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Human β-defensins (hBDs) are the most abundant antimicrobial peptides in epithelial cells, and function in the host immune system. Respiratory epithelial cells express hBDs to inhibit bacterial proliferation during respiratory tract infections. The aim of this study was to investigate the release of hBDs into the respiratory tract and their benefit as a host defence system in chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections. The levels of four hBD peptides (hBD-1–hBD-4) were measured in the bronchial epithelial lining fluid (ELF) of nine patients with chronic lower respiratory tract infection caused by P. aeruginosa. Eight patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and eight volunteers free of pulmonary disease were recruited as controls. ELF was obtained by bronchoscopic microsampling and hBD levels were measured by radioimmunoassays. The antimicrobial effects of hBDs were studied individually and in combination using an in-vitro colony count assay for P. aeruginosa. Concentrations of hBD-1 and hBD-3 tended to be higher in patients with chronic lower respiratory tract infection than in the controls. hBD-2 and hBD-4 were detected in ELF from five and four of nine patients, respectively, but the hBD levels in controls were all below the limits of detection. All patients with infection caused by mucoid P. aeruginosa had detectable hBD-2 and hBD-4 levels in ELF. In-vitro colony count assays showed a potential synergism between hBD-2 and hBD-4 in inhibiting bacterial proliferation. The findings indicate that hBDs, especially hBD-2 and hBD-4, are pathophysiologically important in infections caused by mucoid strains of P. aeruginosa.

The growth of mould spores of Penicillium sp. and Cladosporium sp. inoculated in a commercial mineral water product was studied. The strains had been isolated as fungal foreign bodies in commercial mineral waters. In product A, which was not originally sterilized and was contaminated with psychrophilic bacteria, the inoculated mould spores of the strains did not grow; no increases in viable colony counts or β-glucans concentration in the samples were observed during storage. In a sterilized product A, inoculated spores of the strains grew into visible foreign bodies. The viable colony counts and the β-glucans concentration in the samples increased during storage. These results showed that in a sterilized mineral water product, mould spores could grow into visible foreign bodies.

The ability of an extracellular lipase from Pseudomonas aeruginosa KKA-5 to commence hydrolysis of castor oil in the presence of various metal chlorides, was investigated. Apart from CaCl2 (commonly used for castor oil hydrolysis), AlCl3 (group IIIB), CrCl3 (group VIA) and MgCl2 (group IIA) displayed enhanced hydrolysis capability. Specifically, our statistics show that with respect to time, when Cr3+ was used, hydrolysis of castor oil was four times faster than that of calcium, and 1.6 times faster with regards to Al3+. The chlorides of group VIII and alkali metals had no effect on hydrolysis. Group IV metal chlorides did not enhance lipase activity and inhibited castor oil hydrolysis. The effect of metal ions from other groups on lipase activity is also reported.

Peripherally secreted arginine vasopressin (AVP) plays a role in controlling body fluid homeostasis, and central endogenous AVP acts as a neurotransmitter or neuromodulator. The limbic system, which appears to exert an inhibitory effect on the endocrine hypothalamus, is also innervated by fibres that contain AVP. We examined whether central endogenous AVP is also involved in the control of body fluid homeostasis. To explore this possibility, we examined neuronal activity in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN), periventricular parts of the PVN and limbic brain areas, as well as AVP mRNA expression in the PVN and the peripheral secretion of AVP after central salt-loading in rats that had been pretreated i.c.v. with the AVP V(1) receptor antagonist OPC-21268. Neuronal activity in the PVN evaluated in terms of Fos-like immunoreactivity (FLI), especially in the parvocellular subdivisions, was suppressed. On the other hand, FLI was enhanced in the lateral septum, the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and the anterior hypothalamic area. Similarly, AVP mRNA expression was enhanced in the magnocellular subnucleus of the PVN, despite the lack of a significant difference in the peripheral AVP level between OPC-21268- and vehicle-pretreated groups. We recorded renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA) as sympathetic nerve outflow during central salt-loading. The suppression of RSNA was significantly attenuated by i.c.v. pretreatment with OPC-21268. These results suggest that the suppression of RSNA during central salt-loading might be the result of a decrease in neuronal activity in the parvocellular subdivisions of the PVN via the inhibitory action of central endogenous AVP. The parvocellular and magnocellular neurones in the PVN might show different responses to central salt-loading to maintain body fluid homeostasis as a result of the modulatory role of central endogenous AVP.

Uroguanylin is a novel natriuretic and diuretic peptide originally isolated from urine.To determine whether uroguanylin has a physiologic role during the perinatal period, uroguanylin levels in umbilical cord plasma obtained at the time of delivery were measured by radioimmunoassay and compared with cord serum osmolality.Mean (+/- SD) cord plasma uroguanylin concentrations (8.8 +/- 2.1 fmol/mL) were higher compared with normal adult values. The extent of maturity, mode of delivery and gender did not appear to influence cord uroguanylin levels. The uroguanylin concentration had a significant positive correlation with cord serum osmolality.These findings support some regulatory role of this peptide in perinatal renal and cardiovascular adaptation.

To study whether abnormal secretion of islet amyloid polypeptide is involved in the development of insulin resistance and impaired insulin secretion in Type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus, we measured islet amyloid polypeptide concentrations in 56 first-degree relatives of Type 2 diabetic subjects and in 10 healthy control subjects. Fasting islet amyloid polypeptide concentrations were similar in control subjects, glucose-tolerant and glucose-intolerant relatives (8 +/- 1, 9 +/- 1 and 11 +/- 2 fmol/ml; p = NS). The area under the islet amyloid polypeptide curve measured during an oral glucose load was larger in glucose-intolerant relatives (115 +/- 13 fmol/ml) compared to glucose tolerant relatives and control subjects (88 +/- 3 and 79 +/- 12 fmol/ml; p less than 0.05). The insulin response during the oral glucose load was inversely correlated with the rate of glucose disposal measured during a euglycaemic hyperinsulinaemic clamp (r = -0.725; p less than 0.01), while no significant correlation was observed between the corresponding values for islet amyloid polypeptide and glucose disposal (r = -0.380; p = NS). Hypersecretion of islet amyloid polypeptide is observed in glucose-intolerant first-degree relatives of patients with Type 2 diabetes. Since these patients are characterized by insulin resistance and abnormal first-phase insulin secretion, the putative role of islet amyloid polypeptide in the development of these abnormalities remains to be established. It is however, unlikely that islet amyloid polypeptide is involved in the development of insulin resistance as insulin-resistant relatives with normal glucose-tolerance showed normal islet amyloid polypeptide concentrations.

No conservative therapy for endometrial cancer exists. We therefore evaluated the new balloon laserthermia for such cases.Experimental and clinical study. We examined experimentally porcine kidney and stomach, human resected uterus and clinically on 12 patients with endometrial cancer and two patients with hyperplasia.Temperatures were safely kept at the balloon surface. Laser irradiation should be performed for at least 10-15 min, 65-70 degrees C to produce a suitable degeneration, experimentally. Clinically, necrosis and degeneration to a depth of 4-6 mm was histologically observed. Eight patients with carcinoma and hyperplasia for which laserthermia was effective showed that the surface of cancer was smooth and the depth of invasion was in most cases up to 1/4 of muscle layer.Balloon laserthermia may be effective in early endometrial cancer or precancerous lesions. Its clinical usefulness should be investigated further.

We report the cases of three siblings homozygous for a mutated transthyretin (TTR) gene that causes type I familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy (FAP), in whom we made the diagnosis by identifying both the mutated TTR gene and a variant TTR in their sera. Their serum levels for the variant TTR are twice those of patients heterozygous for the gene, but two have late-onset FAP and the third is an elderly asymptomatic carrier. TTR abnormality is a necessary condition for the development of FAP, but there may be other factors that retard or prevent its clinical development.