Hyperthermic treatment of chromomycosis with disposable chemical pocket warmers

A case of chromomycosis in which hyperthermia proved effective is reported. The patient was a 56-year-old male bean curd maker who, without any previous history of minor trauma, developed on the extensor side of the left upper arm an eczematous lesion that underwent gradual radial expansion. The lesion showed a well-defined, 7×10 cm infiltrated erythematous plaque with the central area healed and, at the upper and lower borders, adherent scales and crusts on the surface. Histological examination revealed granulomatous changes in the dermis, as well as sclerotic cells within giant cells and microabscesses. On culturing,Fonsecaea pedrosoi was isolated. The patient was treated with disposable chemical pocket warmers, which were secured over the lesion with a rather tight elastic bandage, so that they kept the affected area warm for 24 hours a day. After a month of such hyperthermic treatment, the erythema and infiltration had decreased considerably, and microscopic examination and culture of the crusts both yielded negative results. Examination of biopsy specimens of the lesion after the third month showed that it had cicatrized. The treatment was stopped after 4 months, and no relapse occurred. We also summarize the published results of local hyperthermic treatment of chromomycosis in Japan.     

Identification of HLA-B44 subtypes associated with extended MHC haplotypes

The HLA class I antigen B44 is found in each of two different extended major histocompatibility haplotypes (allele combinations of HLA-B, HLA-DR, and complement genes BF, C2, C4A, and C4B in linkage disequilibrium). Using isoelectric focusing, two variants of HLA-B44 were identified. The basic variant was found in all cell lines with the extended haplotype HLA-B44, DR7, FC31, and the acidic variant in all cell lines with the extended haplotype HLA-B44, DR4, SC30. The occurrence of each antigen variant with a unique extended haplotype explains previous observations concerning the nonrandom association of B44 variants with DR antigens.     

Epidermal-growth-factor-stimulated phosphorylation of calpactin II in membrane vesicles shed from cultured A-431 cells.

Membrane vesicles shed from intact A-431 epidermoid carcinoma cells and harvested in the presence of Ca2+ contained epidermal-growth-factor (EGF) receptor/kinase substrates of apparent molecular masses 185, 85, 70, 55, 38 and 27 kDa. The 38 kDa substrate (p38) was recognized by an antibody that had been raised against the human placental EGF receptor/kinase substrate calpactin II (lipocortin I). The A-431 and placental substrates, isolated by immunoprecipitation after phosphorylation in situ, yielded identical phosphopeptide maps upon limited proteolytic digestion with each of five different enzymes. The A-431-cell vesicular p38 is therefore calpactin II. EGF treatment of the intact A-431 cells before inducing vesiculation was not necessary for the substrate to be present within the vesicles. Our data thus indicate that receptor internalization is not a prerequisite for receptor-mediated phosphorylation of calpactin II. The ability of the protein to function as a substrate for the receptor/kinase depended upon the continued presence of Ca2+ during the vesicle-isolation procedure. EGF-stimulated phosphorylation of calpactin II was much less pronounced in vesicles prepared from A-431 cells in the absence of Ca2+, although comparable amounts of the protein were detectable by immunoblotting. Calpactin II therefore appears to be sequestered in a Ca2+-modulated manner within shed vesicles, along with at least four other major targets for the EGF receptor/kinase. The vesicle preparation may be a useful model system in which to study the phosphorylation and function of potentially important membrane-associated substrates for the receptor.     

Basic fibroblast growth factor induces retinal regeneration in vivo

In the present study, we have investigated the effect of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) on retinal regeneration in the stage 22-24 chick embryo. The neural retina was surgically removed in ovo leaving the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) intact and then slow-release, plastic implants containing bFGF were inserted into the eye. Light microscopic examination of eyes 7 days later revealed that bFGF induced retinal regeneration in a dose-dependent manner. The absence of the RPE in these eyes and the reversed polarity of the regenerated neural retina is consistent with the hypothesis that this process occurs by transdifferentiation of the RPE. This represents the first time that a known molecule has been shown to induce retinal regeneration in vivo.     

Analysis of the alpha-amylase gene of Schwanniomyces occidentalis and the secretion of its gene product in transformants of different yeast genera

We have cloned and characterized the alpha-amylase gene (AMY1) of the yeast Schwanniomyces occidentalis. A cosmid gene library of S. occidentalis DNA was screened in Saccharomyces cerevisiae for alpha-amylase secretion. The positive clone contained a DNA fragment harbouring an open reading frame of 1536 nucleotides coding for a 512-amino-acid polypeptide with a calculated Mr of 56,500. The deduced amino acid sequence reveals significant similarity to the sequence of the Saccharomycopsis fibuligera and Aspergillus oryzae alpha-amylases. The AMY l gene was found to be expressed from its original promoter in S. cerevisiae, Kluyveromyces lactis and Schizo-saccharomyces pombe leading to an active secreted gene product and thus enabling the different yeast transformants to grow on starch as a sole carbon source.