Practical recommendations for the use of ACE inhibitors, beta-blockers, aldosterone antagonists and angiotensin receptor blockers in heart failure: putting guidelines into practice

Surveys of prescribing patterns in both hospitals and primary care have usually shown delays in translating the evidence from clinical trials of pharmacological agents into clinical practice, thereby denying patients with heart failure (HF) the benefits of drug treatments proven to improve well-being and prolong life. This may be due to unfamiliarity with the evidence-base for these therapies, the clinical guidelines recommending the use of these treatments or both, as well as concerns regarding adverse events. ACE inhibitors have long been the cornerstone of therapy for systolic HF irrespective of aetiology. Recent trials have now shown that treatment with beta-blockers, aldosterone antagonists and angiotensin receptor blockers also leads to substantial improvements in outcome. In order to accelerate the safe uptake of these treatments and to ensure that all eligible patients receive the most appropriate medications, a clear and concise set of clinical recommendations has been prepared by a group of clinicians with practical expertise in the management of HF. The objective of these recommendations is to provide practical guidance for non-specialists, in order to increase the use of evidenced based therapy for HF. These practical recommendations are meant to serve as a supplement to, rather than replacement of, existing HF guidelines.     

核因子κB与肺部疾病的关系及其潜在治疗意义

核因子κB(nuclear factor-kappaB,NF-κB)是一种重要的参与炎症蛋白基因转录的调节因子,在多种肺部疾病的细胞及动物模型实验中,NF-κB的活化对阐明肺部疾病的病理显得尤为关键.因此,进一步了解NF-κB的分子机制及其在一些常见肺部疾病发病机制中的作用将有助于从不同环节治疗和预防肺部疾病.     

Plasma-soluble Fas (APO-1, CD95) and soluble Fas ligand in immune thrombocytopenic purpura

We investigated the levels of various cytokines and soluble factors in ITP patients, in order to determine the influence of these factors on the pathogenesis of ITP. We found increases in IL-2, IL-6, IFN-gamma, and M-CSF levels in ITP patients compared with those in healthy individuals. On lymphocyte phenotype analysis, we found no clear difference in total T cell population (CD2+ CD19- cells) or cytotoxic T cell frequency (CD8+ CD11b- cells) between these two groups. The frequency of helper/inducer T cells (CD4+ CD8- cells) was decreased in ITP patients. There was a significant increase in activated T cells (CD3+ HLA-DR+ cells) in ITP patients. Furthermore, frequencies of NK cells of potent activity (CD16+ CD56+ cells) were significantly elevated in ITP patients. Seventeen of the 54 ITP patients (31.5%) had elevated levels of sFas, and 11 of the 54 patients (20.4%) of sFasL. In addition, a significant increase of sFasL was observed in sFas-positive ITP patients, and in these patients the sFasL level was correlated with that of sFas (r = 0.687, p < 0.01). We found significant increases in IL-2 and sIL-2R levels in sFas-positive ITP patients. For other factors examined, however, there were no differences in level between sFas-positive and -negative ITP patients. Percentages of activated T cells (CD3+ and HLA-DR+ cells) and NK cells (CD16+ and CD56+ cells) were significantly higher in sFas-positive ITP patients than in sFas-negative ITP patients. These findings suggests that the pathogenesis of ITP includes alteration of the Fas/FasL pathway.     

Rabeprazole improves health-related quality of life in patients with erosive gastroesophageal reflux disease

The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of rabeprazole 20 mg once a day on patient-reported health-related quality of life in routine clinical practice. Patients with erosive gastroesophageal reflux disease participating in an open-label, 8-week study completed the SF-36 Health Survey before and after treatment with rabeprazole. For all SF-36 scales, there was a statistically significant (p 0.007) improvement in mean scores from baseline to week 8. Improvements in each of the subscales, except for physical functioning, general health, and mental health, were at least 5% in magnitude, a level considered clinically meaningful. Furthermore, while baseline scores were significantly poorer than general United States population scores, follow-up scores for four of the subscales (role limitations due to physical problems, social functioning, role limitations due to emotional problems, and mental health) were comparable to general population scores. In conclusion, rabeprazole significantly improved health-related quality of life in erosive gastroesophageal reflux disease patients and restored social functioning and emotional well-being to levels comparable to those observed in the United States general population.     

Inhibitory effects of Serenoa repens on the kinetic of pig prostatic microsomal 5α-reductase activity

The pathogenesis of benign prostatic hyperplasia is linked to the accumulation of dihydrotestosterone (DHT), the active form of testosterone (T), in prostatic tissue. We have defined characteristics of 5α-reductase enzyme which catalyzes the conversion of T into DHT in prostatic microsomes of growing pigs. Peaks for the 5α-reductase activity were found at pH 5.5 and 8.0, which indicates the presence of both type 1 and type 2 isozymes. Kinetic parameters of porcine 5α-reductase in the presence of Serenoa repens extracts revealed uncompetitive, noncompetitive, and mixed types of inhibitions. Our results show the inhibitory action of S. repens on prostate porcine microsomal 5α-reductase activity.     

Evidence of subjects sensitized to Leishmania infantum on the French Mediterranean coast: differences in gamma interferon production between this population and visceral leishmaniasis patients

The Marseilles region is an endemic area for visceral mediterranean leishmaniasis, but although the number of dog cases, the parasite's main host, is very high, only a few people develop the disease. We looked for sensitized healthy subjects among 25 healthy individuals living in this area by studying their in vitro lymphoproliferative response to Leishmania infantum antigens and gamma interferon synthesis. We found that 65% of tested subjects were sensitized against L. infantum. We compared their cell mediated immunity to that of 13 active Kala-Azar patients and 13 controls from non-endemic areas. In patients, results showed a specific cellular immuno-deficiency in the lymphocyte response to L. infantum antigens and a global deficiency of gamma interferon production. Interestingly, the healthy individuals from the endemic area who responded to L. infantum antigens were found to produce high gamma interferon levels after L. infantum antigen stimulation. After healing, the cell mediated-immunity of the 3 patients we followed up was similar to that of the sensitized tested healthy subjects, but the former were still producing antibodies at the time of study.     

白细胞介素-17在子代孤独症谱系障碍中的相关研究进展北大核心CSCD

白细胞介素-17(IL-17)在机体免疫应答以及炎症性反应中起着十分重要的作用。研究发现高水平的IL-17与多种自身免疫性疾病、急慢性神经退行性疾病和精神疾病的发病有关。孤独症谱系障碍(ASD)是一组儿童时期较为常见的神经发育障碍性疾病, 近期的临床及实验研究将妊娠期母体免疫激活(MIA)与子代患ASD风险联系起来。研究发现, IL-17水平在MIA诱导的子代ASD中明显升高, 是MIA导致子代小鼠神经发育异常的关键因素。现通过阐述IL-17与子代ASD间的最新研究进展, 为ASD的预防和治疗提供新的思路。     

影响1-羟基-2-氧-1,8-萘啶-3-甲酰胺类HIV整合酶链转移抑制剂抗整合酶链转移活性的主要因素

 目的 探讨影响1-羟基-2-氧-1,8-萘啶-3-甲酰胺类HIV整合酶链转移抑制剂(integrase strand transfer inhibitors, INSTIs)抗整合酶链转移(integrase strand transfer, INST)活性的主要微观结构因素。方法 采用遗传函数逼近法构建了10个1-羟基-2-氧-1,8-萘啶-3-甲酰胺类INSTIs的二维定量构效关系(2d-quantitative structure-activity relationship, 2D-QSAR)模型,从中优选出最优模型,并据此探析影响抑制剂抗INST活性的主要微观结构因素。结果 最优2D-QSAR模型的非交叉验证相关系数R²为0.8555,留一法交叉验证相关系数Q²_loo为0.7761,外部交互验证相关系数R²_ext为0.94,表明所建模型具有较好的统计学意义和稳定性。结论 1-羟基-2-氧-1,8-萘啶-3-甲酰胺类INSTIs的抗INST活性主要与描述符JX、Dipole_mag、Jurs_PNSA_1和Strain_Energy相关,可为抑制剂的进一步合理设计提供理论依据。