RESUMEN
Porphyrins are an important class of organic molecules, with interesting linear and nonlinear optical properties given mainly by their extended π-conjugation structure. Their photophysical properties can be greatly affected by the surrounding environment, which can be used to tune its final properties. Here we report on an experimental study of the photophysical properties of meso-tetrakis (methylpyridiniumyl) porphyrin (TMPyP) in aqueous and in several organic solvents and its interaction with micelles formed from negatively charged sodium dodecylsulphate (SDS), positively charged cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) and neutral TRITON X-100. By using the Z-scan technique, flash-photolysis and time-resolved fluorescence techniques, we were able to evaluate the excited state dynamics of the TMPyP, and observed that the tetrapyrrole ring plays important role due to hydrogen bonds formation between nitrogen atom and water, while the side groups determine the porphyrin localization in non-aqueous micelle part.
Asunto(s)
Compuestos de Cetrimonio/química , Octoxinol/química , Fotoquímica , Porfirinas/química , Dodecil Sulfato de Sodio/química , Cetrimonio , Enlace de Hidrógeno , Espectrometría de FluorescenciaRESUMEN
Three euthyroid patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis developed hypothyroidism after the administration of rifampin. We studied 67 patients with tuberculosis. All of them were treated with rifampin. Of the 67 patients, 42 had negative tests for anti-thyroid antibodies (ATA) and 25 had positive tests for ATA. The diagnosis of Hashimoto's thyroiditis was made on the basis of positive tests for ATA. After the administration of rifampin, TSH levels were not significantly altered in all of the former 42 ATA-negative patients and in 22 of the latter 25 ATA-positives, but TSH levels increased in the other three (Patients 1, 2 and 3) of the latter 25 ATA-positives. Three euthyroid Hashimoto's patients (Patients 1, 2 and 3) developed hypothyroidism after the administration of rifampin. This rifampin-induced hypothyroidism resolved in each, once rifampin was discontinued. A) Patient 1: a 62-yr-old man with lymphoma had pulmonary tuberculosis. After the administration of rifampin, serum TSH increased to 170 mU/l; B) Patient 2: a peritoneal-biopsy specimen containing Langhans' giant cells led to a diagnosis of tuberculous peritonitis in a 66-yr-old woman with ascites. After the administration of rifampin, TSH increased to 12.4 mU/l; C) Patient 3: a 56-yr-old woman with a liver abscess and lymphadenopathy underwent lymph-node biopsy that showed Mycobacterium tuberculosis with caseating granulomas. After the administration of rifampin, TSH increased to 21.3 mU/l. After its administration, Patients 1, 2 and 3 developed hypothyroidism, and received T4. When rifampin was discontinued, the hypothyroidism resolved. After the course of rifampin-therapy had been completed, T4 was discontinued. At-risk patients who receive rifampin may become hypothyroid.
Asunto(s)
Antibióticos Antituberculosos/efectos adversos , Hipotiroidismo/inducido químicamente , Rifampin/efectos adversos , Anciano , Femenino , Enfermedad de Hashimoto/complicaciones , Humanos , Hipotiroidismo/complicaciones , Linfoma/complicaciones , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Peritonitis/complicaciones , Peritonitis/tratamiento farmacológico , Rifampin/uso terapéutico , Tirotropina/sangre , Tiroxina/administración & dosificación , Tuberculosis/tratamiento farmacológicoRESUMEN
Strongyloidiasis, a human intestinal infection caused by Strongyloides stercoralis (S. stercoralis), is difficult to cure with drugs. In particular, a decrease of the efficacy of treatment has been reported in patients dually infected with S. stercoralis and human T-cell leukaemia virus type I (HTLV-I), both of which are endemic in Okinawa, Japan. However, the factors influencing this resistance remain unclear. In the present study, patients infected with S. stercoralis, with or without HTLV-I infection, were treated with albendazole, followed up for one year and separated into two groups, cured and non-cured. The cure rate of S. stercoralis was lower in HTLV-I carriers (P < 0.05). Serum levels of S. stercoralis-specific IgA, IgE, IgG, IgG1 and IgG4 antibodies were estimated, and a decrease of IgE (P < 0.05) and an increase of IgG4 (P < 0.05) were observed in the non-cured group, especially in HTLV-I carriers. RT-PCR of cytokines using peripheral blood mononuclear cells revealed that S. stercoralis patients with HTLV-I showed a high frequency of expression of IFN-gamma and TGF-beta1, whereas those without HTLV-I showed no expression of these cytokines. IFN-gamma- and TGF-beta1-positive HTLV-I carriers showed a decrease of IgE (P < 0.05), an increase of IgG4 (P < 0.01) and a lower cure rate (P < 0.01) compared with those who were negative for both cytokines. These results suggest that persistent infection with HTLV-I affected S. stercoralis-specific immunity and reduced therapeutic efficacy.
Asunto(s)
Regulación de la Expresión Génica , Infecciones por HTLV-I/complicaciones , Interferón gamma/biosíntesis , Parasitosis Intestinales/complicaciones , Strongyloides stercoralis , Estrongiloidiasis/complicaciones , Factor de Crecimiento Transformador beta/biosíntesis , Anciano , Albendazol/uso terapéutico , Animales , Antihelmínticos/uso terapéutico , Anticuerpos Antihelmínticos/sangre , Anticuerpos Antihelmínticos/inmunología , Heces/parasitología , Femenino , Infecciones por HTLV-I/tratamiento farmacológico , Infecciones por HTLV-I/inmunología , Infecciones por HTLV-I/metabolismo , Humanos , Huésped Inmunocomprometido , Inmunoglobulina E/sangre , Inmunoglobulina E/inmunología , Inmunoglobulina G/sangre , Inmunoglobulina G/inmunología , Interferón gamma/genética , Parasitosis Intestinales/tratamiento farmacológico , Parasitosis Intestinales/inmunología , Parasitosis Intestinales/metabolismo , Parasitosis Intestinales/parasitología , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , ARN Mensajero/biosíntesis , Reacción en Cadena de la Polimerasa de Transcriptasa Inversa , Strongyloides stercoralis/inmunología , Strongyloides stercoralis/aislamiento & purificación , Estrongiloidiasis/tratamiento farmacológico , Estrongiloidiasis/inmunología , Estrongiloidiasis/metabolismo , Factor de Crecimiento Transformador beta/genética , Insuficiencia del TratamientoRESUMEN
The community control program for Strongyloides infection was conducted by fecal examination and subsequent treatment of the population on a model island (Kume Island) in Okinawa, Japan, for 5 years from 1993 to 1997. More than 1,200 persons, accounting for 17% to 20% of the persons subjected, received fecal examinations each year. The positive rate in 1993 was found to be 9.7% (133/1,374). The positive rate decreased to 6.5% (95/1,468) in 1994, then 4.8% (60/1,245) in 1995, 2.2% (27/1,225) in 1996 and 2.7% (33/1,217) in 1997 through treatment with albendazole or ivermectin on the positive persons detected each year. Among the positive persons detected after operation of the control program, more than 70% were newly detected persons who did not receive an examination in the previous year or were falsely-negative in the previous examination. The low enforcement of procuring fecal examinations, as well as low sensitivity of fecal examination, might have had an effect on the relatively gradual decrease in the prevalence rate, in spite of the high efficacy of the treatment. The results indicate that continuation of the control program for several years is needed to effectively reduce the prevalence of the parasitic infection in the community.
Asunto(s)
Albendazol/uso terapéutico , Antinematodos/uso terapéutico , Ivermectina/uso terapéutico , Estrongiloidiasis/prevención & control , Adulto , Animales , Heces/parasitología , Femenino , Humanos , Japón/epidemiología , Masculino , Tamizaje Masivo , Strongyloides/aislamiento & purificación , Estrongiloidiasis/tratamiento farmacológico , Estrongiloidiasis/epidemiologíaRESUMEN
A study was undertaken to compare the efficacy of three drugs in the treatment of uncomplicated strongyloidiasis in Okinawa, Japan. Two hundred and eleven patients with confirmed Strongyloides stercoralis infection were given either ivermectin, 6 mg in a single dose, albendazole, 400 mg/day for 3 days or pyrvinium pamoate, 5 mg/kg/day for 3 days. For each treatment, the same regimen was repeated once 2 weeks later. Efficacy was evaluated at 2 weeks, 6 months and 12 months after the second course of treatment. Each follow-up examination included a parasitological examination of z stool specimens, using the agar-plate culture method. Coprological cure was obtained in 65 of the 67 patients treated with ivermectin (97.0%), in 65 of the 84 patients treated with albendazole (77.4%) and only in 14 of the 60 patients who were given pyrvinium pamoate (23.3%). The cure rates were lower in males and in the patients with concurrent HTLV-1 infection. An epidemiological feature of Strongyloides infection in recent Okinawa might allow workers to evaluate the exact efficacy of the treatment for an extended period, over a year, without the possibility of reinfection from the environment.
Asunto(s)
Albendazol/uso terapéutico , Antinematodos/uso terapéutico , Ivermectina/uso terapéutico , Compuestos de Pirvinio/uso terapéutico , Strongyloides stercoralis , Estrongiloidiasis/tratamiento farmacológico , Adulto , Anciano , Anciano de 80 o más Años , Albendazol/administración & dosificación , Animales , Antinematodos/administración & dosificación , Esquema de Medicación , Femenino , Infecciones por HTLV-I/complicaciones , Humanos , Ivermectina/administración & dosificación , Japón , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Compuestos de Pirvinio/administración & dosificación , Estrongiloidiasis/complicacionesRESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: We studied the association between type 1 diabetes with autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD) and A/G allele polymorphism in exon 1 of the CTLA-4 gene in a Japanese population. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We studied 74 Japanese type 1 diabetic patients with or without AITD and 107 normal subjects to identify the association between CTLA-4 polymorphism and type 1 diabetes using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. RESULTS: The frequency of the CTLA-4 G allele differed significantly between the type 1 diabetic patients (61%) and the normal control subjects (48%) (P = 0.016). The difference in the CTLA-4 G allele became greater between patients with a younger age of onset of type 1 diabetes (age at onset <30 years) and the normal control subjects (64% and 48%, respectively). However, the frequency of the CTLA-4 G allele did not differ between type 1 diabetic patients with younger and older age of onset (64% vs. 57%). The G allele frequencies in the patients with younger-onset type 1 diabetes and AITD increased more than in the control patients (P = 0.025). These differences reflected a significant increase in the frequency of G/G genotype--that is, 54% in those with younger-onset type 1 diabetes and AITD, 39% in those without AITD, and 28% in control subjects. CONCLUSIONS: An association was detected between the CTLA-4 gene polymorphism and younger-onset type 1 diabetes with AITD. The G variant was suggested to be genetically linked to AITD-associated type 1 diabetes of younger onset in this apanese population. The defect in these patients presumably lies in a T-cell-mediated autoimmune mechanism.
Asunto(s)
Antígenos de Diferenciación/genética , Pueblo Asiatico/genética , Diabetes Mellitus Tipo 1/genética , Inmunoconjugados , Polimorfismo Genético , Tiroiditis Autoinmune/genética , Abatacept , Adolescente , Adulto , Edad de Inicio , Anciano , Alanina , Antígenos CD , Autoanticuerpos/sangre , Antígeno CTLA-4 , Niño , Diabetes Mellitus Tipo 1/inmunología , Femenino , Glutamato Descarboxilasa/inmunología , Humanos , Islotes Pancreáticos/inmunología , Isoenzimas/inmunología , Japón , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Treonina , Tiroiditis Autoinmune/inmunologíaRESUMEN
We analyzed the association of 2 biallelic polymorphisms of CYP11B2 (P450c11AS) gene (1 in the Lys(173)Arg of exon 3 and the other in the promoter at position -344T/C) with hypertension in 73 hypertensive patients and 134 normotensive subjects. The association between low-renin hypertension and angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) gene was also analyzed. An elevated ratio of plasma aldosterone concentration to plasma renin activity was used to identify low-renin hypertension. Genotypes for CYP11B2 and ACE were determined through polymerase chain reactions. The Arg(173) allele frequency did not differ between hypertensive patients considered as 1 group (34%) and normotensive control subjects (37%). However, only 22% of 58 CYP11B2 alleles studied in 29 patients with low-renin hypertension were Arg(173) alleles, whereas the frequency of this allele was 41% in patients with normal- or high-renin hypertension (P=0.033). An analysis of the distribution of -344C and Arg(173) genotypes indicated that these 2 variants were in complete linkage disequilibrium: -344C was present in a subset of chromosomes carrying the Arg(173) (P<0.001 in low-renin hypertension). Therefore, the frequency of the -344C allele was low in the patients with low-renin hypertension compared with those with normal- or high-renin hypertension. Deletion (D) allele frequencies of the ACE gene were 31% in the patients with low-renin hypertension, 39% in the patients with normal- or high-renin hypertension, and 29% in normotensive control subjects. We detected an association between the CYP11B2 gene polymorphisms and low-renin hypertension with inappropriate elevation of aldosterone. The decreased frequencies of the Arg(173) and -344C variants in the CYP11B2 appear to be genetically linked to low-renin hypertension in the Japanese population studied.
Asunto(s)
Citocromo P-450 CYP11B2/genética , Hipertensión Renal/sangre , Hipertensión Renal/genética , Renina/sangre , Adulto , Anciano , Aldosterona/sangre , Alelos , Arginina , Análisis Mutacional de ADN , Femenino , Regulación Enzimológica de la Expresión Génica , Marcadores Genéticos , Humanos , Japón , Lisina , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Polimorfismo Genético , Regiones Promotoras Genéticas/fisiología , Sistema Renina-Angiotensina/genéticaRESUMEN
Strongyloidiasis, a human intestinal infection with Strongyloides stercoralis, is difficult to treat with drugs. The factors influencing this phenomenon remain unclear. To determine the host factors involved in response to treatment, 46 patients with strongyloidiasis were treated with albendazole, followed-up for 1 year, and separated into two groups: cured and non-cured. Serum levels of specific IgA, IgE, IgG, IgG1, and IgG4 antibodies were estimated using S. stercoralis antigen. Significantly higher titers of IgG4 antibody were observed in the non-cured group than in the cured group (P = 0.016). A total of 88 patients were typed for HLA-DRB1 alleles and analyzed for serum levels of antibody. The S. stercoralis-specific IgG4 antibody titers were significantly higher in the HLA-DRB1*0901-positive group than in the negative group (corrected P = 0.044). These results suggest that HLA-DRB1*0901 is a possible genetic marker for resistance to treatment of S. stercoralis that is associated with elevation of S. stercoralis-specific IgG4 antibody titer.
Asunto(s)
Albendazol/uso terapéutico , Antihelmínticos/uso terapéutico , Antígenos HLA-DR/inmunología , Inmunoglobulina G/biosíntesis , Strongyloides stercoralis/efectos de los fármacos , Estrongiloidiasis/tratamiento farmacológico , Anciano , Albendazol/administración & dosificación , Albendazol/farmacología , Alelos , Animales , Antihelmínticos/administración & dosificación , Antihelmínticos/farmacología , Anticuerpos Antihelmínticos/biosíntesis , Anticuerpos Antihelmínticos/sangre , Resistencia a Medicamentos , Ensayo de Inmunoadsorción Enzimática , Femenino , Antígenos HLA-DR/genética , Prueba de Histocompatibilidad , Humanos , Parasitosis Intestinales/tratamiento farmacológico , Parasitosis Intestinales/inmunología , Mediciones Luminiscentes , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Reacción en Cadena de la Polimerasa , Strongyloides stercoralis/inmunología , Estrongiloidiasis/inmunologíaRESUMEN
Hemodialysis patients were treated with Wen-Pi-Tang (a type of traditional Chinese (Kampo)-prescription) for 8 weeks, and the changes in active oxygen production by neutrophils, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, methylguanidine (MG)/creatinine (Cr) ratio, blood chemistry and subjective symptoms were examined. A decrease in active oxygen production by neutrophils was observed in patients with and without phorbol myristate acetate stimulation. SOD activity and MG/Cr ratio were also reduced by the treatment. In addition, coldness of the limbs, constipation and easy fatigability were improved by Wen-Pi-Tang administration.
RESUMEN
Posttherapy evaluation of strongyloidiasis is frequently difficult because coprologic examination is not sensitive enough for diagnosis of chronic infection. In the present study, anti-Strongyloides enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay antibodies were monitored before and after treatment with thiabendazole and pyrvinium pamoate in 199 patients with chronic strongyloidiasis in Okinawa, Japan. A significant decrease in antibody levels was observed in patients who became negative for fecal larvae after the treatment, whereas the antibody levels did not show a significant change after the treatment in patients who were still harboring the parasite. In the group coprologically negative in the follow-up examination, however, many individuals did not show a significant fall in antibody titers after treatment, which suggests that these cases were equivocal for complete cure. By the subsequent fecal reexamination performed on the equivocal cases, approximately 20% were additionally found to be still harboring the parasite. These results indicate that serologic testing is useful to check whether a real cure has been achieved among the patients in whose fecal samples the presence of larvae has not been demonstrated after treatment.
Asunto(s)
Antihelmínticos/uso terapéutico , Anticuerpos Antihelmínticos/sangre , Ensayo de Inmunoadsorción Enzimática , Strongyloides stercoralis/inmunología , Estrongiloidiasis/tratamiento farmacológico , Adulto , Anciano , Anciano de 80 o más Años , Animales , Heces/parasitología , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Compuestos de Pirvinio/uso terapéutico , Strongyloides stercoralis/aislamiento & purificación , Estrongiloidiasis/inmunología , Estrongiloidiasis/parasitología , Tiabendazol/uso terapéuticoRESUMEN
The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was tested to evaluate whether it could be applicable in screening for mass examination of strongyloidiasis. A total of 2906 inhabitants in three areas (858 in Gushikawa Village, 849 in Nakazato Village and 1199 in Sashiki Town) were screened by the enzymatic assay and approximately 11-30% (11.8% in Gushikawa, 17.0% in Nakazato and 27.7% in Sashiki) were considered to be antibody positive. In the parasitological follow-up examinations of those who were antibody positive, actual infection was found in more than half (51%) the subjects. The overall infection rates estimated from the results reached 5.8% in Gushikawa, 9.1% in Nakazato and 14.0% in Sashiki (mean = 10.4%). The infection rates were significantly higher than those in previous surveys conducted in the same areas. The ELISA technique was found to be useful for strongyloidiasis screening and for seroepidemiological purposes in Okinawa.
Asunto(s)
Anticuerpos Antihelmínticos/sangre , Ensayo de Inmunoadsorción Enzimática , Tamizaje Masivo/métodos , Strongyloides/inmunología , Estrongiloidiasis/diagnóstico , Animales , Humanos , Japón/epidemiología , Estrongiloidiasis/epidemiologíaAsunto(s)
Antígenos Helmínticos/inmunología , Parasitosis Intestinales/diagnóstico , Strongyloides/inmunología , Estrongiloidiasis/diagnóstico , Adulto , Anciano , Animales , Ensayo de Inmunoadsorción Enzimática , Femenino , Humanos , Inmunoglobulina E/análisis , Parasitosis Intestinales/inmunología , Pruebas Intradérmicas , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Estrongiloidiasis/inmunologíaRESUMEN
Detection of IgG antibodies to Strongyloides stercoralis in sera of 29 patients with strongyloidiasis was attempted by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using an extract of filariform larvae of S. stercoralis. The antibodies were found with a high degree of sensitivity in almost all patients. The ELISA values, however, did not correlate with the intensity of the infection or with differences in clinical and laboratory parameters. When the ELISA values of persons with Strongyloides were compared with those showing no S. stercoralis by faecal examinations, a significant difference was obtained between these two groups. The cross reactions with other helminth infections were significantly weaker than the reaction with Strongyloides infection. It was concluded that the antibodies are strongly elicited in human strongyloidiasis and that the assay provides a sensitive and specific method for diagnosis of strongyloidiasis.
Asunto(s)
Anticuerpos/análisis , Estrongiloidiasis/inmunología , Adulto , Anciano , Reacciones Cruzadas , Ensayo de Inmunoadsorción Enzimática , Femenino , Humanos , Inmunoglobulina A/análisis , Inmunoglobulina G/análisis , Inmunoglobulina M/análisis , Recuento de Leucocitos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana EdadRESUMEN
Cefotiam (CTM) was administered in 31 patients before surgery and the concentration of CTM in serum, extirpated prostatic tissue and bladder wall was measured. Additional studies on pharmacokinetic parameters were carried out. The maximum level of serum concentration, following 1 hour intravenous infusion of 1 g, was 54.0 micrograms/ml after 1 hour and T1/2 was 1.16 hours. The maximum level of prostatic tissue was 19.5 micrograms/g and of bladder wall was 29.9 micrograms/g after 1.2 hours and T1/2 was 1.14 hours for both. An appropriate administration method for single use of CTM in the patient of UTI was discussed and 1 hour infusion of 1 g CTM was suggested.