The 150-kilodalton oxygen-regulated protein ameliorates lipopolysaccharide-induced acute lung injury in mice.

The 150-kd oxygen-regulated protein is a novel stress protein that is located in the endoplasmic reticulum and contributes to cell survival when this organelle is under stress. Expression of this protein was strongly increased in alveolar macrophages and alveolar epithelial cells from mice with acute lung injury induced by lipopolysaccharide. Transgenic mice overexpressing the 150-kd protein showed decreased histological severity of this lung injury, accompanied by lower total protein concentrations, and lactate dehydrogenase activity in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid.

[A case of tricuspid valve infective endocarditis presenting with multiple nodular shadows in both lungs without known predisposing factors].

A 56-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital with fever, cough, and sputum production. Her chest radiograph and chest computed tomography showed multiple nodules. Laboratory findings revealed leukocytosis and an increased C-reactive protein concentration.

Allergic bronchial asthma: airway inflammation and hyperresponsiveness.

The international consensus report on diagnosis and treatment of asthma was published in 1992 (Clin Exp Allergy 22: 1-72). According to the report, asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways in which many cells play a role, including mast cells and eosinophils. Airway inflammation causes various symptoms of asthma which are usually associated with widespread but variable airflow obstruction and causes an associated increase in airway responsiveness to a variety of stimuli.

[A case of scurvy with alveolar hemorrhage].

A 53-yr-old man with a history of chronic renal failure was admitted to the hospital of Hyogo College of Medicine on March 24th, 1999, because of severe continuous hemoptysis. On February 14th, 1999, the patient had undergone a cadaveric kidney transplantation in the urology department of another hospital. He did not experience any immunological reactions due to tissue rejection.

Role of interleukin-12 in the regulation of CD4+ T cell apoptosis in a mouse model of asthma.

Allergic asthma, a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways, is characterized by the presence of T helper 2 cells and eosinophils in sputum, bronchoalveolar lavage, and mucosal biopsy specimens. Although the T helper 1-promoting cytokine, interleukin-12, is capable of inhibiting the T helper 2-driven asthma symptoms and bronchial responsiveness, the specific mechanisms underlying these interleukin-12 actions are unclear. The anti-allergic response to interleukin-12 is only partially dependent on interferon-gamma, which induces apoptosis by enhancing expression of Fas antigen.

[Expression of heme oxygenase-1 and its effects in allergic airway inflammation and hyperresponsiveness].

We investigated whether an expression of hemeoxygenase-1 (HO-1) within the lung tissue is related to allergic airway inflammation and HO-1 expression could influence airway hyperreactivity (AHR) and eosinophilia in C57BL/6 mice actively sensitized to ovalbumin. The number of HO-1 positive cells was increased in the subepithelium of the bronchi after OVA challenge and HO-1 was localized to alveolar macrophage.Zinc-protoporphyrin (Zn-PP), a competitive inhibitor of hemeoxygenase, by intraperitoneal injection clearly inhibited AHR, pulmonary eosinophilia and IL-5 and IL-13 in the lung tissue.

[An autopsy case of desmoplastic malignant mesothelioma].

On November 15, 2000, a 60-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with progressive dyspnea and right chest pain. He had a 40-year history of occupational asbestos exposure, which began when he was 20 years old. On admission, his chest radiographs showed pleural effusion on the right side, and asbestos bodies were detected in his sputum.

[A case of pulmonary sarcoidosis with pneumothorax and pleural effusion after improvement of pulmonary impairment].

A 23-year-old man was admitted to our hospital for a complete medical evaluation of abnormal pulmonary shadows found on a chest radiograph during his annual check-up. Chest radiography and chest CT showed a diffuse spread of micronodules in both lung fields and mediastinal lymphadenopathy. A transbronchial lung biopsy demonstrated evidence of noncaseating epithelioid cell granuloma with multinucleated giant cells, and a diagnosis of sarcoidosis was made.

[A case of desmoplastic malignant mesothelioma with elevated serum CYFRA 21-1].

A 70-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital for medical evaluation of a right side pleural effusion, which was pointed out at another hospital. Chest CT revealed a right pleural effusion with diffuse and irregular pleural thickening. Percutaneous pleural biopsy showed hypocellular collagenous tissue without malignant cells.

[A case of Mycobacterium intracellulare infection complicated by immotile cilia syndrome].

A 25-year-old woman with a history of immotile cilia syndrome (ICS) was admitted to our hospital with dyspnea. Chest roentgenography revealed dense infiltrates in both lower lung fields in addition to bronchiectasis and small nodular opacities, which had been observed previously. Transbronchial lung biopsy demonstrated evidence of non-caseating epithelioid cell granuloma.

Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) protein induction in a mouse model of asthma.

Background And Objective: Carbon monoxide (CO) is known to be present in measurable quantities in the exhalation of asthmatic patients. Corticosteroid treatment resulted in a decrease in exhaled CO levels in asthmatic patients, raising the possibility that an increase in exhaled CO concentration reflects inflammation of the asthmatic airway. Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) protein, also called HSP32, is the rate-limiting enzyme in the catabolism of heme to biliverdin, free iron and CO.

[Pleural malignant mesothelioma complicated by multiple myeloma].

A 79-year-old woman was admitted because of dyspnea. Chest X-ray films and computed tomographic scans disclosed left pleural effusion and diffuse pleural thickening. A diagnosis of multiple myeloma was made on the basis of blood tests and bone marrow aspiration biopsy findings.

Renin-angiotensin system component gene polymorphism in Japanese bronchial asthma patients.

The influence of renin-angiotensin system (RAS) component gene polymorphism in the pathogenesis of bronchial asthma was investigated in an association study involving 119 bronchial asthma patients and 208 control subjects. The selected RAS polymorphisms were angiotensinogen (Agt) T235/M235 and angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) insertion/deletion (I/D). The control allelic frequencies of the Agt T235/M235 (0.

[Nedaplatin and etoposide combination chemotherapy in a patient with small cell carcinoma undergoing hemodialysis].

A 61-year-old man with chronic renal failure caused by polycystic kidney disease requiring hemodialysis three times weekly developed small cell carcinoma of the lung. The patient received combination chemotherapy with nedaplatin (50 mg) and etoposide (50 mg). Blood levels were monitored, showing that nedaplatin was more dialyzable than cisplatin.

Kinetics of apoptosis in the lung of mice with allergic airway inflammation.

Background: Apoptosis has been suggested as a means to facilitate the resolution of eosinophilic inflammation in bronchial asthma. However, the natural course of apoptosis has not been elucidated in vivo, and there is no direct evidence for eosinophilic apoptosis within lung tissue.

Objective: The purpose of this study is to clarify whether the apoptosis occurs within the lung tissue, and to define the time-course of change in apoptosis ratio during the resolution of pulmonary eosinophilic inflammation.

Two cases of eosinophilic gastroenteritis associated with analgesic-induced bronchial asthma.

Two patients (one male and one female) with bronchial asthma were diagnosed as having eosinophilic gastroenteritis (EG). The condition was revealed by biopsies through fibrescopic endoscopy. According to the Klein classification, they had mucosal disease.

[Large-cell carcinoma presenting as diffuse thickening of the pleura and resembling malignant mesothelioma].

A 65-year-old man had a right-sided pleural effusion. A thoracic CT scan revealed diffuse pleural thickening resembling malignant mesothelioma. Repeated needle biopsies did not yield a definitive diagnosis.

[Long-term follow-up and autopsy of a Japanese patient who had emphysema associated with alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency].

A 49-year-old woman was found to have emphysema associated with alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency in February 1975. She was followed until her death in October, 1994. The Pi phenotype was M null and the genotype was M malton.