Uptake and Metabolism of L-Serine by Pneumocystis carinii carinii

ABSTRACT. Serine is an important amino acid that is utilized in the biosyntheses of proteins and lipids. It is directly incorporated into the head group of phosphatidylserine, which in turn can be converted to other phospholipids. Also, it is required for the formation of long chain bases, precursors of sphingolipids. Uptake and incorporation of radiolabeled serine into both lipids and acid-precipitable material were demonstrated in Pneumocystis carinii carinii organism preparations freshly isolated from infected rat lungs. Radioactivity in proteins was about double that observed in lipids. Liquid scintillation spectrometry of metabolically radiolabeled lipids separated by thin-layer chromatography showed 53% of the total radioactivity were in phosphatidylserine, 12% in phosphatidylethanolamine, 24% in ceramides, and 11% in long chain bases and other compounds. Four long chain bases were detected by thin-layer chromatography in hydrolyzed P. carinii ceramides metabolically labeled with radioactive serine. Phytosphingosine and dihydrosphingosine were tentatively identified by their migrations on thin-layer plates. Radiolabeled ethanolamine was incorporated into P. carinii phosphatidylethanolamine, but relatively low incorporation of radiolabeled choline into phosphatidylcholine occurred. The observations made in this study indicated that P. carinii has the biosynthetic capacity to metabolize phospholipid head groups and to de novo synthesize sphingolipids. L-Cycloserine and β-CI-D-alanine, inhibitors of long chain base synthesis, reduced the incorporation of serine into P. carinii long chain bases and ceramides, which supported the conclusion that the pathogen synthesizes sphingolipids.     

Diagnosis of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia

Pneumocystis carinii is the prime opportunistic pathogen of our time, the leading cause of fatal pneumonia in the increasing number of immunosuppressed subjects encountered on oncology and transplant programmes' and in subjects with the acquired immuno-deficiency syndrome (AIDS).     

Immunopathogenesis of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia

Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) is a life-threatening infection that occurs in immunocompromised individuals, particularly those with advanced human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Interestingly, morbidity and mortality is related to the underlying cause of immunosuppression, with AIDS patients faring better than oncology patients for example. In addition, the prognosis of PCP has been correlated with markers of inflammation rather than with organism numbers. There is now increasing evidence that lung damage occurring during PCP is a result of the type and extent of the host inflammatory response to P. carinii rather than a result of direct damage by the organism. This review will discuss the experimental and clinical data demonstrating how the host-mediated inflammatory response to infection with P. carinii determines the ultimate outcome of PCP. A better understanding of the pathophysiology of PCP should lead to the development of improved therapies for the treatment of PCP.     

兔脓毒性休克模型的建立

目的:建立相对稳定的兔脓毒性休克模型.方法:雄性新西兰大白兔20只,随机分为模型组和假手术组.麻醉后无菌操作下取中、下腹部正中切口,找出盲肠,距盲肠末端8.0cm处4号丝线结扎盲肠和相应血管;于盲肠游离末端避开血管戳孔2次,孔径0.5cm;将盲肠原位放回腹腔,缝合腹壁切口;腹腔内注射30ml/kg温生理盐水.假手术组只探查腹腔.术后每隔3小时监测肛温.颈动脉插管有创动脉压监测确定模型成功后送血培养、血气、血乳酸,监测4小时后处死动物,送腹水培养,取右肺中叶测定肺含水量,取心、肝、脾、肺、肾、肠常规切片HE染色.结果:制模成功时间为:(18.91±1.384)小时;模型平均动脉压MAP(95.00±10.817 vs 52.38±15.565,P＜0.05);血气:PH(7.40±0.047 vs 7.09±0.146,P＜0.01),PCO2(30.0±5.831 vs 19.80±4.104,P＜0.01),BE(-6.46±4.931 vs -24.11±4.276,P＜0.01),HCO3-(18.45±4.367 vs 5.73±2.422,P＜0.01);血乳酸(2.53±1.108 vs 7.85±5.834,P＜0.05);血培养(7/10)阳性:大肠埃希菌;腹水培养(10/10)阳性:大肠埃希菌及阴沟肠杆菌;肛温于术后呈先上升后下降,假手术组肛温较模型组差异有显著性(39.63±0.492 vs 36.82±0.999,P＜0.01);成模后肛温与平均动脉压呈正相关关系,r=0.748.P=0.013,方程:y(平均动脉压)=34.46x+0.45;肺干湿比及肺含水量无明显差异[(0.22±0.014 vs 0.19±0.288,P＞0.05),(78.17±1.375 vs 80.58±2.878,P＞0.05)].常规HE染色可见明显病理学改变.结论:本模型可模拟多微生物感染致脓毒性休克模型,模型相对稳定,可用于兔种属.     

Pteroylpolyglutamate synthesis by lung- and culture-derived Pneumocystis carinii

Abstract Evaluation of four β-lactamase inhibitors in terms of their outer membrane permeability in Pseudomonas aeruginosa revealed that sulbactam and tazobactam diffused most efficiently and equally well. That of BRL42715 appeared to be a factor of ten lower than that of the above two, but it showed the strongest β-lactamase inhibitory activity. This is most likely due to its better β-lactamase inactivating activity. BRL42715 at 1.56 μg ml⁻¹ lowered the minimum inhibitory concentrations of ceftazidime and imipenem in a strain producing fully derepressed β-lactamase and an undetectable level of the outer membrane protein OprD2.