Human epididymis protein 4 (HE4) levels inversely correlate with lung function improvement (delta FEV1) in cystic fibrosis patients receiving ivacaftor treatment

Background

We have recently shown that human epididymis protein 4 (HE4) levels correlate with the severity of cystic fibrosis (CF) lung disease. However, there are no data on how HE4 levels alter in patients receiving CFTR modulating therapy.

Diabetes im Kindes- und Jugendalter

Type 1 diabetes is one of the commonest chronic disorders encountered in children and adolescents. When it first becomes apparent in children, approximately 20% of them have clinical and biochemical signs of ketoacidosis (DKA). In the presence of unusual clinical symptoms it is necessary to consider the possibility of associated conditions, such as coeliac disease, immunothyroiditis and Addison’s disease. Children with diabetes must be treated by a multidisciplinary team made up of paediatrician, paediatric diabetes specialist, psychologist, social worker, ophthalmologist, dietitian, nurse and diabetes counsellor, making it essential for them to be treated in regional specialised centres. They are treated in their own psychosocial environment and their families are involved in the therapy. Comprehensive, multidisciplinary treatment strategies have now made it possible for these patients to enjoy normal physical wellbeing and near-normal psychosocial development. Prevention and early treatment of of disturbances associated with diabetes remain an important concern. The fact that type 2 diabetes must now be looked for in overweight children and adolescents is a new aspect of diabetes medicine.     

Ernährung bei Diabetes

According to the current nutritional recommendations issued by professional diabetes and nutrition associations, diabetic patients should keep to a diet consisting of 45–60% carbohydrates, 10–20% protein, and not more than 35% fat. However, not all of these nutritional recommendations are evidence based. For example, current studies show that the intake of insoluble roughage may be underrepresented. It is also possible that diabetic patients could benefit from keeping to the lower end of the recommended range for carbohydrates (45%) and the upper end of the range advised for protein (20%).     

Chronische Transplantatdysfunktion

Chronic transplant dysfunction is a complex dynamic pathogenic process. Clinically, a decrease in glomerular filtration rate (GFR) becomes apparent leading to chronic renal insufficiency and dialysis or death from cardiovascular events. Chronic transplant dysfunction can develop into a chronic alIograft nephropathy (CAN) as a specific entity with dynamic progression. CAN includes a collection of immunologic and non-immunologic factors, rejection, ischemia time, donor and recipient characteristics and toxicity of calcineurin inhibitors. Despite improvements in immunosuppression, the long-range prognosis of renal allografts has not improved. Whether modern immunosuppressive concepts with reduction or avoidance of calcineurin inhibitors and a therapy based on antimetabolites, such as mycophenolate or mTOR-inhibitors could lead to a prolongation of transplant survival, remains to be seen.     

Psychologische Aspekte des diabetischen Fußsyndroms

It is often difficult for medical professionals to understand the behaviour of people with diabetic foot syndrome. We describe the different psychological factors that play a role in the maintenance of intermittent implementation of medical recommendations. In particular we look at the consequences of neuropathy and of the recommendation to offload pressure, as well as the contradictions between the realities of the patient and the medical professionals involved in their care. We show that the solutions that patients develop are based on normal psychological processes and we encourage professionals to consider these aspects in their relationship to people with DFS and when developing individualised preventative measures.     

Multi-day radon signals with a radioactive decay limb -- occurrence and geophysical significance.

Multi-day signals, generally with duration of 2-10 days, are a prominent temporal variation type of radon (Rn) in geogas in the unsaturated zone. Rare multi-day Rn signals have been found which are characterized by: (a) a declining limb lasting up to 10 days which conforms to the radioactive decay of Rn, (b) recurs at the same location and (c) is recorded in diverse situations-volcanic and seismogenic. It suggested that a Rn blob is injected at a lower level on a steady upward flow of geogas whereby the rise and final fall of the signal are attributed to the edges of the blob while the central Rn-decay segment records the passing of the decaying blob itself. Rn-decay signals are a small subset of multi-day Rn signals which are considered as highly irregular and unusable for the understanding of geophysical processes. In difference, it is concluded that multi-day Rn signals are probably proxies of subtle geodynamic processes at upper crustal levels and are therefore significant for studying such processes.     

Nitrate administration increases blood flow in dysfunctional but viable myocardium, leading to improved assessment of myocardial viability: A PET study.

SPECT with 99mTc-labeled agents is better able to detect viability after nitrate administration. Nitrates induce vasodilation and may increase blood flow to severely hypoperfused but viable myocardium, thereby enhancing tracer delivery and improving the detection of viability. Quantitative data on the changes in blood flow are lacking in SPECT but can be provided by PET. The aim of the present study was to use PET to evaluate whether nitrate administration increases blood flow to chronically dysfunctional but viable myocardium. METHODS: 13N-Ammonia PET was used to quantitatively assess blood flow, and 18F-FDG PET was used as the gold standard to detect viable myocardium. Twenty-five patients with chronic ischemic left ventricular dysfunction underwent 13N-ammonia PET at rest and after nitrate administration. RESULTS: A significant increase in nitrate-enhanced blood flow was observed in viable segments (from 0.55 +/- 0.15 to 0.68 +/- 0.24 mL/min/g, P < 0.05). No statistically significant change in blood flow was observed in nonviable segments (0.60 +/- 0.20 vs. 0.55 +/- 0.18 mL/min/g). A ratio of at least 1.1 for nitrate-enhanced flow to resting flow allowed optimal detection of viable myocardium, yielding a sensitivity of 82% with a specificity of 100%. CONCLUSION: 13N-Ammonia PET showed a significant increase in nitrate-enhanced blood flow in viable myocardium, whereas blood flow remained unchanged after nitrate administration in nonviable myocardium. Nitrate use during myocardial perfusion imaging will lead to improved assessment of myocardial viability.