Pulmonary veno-occlusive disease in an elderly man: case report and review of the literature

A 75-year-old man complaining of dyspnea and having sings of postcapillary pulmonary hypertension was diagnosed as pulmonary veno-occlusive disease and confirmed at autopsy. This is the oldest case ever reported. Almost all the small veins 2 mm or less in external diameter were partially or nearly completely occluded by intimal fibrous tissue, and the obstructive changes in the pulmonary arteries were much more limited. Pulmonary veno-occlusive disease is a rare, almost inevitably fatal disease of unknown etiology which has only recently been separated clearly from primary pulmonary hypertension as a distinct entity. Chest roentgenogram finding suggesting postcapillary pulmonary hypertension is a clue to a diagnosis and differentiates this from two other causes of clinical primary pulmonary hypertension, that is, recurrent pulmonary embolism and plexogenic pulmonary arteriopathy.

Pathophysiologic features of pulmonary thromboembolism in man

The current study was done to clarify the recent trend of clinical pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE) in Japan. The time has long passed since thromboembolic diseases of the lung were rare in our country. We have experienced, however, twenty-four clinically manifested patients with PTE during the past two years. Although a number of symptoms and findings have been reported to facilitate the diagnosis, they were for the most part nonspecific and therefore nondiagnostic. Combined perfusion and ventilation scans showing a perfusion defect with normal ventilation were reported to be useful for diagnosis of PTE, but a special attention should be paid to the fact that a massive perfusion defect was accompanied by decreased ventilation of the affected lung. From a pathophysiologic study, an exertional dyspnea associated with increased A-aDO2 and also increased a-ETDCO2 in patients without apparent pulmonary consolidation on their chest roentgenogram was strongly suggestive of PTE. A-aDO2 and a-ETDCO2 were shown to be variables independent to each other. a-ETDCO2 was valuable for clinical diagnosis with direct evidence of high VA/Q units resulting from occluded pulmonary arteries. On the other hand, A-aDO2 which was once elevated in the acute stage of PTE was decreased according to the recovery with a close linear correlation to the actual perfusion defect and was a sensitive indicator suggestive of resolved emboli. A-aDO2 was considered to provide measures of the active severity of PTE unlike a-ETDCO2.

Effect of Neutrophil Cathepsin G on Elastin Degradation by Neutrophil Elastase

Human neutrophil cathepsin G was found to be unable to significantly stimulate the degradation of either bovine or human elastin by neutrophil elastase, using four different procedures to monitor digestion. A range of stimulations from 1.1 to 2.9-fold was found, with a 2.0-fold stimulation being the average found with the assays tested. These results contrast with those reported by Boudier et al. [(1981) J. Biol. Chem. 256, 10256-10258] who reported a five- to seven-fold stimulation of elastolysis of human lung elastin by cathepsin G, when present at a 2:1 molar ratio relative to elastase. Significantly, we found little stimulation of elastolysis with either human or bovine lung elastin as substrate while Boudier et al. found stimulation only with the human elastin. Thus, it would appear that cathepsin G does not play a predominant role as an elastolytic enzyme; rather, its role in this case may be one of binding to non-productive sites on the elastin surface.

Serum cholesterol, other risk factors, and cardiovascular disease in a Japanese cohort

The relationship of serum cholesterol and other risk factors to cardiovascular disease was investigated in a 16-year cohort of 16,711 residents of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Examined in detail were the relationship of serum cholesterol, and the joint relationships of serum cholesterol, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and other risk factors to coronary heart disease (CHD), cerebral infarction (CI), and cerebral hemorrhage (CH). Baseline and biennially collected risk factor data were analyzed. The latter type of measurement permitted separate investigation of both the short-term and long-term effects of cholesterol measurements. In both types of analyses, both serum cholesterol and blood pressure showed strong associations with CHD incidence. In particular, there were strong associations with short-term and delayed CHD incidence. Furthermore, the association of cholesterol with short-term CHD incidence could not be explained by its association with delayed CHD incidence, or vice versa. Multivariate analyses that also included several other risk factors (smoking habits, clinical diagnosis of diabetes mellitus, left ventricular hypertrophy or strain on electrocardiogram, relative body weight, hematocrit, and proteinuria) for which data were available showed such risk factors to be of lesser, but generally non-negligible, importance in this population. In the case of CH and CI, serum cholesterol was found to be weakly or not at all related to incidence of either disease while blood pressure remained a strong correlate. For CI some suggestion of a statistical interaction between blood pressure and serum cholesterol was found. Discussed are implications for theories of disease pathogenesis for CHD, CI and CH.

Recurrent pulmonary embolism

Five cases with recurrent pulmonary embolism (RPE), all having severe chronic cor pulmonale due to marked pulmonary hypertension, were reported. None of them had a history of thrombophlebitis of the legs. Dyspnea was the common symptom and signs of pulmonary hypertension were usual. Focal oligemia, cardiomegaly and plump pulmonary arteries on chest X-ray films, right axis deviation, clockwise rotation, ST-segment depression and T-wave inversion on electrocardiograms, and dilatations of the pulmonary arterial trunk, the right ventricle and the right atrium, and the posterior displacement of a small, compressed left ventricle on echocardiograms were the common findings. Gas exchange abnormalities were severe and they were considered the characteristic findings of this disease. Multiple perfusion defects were observed by a lung scan in all cases. Marked pulmonary hypertension with low cardiac output was the usual feature of RPE. Actual cutoffs or filling defects were demonstrated on a pulmonary angiogram. Deep vein of the legs were all intact and no thrombi were found. Pulmonary embolectomy was performed on one case. The importance of early diagnosis and early treatment of acute pulmonary embolism was emphasized for preventing the progress of this debilitating disease.

An ultrastructural study of the interaction of liposomes with plant protoplasts

A one-step procedure using a mixture of glutaraldehyde and osmium tetroxide was devised to fix in situ large unilamellar liposomes of phosphatidylserine for transmission electron microscopy (TEM), since the conventional fixation method was found to be inadequate in this respect. The new fixation procedure enabled us to visualize the sequence of events in the interaction of liposomes with protoplasts from Vinca rosea suspension cultures in the presence of polyethylene glycol. Liposomes were thus found adhering to the surface of protoplasts, in association with invaginating plasmalemma, and within intracellular vesicles. These observations showed that liposomes enter plant protoplasts via endocytosis. Ultrastructural profiles indicating fusion of liposomes with protoplasts were not observed.

Fluorescence characteristics of kynurenine and N'-formylkynurenine. Their use as reporters of the environment of tryptophan 62 in hen egg-white lysozyme

Several kynurenine derivatives including N'-formylkynurenine were prepared in high purity by the ozonization of the corresponding indole compounds. The fluorescence characteristics of those derivatives were examined in connection with the use of their fluorophores as reporters for the local environment of tryptophan in proteins. Kynurenine is a weak emitter of fluorescence, with an emission maximum at 480 nm on excitation at 365 nm. With decreasing solvent polarity, the fluorescence intensity increases logarithmically and the emission maximum shifts to blue. A linear relation between these fluorescence characteristics and solvent polarity exists when the polarity is shown in terms of dielectric constant. N'-Formylkynurenine is a somewhat stronger emitter of fluorescence than kynurenine. The emission maximum is 434 nm on excitation at 325 nm and it shifts to blue in solvents of low polarity. This blue shift is also linear with respect to the dielectric constant of the solvent. Other factors influencing kynurenine fluorescence and N'-formylkynurenine fluorescence examined were neighboring groups, ionic strength, temperature, and protein denaturants. Based on the results of the present investigation, the local environment of tryptophan 62 in hen egg-white lysozyme was examined using Kyn 62-lysozyme.

The role of the single tryptophan residue in the structure and function of ribonuclease T1

The previously reported method for the preparation of Kyn 59-RNase T1 and NFK 59-RNase T1 has been improved, and these two proteins have been obtained in high purity. Kyn 59-RNase T1, fully active for the hydrolysis of GpA and GpC, emitted a 35-fold-enhanced fluorescence of kynurenine relative to acetylnurenine amide with an emission maximum at 455 nm upon excitation at 380 nm. The polarity of the environment of Kyn 59 estimated from the emission maximum corresponded to a dielectric constant of 6. Upon excitation at 325 nm, NFK 59-RNase T1, less active than Kyn 59-RNase T1, exhibited a quenched N'-formylkynurenine fluorescence with an emission maximum at 423 nm, from which the value of 12 was obtained as the dielectric constant of the surroundings of residue 59. In both modified proteins, distinct tyrosine fluorescence appeared on excitation at 280 nm. The detection of an energy transfer from tyrosine to residue 59 suggests that the tertiary structure is very similar in Kyn 59-RNase T1 and native RNase T1. With guanidine hydrochloride, Kyn 59-RNase T1 was less stable than the native protein. Carboxymethylation at Glu 58 was shown to stabilize the active site of the modified enzyme. Based on the information collected for Kyn 59-RNase T1, the local environment and possible roles of the sole tryptophan residue in RNase T1 are discussed.

Fluorescence titrations of residue 59 and tyrosine in Kyn 59-RNase T1 and NFK 59-RNase T1

Fluorescence titrations of kynurenine and tyrosine in Kyn 59-RNase T1 and NFK 59-RNase T1 were carried out by monitoring protein fluorescence through a pH change from 1.5 to 10.5. In the titration of kynurenine fluorescence at 455 nm, a few small but distinct quenching events occurred between pH 3.5 and 9.5. Three ionizable groups were found to be responsible for the individual steps of quenching observed. These groups are Glu 58 with pKa 4.6, His 40 or 92 with pKa 7.8 and Lys 41 with pKa 8.7. From this result, a subtle conformational change associated with the proton dissociation equilibria of Glu 58 and His 40 or 92 in the active site of Kyn 59-RNase T1 is suggested. The pH-titration behavior of tyrosine fluorescence in Kyn 59-RNase T1 was different from that of kynurenine fluorescence. Two acidic groups with pKa's 3.2 and 6.5 were detected as perturbants. In NFK 59-RNase T1, both N'-formylkynurenine and tyrosine showed almost the same fluorescence behavior during titration, which was characterized by two transitions between pH 3 and 8 in each titration curve. Two ionizable groups with pKa's 3.7-3.8 and 6.7-6.8 were determined. The role of the latter ionizable group is discussed in relation to the enzyme function of RNase T1. From the close similarity in structure and function between Kyn 59-RNase T1 and RNase T1, it is suggested that the same mechanism of conformational change linked to the ionization states of Glu 58 and His 40 or 92 exists in the native protein too.

Microbial Transformation of β -Ionone and β -Methylionone

Aspergillus niger JTS 191 was selected from many microorganisms tested as capable of converting ionones to other compounds having aromas. The individual transformation products from β -ionone were isolated and identified by comparison with synthetically derived compounds. The major products were ( R )-4-hydroxy- β -ionone and ( S )-2-hydroxy- β -ionone. 2-Oxo-, 4-oxo-, 3,4-dehydro-, 2,3-dehydro-4-oxo-, 3,4-dehydro-2-oxo-, ( S )-2-acetoxy-, ( R )-4-acetoxy-, and 5,6-epoxy- β -ionone and 4-(2,3,6-trimethylphenyl)-but-3-en-2-one were also identified. Analogous transformation products of β -methylionone also were identified. Based on gas-liquid chromatographic analysis during the fermentation, we propose two main oxidative pathways of β -ionone. The results of this study suggest that these transformations of β -ionones may be useful as tobacco-flavoring compounds.

Transposition of the oxacillin-hydrolyzing penicillinase gene

We have found that the oxacillin-hydrolyzing penicillinase gene (oxa) encoded by plasmid RGN238 transposes to various plasmids in a recA background. We call this transposable element Tn2603. Tn2603 encodes the genes for streptomycin, sulfonamide, and mercury resistance in addition to the oxa gene. Tn2603 has a molecular size of 19.6 kilobase pairs and appears to be flanked by small inverted repeat sequences of about 200 base pairs long.

Equine Getah virus infection: isolation of the virus from racehorses during an enzootic in Japan

A primary enzootic of equine Getah virus infection involving 722 of 1,903 racehorses occurred at a training center in Japan between September and November of 1978. Sixty-two viral agents were isolated from the plasma of 209 sick horses which exhibited pyrexia with rectal temperatures ranging from 38.5--40 degrees C, urticarial rash on various portions of the body, and edema of the hind legs. The viruses were antigenically related to the AMM 2021, Haruna, and Sagiyama strains of Getah virus. Infection and disease were produced experimentally in horses when inoculated by the intramuscular or intranasal routes.

Structural components of sphingophosphonolipids from the ciliated protozoan, Tetrahymena pyriformis WH-14

1. Two sphingophosphonolipids were isolated from the lipids of the ciliated protozoan, Tetrahymena pyriformis WH-14. They were ceramide N-methyl-2-aminoethylphosphonate (CMAEP) and ceramide 2-aminoethylphosphonate (CAEP), in yields of 0.05 mg/g and 1.74 mg/g dry cells, respectively. 2. Two chromatographically distinguishable CAEP species were found, a slow-moving major component and a minor component which moved faster; the slow-moving one contained primarily hydroxy fatty acids, while in the other one nonhydroxy fatty acids were predominant. However, their long-chain base constituents were similar. 3. The major fatty acids of CAEP were 2-hydroxy acids with carbon numbers of 16 to 19, which were almost exclusively iso-types. The fatty acids of CMAEP consisted mainly of palmitic, iso-octadecanoic, and 2-hydroxy iso-heptadecanoic acids. 4. The long-chain bases were dominated by C16, C17, and C19 iso-4-sphingenine homologs.