Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:3.4.15.1 (ACE)
 18,300 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Procollagen III aminopeptide (P-III-P), a peptide released during the conversion of type III procollagen to type III collagen, is considered a potential marker of fibroblast activity in a variety of pulmonary and extrapulmonary diseases. The aim of the present article was to investigate the levels of P-III-P in serum samples (sP-III-P) from a large number of sarcoid patients, in particular looking at its relationship with other markers of disease activity and its presumed role as a marker of pulmonary fibrosis. sP-III-P has been radioimmunoassayed in an overall series of 57 patients and the levels were higher (19.18 +/- 9.17 ng/ml) than in 25 age- and sex-matched controls (11.32 +/- 2.15 ng/ml; p less than 0.001). The elevation was neither sex-related nor related to obvious liver sarcoid localization. Although sP-III-P levels were slightly higher in patients with stage II, there was no significant difference in patients with stage I or III. We found a positive relationship with serum angiotensin-converting enzyme (S-ACE) levels (p less than 0.04), but not with other markers of disease activity (67Ga uptake, bronchoalveolar lavage [BAL] lymphocyte percent, vital capacity, and lung diffusing capacity). The relationship with S-ACE was confirmed in a longitudinal follow-up study, where sP-III-P strictly paralleled the S-ACE behavior. Finally, the initial sP-III-P levels did not predict cases either with disease relapse or resistance to corticosteroid treatment. We conclude that, in our study, sP-III-P levels failed to characterize sarcoid patients with radiologic fibrotic pattern (stage III), and, in addition, were unable to predict which patients would have a poor prognosis. Rather, they reflect a metabolic activity of sarcoid granuloma cells. Thus, the usefulness of sP-III-P in the treatment of patients with sarcoid may be considered similar to that of S-ACE.
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PMID:Elevated serum procollagen III aminopeptide levels in sarcoidosis. 217 97

The lungs have an important role in the synthesis of ACE. In BAL fluid and serum the ACE activity was determined in 18 patients with sarcoidosis (11 with high intensity and 7 with low intensity alveolitis), 25 patients with atopic bronchial asthma and 17 with acute bronchitis. The activity of ACE was examined by a reagent set produced by Boehringer Mannheim Biochemica Test-Combination ACE cat. no. 789 011. In the high intensity alveolitis group of sarcoidosis patients the ACE activity was significantly increased in BAL fluid and serum in comparison to other observed patients. On the other hand, in patients with atopic bronchial asthma the ACE activity was also increased in comparison to acute bronchitis and referred norms. These findings suggest a role of atopic processes or administered therapy in ACE secretion in the airways.
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PMID:Activity of angiotensin I converting enzyme in sarcoidosis, atopic bronchial asthma and acute bronchitis. 217 61

The spontaneous production of interleukin-1 alpha and beta by alveolar cells obtained by BAL from 7 active pulmonary sarcoidosis and 5 normal volunteers was evaluated. The activity of disease in one case was considered to be highly active because of the chest X-ray pattern (diffuse micronodular shadows), highly intense Ga up take in lungs, increased number of BAL cells and high level of S-ACE. The contents of IL-1 alpha and beta were measured by ELISA in the culture supernatants of alveolar cells after 24 hours culture without any stimulus. Large amounts of IL-1 alpha and beta production were found in highly active case. No significant amount of IL-1 alpha and beta, however, was detected in 6 other active sarcoidosis cases and 5 normal volunteers. Therefore, spontaneous release of IL-1 alpha and beta in vitro from alveolar cells in sarcoidosis might be considered as an index for the necessity of systemic corticosteroid treatment and its relationship to the spontaneous remission of sarcoidosis in Japanese patients was discussed.
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PMID:[Spontaneous production of interleukin-1 alpha and beta by alveolar cells from patients with sarcoidosis]. 226 23

A 35 year-old male farmer presented with complaints of productive cough and sputum. The chest X-ray films showed reticulonodular shadows bilaterally in the upper and middle lung fields, segmental infiltration in the right lung, and no BHL. Tuberculin reaction was negative. Serum angiotensin converting enzyme level was 26.5 IU/ml. Precipitating antibodies for Thermophilic actinomycetes and M.f. were negative. BAL showed moderate lymphocytosis (24.3%), and CD 4/8 was 1.67. A biopsy specimen of right scalene lymph node showed epithelioid cell granulomas and TBLB epithelioid cell granulomas and spot-like calcification. Pulmonary sarcoidosis with calcification in the lung is very rare.
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PMID:[A case of pulmonary sarcoidosis with calcification in the lung]. 261 78

A 32-year-old female complained of productive cough and bloody sputum. Infiltrative shadows and cavitary lesions with thick and irregular wall in the bilateral lung fields and the swelling of mediastinal lymph nodes were pointed out on the chest radiography. Physical examination revealed no abnormal findings. ESR and the level of the serum angiotensin converting enzyme were slightly elevated. In the BAL (broncho-alveolar lavage) fluid, lymphocytes and neutrophils increased, and the OKT4/OKT8 ratio of the lymphocytes was 0.81. Open lung biopsy revealed numerous sarcoid granulomas with granulomatous vasculitis in the cavity wall, surrounding infiltrative lesions and hilar lymph nodes. After the administration of prednisolone, the infiltrative shadows and the cavitary lesions showed marked improvement. It was concluded that open lung biopsy is necessary for the diagnosis of NSG because the differential diagnosis between NSG and limited form of Wegener's granulomatosis is extremely difficult from such a small lung specimen as that obtained by trans-bronchial lung biopsy.
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PMID:[A case of necrotizing sarcoid granulomatosis diagnosed by open lung biopsy]. 274 62

The value of BAL in three groups of diseases (sarcoidosis, lung fibrosis, inflammatory diseases of the bronchi) compared with a control group is described. The cellular components and total protein and glycoprotein as well as electrolyts and angiotension-converting enzyme were examined. In patients with sarcoidosis a higher retention of sodium ions was stated. ACE in BAL was without any hint to the activity of the disease. But for glycoproteins a higher permeability was proved. In several fractions of the BAL fluid were differences according to all examined parameters.
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PMID:[Cell and fluid permeability of the alveolar wall in sarcoidosis]. 283 38

Fifty-eight contributors from 12 European and 2 American sarcoidosis centers have collaborated in a survey to define many questions concerning the use of 67Ga lung scan in sarcoidosis. The new quantitative scoring methods based on digital evaluation seem better in detecting lung activity. In 20.1% of untreated patients, the 67Ga lung scan appeared to be the only noninvasive method with which clinical activity could be detected. 67Ga scans may be useful in guiding lung biopsy and in choosing pulmonary segments for BAL. Of 382 patients studied during follow-up (154 patients with three to nine scans at intervals of 2 to 12 months), the 67Ga scan was far more sensitive than chest radiography, both in detecting improvement and in foreseeing relapses. Steroid therapy appears to suppress ACE levels more than 67Ga uptake, and 67Ga uptake more than the alveolitis detectable by BAL. Gallium-67 uptake rebounds to positivity occur in about 40% of patients after steroid discontinuation and in about 20% of patients after steroid reduction to daily doses of 10 mg or less of prednisone. The 67Ga dose of 1.5 mCi seems appropriate for clinical purposes and is recommended for the subjective scoring method in order to reduce the cost and the radiation burden.
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PMID:A European survey on the usefulness of 67Ga lung scans in assessing sarcoidosis. Experience in 14 research centers in seven different countries. 301 60

Present status of Ga lung scan in sarcoidosis is reviewed: accumulation of radionuclide in the lung fields seems better quantified by computer methods; low doses (1.5 mCi) may be enough in the centres using subjective scoring methods; Ga positivity shown on four-view segmental maps of each lung could be useful in guiding BAL or lung biopsy. Ga lung scan appears more sensitive than both Chest X-ray and ACE in evaluating the response to therapy and in foreseeing relapses. The comparison with BAL is difficult due to the difficulty of comparing BAL data from different laboratories. Anyway, Ga, ACE and BAL are markers of different phenomena and all help our understanding of the disease and should guide our interventions. Ga scoring during steroid therapy has a strong clinical meaning only when positive, while negativity could be due to drug-induced uptake suppression.
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PMID:Ga lung scan has come to stay. 610 Sep 23

The problems encountered in diagnosing the rare types of pneumoconiosis ( silicatosis other than asbestosis, aluminosis and hard metals fibrosis), result from the difficulties in realising a good occupational anamnese and from the disease pattern by itself. The classical examinations, (X-rays of the thorax and lung function measurements), are not able to detect the cause of these diseases, which are fundamentally characterised by an absence of specificity. These last years, new methods of diagnoses (angiotensin converting enzyme, gallium scan, transbronchial biopsies, mineralogical, cytological and histological examinations of the lung tissues and of the bronchial alveolar lavage) were developed and progressively introduced in the daily practice in pneumology. Only the examination of lung biopsies and of the products of bronchial alveolar lavage, in particular the mineralogical examinations, may usefully orientate the diagnosis. The bronchial alveolar lavage has the advantage of an easy repetition and of a small invasive character. Moreover this technique is of a rather low financial cost. However the results of these examinations must be interpreted with the greatest caution, in function of the complete medical and occupational data. The experience following more than 500 BAL shows that the discovery of talc and kaolin is very significant for an exposition since these minerals were never observed among not exposed subjects. The evidence of these minerals argues also for the diagnosis of talcosis or kaolinosis if there are radiological lesions that are compatible with these diseases. On the other hand a recent study suggests that the identification of multinuclear macrophages and of tungsten and/of tantalum in the bronchial alveolar lavage is pathognomonic of the pathology of the hard metals.
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PMID:[Diagnostic problems in rare types of pneumoconiosis]. 667 4

Embryos of fathead minnows were more resistant to phenol, 2,4-dimethylphenol (2,4-DMP), 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP), and pentachlorophenol (PCP) than were larval or juvenile life stages. Growth of 28-day-old fish was the most sensitive indicator of stress during exposures to phenol, 2,4-DMP, and PCP, whereas survival was the most sensitive indicator of toxic effects from 2,4-DCP exposure. Based on these effects, the estimated maximum acceptable toxicant concentration for fathead minnows in Lake Superior water lies between 1,830 and 3,570 micrograms/L for phenol; 1,970 and 3,110 micrograms/L for 2,4-DMP; 290 and 460 micrograms/L for 2,4-DCP; and 44.9 and 73.0 micrograms/L for PCP.
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PMID:Effects of phenol, 2,4-dimethylphenol, 2,4-dichlorophenol, and pentachlorophenol on embryo, larval, and early-juvenile fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas). 707 20


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