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Background: Accurate staging of bronchogenic carcinoma is important in determining resectability and metastasis of tumor to the subcarinal nodes is generally believed to indicate poor prognosis. The technique of Transbronchial needle aspiration (TBNA) has offered a safe & effective way to asscess mediastinal lymph node involvement in the staging of lung cancer. We performed TBNA in patients who were suspected lung cancer to evaluate the clinical usefulness of the TBNA. Method: TBNA of the subcarinal lymph node was performed at the time of initial diagnostic bronchoscopy in 60 patients with suspected lung cancer, and 42 cases of histologically proved bronchogenic cancer were analized. Results: The frequency of adequate samples by transbronchial needle aspiration (TBNA) was 81% and the positive rate of malignant cells by TBNA was 14.7%. There were no differences in positive rates by tumor cell types. In patients with thickened carina on bronchoscopy, the TBNA was positive in 33.3% as compared to 5.3% of normal carina on bronchoscopy, and the difference was statistically significant (p

Effect of temperature on the following reactions for ficin have been determined: (1) Km(app) for benzoyl- l -arginine ethyl ester, (2) Ki for benzoyl- d -arginine ethyl ester, (3) rate of acylation by benzoyl- l -arginine ethyl ester, and (4) rates of alkylation of the essential sulfhydryl group with chloroacetamide in the absence and presence of benzoyl- d -arginine ethyl ester. In addition, the effect of temperature on the rate of alkylation of the sulfhydryl group of mercaptoethanol was determined. There is little or no effect of temperature on Km(app) and Ki (ΔH∘, ΔF∘, and ΔS∘ = −0.36 kcal/mole, −1.80 kcal/mole, and −7.27 eu, respectively for both). The acylation and alkylation activation parameters for the sulfhydryl group of ficin are similar (ΔH∗, ΔF∗, and ΔS∗ for acylation (alkylation) were 6.61 (3.72) kcal/mole, 16.6 (15.8) kcal/ mole, and −33.4 (−40.6) eu, respectively). There were marked differences in ΔH∗ and ΔS∗ in the absence and presence of benzoyl- d -arginine ethyl ester (ΔH∗, ΔF∗, and ΔS∗ in absence (presence) were 3.72 (8.62) kcal/mole, 15.8 (14.9) kcal/mole and −40.6 (−21.0) eu, respectively). ΔS∗ in the presence of benzoyl- d -arginine ethyl ester was similar to that for alkylation of the sulfhydryl group of mercaptoethanol (ΔH∗, ΔF∗, and ΔS∗ for alkylation of mercaptoethanol (ficin in presence of benzoyl- d -arginine ethyl ester) were 13.8 (8.62) kcal/mole, 18.7 (14.9) kcal/mole and −16.5 (−21.0) eu, respectively). These results are discussed in relation to a possible conformational change in the active site of ficin on binding substrate or competitive inhibitor.