Mugwort and sage (Artemisia) pollen cross-reactivity: ELISA inhibition and immunoblot evaluation.

BACKGROUND: Plants of the genus Artemisia are a source of fall allergic symptoms, particularly in the western United States. Studies have characterized the allergens in one of the major species (A. vulgaris) but currently there are no cross-reactivity data on the major United States species. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the in vitro cross-reactivity among nine Artemisia species: A. frigida, A. annua, A. biennis, A. filifolia, A. tridentata, A. californica, A. gnaphalodes, A. ludoviciana, and A. vulgaris. METHODS: The cross-reactivity was demonstrated with the use of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) inhibitions and immunoblotting techniques utilizing a serum pool from patients allergic to Artemisia species. RESULTS: The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay inhibitions revealed strong cross-reactivity among all nine species with A. biennis and A. tridentata being two of the strongest inhibitors. The polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed a great deal of similarity in the bands among the nine species. The nitrocellulose blots showed similar IgE binding patterns among the Artemisia species with strong inhibition among all nine extracts. CONCLUSIONS: These data all demonstrate very strong in vitro cross-reactivity among the nine Artemisia species studied. Such data have significant clinical relevance, suggesting that a single Artemisia species may be sufficient for allergy skin testing and formulation of immunotherapy extracts.

Intrathoracic Mycobacterium avium complex infection in immunocompetent children: case report and review.

Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) infection is a rarely recognized cause of intrathoracic infection in immunocompetent children. The incidence of this disease is unknown but is likely underestimated among children in whom MAC infection is not usually considered. An increase in the number of cases of MAC infection in adults has been noted since the late 1970s. The number of these cases in children with AIDS has also increased. There are currently no guidelines for the treatment of these children. We describe a previously healthy 14-month-old boy with a mediastinal mass for whom tuberculosis was initially diagnosed; subsequently, biopsy-proven infection with MAC was demonstrated. He received no specific therapy after surgical excision of his intrathoracic mass and has done well since. We reviewed eight additional cases of intrathoracic nontuberculous mycobacteria infection in children that were reported from 1979 to 1994 and found excellent outcomes for seven immunocompetent children who received diverse methods of treatment.

Transverse myelitis from intraarterial penicillin.

A child was given intramuscular benzathine penicillin and experienced manifestations of sudden, irreversible transection of the spinal cord in the lower thoracic region. The biopsy supported an intravascular injection with occlusion of the spinal vasculature as the etiological mechanism. A review of similar cases reveals a recurring pattern--intramuscular injection with standard techniques and sites into a small muscle mass without evident blood return followed by rapid progression of paralysis. The problem seems to turn upon an inability to recognize the inadvertent intraarterial injection.

Comparison of clofibrate and ethyl-5-(p-chlorophenoxy)-3-hydroxy-3-methylpentanoate induced changes in serum lipoprotein cholesterol and hepatic peroxisome proliferation in the normal rat.

Clofibrate and ethyl-5(p-chlorophenoxy)-3-hydroxy-3-methylpentanoate (HMP), at 0.1 and 0.25% in the diet, were evaluated in normal rats. Effects on serum lipoprotein cholesterol, liver cholesterol and peroxisome proliferation changes were compared. Both doses of HMP significantly lowered high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and total cholesterol (mean 22% and 18%). The distribution of cholesterol in the lipoproteins was altered (p less than 0.05) and liver weights were increased 18% by the 0.25 dose of HMP. Clofibrate treatment increased (p less than 0.01) the combination of very low and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL + LDL-C) by 42% at the 0.1% dose and lowered HDL-C by 28% at the 0.25% dose; total-C was not changed from control values. Both levels of clofibrate shifted the distribution of lipoprotein cholesterol, increased liver weights (mean 69%) and reduced liver cholesterol (mean 33%). Image analysis of peroxisome changes showed that both doses of HMP and clofibrate increased peroxisome numbers (mean 71% vs 218%), with activity of HMP significantly lower than clofibrate. Measurement of carnitine acetyltransferase (CAT) activity (nmCoASH released/mg protein/minute) showed no significant increases in liver samples from HMP-treated rats, while clofibrate induced large increases in CAT activity, which were significant compared to control and HMP values. While having chemical structural similarity to clofibrate, HMP appears to cause comparable hypocholesterolemic activity without comparable levels of hepatomegaly and peroxisome proliferation.

Utility of selected line (SEA) of the Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) for the discovery of new anti-atherosclerosis drugs.

A special line of the Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) was developed by selective breeding to screen for new drugs that are effective in either preventing or reversing atherosclerosis. By the fourth or fifth generation, approximately 95% of the males of the selected line developed aortic atherosclerosis in response to a 2% cholesterol atherogenic diet. The arterial cholesterol level was significantly elevated after 1 week on the diet and was 14 times the control level after 14 weeks. Significant macroscopic lesions developed as early as 4 weeks. Neither arterial cholesterol nor grossly visible fatty plaques regressed after return to a normal diet for 8 weeks. After 2 weeks on the atherogenic diet, both serum cholesterol and heparin precipitating lipoproteins were maximally elevated. Serum cholecterol returned to normal within 1 month after removal from the diet, and by 2 months, the heparin precipitating lipoproteins had almost returned to baseline values. The male of the selected line of Japanese quail was shown to be an economical and practical animal model for the screening of anti-atherosclerosis drugs; it is small, inexpensive, and readily develops atherosclerosis.

Produced by selective breeding of Japanese quail animal model for experimental atherosclerosis.

The Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) was bred selectively to produce a strain highly susceptible to experimental atherosclerosis. A population was produced where aortic atherosclerosis is contracted by 99% of the fourth generation males and 83% of the femlaes. Forty-three percent of the males exhibited severe atherosclerosis making this line of Japanese quail a suitable model for discovering and testing anti-atherosclerosis compounds. This feature is augmented by other features such as size, disposition, and abundance which qualify them as suitable experimental subjects. A second line of Japanese quail was bred to be resistant to dietary-induced atherosclerosis. This strain may be a useful research tool for characterizing the etiology of atherosclerosis.

New animal model for atherosclerosis research.

Japanese quail were investigated for their utility as a model for the discovery and evaluation of anti-atherosclerosis compounds. Although they possessed suitable characteristics for a screening animal, their development of atherosclerosis was too variable to make them a practical model. A search was conducted to find a means to make quail uniformly atherosclerotic. To this end a line of quail susceptible to experimental atherosclerosis (SEA) were selectively bred. Thus, the SEA Japanese quail is a new animal model for atherosclerosis research.