6)M) were tested further for their abilities to prevent sorbitol accumulation induced by exposure of excised rat lens and sciatic nerve to a high glucose concentration (50 mM).

Time-dependent inhibition of Bacillus stearothermophilus alanine racemase by (1-aminoethyl)phosphonate isomers by isomerization to noncovalent slowly dissociating enzyme-(1-aminoethyl)phosphonate complexes.

An alanine racemase encoded by a gene from the thermophilic Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus stearothermophilus is overproduced to 0.3% of the soluble protein when carried on plasmid pICR4 in Escherichia coli [Inagaki, K., Tanizawa, K.

Thermostable alanine racemase from Bacillus stearothermophilus: molecular cloning of the gene, enzyme purification, and characterization.

The alanine racemase (EC 5.1.1.