Sweating aggravates itch in atopic dermatitis, but the mechanism is unclear. In this study, we examined the involvement of type I hypersensitivity in the aggravation of atopic dermatitis by sweating. Skin tests with autologous sweat were positive in 56 of 66 patients (84.4%) with atopic dermatitis, but only in 3 of 27 healthy volunteers (11.1%). Sweat samples from both patients and healthy volunteers induced varying degrees of histamine release from basophils of patients with atopic dermatitis. However, the histamine release was impaired by removal of IgE on the basophils. Incubation of basophils with myeloma IgE before sensitization with serum of patients blocked the ability to release histamine-induced sweat. IgE antibody against antigen(s) in sweat may be present in serum of patients with atopic dermatitis. Key words:

Water/salt-insoluble wheat proteins have been identified as the most frequent allergenic foodstuffs in patients with food-dependent exercise-induced anaphylaxis (FDEIA) in Japan. However, the specific allergenic proteins in wheat-dependent exercise-induced anaphylaxis have not been well defined. Challenge testing, skin testing and a fluoroenzyme immunoassay were used for diagnosis in two patients suspected by history of having wheat-dependent exercise-induced anaphylaxis. Gel chromatography and IgE immunoblotting followed by N-terminal amino acid sequencing were used to identify the allergenic wheat protein. The challenge test revealed that both patients had FDEIA. The skin tests and the immunoassay results suggested that wheat gluten was the allergen in both patients. Gel chromatography of wheat gluten revealed that the antigens had molecular weights ranging from 40 to 250 kDa. IgE immunoblotting and subsequent N-terminal amino acid sequencing revealed that wheat-gamma-gliadin was the antigen predominantly bound by IgE in the two patients.

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A new hasubanalactam alkaloid, oxoepistephamiersine (l), was isolated together with known alkaloids, oxostephamienine (2) and lanuginosine (3, from the petroleum ether extraction of the roots of Stephania japonica. The new alkaloid is the seventh hasubanalactam congener isolated from the Stephania genus."Other signals were not assigned clearly. bValues in 6 scale relative to internal TMS.',dAsterisked assignments may warrant changing.'Part 282 in the series: "Studies on Alkaloids of Menispermaceous Plants." Part 28 1: h . Pbann. Bull., (in press). 'The hasubanan skeleton bearing a carbonyl group at C-16 is called "hasubanalactam" [see Macsui and Watanabe (4)1.

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