A new macrophage differentiation antigen which is a member of the scavenger receptor superfamily

The antibodies Ki-M8, Ber-Mac3, GHI/61 and SM4 define a human macrophage-associated antigen with a relative molecular mass of 130,000 which we designate M130. The protein was purified by immunoaffinity chromatography and an N-terminal and three internal amino acid sequences were obtained. A cDNA fragment was initially obtained by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using reverse-translated primers. Several variant cDNA clones, derived from alternative spliced messages, were obtained from a lipopolysaccharide-stimulated human monocyte library and were sequenced. The relative abundance of these variants was evaluated by a series of overlapping PCR reactions. The size of the most representative cDNA is 3.7 kb and closely agrees with the mRNA size of 3.8 kb determined by Northern blot analysis. The membrane protein encoded contains a leader peptide of 40 residues, a putative extracellular domain of 1003 residues, followed by a hydrophobic segment of 24 residues and a cytoplasmic domain of 49 residues. The extracellular domain was found to contain nine repeating elements, of about 110 residues, which are similar to those of the scavenger receptor superfamily.

[Clinical and experimental study on yifei jianshen mixture in preventing and treating infantile repetitive respiratory infection]

In recent years, the incidence of infantile repetitive respiratory infection has been increasing. In order to prevent and treat this disease, the authors suggest that pathogenesis of this disease is mainly due to insufficiency of Lung, Spleen and Kidney, which caused the Qi Deficiency and Blood Stasis Syndrome, and thus formulated Yifei Jianshen Mixture (YFJSM). The clinical and experimental study was carried out accordingly. The results showed that this mixture could increase the immune function of human body, and improve microcirculation, and has the function of warming up Yang and replenishing Qi, nourishing blood and activating blood circulation and eventually of preventing and treating diseases. 305 cases were clinically observed, the total effective rate being 95.1%. The effect of treatment is obviously better than that of control using Yupingfeng powder (P < 0.01). The adrenocortical function, plasma nucleotide, immune function, microcirculation and others were the main technical indexes of models, which were nearly the same as clinical study. The toxicity test also showed that the YFJSM was non-toxic and had no side effect. The study proved that the mixture was highly effective and had no side effect.

Selection and identification of antigenic determinant of Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Ra strain

A new procedure for the selection of the antigenic determinant of Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Ra strain is described. The bacterium components destroyed by ultrasonic were isolated by 15% SDS-PAGE, transferred onto nitrocellulose membrane, immunostained with McAbs against H37Ra. One McAb-positive fragment was obtained using the Western blot analysis. The molecular weight of the antigenic determinant is 35,000 dalton. The antigenic determinant is of immunological reactivity with McAb and TB patients' sera in dot-immunoassay and demonstrated in delayed skin tests in guinea pigs. The amino acid composition of the antigenic determinant was analysed. These suggest that the Western blot analysis may be a useful tool for the analysis of the antigenic determinant.

Derivatives of CAP having no solvent-accessible cysteine residues, or having a unique solvent-accessible cysteine residue at amino acid 2 of the helix-turn-helix motif

The Escherichia coli catabolite gene activator protein (CAP) is a helix-turn-helix motif sequence-specific DNA binding protein. CAP contains a unique solvent-accessible cysteine residue at amino acid 10 of the helix-turn-helix motif. In published work, we have constructed a prototype semi-synthetic site-specific DNA cleavage agent from CAP by use of cysteine-specific chemical modification to incorporate a nucleolytic chelator-metal complex at amino acid 10 of the helix-turn-helix motif [Ebright, R., Ebright, Y., Pendergrast, P.S. and Gunasekera, A., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 87, 2882-2886 (1990)]. Construction of second-generation semi-synthetic site-specific DNA cleavage agents from CAP requires the construction of derivatives of CAP having unique solvent-accessible cysteine residues at sites within CAP other than amino acid 10 of the helix-turn-helix motif. In the present work, we have constructed and characterized two derivatives of CAP having no solvent-accessible cysteine residues: [Ser178]CAP and [Leu178]CAP. In addition, in the present work, we have constructed and characterized one derivative of CAP having a unique solvent-accessible cysteine residue at amino acid 2 of the helix-turn-helix motif: [Cys170;Ser178]CAP.

Substitution of 2 base pairs (1 base pair per DNA half-site) within the Escherichia coli lac promoter DNA site for catabolite gene activator protein places the lac promoter in the FNR regulon

The consensus DNA site for Escherichia coli catabolite gene activator protein (CAP) is 5'-AAATGTGATCTAGATCACATTT-3'. The proposed consensus DNA site for E. coli FNR is 5'-AAATTTGATATATATCAAATTT-3'. In this report, we show that substitution of 2 base pairs (1 base pair per DNA half-site) within the E. coli lac DNA site for CAP suffices to remove the lac promoter from the CAP regulon and to place the lac promoter in the FNR regulon. FNR stimulates transcription of the derivative of the lac promoter having G:C----T:A substitutions at base pair 5 each DNA half-site (13-fold stimulation). FNR does not stimulate transcription of the wild-type lac promoter, or of derivatives of the lac promoter having G:C----A:T or G:C----C:G substitutions at base pair 5 of each DNA half-site. Stimulation of transcription is strictly dependent on anaerobiosis. FNR-stimulated transcription initiates at the same base pair as does CAP-dependent transcription of the wild-type lac promoter.

Identification of a contact between arginine-180 of the catabolite gene activator protein (CAP) and base pair 5 of the DNA site in the CAP-DNA complex

We have used site-directed mutagenesis to replace amino acid 1 of the recognition alpha-helix of the catabolite gene activator protein (CAP), Arg-180, with glycine and with alanine. Substitution of Arg-180 of CAP eliminated specificity between G.C, A.T, C.G, and T.A at base pair 5 of the DNA half-site. The effect was position-specific: substitution of Arg-180 did not eliminate specificity between G.C, A.T, C.G, and T.A at base pair 7 of the DNA half-site. We conclude, in agreement with the model for the structure of the CAP-DNA complex [Weber, I. & Steitz, T. (1984) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 81, 3973-3977; and Ebright, R., Cossart, P., Gicquel-Sanzey, B. & Beckwith, J. (1984) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 81, 7274-7278], that Arg-180 of CAP makes a specificity-determining contact with base pair 5 of the DNA half-site in the CAP-DNA complex. The identification of the contact by Arg-180 in this report, in conjunction with the identification of the contact by Glu-181 in a previous report [Ebright, R., Cossart, P., Gicquel-Sanzey, B. & Beckwith, J. (1984) Nature (London) 311, 232-235], provides information sufficient to define the orientation of the helix-turn-helix motif of CAP with respect to DNA in the CAP-DNA complex.

Lysine 188 of the catabolite gene activator protein (CAP) plays no role in specificity at base pair 7 of the DNA half site

Two similar, but not identical, models have been proposed for the amino acid-base pair contacts in the CAP-DNA complex ('model I,' Weber, I. and Steitz, T., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 81, 3973-3977, 1984; 'model II,' Ebright, et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 81, 7274-7278, 1984). The most important difference between the two models involves Lys188 of CAP. Model I predicts that Lys188 of CAP makes a specificity determining contact with base pair 7 of the DNA half site. In contrast, model II predicts that Lys188 makes no contact with base pair 7 of the DNA half site. In the present work, we have used site-directed mutagenesis to replace Lys188 of CAP by Asn, an amino acid unable to make the putative contact. We have assessed the specificities of the following proteins, both in vitro and in vivo: wild-type CAP, [Asn188]CAP, [Val181]CAP, and [Val181;Asn188]CAP. The results indicate that Lys188 makes no contribution to specificity at base pair 7 of the DNA half site. We propose, contrary to model I, that Lys188 makes no contact with base pair 7 of the DNA half site.

Pulsed Doppler technique in evaluation of pulmonary hypertension

A pulsed Doppler technique combined with cross sectional echocardiography was used to examine the flow velocity pattern in the pulmonary artery (PA) in 17 patients with PA hypertension documented by cardiac catheterization and in 16 healthy subjects as control. In healthy subjects the blood flow pattern in systole showed a round shape, in PA hypertension group it was either narrow triangular or intermediate. There was a significant correlation between the corrected acceleration time and mean PA pressure, the coefficient being -0.78. An improved correlation (r = -0.82) was found between acceleration time and natural log of mean PA pressure. Using PA acceleration time of 100 ms or less as a criteria resulted in a 76.5% sensitivity and a 100% specificity for detection of PA hypertension. This technique made the noninvasive estimation of pulmonary hypertension possible.

Synthesis and characterization of new chromium(III), vanadium(IV), and titanium(III) complexes with biologically active isonicotinic acid hydrazide

New complexes of the type [Cr(INH)2Cl2]Cl.2H2O, VO(INH)2Cl2 and TiO(INH)2Cl, where INH = isonicotinic acid hydrazide, have been prepared. The complexes were characterized by infrared and UV-vis spectroscopy, proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and elemental analyses, molar conductivity and x-ray powder diffraction measurements. For the Cr(III)-complex, the ligand was coordinated through its carbonyl group and amino nitrogen atom; for V(IV)-complex and Ti(III)-complex, the ligand was coordinated through its carbonyl oxygen and heterocyclic nitrogen, respectively. Octahedral geometry has been proposed for all the complexes. The complexes of Cr(III) and Ti(III) showed significant tuberculostatic activity.

[Pneumococcal pneumonia: a report of 100 cases]

This paper reports 100 cases of etiologically proved pneumococcal pneumonia. It is shown that Gram's stain smear and culture of sputum are still useful in the diagnosis of the disease but are easily influenced by antibiotics. Whereas coagglutination, a newly developed procedure in detecting pneumococcal capsular antigens, is relatively independent to antibiotic therapy. Moreover, it is rapid, convenient and sensitive. Both Gram's stain smear and coagglutination may confirm early diagnosis and are valuable in the initial treatment of the disease. If unhospitalized patients with acute pneumonia are checked routinely with these methods and samples are collected before administration of antibiotics, etiological diagnosis of pneumococcal pneumonia will be confirmed in more cases. The data from 100 cases of pneumococcal pneumonia demonstrates that pneumococcal pneumonia remains the most common type of community-acquired pneumonias in this country. Its clinical manifestations have not changed greatly since 1950s but the age of the afflicted tents to be greater especially in those with underlying diseases. There are two common types of roentgenographic manifestations, i.e., lobar consolidation and bronchopneumonia, the former is still overwhelming in those under sixty and the later is more frequently seen in those over sixty. Penicillin G showed good clinical effects in treating pneumococcal pneumonia and all the 57 strains tested were sensitive in vitro. Therefore, penicillin G is still the drug of first choice in treating pneumococcal pneumonia.

Rapid detection of pneumococcal antigens in sputa in patients with community-acquired pneumonia by coagglutination

This paper introduces the clinical use of coagglutination as a method for the rapid detection of pneumococcal antigens in patients with community-acquired pneumonia and compares it with the sputum Gram stain and culture methods. Among 105 patients, 50 (48%) were diagnosed as having pneumococcal pneumonia by at least one of the three methods. Of 95 sputa tested, 44 (46%) were found to be positive by the coagulation test, 26 (27%) by Gram staining and only 16 (17%) by the bacterial culture method. The rate of detection of pneumococcal antigens was thus greater with coagulation than with either of the other two methods. The differences were very significant (both P less than 0.01). Our study indicates that the advantages of coagglutination over the traditional bacteriological methods are its speed, sensitivity, convenience and also its relative independence of antibiotic therapy. It thus provides a new dimension in the aetiological diagnosis of pneumococcal pneumonia.