Portal hypertension associated with anticardiolipin antibodies in a case of systemic lupus erythematosus.

A 26-year-old man with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and a history of acute myocardial infarction developed portal hypertension accompanied by abnormal liver function and esophageal varices. As his clinical course suggested the possibility of antiphospholipid syndrome, a titer of anticardiolipin antibody (aCL) was serially measured using an enzyme immunoassay with beta 2-glycoprotein I as a cofactor. The titer of aCL increased with the development of portal hypertension, and promptly decreased with the improvement of liver function just after corticosteroid therapy.

Detection of adult T-cell leukemia-derived factor/human thioredoxin in human serum.

Adult T-cell leukemia (ATL)-derived factor (ADF), originally defined as an inducer of interleukin-2 receptor/alpha-chain (IL-2R/p55) of human T-lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) positive T cells, is a human homologue of redox-active coenzyme thioredoxin (Trx) of Escherichia coli. In this study, an enzymatic assay system based on the dithiol-dependent insulin-reducing activity of ADF/Trx was established (insulin-reducing assay) to determine the amount of ADF/Trx in human serum using NADPH and Trx reductase purified from human placenta. Insulin-reducing activity was detected in all of the serum samples from healthy volunteers (n = 30) screened by this assay, with a mean +/- SD of 10.

An information network for community medical care.

An information network for community medical care was established by the Himeji Medical Association in 1987. The network interconnects through public telephone a central computer located at the office of the Medical Association with personal computers installed in the offices of members of the Association. An overview of the network, which is in full operation, is given, and current problems and future directions are discussed.

Enhancing effect of 17 beta-estradiol on human NK cell activity.

The in vitro effect of 17 beta-estradiol on NK activity was studied. The proliferation and NK activity of YT-N17 (a human NK-like cell line) were enhanced by 17 beta-estradiol (E2), and the enhancement was blocked by tamoxifen (Tx), an antagonist of E2. On the contrary, other steroid hormones such as Tx, progesterone, and testosterone had no effect.