Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0033774 (pruritus)
 14,546 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Serum 3 beta-hydroxy-5-cholenoic acid (3 beta-OH-delta 5) was analyzed in 100 cases (90 patients with hepatobiliary diseases, 10 normal subjects) and its clinical significance investigated. The measurement of 3 beta-OH-delta 5 was performed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with immobilized 3 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3 beta-HSD) as the enzyme column. Esterified 3 beta-OH-delta 5 was measured after enzymatic hydrolysis with sulfatase and beta-glucuronidase. 3 beta-OH-delta 5 was hardly detected in normal cases. On the other hand, serum 3 beta-OH-delta 5 levels were remarkably high in cholestatic cases and also high in other cases with high bilirubin levels. The ratio of glycine- to taurine-conjugates (G/T ratio) was effective in discriminating cholestasis from hepatocellular damage such as in cases of acute hepatitis or fulminant hepatitis. More than 90% of the 3 beta-OH-delta 5, which is toxic, was sulfated or glucuronidated, suggesting detoxification by esterified bile acids. Significant increases of taurine-conjugated 3 beta-OH-delta 5 were observed in cases with pruritus, and a relationship between taurine-conjugated and pruritus was presumed. Therefore, analysis of 3 beta-OH-delta 5 is considered to be effective in clarifying the pathogenesis of hepatobiliary diseases.
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PMID:Clinical evaluation of serum 3 beta-hydroxy-5-cholenoic acid in hepatobiliary diseases. 347 20

Several controlled clinical trials have shown that specific immunotherapy (SIT) using incremental injections of allergens can be effective in the treatment of allergic rhinitis and asthma. Nevertheless, the risk of side effects have led to some recommended limitations of SIT. Enzyme-potentiated desensitization (EPD) is a proposed method for immunotherapy with very low doses of mixed allergens plus beta-glucuronidase enzyme, for which irrelevant or no side effects have been claimed. The aim of this study was to determine the clinical efficacy of EPD in the treatment of pollinosis. A double-blind placebo-controlled trial of EPD among 20 patients sensitive to Parietaria and grass pollen was performed. All patients recorded daily symptom scores for nine months following a single intradermal injection of EPD or buffered saline received in February. Symptoms recorded were nasal itching and obstruction, sneezing, rhinorrhea, itchy eyes and excessive tear production. Moreover, total and specific lgE were measured and CD3+, CD4+ and CD8+ peripheral blood lymphocytes were counted at different times. In the same period, ten additional subjects, with an allergic clinical profile similar to the subjects admitted to the double-blind trial, were studied in an open clinical trial in order to evaluate the effects of EPD without enzyme using a mixture of allergens. Symptom scores were higher in the placebo group (p < 0.001), with a similar level of significance for both global symptom score and for each individual symptom. Active-treated patients had a significant post-treatment increase in the mean percentage of T-CD8+ peripheral blood cells and a significant post-seasonal decrease in the mean percentage of Parietaria specific lgE. On the contrary, placebo-treated patients had a borderline significant post-seasonal decrease in the mean percentage of CD8+ circulating cells and a significant seasonal increase in the mean percentage of Parietaria specific lgE with no significant post-seasonal decrease. Finally, clinical results of the mixture of allergens injection were similar to those of the placebo in the double-blind trial. EPD injection caused only an asymptomatic, local wheal and flare lasting about two hours. Two patients (20%) in the active-treated group experienced a delayed, mild, unusual headache lasting about two days. In conclusion, EPD is clinically effective in the treatment of pollinosis. Some immunological modifications observed in the EPD-treated patients suggest an EPD-induced enhancement of tolerogenic mechanisms like "immune deviation."
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PMID:Effects of enzyme-potentiated desensitization in the treatment of pollinosis: a double-blind placebo-controlled trial. 884 2