Background -7S collagen, an N-terminal peptide of type IV collagen, is a primary constituent of the basement membrane. To evaluate whether the serum concentration of 7S collagen reflects the severity of inflammatory lung disease, the serum concentration of 7S collagen was measured in patients with adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Methods -A radioimmunoassay was used for the measurement of 7S collagen. Gas exchange abnormality was expressed as the arterial oxygen tension (PaO2) divided by the fractional concentration of inspired oxygen (FiO2). Results -The mean (SD) concentration of 7S collagen was 2-7 (0 9) ng/ml in 10 healthy subjects, 5 0 (1P5) ng/ml in 11 patients with IPF, and 14-8 (9 7) ng/ml in 13 patients with ARDS. Significant differences were observed between the patients with ARDS and both healthy subjects and the patients with IPF. In the patients with ARDS serum concentrations of 7S collagen were strongly related to PaO2/FiO2 (r= -0-61). Moreover, the mean (SD) serum concentration of 7S collagen in the eight patients with ARDS who died (19-5 (10-2) ng/ml) was considerably higher than that of the five who survived (7-1 (2'1) ng/ml).Conclusion -These results suggest that serum levels of the 7S fragment of type IV collagen may have some prognostic value in ARDS. (Thorax 1994;49:144-146) Type IV collagen is a major constituent of all basement membranes where it forms a network structure, partly because of interactions between the N-terminal domains of adjacent molecules. These domains, known as 7S collagen,' are known to be comparatively resistant to proteases. It has therefore been proposed that serum concentrations of 7S collagen reflect degradation or synthesis of the basement membrane, or both.2'As type IV collagen exists in the basement membrane of pulmonary capillaries and alveoli, we hypothesised that serum concentrations of 7S collagen in patients with inflammatory lung disease may reflect the extent of damage to the pulmonary basement membrane. In this study serum concentrations of 7S collagen were measured in patients with adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and those with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), and the use of 7S collagen in assessing the severity of these diseases was evaluated.
Cases of hepatitis virus infection in Japanese recipients of blood transfusions were serologically and clinically analyzed after the introduction of laboratory screening of donor blood for hepatitis B surface antigen by counter immunoelectrophoresis. Non-A, non-B hepatitis occurred in 116 (10.7%) and hepatitis type B in nine (0.9%) of the 1,082 recipients. The incubation period of the post-transfusion non-A, non-B hepatitis cases varied from two to 33 weeks, but most occurred within 15 weeks. In 97 (83.6%) of the 116 cases of non-A, non-B hepatitis studied, the duration of abnormal elevation of the level of serum alanine aminotransferase (glutamic-pyruvic transaminase [SGPT]) was 16 weeks. The cases of non-A, non-B hepatitis could be divided into three groups according to the pattern of elevation of SGPT levels. These findings may suggest either a multiple etiology for non-A, non-B hepatitis or a variety of clinical symptoms with a single etiology for the infection.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.