Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0034067 (emphysema)
 11,506 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Alpha-2-macroglobulin is the major serum antiprotease capable of inhibiting proteolytic enzymes. Protease-antiprotease homeostasis within the respiratory tract can be altered in bronchial asthma. On the other hand, in their disorder marked changes in immunoglobulin levels are observed and are related to the clinical stage of the disease. Consequently, we hypothesized, that a correlation between the levels of alpha-2-macroglobulin and immunoglobulins might have been existing. In order to evaluate this concept, the comparative analysis of serum alpha-2-macroglobulin and immunoglobulin levels in patients with extrinsic (atopic) and intrinsic (non-atopic) bronchial asthma, and in patients with bronchospastic and emphysema dominated components, was carried out by radial immunodiffusion assays. The positive linear correlation between alpha-2-macroglobulin and IgM levels was observed in patients of all tested groups. These results were discussed in view of the known role of the natural inhibitor of proteolytic enzymes, i.e. alpha-2-macroglobulin, in the protection of asthmatic lung.
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PMID:The comparative evaluation of alpha-2-macroglobulin and immunoglobulin levels in sera of patients with bronchial asthma. 619 3

Levels of eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) in serum are abnormally high in bronchial asthma, and may reflect the degree of eosinophilic inflammation in the lung. The purposes of this study were to evaluate whether serum ECP levels are more closely related to the severity of asthma than are peripheral blood eosinophil counts, and whether these levels can be used to distinguich bronchial asthma from pulmonary emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Serum ECP levels were measured and blood eosinophil counts were obtained in 46 symptomatic adults with asthma (31 atopic and 15 non-atopic), 10 patients with pulmonary emphysema, 11 patients with chronic bronchitis, and 30 non-smoking healthy subjects. Both serum ECP levels and blood eosinophil counts were higher in patients with asthma than in those with pulmonary emphysema, chronic bronchitis and in healthy subjects. Neither serum ECP levels nor blood eosinophil counts differed between atopic and non-atopic patients with asthma. After therapy, serum ECP levels were found to have decreased to have decreased significantly (p < 0.025), but blood eosinophil counts were not. We conclude that both serum ECP levels and blood eosinophil counts are useful for distinguishing bronchial asthma from chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases. These data also indicate that in adults with asthma serum ECP levels may be more closely related to clinical severity than are blood eosinophil counts.
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PMID:[Eosinophil cationic protein in serum from adults with asthma and with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease]. 871 87