Multiple encounters of thermal positrons with surfaces.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Y Kong.
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We report the immunohistochemical localization of protein kinase C isozymes (types I, II, and III) in the rabbit retina using the monospecific monoclonal antibodies MC-1a, MC-2a, and MC-3a. Using immunoblot analysis of partially purified protein kinase C preparations of rabbit retina, types II and III isozymes alone were detected. The activity of type III was the stronger. By light microscopic immunohistochemical analysis, retinal neurons were negative for type I and positive for type II and type III isozymes. Type II was more diffusely distributed through the retinal layers, but was distinctive in ganglion cells, bipolar cells, and outer segments. The immunoreactivity was stronger for type III isozyme, and it was observed in mop (rod) bipolar cells and amacrine cells. By using immunoelectron microscopy, the cytoplasm of the cell body, the axon, and dendrites of the mop bipolar cells were strongly immunoreactive for type III. The so-called rod bipolar cells were for the first time seen to form synapses with rod photoreceptor cells. These differential localizations of respective isozymes in retinal neurons suggest that each isozyme has a different site of function in each neuron.
Out of many component proteins in crude saline extract of Spirometra mansoni plerocercoid (sparganum), 36 kDa and 29 kDa proteins were found to be the most antigenic and were already purified by immunoaffinity chromatography using monoclonal antibody as a ligand. In this study, a single step purification of these potent antigenic proteins of sparganum extract was investigated. When the crude saline extract was charged to gelatin-Sepharose 4B affinity column, 36 kDa and 29 kDa protein fractions were bound. SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) and SDS-PAGE/immunoblot confirmed that the bound protein to gelatin was serologically pure. When evaluated by ELISA with patients sera, the purified protein of 36 and 29 kDa also showed improved antigenicity.
When the component proteins in crude saline extract of 13-week old adult Paragonimus westermani were observed by non-denaturing discontinuous-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (Disc-PAGE), 8 distinct bands were clearly recognized. Molecular weight (MW) of each band protein, numbered in sequence from cathodal side which appeared in 10% separating gel, was measured first by Ferguson plot utilizing different gel concentrations from 10% to 4.5%. MW of band 1 protein (known as egg protein) was 440 kDa. And MW of other band proteins were: 386 kDa in band 2, 17.4 kDa in band 3, 17 kDa in band 4, 14.3 kDa in band 5, 46 kDa in band 6, 38 kDa in band 7 and 23 kDa in band 8. When the proteins in the crude extract were separated into fractions by molecular sieve chromatography through 1.6(phi) X 70 cm sized Sephacryl S-300 Superfine column and revisualized by Disc-PAGE in 8% gel, the sequence of eluted proteins was band 1, band 2, band 6, band 7 and bands 3, 4, 5 and 8. This elution profile confirmed MW of each band protein in the crude extract as measured by Ferguson plot.
Status of metacercarial infections of Paragonimus westermani was observed in freshwater crabs, which were purchased at 3 markets in its peak season of 1990. All of 85 crabs were Eriocheir japonicus. No other species of Eriocheir were found. When crushed muscle and viscera was examined individually, the infection rate was 11.8%; and mean number of metacercariae was 2.1 per infected crab. Unless adequately cooked, freshwater crabs are still potential sources of human paragonimiasis.
In cytosolic fraction of adult Paragonimus westermani, superoxide dismutase activity was identified (4.3 units/mg of specific activity) using a xanthine-xanthine oxidase system. The enzyme was purified 150 fold in its activity using the ammonium sulfate precipitation, DEAE-Trisacryl M anion-exchange chromatography and Sephadex G-100 molecular sieve chromatography. The enzyme exhibited the enhanced activity at pH 10.0. The enzyme activity totally disappeared in 1.0mM cyanide while it remained 77.8% even in 10 mM azide. These findings indicated that the enzyme was Cu, Zn-SOD type. Molecular mass of the enzyme was estimated to be 34 kDa by gel filtration and 17 kDa on reducing SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis which indicated a dimer protein.
The nature of 2 component proteins in crude saline extract of adult Paragonimus westermani was investigated. By immunoaffinity chromatography using monoclonal antibodies (MAb) as ligands, the proteins were purified from the crude extract. Band 1 protein in disc-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) was purified by PFCK-136 MAb. The protein, known to have molecular mass of 440 kDa, was composed of 23, 46 and 92 kDa subunits when observed by reducing SDS-PAGE and SDS-PAGE/immunoblot. This protein was originated from eggs of the worm as revealed by immunohistochemical staining with PFCK-136 Mab. Another affinity purified protein utilizing PFCK-44 MAb was the band 4 protein of 17 kDa in disc-PAGE. This was a monomer protein in reducing SDS-PAGE and SDS-PAGE/immunoblot. The protein was produced at intestinal epithelium of the worm.
A 32-year old housewife, living in Seoul, recognized incidentally a painless mass at the left chest wall. During later 3 months, she experienced spontaneous swelling and regression of the mass repeatedly for 4 times. Surgical resection showed a granuloma at anterior serratus muscle containing a nearly matured adult of Fasciola species without vitellaria and uterus. This is the 11th human fascioliasis and the first extra-abdominal infection reported in Korea.
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Surgically collected cystic fluid of Taenia solium metacestodes from patients of intracranial cystic lesion were compared in their protein composition with those from naturally infected pigs in Cheju Do, Korea and Ecuador. In non-denaturing discontinuous-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (disc-PAGE), no discernible differences were recognized in banding patterns between the cystic fluids from Cheju Do and Ecuador, and between the cystic fluids from pigs and human lesions except wider bands that corresponded to human albumin and gamma-globulin (in 4 of 9 patients). In reducing SDS-PAGE, bands in the cystic fluid from Ecuador showed the same banding pattern with that from Cheju Do but two bands of 21 and 17 kDa were stained darker. Cystic fluids from patients revealed the same protein compositions of the major protein bands of 94, 64, 15, 10 and 7 kDa as in the cystic fluid of pig origin, but human albumin (66 kDa), heavy and light chains of gamma globulin (55 and 22.5 kDa) were contaminated in 4 of 9 cystic fluids. Human CSF proteins seem to have been contaminated during cystic fluid collection. In any cystic fluid from patients, the major protein component was 150 kDa which was subdivided into 15, 10 and 7 kDa in reducing SDS-PAGE.
The quality improvement of antigen (crude saline extract) of Spirometra mansoni pleroceroid (sparganum) was investigated by protein purification. The crude extract was fractionated by gel filtration through Sephacryl S-300 Superfine. Its third fraction was purified by affinity chromatography using a monoclonal antibody as ligand. When observed by SDS-PAGE, the purified protein was composed of 2 bands of 36 kDa and 29 kDa which were found already as the most sensitive components in the crude extract by immunoblots with patients sera. The quality of the purified antigen was evaluated in comparison with the crude extract by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the specific (IgG) antibody in sera of human sparganosis, other parasitic and neurologic diseases, and normal control. When the purified antigen was used, the sensitivity was not altered but remained high (96.4%) while the specificity was increased from 86.8% to 96.9%.
To observe antibody changes after praziquantel treatment in paragonimiasis, a total of 46 serum samples from 13 serologically diagnosed patients was collected for 4-28 months. The specific antibody (IgG) levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). All but one patient who needed retreatment became symptom-free within a week. Antibody levels were dropped near to or below a cut-off absorbance (abs.) of 0.25 in varying intervals from 4 to 18 months. Of 9 patients who were retested within 3 months, 5 revealed temporary elevation of antibody level. After the elevation, the levels began to decline slowly to negative ranges. If treated earlier after symptoms developed, the temporary elevation did not occur and intervals to negative conversion were shorter. By sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE)/immunoblot, antigen-antibody reactions in individual patient faded gradually without significant changes in reacting antigen bands.
Sera from confirmed patients of 5 hydatidosis, 67 neurocysticercosis and 89 other parasitic diseases were tested for specific antibody (IgG) levels by ELISA to cystic fluid antigens from metacestodes of Echinococcus granulosus (HF) and Taenia solium (CF). All hydatidosis sera reacted positively to both HF and CF while neurocysticercosis sera did in 49.3% to HF and 85.1% to CF. The frequencies of cross-reactions were lower in other parasitic diseases to both antigens. By SDS-PAGE, protein bands of 64, 35, 22 and 7 kilodaltons (kDa) were found common in HF and CF. SDS-PAGE/immunoblot exhibited that hydatidosis sera reacted crossly to CF at 135, 110, 100, 86, 64, 45, 39, 35 and 24 kDa bands while neurocysticercosis sera did to HF at 135, 100, 86, 64, 52, 39, 35, 29 and 24 kDa bands. These results indicated that protein bands of 135, 100, 86, 64, 39, 35 and 24 kDa were major common components in HF and CF. Protein bands of 7 kDa in HF and 15, 10 and 7 kDa in CF did not react crossly and were specific components in respective antigens.
The late restenosis rate after emergent percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty for acute myocardial infarction was assessed by performing outpatient follow-up cardiac catheterization in 79 (87%) of 91 consecutive patients who had been discharged from the hospital with a successful coronary angioplasty. The majority of patients (90%) received high dose intravenous thrombolytic therapy with streptokinase in addition to angioplasty. Similar follow-up data were obtained in 206 (90%) of 228 consecutive patients who had successful elective angioplasty during the same period. The interval from angioplasty to follow-up was 28 +/- 9 weeks for the myocardial infarction group and 30 +/- 11 weeks for the elective group. Baseline clinical variables were similar for both the myocardial infarction and elective groups except for a higher percentage of men in the infarction group (81 versus 63%, p = 0.001). The number of coronary lesions undergoing angioplasty and the incidence of intimal dissection were similar, but multivessel angioplasty was more common in the elective group (13 versus 4%, p = 0.02). The rate of in-hospital reocclusion was higher in the patients receiving angioplasty for myocardial infarction (13 versus 2%, p = 0.0001). At the time of late follow-up after hospital discharge, the patients with myocardial infarction were more often asymptomatic (79 versus 55%, p = 0.0001), and the rate of angiographic coronary restenosis was lower for the infarction group both overall (19 versus 35%, p = 0.006) and when multivessel angioplasty patients were excluded (19 versus 33%, p = 0.01).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
One year survival and event-free survival rates were analyzed in 342 patients with acute myocardial infarction who were consecutively enrolled in a treatment protocol of early intravenous thrombolytic therapy followed by emergency coronary angioplasty. Ninety-four percent of the patients achieved successful reperfusion, including 4% with failed angioplasty whose perfusion was maintained by means of a reperfusion catheter before emergency bypass surgery. The procedural mortality rate was 1.2% and the total in-hospital mortality rate was 11%. Ninety-two percent of surviving nonsurgical patients who underwent repeat cardiac catheterization were discharged from the hospital with an open infarct-related artery. The related cumulative 1 year survival rate for all patients managed with this treatment strategy was 87%, and the cardiac event-free survival rate was 84%. The 1 year survival for hospital survivors was 98% and the infarct-free survival rate was 94%. Multivariable analysis identified the following factors as independent predictors of subsequent cardiovascular death: cardiogenic shock, greater age, lower ejection fraction, female gender and a closed infarct-related vessel on the initial coronary angiogram. Among patients with cardiogenic shock, despite a 42% in-hospital mortality rate, only 4% died during the first year after hospital discharge. Similarly, the in-hospital and 1 year postdischarge mortality rates were 19 and 4%, respectively, for patients with an initial ejection fraction less than 40, and 25 and 3%, respectively, for patients greater than 65 years. An aggressive treatment strategy including early thrombolytic therapy, emergency cardiac catheterization, coronary angioplasty and, when necessary, bypass surgery resulted in a high rate of infarct vessel patency.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
An autoperfusion balloon catheter was developed to allow passive myocardial perfusion during inflation through a central lumen and multiple side holes in the shaft proximal and distal to the balloon. We report its safety and efficacy in 11 patients undergoing elective angioplasty to a single coronary lesion. Each lesion was dilated three times with the autoperfusion inflation bracketed between two inflations by standard angioplasty catheters. Chest pain score, 12-lead electrocardiogram, heart rate, and mean aortic pressure were recorded before each inflation and at 1-minute intervals after inflation. Inflation duration during autoperfusion angioplasty (513 +/- 303 seconds) was longer than for the pre- (107 +/- 55 seconds, p = 0.0004) and post- (139 +/- 71 seconds, p = 0.0006) standard dilatations. The maximum ST-segment elevation and depression in any lead during autoperfusion angioplasty (0.3 +/- 0.5 and 0.6 +/- 0.8 mm) was significantly less than for the pre- (2.4 +/- 1.7 mm, p = 0.002 and 2.2 +/- 1.3 mm, p = 0.0004) or post- (1.9 +/- 1.3 mm, p = 0.002 and 1.6 +/- 1.3 mm, p = 0.018) standard dilatations at the same point in time. Maximal chest pain score during autoperfusion (3.2 +/- 3.5) was lower than for the pre- (6.1 +/- 2.1, p = 0.003) but not the post- (5.2 +/- 3.1, p = 0.07) standard angioplasty. All 11 patients underwent successful, uncomplicated procedures. We conclude that this autoperfusion catheter significantly reduces ischemic symptoms and signs during coronary angioplasty, allowing prolonged periods of balloon inflation.