Successful Bridge-to-Recovery Treatment in a Young Patient with Fulminant Eosinophilic Myocarditis: Roles of a Percutaneous Ventricular Assist Device and Endomyocardial Biopsy.

Eosinophilic myocarditis (EM) is a rare condition characterized by myocardial eosinophilic infiltration due to various underlying etiologies. The patient with EM may benefit from appropriate use of mechanical circulatory support (MCS) that acts as a bridge to myocardial recovery in response to effective immunosuppressive therapy. A 16-year-old boy presented with cardiogenic shock due to fulminant myocarditis, for which a percutaneous ventricular assist device (PVAD) was immediately inserted.

G196 epitope tag system: a novel monoclonal antibody, G196, recognizes the small, soluble peptide DLVPR with high affinity.

The recognition specificity of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) has made mAbs among the most frequently used tools in both basic science research and in clinical diagnosis and therapies. Precise determination of the epitope allows the development of epitope tag systems to be used with recombinant proteins for various purposes. Here we describe a new family of tag derived from the epitope recognized by a highly specific mAb G196.

Structural insight into photoactivation of an adenylate cyclase from a photosynthetic cyanobacterium.

Cyclic-AMP is one of the most important second messengers, regulating many crucial cellular events in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes, and precise spatial and temporal control of cAMP levels by light shows great promise as a simple means of manipulating and studying numerous cell pathways and processes. The photoactivated adenylate cyclase (PAC) from the photosynthetic cyanobacterium Oscillatoria acuminata (OaPAC) is a small homodimer eminently suitable for this task, requiring only a simple flavin chromophore within a blue light using flavin (BLUF) domain. These domains, one of the most studied types of biological photoreceptor, respond to blue light and either regulate the activity of an attached enzyme domain or change its affinity for a repressor protein.

Structure-based analysis of domain function of chitin oligosaccharide deacetylase from Vibrio parahaemolyticus.

The X-ray crystal structure of chitin oligosaccharide deacetylase from Vibrio parahaemolyticus (Vp-COD) was determined at an 1.35 Å resolution. The amino acid sequence and structure of Vp-COD show that the enzyme comprises one polysaccharide deacetylase domain (PDD) and two carbohydrate-binding domains (CBDs).

The crystal structure of the active domain of Anopheles anti-platelet protein, a powerful anti-coagulant, in complex with an antibody.

Blood clotting is a vitally important process that must be carefully regulated to prevent blood loss on one hand and thrombosis on the other. Severe injury and hemophilia may be treated with pro-coagulants, whereas risk of obstructive clotting or embolism may be reduced with anti-coagulants. Anti-coagulants are an extremely important class of drug, one of the most widely used types of medication, but there remains a pressing need for novel treatments, however, as present drugs such as warfarin have significant drawbacks.

Capturing the hemoglobin allosteric transition in a single crystal form.

Allostery in many oligomeric proteins has been postulated to occur via a ligand-binding-driven conformational transition from the tense (T) to relaxed (R) state, largely on the basis of the knowledge of the structure and function of hemoglobin, the most thoroughly studied of all allosteric proteins. However, a growing body of evidence suggests that hemoglobin possesses a variety of intermediates between the two end states. As such intermediate forms coexist with the end states in dynamic equilibrium and cannot be individually characterized by conventional techniques, very little is known about their properties and functions.

Homopiperazine derivatives as a novel class of proteasome inhibitors with a unique mode of proteasome binding.

The proteasome is a proteolytic machinery that executes the degradation of polyubiquitinated proteins to maintain cellular homeostasis. Proteasome inhibition is a unique and effective way to kill cancer cells because they are sensitive to proteotoxic stress. Indeed, the proteasome inhibitor bortezomib is now indispensable for the treatment of multiple myeloma and other intractable malignancies, but is associated with patient inconvenience due to intravenous injection and emerging drug resistance.

Structures and oxygen affinities of crystalline human hemoglobin C (β6 Glu->Lys) in the R and R2 quaternary structures.

Recent crystallographic studies suggested that fully liganded human hemoglobin can adopt multiple quaternary conformations that include the two previously solved relaxed conformations, R and R2, whereas fully unliganded deoxyhemoglobin may adopt only one T (tense) quaternary conformation. An important unanswered question is whether R, R2, and other relaxed quaternary conformations represent different physiological states with different oxygen affinities. Here, we answer this question by showing the oxygen equilibrium curves of single crystals of human hemoglobin in the R and R2 state.

Crystallization and preliminary crystallographic studies of the butyrolactone autoregulator receptor protein (BarA) from Streptomyces virginiae.

The Streptomyces butyrolactone autoregulator receptor protein (BarA) is a DNA-binding protein that regulates the biosynthesis of the antibiotic virginiamycin. In this study, BarA from S. virginiae was overexpressed in Escherichia coli, purified and crystallized.

Structural insight into the essential PB1-PB2 subunit contact of the influenza virus RNA polymerase.

Influenza virus RNA-dependent RNA polymerase is a multi-functional heterotrimer, which uses a 'cap-snatching' mechanism to produce viral mRNA. Host cell mRNA is cleaved to yield a cap-bearing oligonucleotide, which can be extended using viral genomic RNA as a template. The cap-binding and endonuclease activities are only activated once viral genomic RNA is bound.

[A case of sarcoidosis with diabetes insipidus].

A 15-year-old girl was admitted to our hospital because of polydipsia, polyuria, bilateral hilar lymphadenopathy and uveitis. A diagnosis of sarcoidosis with central diabetes insipidus was made by radiological, serological, bronchoalveolar lavage examinations, fluid restriction test and vasopression test. Prednisolone therapy improved all of her clinical findings except diabetes insipidus.

Structural characterization of the photoswitchable fluorescent protein Dronpa-C62S.

The photoswitching behavior of green fluorescent proteins (GFPs) or GFP-like proteins is increasingly recognized as a new technique for optical marking. Recently, Ando and his colleagues developed a new green fluorescent protein Dronpa, which possesses the unique photochromic property of being photoswitchable in a non-destructive manner. To better understand this mechanism, we determined the crystal structures of a new GFP Dronpa and its mutant C62S, at 1.

[A case of rheumatoid lung complicated by SELAPINA-induced pneumonia].

SELAPINA is generic product of PL granule which is one of the most common forms of combination remedies for the common cold in Japan, and includes acetaminophen. We report a case of SELAPINA-induced pneumonia successfully treated with glucocorticoid pulse therapy followed by orally administered prednisolone. A 68-year-old woman, who had been treated for rheumatoid arthiritis with pulmonary involvement, took SELAPINA with an antibiotic for 6 days because of her cold symptoms.

Interstitial pneumonia caused by inhalation of fumes of nickel and chrome.

Two male industrial painters were admitted to hospital with dry cough and dyspnoea on exertion following a tank coating operation using a high-temperature spray paint consisting of a nickel-chromium alloy. Both patients showed hypoxaemia, peripheral leukocytosis, high levels of serum cytokines and bilateral ground-glass opacities on a chest CT scan. They were diagnosed with interstitial pneumonia caused by inhalation of nickel and chrome fumes and successfully treated with corticosteroid.

Elevated levels of interferon gamma-inducible protein-10 and epithelial neutrophil-activating peptide-78 in patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis.

Objective And Background: Interferon gamma-inducible protein (IP)-10 and epithelial neutrophil-activating peptide (ENA)-78 belong to the CXC chemokine family and are important factors in inflammatory lung diseases. In sarcoidosis, the potential role of IP-10 to regulate the migration and activation of T-cells towards sites of sarcoid activity has been suggested.

Methods: In this study, the concentrations of IP-10 and ENA-78 in the serum and BAL fluid of patients with different stages of active pulmonary sarcoidosis (n=41) and healthy subjects (n=12) were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to evaluate the contribution of these CXC chemokines to this disease.

[Three cases of chronic bird fancier's lung associated with the use of feather bedclothes].

We report here 3 cases of chronic bird fancier's lung diagnosed immunologically using antibodies to pigeon dropping extract. None of the patients were bird fanciers but had indirect exposure to birds in their living environment, and had been using feather-filled duvets or pillows for a long time. Two of 3 cases were positive for environmental provocation tests and 2 cases had pathological findings of hypersensitivity pneumonitis such as multinucleated giant cells and non-necrotizing epithelioid cell granulomas.

[Familial summer-type hypersensitivity pneumonitis--case report and review of literature].

A 37-year-old-woman was admitted to our hospital because of chest bilateral reticular shadow with fever, cough, general malaise and exertional dyspnea in the summer. A diagnosis of summer-type hypersensitivity pneumonitis (SHP) was made by radiological, serological and histological examinations. Her 10-year-old daughter had chest reticular shadows and similar symptoms.

[A case of drug-induced pneumonia possibly associated with simvastatin].

A 59-year-old woman was admitted because of general fatigue, cough and progressive dyspnea about 5 months after treatment with simvastatin for hyperlipidemia. A chest radiograph and computed tomography scans revealed ground glass and reticular opacities in the right middle and lower lung fields. The percentage of peripheral blood eosinophils was elevated.

Comparison of BALF concentrations of ENA-78 and IP10 in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and nonspecific interstitial pneumonia.

Background: Epithelial neutrophil-activating peptide 78 (ENA-78) and interferon gamma-inducible protein 10 (IP10) belong to the CXC chemokine family and are considered to be important factors in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Idiopathic nonspecific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP) and IPF are the two largest subsets of idiopathic interstitial pneumonias (IIP). In patients with NSIP, the prognosis is generally good compared with IPF.

Expression of HSP47 in usual interstitial pneumonia and nonspecific interstitial pneumonia.

Background: Heat shock protein (HSP) 47, a collagen-specific molecular chaperone, is involved in the processing and/or secretion of procollagens, and its expression is increased in various fibrotic diseases. The aim of this study was to determine whether quantitative immunohistochemical evaluation of the expression levels of HSP47, type I procollagen and alpha-smooth muscle actin (SMA) allows the differentiation of idiopathic usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP) from UIP associated with collagen vascular disease (CVD) and idiopathic nonspecific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP).

Methods: We reviewed surgical lung biopsy specimens of 19 patients with idiopathic UIP, 7 with CVD-associated UIP and 16 with idiopathic NSIP and assigned a score for the expression of HSP47, type I procollagen and alpha-SMA in type II pneumocytes and/or lung fibroblasts (score 0 = no; 1 = weak; 2 = moderate; 3 = strong staining).

[A case of multiple pulmonary infarctions associated with Sjögren's syndrome and antipsychotic agent administration].

A 56-year-old woman presented with complaints of general malaise and left chest pain. Chest radiography and CT scanning revealed multiple nodules and infiltrations in both lung fields. Her symptoms diminished and the extent of some of the lung shadows decreased spontaneously.

Differential effects of alpha- and beta-defensin on cytokine production by cultured human bronchial epithelial cells.

Defensins are cysteine-rich cationic antimicrobial peptides that play an important role in innate immunity and are known to contribute to the regulation of host adaptive immunity. In addition to direct antimicrobial activities, it has been recently reported that alpha-defensins, mainly present in neutrophils in the lung, have a cytotoxic effect and induce IL-8 production from airway epithelial cells. Although beta-defensins are expressed in epithelial cells in various tissues, including lung, there are no reports of their effects on cytokine synthesis in airway epithelial cells.

High-BAL fluid concentrations of RANTES in nonspecific interstitial pneumonia compared with usual interstitial pneumonia.

Chemokines such as regulated on activation, normal T-cell expressed and secreted (RANTES), monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1, monocyte inflammatory protein (MIP)-lalpha have been reported to play an important role in the pathogenesis of interstitial lung diseases. Among idiopathic interstitial pneumonia (IIP), nonspecific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP) has elevated percentages of Lymphocytes in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid compared with usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP). These chemokines are candidate mediators for lymphocyte attraction to the lung in NSIR Therefore, we measured the BAL fluid levels of RANTES, MCP-1 and MIP1-alpha in 15 patients with idiopathic NSIP, 20 with idiopathic UIP, 22 with sarcoidosis and 12 healthy volunteers to evaluate the contribution of these chemokines using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays.