Familial aggregation of abnormal ventilatory control and pulmonary function in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

A sex-, age-, obesity, and protease inhibitor-matched study of pulmonary function and ventilatory control was performed on 26 sons of 19 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and 26 control subjects. Mean values for FEV1/FVC and V25 were significantly lower and CV/VC was significantly higher in sons of patients than in the controls. VC, airway resistance, static pulmonary compliance. delta N2, arterial blood gases and pH were not different between sons and controls. When the sons of patients were divided into two groups according to the arterial blood gases of their parents, sons of hypoxemic, hypercapnic parents showed significantly lower hypoxic ventilatory responses than sons of normoxemic, normocapnic parents. Hypercapnic ventilatory responses were not different between sons and controls. Abnormal pulmonary function and low ventilatory responses were more frequently detected in sons than in controls. The association of smoking with abnormalities of pulmonary function was not clearly seen in sons. These results suggest that familial factors (either genetic or environmental) play a significant role in determining the pathogenesis and clinical types of COPD.

Relationship between hypoxic and hypercapnic ventilatory responses in man

Ventilatory responses to hypoxia (A) and hypercapnia (S) were measured in 127 healthy men (105 males and 22 females) by a dual control system for regulating Pa O2 and Pa CO2 simultaneously and independently of each other. The subjects were classified into groups according to sex, age, family history, and genetics (twins). Mean values for A were 138 +/- SD 93 liters/min.mmHg in group I (subjects without family history of chronic lung diseases) and 80 +/- 56 liters/min.mmHg in group II (sons of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or silicosis). The difference was highly significant (P less than 0.001). Mean S were 1.11 +/- 0.39 liters/min.mmHg-1 in group I and 1.16 +/- 0.48 liters/min.mmHg-1 in group H. The difference was not significant. Mean values for A and S in the aged males (mean age = 71.3 years) did not differ from those in 15 adult males (mean age = 29.5 years) and 60 young twins (mean age = 16.4 years). In every respect of age, sex, familial factors, and genetics, A and S were not interrelated. Mouth occlusion pressure (P0.1) was measured during air breathing and it correlated neither with A nor S. These results indicate 1) hypoxic and hypercapnic responses are not strongly related to each other, and 2) the aging process does not alter ventilatory responses to hypoxia and hypercapnia.

Role of chemosensitivity during exercise in normal subjects and patients with pulmonary emphysema

In 11 normal subjects (mean age = 22.8 years) and 8 patients with pulmonary emphysema (mean age = 70.4 years), the role of chemosensitivity in determining ventilation, cardiac output, lactic acid, and cyclic AMP and GMP was evaluated quantitatively during 150 or 30 W exercise and simulated exercise. Simulated exercise was done while the subjects took a rest by regulating arterial blood gases at exercise levels in patients and at PaO2 = 65 mm Hg and PaCO2 = 48 mm Hg in normal subjects. In normal subjects, the role of arterial blood gases in determining exercise ventilation, cardiac output, cyclic AMP and GMP are large, while those contributed much less to lactic acid. In patients, PaO2 contributed only half of the exercise ventilation. It accounted for a negligibly small portion of exercise cardiac output, lactic acid, and cyclic GMP. These results indicate, by deduction, that either augmentation of chemosensitivity, pH, or humoral factors is responsible for about half of the changes of exercise ventilation in patients with pulmonary emphysema. These factors seem to influence cardiac output, lactic acid, and cyclic AMP and GMP more strongly than PaO2 alone in exercising patients.

Immunological diagnosis of pancreatic cancer by assaying carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) in pure pancreatic juice

Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels in the pure pancreatic juice collected endoscopically were measured in a total of 102 cases including 18 with pancreatic cancer using radioimmunoassay. CEA levels in the pancreatic juice were significantly higher (p less than 0.001) in patients with pancreatic cancer than in those with pancreatitis or with other miscellaneous diseases and in normal controls. Despite the elevated CEA level in the pancreatic juice from patients with pancreatic cancer without liver metastasis, their serum CEA did not necessarily reveal a high value. In contrast, CEA in the pancreatic juice from patients with an advanced stage with liver metastasis, did not show a high value, although some of them had high CEA in their sera. It is concluded that the estimation of CEA levels in the pancreatic juice provides important diagnostic information in the detection of pancreatic cancer in the early stage.

Effect of a streptococcal preparation on the complement system

Streptococcal preparation OK-432 (Picibanil), clinically being used as an immunopotentiator, has been shown to activate the complement system either through the classical or the alternative pathway in vitro [15]. In this experiment, OK-432 was found to increase serum complement level in guinea pigs, and in human without malignancy, when investigated by hemolytic assay using sensitized sheep erythrocytes (EA) for the classical pathway activity and unsensitized rabbit erythrocytes (RaE) for the alternative pathway activity. Assay of complement components revealed a significant increase in C3, but decrease in Clq, while no specific tendency was observed in C4, C5, C9, properdin, C3 activator and Cl-inhibitor. These evidences suggested that OK-432 might potentiate immune response of the host by elevating serum complement level, in addition to activate the complement system.

Lipid peroxidation and lysosomal enzymes in D-galactosamine hepatitis and its protection by vitamin E

Role of lipid peroxidation on lysosomal instability in liver tissue was investiaged in an experimental model of D-galactosamine hepatitis in rats fed on vitamin E (V.E) deficient diet. Administration of D-galactisamine to V.E deficient rats resulted in a sudden increase of serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (sGOT), glutamic pyruvic transaminase (sGPT), lipid peroxide value, as well as beta-glucuronidase and acid phosphatase activity examined as markers of lysosomal enzymes, when compared with control rats fed on V.E supplemented diet. Lipid peroxide in the liver tissue also showed significant increase in V.E deficient rats. In contrast, beta-glucuronidase and acid phosphatase in the liver tissue were found to decrease in V.E deficient rats by the administration of D-galactosamine, indicating that the enzymes in the lysosome were entirely released outside the liver cells as a result of cell destruction. It is concluded that the increase of lipid peroxide causes the instability of lysosomal membranes and releases various kinds of hydrolytic enzymes to lead further to cell damage. V.E might act on inhibiting lipid peroxidation to stabilize lysosomal membranes.

Hemorrhagic necrosis of the intestinal mucosa associated with disseminated intravascular coagulation

Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), experimentally induced by endotoxin, caused severe hemorrhagic necrosis of the intestinal mucosa in dogs. Microscopic observation showed tortuous thrombus formation in the microcirculation of the villi. Ligation of the pancreatic and bile ducts, or administration of heparin protected the mucosa from hemorrhagic necrosis, while systemic administration of tranexamic acid increased the intestinal mucosal lesion. Local pretreatment of the intestinal mucosa by Trasylol or tranexamic acid reduced the degree of hemorrhagic necrosis. It is concluded that intravascular coagulation in the microcirculation of the intestinal mucosa, as well as pancreatic proteases, play a role in the pathogenesis of hemorrhagic necrosis in the intestine associated with DIC.

Studies on serum oestrogen and progesterone levels during the oestrous cycle and early pregnancy in mares

Concentrations of progesterone and oestrogens were determined by radioimmunoassay in the peripheral blood of 22 Percheron and Breton breed mares from the 6th day of oestrus to the 150th day of pregnancy. Periodical variation patterns for the mean values of oestrone, oestradiol 17beta and total oestrogens in the cycling mares were found, with two peaks on the third day before and the 15th day after ovulation, and one depression on the 6th day of oestrus. In pregnant mares, the concentrations of oestrone and oestradiol 17beta increased rapidly (P less than 0.05) after Day 105 of gestation. Progesterone levels declined after Day 18 of the cycle in cycling mares, whereas they increased in the pregnant mares. Marked changes in the ratio of total oestrogen to progesterone concentrations were found in cycling mares, especially at oestrus, but in pregnant mares the ratio always remained below 1.00.