Mycobacterium avium genotype is associated with the therapeutic response to lung infection.

Factors that can interfere with the successful treatment of Mycobacterium avium lung infection have been inadequately studied. To identify a potent predictor of therapeutic responses of M. avium lung infection, we analyzed variable number tandem repeats (VNTR) at 16 minisatellite loci of M. avium clinical isolates. Associations between the VNTR profiling data and a therapeutic response were evaluated in 59 subjects with M. avium lung infection. M. avium lung infection of 30 subjects in whom clarithromycin-containing regimens produced microbiological and radiographic improvement was defined as responsive disease, while that of the remaining 29 subjects was defined as refractory disease. In phylogenetic analysis using the genotypic distance aggregated from 16-dimensional VNTR data, 59 M. avium isolates were divided into three clusters, which showed a nearly significant association with therapeutic responses (p 0.06). We then subjected the raw 16-dimensional VNTR data directly to principal component analysis, and identified the genetic features that were significantly associated with the therapeutic response (p <0.05). By further analysis of logistic regression with a stepwise variable-selection, we constructed the highest likelihood multivariate model, adjusted for age, to predict a therapeutic response, using VNTR data from only four minisatellite loci. In conclusion, we identified four mycobacterial minisatellite loci that together were associated with the therapeutic response of M. avium lung infections.

Inhibitory effects of green tea infusion on in vitro invasion and in vivo metastasis of mouse lung carcinoma cells.

The peroral administration of green tea infusion reduced the number of lung colonies of mouse Lewis lung carcinoma cells in a spontaneous metastasis system. The experiments with artificially reconstituted basement membrane suggested that this reduction could be understood by the inhibitory effects of the green tea infusion and its constituent catechins on the penetration of the cells through the basement membrane.

Effects of catechins on the mouse tumor cell adhesion to fibronectin.

We studied the effects of 5 kinds of catechins on the adhesion of mouse lung carcinoma 3LL and melanoma B16F10 cells to the fibronectin substratum. (-)-Epicatechin gallate and (-)-epigallocatechin gallate were active in inhibiting the 3LL cell adhesion, while (+)-catechin, (-)-epicatechin, and (-)-epigallocatechin were inactive. Gallate-containing catechins also impaired adhesion and/or spreading of B16F10 cells.

[Studies on respiratory infections in primary care clinic (V). The pattern of distribution on bacteria, Mycoplasma pneumoniae and virus isolated from patients with respiratory infections, who were seen in six private clinics, and clinical efficacy of ciprofloxacin and roxithromycin].

The pattern of distribution of bacteria, Mycoplasma pneumoniae and virus isolated from the same specimen recovered from the throat swab or the sputum of 479 patients with respiratory infections who were seen in six private clinics in Sendai City of Japan during the period from October to November in 1992 (period I) and from January to February in 1993 (period II) was documented. Of the 479 patients, 234 had acute pharyngitis, 145 had acute bronchitis, 96 had influenza, 21 had acute tonsillitis, 5 had acute pneumonia and 9 had other respiratory infections. One hundred (42.4%) strains of potential pathogen and one strain of M. pneumoniae were recovered from 236 cases in period I, and 66 (27.2%) strains of potential pathogen, one strain of M. pneumonae and 73 strains of Influenza virus (30.0%: 43 of type A Hong-Kong and 30 of type B) from 243 cases in period II. Of the 166 strains, major isolates were Staphylococcus aureus (56 strains), Streptococcus pneumoniae (12 strains), Streptococcus pyogenes (15 strains), Haemophilus influenzae (17 strains), Esherichia coli (4 strains), Klebsiella spp. (35 strains), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (4 strains) and Acinetobacter spp. (23 strains). Only one strain of S. aureus was resistant to methicillin (MIC: 50 micrograms/ml). None of S. pneumoniae was resistant to 1 microgram/ml of ampicillin. Ciprofloxacin was administered to 113 cases and roxythromycin to 220 cases by doctors in charge.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)