Tatsuo Matsumura

A case of mosquito allergy. Immunological studies.

A girl aged 14 years, who showed local skin lesions and generalized reactions such as fever, hepatosplenomegaly, hypergammaglobulinaemia and pancytopenia following mosquito bites, has been evaluated with various immunological methods. The intracutaneous tests, P-K tests and RAST confirmed the presence of specific IgE antibody against mosquito antigens, but no precipitating antibody was detected by either the double immunodiffusion or immunofluorescent antibody techniques. As far as the type IV reaction is concerned, the skin test failed to show a positive delayed skin reaction, but the lymphocyte incorporation of 3H-TdR exhibited a maximal response with smaller doses than the controls.

Chrysanthemum Pollinosis in Japan

Using the scratch test with self-made chrysanthemum pollen extract of 32,700 PNU/ml, a positive response was elicited in 60 of 316 patients (18.9%) with allergic rhinitis and bronchial asthma, and was positive in 42.5% adults with allergic rhinitis. On the other hand a 4.7% positive response was obtained in 84 non-allergic subjects. With the intracutaneous test, a threshold value was determined in 7 cases with 0.327 PNU/ml; 12 with 3.27 PNU/ml; 8 with 32.7 PNU/ml; and 8 with 327 PNU/ml, as opposed to one positive in 84 controls with 327 PNU/ml (1.3%). P-K tests were successfully done in 15 out of 16 cases. Furthermore, the results of in vitro neutralization tests using chrysanthemum and other compositae pollen extracts indicated the absence of sharing antigenic determinants between them. Provocation tests were conducted in 4 cases of allergic rhinitis and 3 cases of bronchial asthma with positive response in all the patients. From these results it was found that chrysanthemim pollinosis indeed exists in Japan, particularly in the mountainous districts.

Significance of food allergy in the etiology of orthostatic albuminuria.

Orthostatic albuminuria is the entity in which serum protein appears in the the urine after a child has been standing or sitting and disappears when he lies down. The mechanism of this disturbance is not clear. It is described that the patients general health may be good, or more often, there may be faulty nutrition, anemia, fatigability or various nervous symptoms. On close observation, however, many cases are found to be accompanied by symptoms due to food allergy, such as fatigability, dizziness, nausea, weakness, palpitation, headache, abdominal pain, motion sickness and so on. Since many cases of orthostatic albuminuria are complicated with the symptoms due to food allergy, the disease has been studied from this standpoint, assuming that orthostatic albuminuria may in fact be due to food allergy. In 1964, we reported on cases of orthostatic albuminuria due to food allergy at the annual convention of the Japanese Pediatric Society. In this study, 16 cases of orthostatic albuminuria were studied from ...

Inhibition of 3H-Thymidine Incorporation into Human Lymphocytes by Dialyzable Material of Streptokinase-Streptodornase

Using the 3H-thymidine incorporation test, the lymphocyte-stimulating activity of streptokinase-streptodornase (SK-SD, Varidase) and its fractions were evaluated. The dose-response curves of all the preparations except the third fraction had two peaks with the maximum around 5 and 40 mug. The dialyzable fraction of Sk-SD (D-SK-SD) occupying approximately half of the original sample had almost no lymphocyte-stimulating activity; and conversely, it had a potent inhibitory effect on the 3H-thymidine incorporation into lymphocytes that normally occurs with non-dialyzable SK-SD (ND-SK-SD), PPD and PHA-P. Therefore, it will be desirable to remove the dialyzable fraction from the commercial SK-SD preparation when it is used for the determination of the capacity of cellular immunity against tsk-sd.

Discrepancy between Skin Reactivity and Blastogenic Activity of Fractionated PHA-P

Firstly, it was reported that phytohemagglutinin P (PHA-P) can induce the immediate skin reaction besides the delayed one. 70 out of 80 cases (87.5%) gave positive immediate reactions with 1 mug of PHA-P. There was a close correlation between the radioallergosorbent test (RAST) counts against PHA-P and the total IgE value or erythematous diameter of the immediate skin reactions. Absorption with anti-IgE or PHA-P reduced the RAST counts against PHA-P to 79 and 56% of their initial values, respectively, but did not effect the RAST counts against steptokinase-streptodornase (SK-SD). These results suggest that the immediate skin reaction might be induced by specific IgE antibody against PHA-P. Secondly, using three fractions of PHA-P obtained by Sephadex G-200 gel filtration, skin test and RAST in humans, ACA in rats, and 3H-thymidine incorporation into human leukocytes, were carried out and data obtained that showed some discrepancy between them. That is, on skin testing, it was shown that all of the three fractions (fr.) had the ability to elicit the immediate and delayed skin reaction in humans and rats with the order of fr. 1, 2 and 3, and it was confirmed by RAST. On the other hand, the leukocyte-stimulating activity resided in fr. 1 and 2, while fr. 3, which seemed to be a group of subunits with a molecular weight of around 35,000, had almost no activity. These findings have been discussed in view of the earlier studies on the structure of PHA-P

Rice Pollen Asthma

Asthmatic attacks are most frequent and severe in autumn in Japan. There is much argument as to their cause. Recently, the authors have seen a severe attack of bronchial asthma which began suddenly in the beginning of September, after the patient had been almost free from asthma for a period of ten months after being desensitized with house dust. It came to our mind that this was just the season that rice (oryxa sative) came into flower. Skin tests with rice pollen extract were strongly positive, and an inhalation test was also positive, suggesting that he was hypcrsensitive to rice pollen. The same results were obtained on thirtccn asthmatic children. From these results it might be concluded that rice pollen asthma indeed exists in Japan where rice is widely cultivated. As to the antigenicity of pollens of cereal grains in producing pollinosis, those of rye, barley, oat, wheat and corn received attention,l while little is known about that of rice.2 Grass pollens similar to rice pollen are included in the groups Elasine indica, Gigitalia adscendens, and Miscanthus sinensis (pampas grass) , all of which, like rice, belong to the Graminae family and grow wild in autumn in Japan. There still remain unknown facts concerning cross-allergenicity among the above-described species of the Graminae family. Anyway, rice pollen is the most abundant in this family, and its pollen has a size of 4347 microns in diameter. The methods for pollen-counting were essentially the same as recommended by the Pollen Survey Committee of the American Academy of except that an area of 10 sq. cm. instead of 1 sq. cm. was used. Two peaks of marked increase in the amount of pollen were found in the 7-months period from May to September, 1967. The first peak lasted a month from the beginning of AZay to the beginning of .June, and the second peak was from the middle of July to the end of October. Almost all the pollen grains which made up the second peak were identified as belonging to the species Graminae by direct microscopic examination and comparison with pollen directly collected from the oryxa sativa stamen. Efflorescence of the rice plant in the district studied was found to occur from the middle of July to the end of September in 1967, just matching the second peak of Graminae pollen. In 34 of 41 asthmatic children, the asthmatic attacks occurred mostly in autumn, closely corresponding to the pollination of the rice plant (Fig. l),

Clinical Significance of Specific IgE Antibody against Streptokinase-Streptodornase in Renal Diseases of Childhood

The immediate skin reaction (IR) with streptokinase-streptodornase (SK-SD) was found with a high incidence in children with renal disease and was confirmed to be mediated by a specific IgE antibody against SK-SD by means of the radioallergosorbent test (RAST). This test revealed high radiocounts in children with renal disease who showed the IR and there was a close correlation between the RAST counts and the intensity of the IR. Furthermore, the RAST counts in the severe nephrotic syndrome belonging to corticosteroid dependent and resistant group were far higher than those in the corticosteroid sensitive group. From these results, a determination of the RAST counts against SK-SD seemed to help evaluate the severity of some nephrotic syndromes and the specific IgE antibody may be involved in the pathogenesis of the disease.

Favorable Effects of Corticosteroids in the Treatment of Diphtheria

Limited use of corticosteroids for the initial treatment in nine cases of diphtheria was attempted and followed by adding erythromycin after disappearance of the pseudomembrane. Cortisosteroids gave a good response, with disappearance of fever within 12 hours and pseudomembrane in 2 to 6 days (average 2.7 days).

Food Allergy in Children and Adults

Two thousand years ago Lucretius (96–55 BC) said that “One man’s food might be another’s poison.” Food allergy is defined in a broader sense as an altered allergic reaction to food. In a narrower sense, it means the development of an allergic reaction mediated by humoral and cellular factors involving immune mechanisms.