Subarachnoid hemorrhage following wasp stings.

Three days after being stung by wasps in a rural area, a 60-year-old man was admitted to the emergency department with headaches. The physical examination showed that the patient was conscious, had moderate pain, had four head and back stings with local edema and erythema around the wounds, and had a stiff neck. Brain computed tomography upon admission revealed no abnormalities. Following lumbar puncture, the patient was diagnosed with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) induced by wasp stings. No obvious aneurysms were found by either computed tomography angiography or three-dimensional rotational angiography. He received symptomatic treatment including antiallergy medication (chlorpheniramine and intravenous hydrocortisone), nimodipine for possible vasospasm, fluid infusion, and mannitol for intracranial pressure reduction and was discharged on the 14th day. This case of wasp sting-induced SAH is being reported to improve doctors' diagnostic abilities when encountering patients with wasp stings. It is important for emergency physicians to be aware that patients stung by wasps may develop rare complications such as SAH. Hymenoptera-induced SAH is an example of such a case.

Purification of the 28 kD Protein from Maize Pollen and Studies on Its Properties.

A novel protein with ATPase activity was purified from the cytoplasmic extracts of maize pollen by acetone precipitation, ammonium sulfate fractionation, followed by DEAE-Sephadex A(50) and Mono S ion-exchange chromatography. The molecular weight was about 28 kD as determined by SDS-PAGE and the isoelectric point was pH 8.3 by IEF-PAGE. Western blotting analysis showed the 28 kD protein had no specific immuno-reactions with the anti-kinesin monoclonal or the anti-dynamin polyclonal antibodies. The maximum ultraviolet absorbance was at 278 nm, CD spectrum analysis showed the that 28 kD protein with the feature of a globulin. Pharmacological studies indicated that the enzyme activity was strongly inhibited by Na(3)VO(4) but insensitive to NEM. It was inhibited about 50% by NaF. Oligomycin, KNO(3) and ouabain had no effects on its ATPase activity.