[A case of lymphocytic interstitial pneumonia].

A 56-year-old female was admitted on November 1995 to our hospital because of the abnormal shadow on her chest X-ray. Although the chest X ray film revealed diffuse reticulonodular shadows in the bilateral lung fields and right hilar lymphadenopathy, she had not any complaints. Furthermore, mediastinal lymphadenopathy and polyclonal hypergammaglobulinemia were noted.

Expression and processing of recombinant human galactosylceramidase.

Stable transformants of CHO cells that overexpress human galactosylceramidase (GALC) were established. The GALC within the cell consisted of 50- and 30-kDa proteins. The active GALC secreted into the culture medium in large amounts consisted of the 80-kDa precursor enzyme.

MAP kinase pathways as a route for regulatory mechanisms of IL-10 and IL-4 which inhibit COX-2 expression in human monocytes.

Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) are activated by various extracellular stimuli and play an important role in regulating the expression of proinflammatory molecules in monocytes/macrophages. We first questioned whether MAPK activation in involved in cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 expression in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated human monocytes. LPS induced the expression of COX-2 protein and COX-2 mRNA as well as the phosphorylation and activation of extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK)2 and p38 MAPK in monocytes.

Retrospective study on the impact of hepatitis C virus infection on kidney transplant patients over 20 years.

Background: The majority of chronic hepatitis is ascribable to hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, whereas the clinical impact has not been understood in kidney transplant recipients. Our current study was carried out to assess the impact of HCV infection on kidney recipients over the long-term, and to investigate the effect and risk of interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) therapy for chronic active hepatitis C.

Methods: Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and antibody to HCV (HCVAb) were examined prospectively and retrospectively in 280 patients, who underwent kidney transplants in the period from 1973 to 1996.

A 20-year case study of a kidney transplant recipient with chronic active hepatitis C: clinical course and successful treatment for late acute rejection induced by interferon therapy.

Background: The influence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection has been discussed in kidney transplantation. Our case study focused on four points: the clinical course of an HCV-infected recipient; the pathogenesis of hepatic disorders in such a patient; interferon (IFN)-alpha therapy; and the risk of IFN-alpha therapy.

Method: A patient was suspected of acquiring HCV via transfusion at kidney transplant.

Adult onset globoid cell leukodystrophy (Krabbe disease): analysis of galactosylceramidase cDNA from four Japanese patients.

We examined galactosylceramidase (GALC) cDNA in four Japanese patients with adult onset globoid cell leukodystrophy (Krabbe disease; AO-GLD) by polymerase chain reaction/single-strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) analysis, subsequent sequence determination, and restriction enzyme digestion of PCR products, initial symptoms were the onset of slowly progressive spastic paraplegia from the middle of the second decade, and all patients had diminished GALC activity in their leukocytes. We identified three missense mutations (I66M, G270D, L618S) and one exon-6 skipping (535-573del). Two of the patients had only the I66M mutant mRNA, and one only the G27OD mutant mRNA.

Hydrogen bond network in the distal site of peroxidases: spectroscopic properties of Asn70 --> Asp horseradish peroxidase mutant.

The distal His in peroxidases forms a hydrogen bond with the adjacent Asn, which is highly conserved among many plant and fungal peroxidases. Our previous work [Nagano, S., Tanaka, M.

A novel approach to assessing family history in the prevention of coronary heart disease.

Family history serves as the most important risk factor in prevention of coronary heart disease from youth. Prevalent methods of assessing family history, however, have serious drawbacks: a sudden rise of risk when a family member develops the disease; insufficient control for age among family members. We propose a simple quantitative method overcoming such drawbacks.

Albuminuria is directly associated with increased plasma PAI-1 and factor VII levels in NIDDM patients.

Increased plasma plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1), coagulation factor VII (FVII) and fibrinogen levels have been recognized as risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Because a substantially high incidence of cardiovascular disease has been reported in diabetic patients with nephropathy compared with those without nephropathy, we measured plasma levels of PAI-1, FVII activity and fibrinogen in non-insulin-dependent diabetic patients (NIDDM) with normoalbuminuria (without nephropathy), microalbuminuria (incipient nephropathy) and macroalbuminuria (overt nephropathy). PAI-1 and FVII levels were significantly increased in NIDDM with overt nephropathy compared with NIDDM without nephropathy.

Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy accompanied by hepatocellular carcinoma.

We report a patient with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) accompanied by hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Due to the remarkable weakness in the lower limbs and loss of the position sense, he could not walk. On neurophysiological examination, he had impaired nerve conduction velocities.

[Experience of 28 deliveries in 21 kidney transplant recipients].

Background: Risk factors to induce graft dysfunction during pregnancy in kidney transplant recipients were studied.

Methods: A total of 28 deliveries from 21 female kidney transplant recipients were analyzed.

Results: All recipients were maintained on either azathioprine-based (n = 17) or cyclosporine-based (n = 11) immunosuppressive regimens.

Catalytic roles of the distal site asparagine-histidine couple in peroxidases.

There are highly conserved hydrogen bonds between the distal His and the adjacent Asn in many peroxidases. Although the crystal structure of horseradish peroxidase C (HRP) is not available, comparison of the amino acid sequence with cytochrome c peroxidase indicates that Asn70 is making the hydrogen bond with the distal His in the active site of HRP. To investigate the catalytic roles of the hydrogen bond, Asn70 in HRP was replaced with Val (N70V) or Asp (N70D).

Preparation and reactions of myoglobin mutants bearing both proximal cysteine ligand and hydrophobic distal cavity: protein models for the active site of P-450.

We have reported that H93C human myoglobin (Mb), in which proximal histidine (His93, F8) was replaced by cysteine, gave nearly identical spectroscopic features of P-450 [Adachi, S., Nagano, S., Ishimori, K.

High prevalence of small LDL particles in non-insulin-dependent diabetic patients with nephropathy.

To determine whether small-sized low density lipoprotein (LDL) is associated with a high incidence of coronary heart disease in diabetic nephropathy, we measured the LDL particle size in non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) patients with various degrees of albuminuria (n = 95) and age-, weight-matched non-diabetic control subjects (n = 31). The diabetic subjects were divided into three groups, normoalbuminuric, microalbuminuric and macroalbuminuric NIDDM, based on the amount of albuminuria. The average diameter of LDL particles was determined by non-denaturing polyacrylamide gradient (2-16%) gel electrophoresis.

Three-times-daily monotherapy with tacrolimus (FK 506) in kidney transplantation.

Background: Tacrolimus (FK 506) was introduced into organ transplantation as a powerful immunosuppressive but with several adverse effects. In fact, an appropriate protocol for using this agent has not yet been established. On the basis of pharmacokinetic studies and the reports of its administration as a continuous intravenous infusion, we designed the regimen of every eight hours in order to reduce the daily dosage.

Decrease of serum ascorbic acid concentrations in patients with diabetic macroangiopathy.

The relationship between serum ascorbic acid (AA) and diabetic macroangiopathy was studied. Fifty-six patients with noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus were examined, together with 20 healthy controls matched for age against the diabetes patients. Aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV) was taken as an index of the severity of atherosclerosis.

Radiographic study of bone loss of mandibular lingual cortical plate accompanied by third molar development.

Objective: The purpose was to determine the features of mandibular lingual cortical bone loss around the root of the mandibular third molar.

Study Design: We examined occlusal radiographs in 2210 persons aged 11 to 78 years.

Results: Prominent increase of incidence of bone loss was evident in subjects in their third decade compared with those in their second decade.

Intra- and interindividual variation in the pharmacokinetics of tacrolimus (FK506) in kidney transplant recipients--importance of trough level as a practical indicator.

Background: Tacrolimus (FK506) is currently used as the primary immunosuppressant in clinical kidney transplantation in some centers. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the pharmacokinetics of this drug and to see if trough level, which has been used widely in therapeutic drug monitoring, can be used as an appropriate substitute for other pharmacokinetic measurement tests.

Methods: The blood concentration-time curve was studied in 10 kidney transplant recipients on 26 occasions after oral dosage of 2 to 18 mg every 12 hours.

Putative hydrogen bond network in the heme distal site of horseradish peroxidase.

The N delta 1 atom of the distal His of several peroxidases is known to make a hydrogen bond with the side chain oxygen of Asn. Thus, a mutant horseradish peroxidase, in which Asn70 is replaced by Val, has been expressed in Esherichia coli to disrupt the putative hydrogen bond. Substitution of Asn70 to Val reduces the rate constant for the compound I formation from 1.