HPLC fractionated soluble egg antigen from Schistosoma mansoni elicits a heterogeneous human immune response

Antihypertensive effects of beni-koji were studied using 29 outpatients with mild hypertension in a placebo-controlled double-blind comparative fashion. After a 4-week vehicle (apple juice) run-in period, 13 patients were assigned to receive beni-koji aqueous extracts containing juice once daily (27 g of beni-koji eq. per day) for 8 weeks and 16 were assigned to vehicle. Two patients assigned to the vehicle group did not complete the study. In addition to casual blood pressure, 24-hr non-invasive ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) was monitored in 6 patients given the beni-koji drink and 5 patients given the vehicle. 1) In the beni-koji group, both casual systolic and diastolic pressure decreased significantly during the treatment period (from 150 +/- 10/96 +/- 6 mmHg to 140 +/- 10/89 +/- 10 mmHg, p < 0.01). The averages of the 24-hr blood pressure recorded in ABP (24-BP) also significantly decreased (from 141 +/- 17/95 +/- 13 mmHg to 132 +/- 21/86 +/- 10 mmHg, p < 0.05) when compared with those of the control period. Casual pressure normalized (less than 140/90 mmHg) in 4 patients who received beni-koji. Circadian variation of the blood pressure by ABP showed a significant decrease during the daytime. 2) In the vehicle group, casual systolic pressure did not change significantly (from 155 +/- 8 mmHg to 151 +/- 12 mmHg), but diastolic pressure decreased significantly (98 +/- 7 mmHg to 93 +/- 6 mmHg). Casual blood pressure did not normalize in any of the patients and 24-BP did not change significantly. 3) Summative evaluation of safety showed that no problems appeared in the beni-koji group. In conclusion, beni-koji appears to be an effective and safe food material for mild essential hypertension. The mechanism of the antihypertensive effect of beni-koji still remains to be investigated.     

Prospective evaluation of quality of life after conventional abdominal aortic aneurysm surgery

The authors report a case of paraplegia caused by a lumbar intraspinal paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM) granuloma. Clinical neurological diagnosis of a compressive spinal cord lesion was confirmed by spinal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Patient was submitted to surgery with total excision of the lesion. Histopathological analysis confirmed the diagnosis of PCM. Patient is on sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim combined with fluconazole and is experiencing positive neurological recovery.     

Gastroenteritis in children: principles of diagnosis and treatment

Gastroenteritis in children is a common reason for visits to family physicians. Most cases of gastroenteritis have a viral etiology and are self-limited. However, more severe or prolonged cases of gastroenteritis can result in dehydration with significant morbidity and mortality. This is often the scenario in third-world countries, where gastroenteritis results in 3 million deaths annually. A proper clinical evaluation will allow the physician to estimate the percentage of dehydration and determine appropriate therapy. In some situations, laboratory studies such as determination of blood urea nitrogen and serum electrolytes may be helpful. Stool studies are indicated if a child is having bloody diarrhea or if an unusual etiology is suspected, such as Escherichia coli O157:H7 or Cryptosporidium. Most children with gastroenteritis can be treated with physiologically balanced oral rehydration solutions. In children who are hypovolemic, lethargic and estimated to be more than 5 percent dehydrated, initial treatment with intravenous boluses of isotonic saline or Ringer's lactate may be required. Children with severe diarrhea need nutrition to restore digestive function and, generally, food should not be withheld.     

Clavaric acid: a triterpenoid inhibitor of farnesyl-protein transferase from Clavariadelphus truncatus

Farnesyl-protein transferase (FPTase) catalyses the specific transfer of farnesyl to Ras-peptides that is essential for oncogenic activity in oncogene-mediated tumors. Specific inhibition of FPTase activity has been shown to reduce tumor development in nude mice challenged with oncogenic forms of ras, thereby establishing FPTase as a viable therapeutic target. Our continued efforts to discover inhibitors of FPTase has led to the discovery of a triterpenoidal inhibitor, clavaric acid (1). This compound inhibits rHFPTase with an IC50 value of 1.3 microM. Structure elucidation, structure modifications, and biological activity of clavaric acid are herein described.     

Protein engineering tests of a homology model of Plasmodium falciparum lactate dehydrogenase

This paper describes the testing of a homology model of Plasmodium falciparum lactate dehydrogenase (pfLDH) by protein engineering. The model had been validated in structural terms. It suggests explanations of the unusual properties of pfLDH (compared with all other LDHs). These unusual features are a lack of substrate inhibition, high activity with the synthetic coenzyme 3-acetylpyridine adenine dinucleotide (APAD+) and changes in residues at previously conserved positions. pfLDH shows several amino acid insertions and deletions in an alignment with protein sequences from all other known LDHs. The most notable is a five amino acid insertion into the active-site loop. In addition, a conserved serine at position 163 is replaced by leucine. The results showed that when the unique pfLDH structural features were engineered into Bacillus stearothermophilus lactate dehydrogenase, the thermophilic enzyme acquired the properties previously uniquely associated with the malarial enzyme. We conclude that the homology model of the malarial enzyme is adequate for the prediction of successful redesigns and, in the regions tested, is accurate.      

The value of pre-operative lymphoscintigraphy in breast cancer treatment

Three patients (aged 68-75 years) with histologically confirmed relapsed or refractory high-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma were entered in this pilot study in which gemcitabine 800 mg/m2 was given as a 30 min i.v. infusion once a week for 3 weeks. One patient responded with complete remission and the other two with partial remission and stable disease for 2 and 3 months, respectively. Haematological toxicity was modest with grade 4 leucopenia (one cycle) and grade 4 thrombocytopenia (two cycles). The activity and mild toxicity seen with gemcitabine suggest that this agent should be further evaluated in the treatment of high-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.     

Secondary hypertension: a practical diagnostic approach

Secondary hypertension is a relatively uncommon, potentially reversible condition for which physicians should maintain a high index of suspicion. When a patient is found to have elevated blood pressure, a through history should be obtained and a complete physical examination should be performed. Depending on the findings, additional screening and diagnostic studies may be necessary. The most common causes of secondary hypertension are renal parenchymal disease, renovascular disease, coarctation of the aorta, pheochromocytoma, primary hyperaldosteronism, thyroid dysfunction and Cushing's syndrome.     

ESEM observation of thermal shock cracking

We report a simple method for a quick and efficient localization of thermal shock cracks as narrow as 1 micron or less, using Environmental Scanning Electron Microscopy (ESEM). The non-destructive character of the technique is exploited in order to observe relevant fractographic features of the crack pattern.