Immunoblot analysis of IgE and IgG antibodies to honey bee venom: cross sectional and sequential studies in bee sensitive subjects.

To investigate the specific IgE and IgG immune response to honey bee venom (bv), we performed immunoblot analysis of sera from 47 bee sensitive subjects and followed the response during and after venom immunotherapy in 15 of these subjects. Fifteen venom proteins varying in molecular size from 20 to 105 kDa were identified as being antigenic and consisted of a high molecular weight (HMW) group (5 to 105 kDa, containing the previously identified allergens B and C) and a low molecular weight group (LMW) containing hyaluronidase and phospholipase A. In general for a given individual the anti-venom IgE and IgG response was qualitatively similar although some variation between individuals was apparent.

Isolation and characterization of wheat-rye recombinants involving chromosome arm 1DS of wheat.

The introgression of genetic material from alien species is assuming increased importance in wheat breeding programs. One example is the translocation of the short arm of rye chromosome 1 (1RS) onto homoeologous wheat chromosomes, which confers disease resistance and increased yield on wheat. However, this translocation is also associated with dough quality defects.

Anthropometry and obesity in myelomeningocele.

Anthropometric data on 110 myelomeningocele (MMC) subjects in relation to age, sex, level of lesion and ambulation were studied to investigate growth and the occurrence of obesity in MMC. In 52 subjects, indices of obesity were validated against body composition analysis of total body fat (%BF) using body potassium and body water techniques. Most subjects were short and light compared to reference data and became relatively shorter and heavier with age.

Mobilization of haemopoietic stem cells by cyclophosphamide into the peripheral blood of patients with haematological malignancies.

Thirty one peripheral blood stem cell mobilizations using cyclophosphamide, followed by leucapheresis, were performed in 25 patients with a variety of haematological malignancies. Cyclophosphamide at doses ranging from 0.25 g/M2/day x 4 days to 4 g/M2 on one day were given.

Body composition in myelomeningocele.

Body composition and measures of obesity were evaluated in 59 subjects with myelomeningocele (MMC), aged 0.3-29 y, by anthropometry and measures of body cell mass (BCM) and intra- and extracellular water (ICW and ECW), derived from total body potassium and deuterium-isotope dilution; these results were compared with reference data. Body composition was normal in preambulatory children with MMC.

Autoantibodies in patients with juvenile chronic arthritis and their immediate family relatives.

Antibodies to nuclear antigens were assessed in 23 children with juvenile chronic arthritis (JCA) and 66 of their first degree relatives. Serum samples from 16 patients with JCA (70%) and nine relatives (14%) had antinuclear antibodies by indirect immunofluorescence. Antibodies against nuclear antigens in rabbit thymus extract or an erythroblastoid cell line (K562) were detected by countercurrent immunoelectrophoresis and immunoblotting in 16 patients (70%) and 39 family relatives (59%).

Linkage mapping of genes for resistance to leaf, stem and stripe rusts and ω-secalins on the short arm of rye chromosome 1R.

The genes controlling resistance to three wheat rusts, viz., leaf rust (Lr26), stem rust (Sr31) and stripe or yellow rust (Yr9), and ω-secalins (Sec1), located on the short arm of rye chromosome 1R, were mapped with respect to each other and the centromere. Analysis of 214 seeds (or families derived from them) from testcrosses between a 1BL.

Two-step one-dimensional SDS-PAGE analysis of LMW subunits of glutelin : 2. Genetic control of the subunits in species related to wheat.

Analysis of intergeneric substitution lines in hexaploid wheats by a two-step electrophoretic method of protein separation revealed that low-molecular-weight (LMW) subunits of glutelin in Triticum longissimum, T. Umbelullatum, Elytrigia elongata (2 x) were controlled by chromosomes/chromosome arms 1S (l) , 1U, and 1ES, respectively. A LMW glutelin band in Secale montanum was detected but its chromosomal location could not be determined.

Two-step one-dimensional SDS-PAGE analysis of LMW subunits of glutelin : 1. Variation and genetic control of the subunits in hexaploid wheats.

A collection of 222 hexaploid wheat cultivars (including the 207 cultivars studied by Gupta and Shepherd in 1988) from 32 countries was analyzed for variation in the banding patterns of LMW subunits of glutenin using a modified two-step 1-D SDS-PAGE. Seventy percent ethanol at high temperature (≥50 °C) was used to selectively dissolve the native glutenins containing A, B, and C subunits and not the albumins and globulins (non-prolamins). This procedure allowed the glutenin subunits A, B and C to be separated in a background free of albumins and globulins, which normally overlap the B and C subunits (LMW subunits of glutenin).

Acute histologic effects of simulated large-volume aspiration of sucralfate into the lungs of rats.

Sucralfate is an effective agent in reducing the incidence of upper GI tract (UGIT) stress bleeding and nosocomial pneumonia in critically ill patients. Many of these patients are not intubated and are at increased risk for aspiration of large volumes of UGIT contents containing sucralfate. The effects of aspirated sucralfate are unknown.

Molecular size heterogeneity of immunoglobulins in health and disease.

The molecular size of serum IgG, IgA and IgM in patients with a variety of monoclonal and polyclonal immune disorders has been determined by a sensitive immunoblotting technique. IgM, IgA and IgG3 paraproteins from patients with B cell lymphoproliferative disorders frequently polymerize with IgA paraproteins demonstrating two polymeric series, the basic unit of the more dominant series being monomeric IgA, and the second consists of a basic unit having a molecular mass of approximately 70 kD heavier than monomeric IgA. The molecular nature of this heavier IgA moiety was shown to be IgA covalently bound with a single molecule of serum albumin or alpha 1 antitrypsin and this moiety was also observed in small quantities in sera from healthy subjects.

Frequency and role of low molecular weight IgM in systemic lupus erythematosus. Study of patients from different ethnic origins.

Low molecular weight IgM (LMW IgM) is the monomeric subunit of the naturally occurring pentameric IgM. It is not seen in health but has been previously observed in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) particularly in those patients with active disease and may reflect an adverse prognostic finding. We have therefore studied the presence of LMW IgM in 33 Chinese or Malay SLE patients (Singapore) and 21 Caucasian patients (Adelaide).

Low molecular weight IgM in primary biliary cirrhosis.

Low molecular weight IgM is the monomeric subunit of pentameric IgM and is not generally found in the blood of healthy individuals. Using a sensitive immunoblotting technique, low molecular weight IgM was detected in all 17 patients with primary biliary cirrhosis and constituted up to 5% of the total circulating IgM. This low molecular weight IgM moiety correlated significantly with total IgM (p less than 0.

Faecal incontinence in childhood: a multidisciplinary approach including biofeedback.

One hundred and seven children with faecal incontinence were evaluated and managed over a 3 year period by a multidisciplinary team. After initial clinical assessment, evaluation of defaecatory mechanisms (using a balloon model) and assessment of personal-social development and self-concept were undertaken. Management was based on initial bowel evacuation, short-term laxatives, and habit training involving systematic use of positive reinforcement; 69 children received biofeedback conditioning.

Recombination among genes at the L group in flax conferring resistance to rust.

Fourteen of the known genes conferring resistance to rust in flax occur in the L group, and recombinational analysis has been used to study their fine structure. Three important features were observed. (a) Similar to the findings of Shepherd and Mayo, only susceptible recombinants were detected among the testcross progeny of 11 of the 15 heterozygotes involving pairs of L genes.

The cumulative effect of allelic variation in LMW and HMW glutenin subunits on dough properties in the progeny of two bread wheats.

The effects of allelic variation at Gli-A1, GluA3 and Glu-A1 loci coding for gliadins, LMW glutenin subunits and HMW glutenin subunits on dough resistance and extensibility was analysed in 56 F2-derived F6 families from a cross between bread wheats MKR(111/8) and 'Kite'. Extensograph data from two sites giving widely different flour protein levels (approximately 7% and 14%) revealed that the Glu-A3m and Glu-A1b alleles were associated with larger effects on dough resistance and extensibility than the null alleles Glu-A3k and GluA1c, respectively, and moreover, their effects were additive at both protein levels. The effect of the LMW glutenin allele Glu-A3m on both dough resistance and dough extensibility was relatively larger than that of the HMW glutenin allele Glu-A1b at both sites.

Diffuse malignant pleural mesothelioma in an urban hospital: clinical spectrum and trend in incidence over time.

This retrospective analysis reviews the clinical experience of a major urban referral hospital with diffuse malignant pleural mesothelioma during the 14-year period from 1973 through 1986. Seventy-five cases of definite or equivocal mesothelioma were identified. There were four cases of primary malignant peritoneal mesothelioma, seven cases of benign fibrous mesothelioma, and 64 cases of diffuse malignant pleural mesothelioma.

Low molecular weight IgM in juvenile chronic arthritis.

Low molecular weight IgM, the monomeric subunit of pentameric IgM, was clearly detected by immunoblotting and filtration chromatographic techniques in six patients with juvenile chronic arthritis and in trace quantities in a further eight of 24 patients studied. This low molecular weight IgM moiety contributed up to 33% of the total circulating IgM and was strongly associated with raised serum concentrations of IgM and the presence of antinuclear antibodies, extractable antinuclear antibodies, and rheumatoid factor. Immunoblot analysis of positive serum samples showed small quantities of other low molecular weight oligomers of IgM in addition to monomeric IgM.

Peritoneovenous shunts--devices of last resort.

This study examines the usefulness of peritoneovenous shunts through a retrospective review of the charts of 16 patients who received this shunt at the University Hospital in Saskatoon up to May 1987. Fourteen shunts were placed for malignant ascites, 1 for alcoholic cirrhosis and 1 for nephrogenic ascites. All patients had symptoms related to abdominal pressure or dyspnea.

Identification of legumin-like proteins in wheat.

We have obtained several amino acid sequences from purified polypeptides of a wheat endosperm storage globulin previously described as 'triplet' protein. The amino acid sequence data supported by immunochemical analysis using anti-oat 12S globulin antibodies, provide definitive evidence that the triplet protein is homologous to pea legumin and related seed storage proteins of oats, rice and several dicotyledonous species. Thus, it is now proposed that the triplet protein of wheat be renamed 'triticin'.

Erythema induratum and active pulmonary tuberculosis.

The etiology of erythema induratum, a rare disease of the skin in the United States but occasionally seen in natives of Asian countries, remains a source of debate. Its association with tuberculosis, although strongly suspected for more than one century, has not been clearly defined. We report a case of erythema induratum occurring in a young Chinese woman in the setting of active pulmonary tuberculosis.