Induction of humoral and cellular immune response to hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccine can be upregulated by CpG oligonucleotides complexed with Dectin-1 ligand.

A persistent hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is characterized by a lack of or a weak immune response to HBV, which may be reflective of tolerance to HBV. Efficient induction of HBV-specific immune response leads to the clearance of HBV in patients with a chronic HBV infection. CpG oligodeoxynucleotides (ODN) has a powerful adjuvant effect in HBV vaccination. A recent report demonstrated that the immunization by B/K CpG ODN (K3) wrapped by the nonagonistic Dectin-1 ligand, schizophyllan (SPG), namely K3-SPG, was more effective in the induction of antigen-specific immune response than that by K3. In this study, we examined the efficacy of K3-SPG as a HBV vaccine adjuvant. Wild-type (WT) mice and HBV transgenic (HBV-Tg) mice were subcutaneously immunized with hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) alone, HBsAg and K3, or HBsAg and K3-SPG. The vaccination with HBsAg and K3-SPG significantly enhanced humoral and cellular immune response to HBV antigen compared to the other vaccinations in WT and HBV-Tg mice. K3-SPG induced the accumulation of dendritic cells (DCs) into draining lymph node and the activation of DCs. The expression of cytokines and chemokines related to Th1 and Th2 responses was upregulated after the vaccination including with K3-SPG. In conclusion, these results indicated that the vaccination using K3-SPG may overcome tolerance even in patients with chronic HBV infection.

Lymphangiomyomatosis associated with chylous ascites and high serum CA-125 levels: a case report.

A case of lymphangiomyomatosis with marked chylous ascites and persistently elevated CA-125 levels is presented. A 30-year-old woman revealed milky urine, milky ascites and exertional dyspnea about one year after the normal delivery of her second child. The lungs showed bilateral diffuse reticular shadows. No pleural effusion was observed. Pulmonary function tests revealed hypoxemia and obstructive changes of the respiratory tract. The levels of CA-125 in blood and ascites were continuously more than 200 U/ml. The inguinal lymph node biopsy and open lung biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of lymphangiomyomatosis. The patient was first treated with progesterone without effect. Oophorectomy was then performed, resulting in the improvement of respiratory distress, although ascites continued. With addition of Le Veen's peritoneojugular shunt the patient improved with reduction of ascites.

Characteristics of polarographic catalytic waves observed with bovine-serum albumin: kinetic or diffusion control.

Conditions are described under which the catalytic Brdicka currents observed in ammoniacal buffer solutions containing cobalt(III) hexammine chloride or cobalt(II) and very little bovine-serum albumin (0.1-0.2 muM) are purely kinetically controlled. Under these conditions the kinetic current at pH 9.3-10.3 exhibits a sharp maximum followed by a decrease of the current to a well-defined minimum. The maximum and minimum are eliminated in the presence of 5 mM or more concentrated calcium chloride when a short plateau occurs at the potential of the maximum followed by a well-defined second wave. Both currents are kinetically controlled. When the albumin concentration is 2 muM or greater, the kinetic currents approach diffusion control, the rate of diffusion of cobalt(III) or (II) being close to rate determining. Under these conditions the currents become proportional to the cobalt(III) or (II) concentration in the concentration range between 25 and 200 muM.

Serum bilirubin fractionation using multilayer film method in hepatobiliary diseases in comparison with high performance liquid chromatography.

The Ektachem multilayer film method (Ektachem) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) were employed to fractionate and evaluate serum bilirubin species in 45 serum samples. The false-positive or false-high levels of bilirubin close-bonded with albumin (i.e. the delta bilirubin fraction (B delta] was obtained by Ektachem in sera of cases with normal bilirubin concentration and cases with unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia when compared with the results of HPLC. In the sera of cases with conjugated hyperbilirubinemia, Ektachem gave comparable levels of total bilirubin (TB), and unconjugated bilirubin (Bu) to those of HPLC, but underestimated conjugated bilirubin (Bc) and slightly overestimated B delta. To investigate the clinical significance of B delta in 113 cases of various hepatobiliary diseases with conjugated hyperbilirubinemia, the ratios of B delta to TB (B delta/TB) and to directly-reacting bilirubin fractions (B delta/(Bc + B delta] and that of Bc to B delta (Bc/B delta) were calculated based on the results of Ektachem and compared with each other during the course of jaundice. The mean B delta/TB was below 40% in various hepatobiliary diseases but became as high as approximately 60% in the convalescence stage. The mean B delta/(Bc + B delta) was below 50% in acute hepatitis (the serum bilirubin-elevating stage) and obstructive jaundice, and it increased to above 80% in the recovery stage. In decompensated liver cirrhosis and intrahepatic cholestasis the mean B delta/(Bc + B delta) was about 60%, indicating continuous backflow of Bc from liver cells. The changes in B delta/(Bc + B delta) were much greater than in B delta/TB.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)