甲状腺机能亢进危象：附14例临床分析

本文报道14例甲亢危象,其发病率为4.5％,其发病与感染、劳累、情绪激动及同位素治疗有关。指出同位素治疗甲亢初期应服用抗甲状腺药物,讨论了淡漠型危象的有关问题。     

改善胰岛素敏感性对血压影响的相关研究

目的 :观察胰岛素增敏剂二甲双胍改善 2型糖尿病胰岛素敏感性后对血压的影响。方法 :71例 2型糖尿病人口服二甲双胍 (格华止 ) 85 0 mg,qd-bid。治疗前后测定 BMI、血压、FBG、PBG、FINS、PINS,并按 HOMA模型计算胰岛素抵抗指数和胰岛素分泌指数。结果 :( 1)二甲双胍治疗 8周后 ,BMI治疗前后无显著性差异 ;血压治疗后明显下降 ,降压幅度达 ( 13.1± 4.97) /( 4 .2 2± 9.93) mm Hg,血压治疗前后有显著性差异。 ( 2 )治疗后 F BG、 PBG、 FINS均明显下降 ,治疗前后有显著性差异。 ( 3)治疗后 HOMA-IR下降 ,IAI升高 ,治疗前后有显著性差异 ,但 HOMA-IS、 FINS/FBG无显著性差异。结论 :二甲双胍治疗 2型糖尿病 ,在降低血糖、改善 IR的同时 ,伴有血压的明显下降     

HLA-DPB1 gene polymorphism and multiple sclerosis: a large case-control study in the southwest of France

The polymorphism at the HLA-DPB1 locus has been characterized in a large number of patients with multiple sclerosis (n = 112) and in healthy controls (n = 115). Both patients and controls lived in the southwest of France (in the Pyrénées Atlantiques) and had similar ethnic background. The typing procedure involved the selective amplification of the second exon of the DPB1 locus by polymerase chain reaction, followed by hybridization of the amplified DNA with 14 sequence-specific oligonucleotide probes. Individual alleles were identified by the pattern of hybridization of the different probes. The distribution of the DPB1 alleles was not significantly different in multiple sclerosis patients and controls (p = 0.11). This does not corroborate the reported association of multiple sclerosis with the primed lymphocyte typing (PLT)-defined DPw4 specificity and is not in favour of a role played by polymorphic residues of the DP molecule in susceptibility to multiple sclerosis.     

How far do patients with sensory ataxia benefit from so-called “proprioceptive rehabilitation”?

A rehabilitation program including foot sensory stimulation, balance and gait training with limited vision was performed in 24 patients with clinically defined sensory ataxia. There were 15 patients with bilateral somatosensory loss related to chronic neuropathy and nine patients with unilateral loss-related to multiple sclerosis. After training, balance control assessed using the Berg Balance Test improved similarly in both groups, and Romberg's sign disappeared in some patients, suggesting an improvement in dynamic balance and in the proprioceptive contribution. Conversely, balance assessed on a static force platform remained similar in the open-eyes condition and improved in the closed-eyes condition only in patients with unilateral sensory loss. These results show that ataxic patients can improve their balance with better results in dynamic conditions and that the relative contribution of proprioceptive and visual inputs may depend on the extent of somatosensory loss.     

Prior diabetes mellitus is associated with increased morbidity in cystic fibrosis patients undergoing bilateral lung transplantation: an ‘orphan’ area? A retrospective case–control study

Background: The aim of this study was to determine whether pre-existing diabetes mellitus increases the risk of rejection, infection and/or death in cystic fibrosis patients undergoing bilateral sequential single-lung transplantation.
Methods: A retrospective audit of 25 consecutive patients with cystic fibrosis who underwent bilateral sequential single-lung transplantation between 1 January 2003 and 31 December 2005 at a tertiary referral hospital was carried out.
Results: Although 32% patients had diabetes diagnosed before lung transplantation, 92% had random blood glucose levels ≥11.1 mmol/L requiring insulin during admission. Patients with pre-existing diabetes had increased infection-related (3.9 vs 1.2, P = 0.01) and putative rejection-related (1.4 vs 0.5, P = 0.04) hospital admissions post-transplantation compared with those without diabetes pre-transplant. During the period of observation, four of eight patients with a prior diagnosis of diabetes died compared with none of 17 patients without prior diabetes ( P = 0.0055).
Conclusion: Almost all cystic fibrosis patients develop hyperglycaemia after lung transplantation, but patients with prior diabetes have more complication-related admissions to hospital and a higher mortality rate.     

肝癌多药耐药产生与低糖环境的关系

目的探讨局部微环境低糖与肝细胞癌多药耐药性(MDR)产生的关系及影响机制。方法低糖培养HepG2细胞,应用流式细胞术Annexin V/PI法检测低糖培养的细胞在化疗药物5-氟脲嘧啶(5-Fu)作用后的凋亡情况,分别应用荧光定量聚合酶链反应(PCR)技术和Western blot技术检测低糖培养后HepG2细胞内多药耐药相关基因mdr1、MRP1、LRP的mRNA和蛋白水平的表达。结果在低糖环境下生长时间越长的HepG2细胞对5-Fu的抵抗越强,而且随着低糖培养时间的增加,5-Fu诱导的HepG2细胞的凋亡高峰延迟。低糖培养的HepG2细胞内多药耐药相关基因mdr1、MRP1、LRP在mRNA和蛋白水平的表达随低糖培养时间的延长而升高,以LRP的改变最为显著。结论肝癌生长微环境葡萄糖耐量不足也是肝癌产生MDR的原因之一。低糖可通过上调一组多药耐药相关基因的表达而诱导肝癌的多药耐药性。     

Bacterial ghosts (BGs)—Advanced antigen and drug delivery system

Bacterial ghosts (BGs) are empty bacterial envelopes of Gram-negative bacteria produced by controlled expression of cloned gene E, forming a lysis tunnel structure within the envelope of the living bacteria. BGs are devoid of cytoplasmic content and possess all bacterial bio-adhesive surface properties in their original state while not posing any infectious threat. BGs are ideally suited as an advanced drug delivery system (ADDS) for toxic substances in tumor therapy. The inner space of BGs can be loaded with either single components or combinations of peptides, drugs or DNA which provides an opportunity to design new types of (polyvalent) drug delivery vehicles. Uptake of BGs loaded with Doxorubicin (Dox) by CaCo2 cells led to effective Dox release from endo-lysosomal compartments and accumulation in the nucleus. Viability and proliferative capacity of the cells were significantly decreased (2–3 orders of magnitude) after internalization of Dox loaded BGs as compared to cells incubated with free Dox. The same effect was observed with leukemia cells. Melanoma cells also revealed a high capability to internalize BGs. These results indicate that BGs are able to target a range of types of cancer. BGs have also been investigated as DNA delivery vectors. Studies show DNA loaded BGs are efficiently phagocytosed and internalized by both professional APCs and tumor cells with up to 82% of cells expressing the plasmid-encoded reporter gene. Our studies with BGs as an ADDS system contribute (i) to optimize drug delivery for the treatment of cancer; (ii) define specific conditions for selection and preparation of BG formulations; (iii) and provide a background for the clinical application of BGs in cancer therapy.     

Individualized Mycophenolate Mofetil Dosing Based on Drug Exposure Significantly Improves Patient Outcomes After Renal Transplantation

Efficacy and safety of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) may be optimized with individualized doses based on therapeutic monitoring of its active metabolite, mycophenolic acid (MPA). In this 12-month study, 137 renal allograft recipients from 11 French centers receiving basiliximab, cyclosporine A, MMF and corticosteroids were randomized to receive either concentration-controlled doses or fixed-dose MMF. A novel Bayesian estimator of MPA AUC based on three-point sampling was used to individualize doses on posttransplant days 7 and 14 and months 1, 3 and 6. The primary endpoint was treatment failure (death, graft loss, acute rejection and MMF discontinuation). Data from 65 patients/group were analyzed. At month 12, the concentration-controlled group had fewer treatment failures (p = 0.03) and acute rejection episodes (p = 0.01) with no differences in adverse event frequency. The MMF dose was higher in the concentration-controlled group at day 14 (p < 0.0001), month 1 (p < 0.0001) and month 3 (p < 0.01), as were median AUCs on day 14 (33.7 vs. 27.1 mg*h/L; p = 0.0001) and at month 1 (45.0 vs. 30.9 mg*h/L; p < 0.0001). Therapeutic MPA monitoring using a limited sampling strategy can reduce the risk of treatment failure and acute rejection in renal allograft recipients 12 months posttransplant with no increase in adverse events.