The prevalence of the different phenotypes of alpha 1-protease inhibitor (alpha 1PI) was investigated in a group of 90 asthmatic patients and compared with that of a control group of 240 individuals representing the general population. The M2M2 phenotype occurred more frequently in the asthmatic group (p = 0.015). Plasma samples of 51 of the asthmatic patients randomly selected from the different phenotype groups identified were studied for the absolute plasma values of alpha 1-PI and the inhibitory capacity of plasma for porcine pancreatic elastase, and compared with those from 21 nonasthmatic individuals of the M1M1 phenotype. Although the asthmatic patients had higher absolute alpha 1PI values (p = 0.04), the plasma elastase inhibitory capacity was markedly reduced compared with the nonasthmatic subjects (p = 0.01). The functional efficiency of alpha 1PI from asthmatic patients of the M1M1, M1M2, and M2M2 phenotypes was significantly decreased compared with that of the nonasthmatic M1M1 individuals. Functional deficiency of alpha 1PI may be important in the pathogenesis of the inflammatory process that characterizes bronchial asthma.
A modification is described of the method of Dixon (1965) for determining equilibrium constants (K) of combinations of the type A+Bright harpoon over left harpoonAB. The method obviates drawing of a tangent to the curve at the origin.
Summary:In most studies, concentrations of a 2 -macroglobulin are determined by immunological techniques. In this study, the amidolytic activity of porcine pancreatic elastase complexed with a 2 -macroglobulin was measured using an elastase-specific Substrate, succinyl-trialanyl-p-nitroanilide. The activities of plasmas from 47 emphysema cases were compared with 39 normal subjects. The age ranges of both groups were from 50 to 84 years. The mean activity of bound elastase in emphysema cases was 2.48 + 0.03 kU/1 of plasma. The mean for normal subjects was 1.48 ± 0.11 kU/1 of plasma. The difference was very significant (2P < 0.001). All except 2 of the emphysema cases had smoked. The same results were obtained when only people who had smoked for 25 years or more were included in the analysis. All the plasma samples of people included in the study were assayed by an immunological method for absolute level (in g/l) of a r proteinase inhibitor. The levels of arproteinase inhibitor for all the persons studied feil within the normal ränge for MM-phenotypes (2to4g/l).
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