Elastolytic activity of alveolar macrophages in chronic bronchitis: comparison of current and former smokers

We have compared the macrophage elastolytic activity of a group of current and former smokers with irreversible airflow obstruction. Elastolytic activity was determined in an initial bronchoalveolar lavage cell population and in alveolar macrophages cultured for three days, to investigate whether enhanced macrophage elastolytic activity alone is a determining factor in the susceptibility of some smokers to obstructive lung disease. Twenty current smokers and 12 former smokers who had abstained from smoking for at least three years were studied. All patients had spirometric evidence of irreversible air flow obstruction. Current smokers had a cell yield (mean +/- SD) of 138.7 +/- 36.4 X 10(6) cells (alveolar macrophages 94.2% +/- 2.1%) compared with 31.4 +/- 14.1 X 10(6) cells (macrophages 86.5% +/- 4.7%) in former smokers. Elastolytic activity in the initial lavage cell population from current and former smokers, measured with the synthetic elastase substrate succinyl-L-alanyl-L alanyl-L-alanine-p-nitroanilide, and expressed as the equivalent of 1 microgram of porcine pancreatic elastase, was respectively 0.113 +/- 0.003 and 0.096 +/- 0.004 microgram pancreatic elastase/mg cell protein. After three days in culture macrophage elastolytic activity in the current and former smokers' cells was respectively 0.107 +/- 0.006 and 0.011 +/- 0.001 microgram pancreatic elastase/mg cell protein (p less than 0.05). The elastase activity of the cultured alveolar macrophages from five current smokers had the inhibitor profile of a metalloproteinase. Our results indicate that enhanced macrophage elastolytic activity alone is not a determining factor in the susceptibility of some smokers to develop obstructive lung disease.     

Morbid obesity treated by gastroplasty: radionuclide gastric emptying studies

Mechanisms by which gastroplasty for morbid obesity causes weight loss are poorly understood. We studied the role of altered gastric emptying in 50 patients before surgery, 1-4 weeks after surgery, and 2-24 months after surgery using technetium-99m pentetate in water for liquid meals and a Tc-99m styrene divinylbenzene copolymer resin in oatmeal for semisolid meals. We determined the emptying half-times of the stomach before and after surgery in the proximal and distal compartments. The proximal compartment emptied promptly in the early and late postoperative periods. The distal compartment emptied liquids at rates similar to those before surgery, while the late postoperative emptying of semisolids was significantly faster. The stoma connecting the two compartments thus permits rapid transit of liquids and semisolids without delay of distal compartment emptying. No correlation was seen between the emptying half-times or changes thereof and eventual weight loss. Delayed gastric emptying is therefore not the mechanism for satiety and weight loss after gastroplasty has been performed.     

Unique behavioral effects of the NMDA antagonist, CPP, upon injection into the medial pre-frontal cortex of rats

Injection of the specific N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) antagonist, 3(2-carboxypiperazin-4-yl)-propyl-1-phosphonic acid (CPP), into the frontal cortex of rats, induced hyperactivity characterized by unique episodic darting behavior. This behavioral profile contrasts sharply with the ataxia and hyperactivity seen after intracerebroventricular CPP and other NMDA antagonists.     

The effect of chronic hexarelin administration on the pituitary–adrenal axis and prolactin

OBJECTIVE: With the development of growth hormone (GH) releasing agents and their use in human subjects, it is clear that these agents are not specific for GH release. More recent studies in humans have demonstrated acute increases in adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH), cortisol and prolactin (PRL) after boluses of intravenous or subcutaneous GHRPs. The potential adverse effects of repeated episodes of transient hyperprolactinaemia and hypercortisolaemia during long-term therapy with growth hormone releasing peptides (GHRPs) and similar agents have raised concern. We have therefore assessed the impact of chronic hexarelin administration on the pituitary-adrenal axis and serum prolactin levels. DESIGN: Each subject received twice-daily subcutaneous hexarelin therapy (1.5 micrograms/kg body weight) for 16 weeks. The ACTH, cortisol and PRL responses to the morning subcutaneous injection of hexarelin were assessed. Hexarelin was administered at time 0 and blood samples were taken at -10, 0, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 90, 120, 170 and 180 min. The ACTH and PRL responses were assessed at baseline and after 16 weeks of therapy. The cortisol response was assessed at baseline, 16 weeks and also 4 weeks after completion of hexarelin therapy. Basal levels of cortisol binding globulin (CBG), 24-h urinary free cortisol (UFC) estimations, thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and total thyroxine (TT4) were performed at baseline, weeks 16 and 20. RESULTS: The mean (+/- SEM) area under the cortisol curve (AUCCORT) at baseline, week 16 and week 20 were 1506 (+/- 77) nmol/l/h, 1222 (+/- 92) nmol/l/h and 1586 (+/- 58) nmol/l/h, respectively. There was a significant change in AUCCORT over the study period (P = 0.008). Compared with baseline, AUCCOPRT had decreased significantly (P < 0.05) after 16 weeks of hexarelin therapy. Four weeks after completion of hexarelin therapy, the AUCCORT increased significantly compared with AUCCORT at week 16 (P < 0.01) and was no longer significantly different from baseline values. There were no significant changes in UFC (P = 0.3), basal cortisol measurements (P = 0.19), area under the ACTH curve (AUCACTH) (P = 0.24) or CBG (P = 0.6) over the study period. The mean (+/- SEM) area under the PRL curve (AUCPRL) at the baseline and week 16 were 624 (+/- 82) mU/l/h and 641 (+/- 83) mU/l/h, respectively. There was no significant change in AUCPRL over the study period (P = 0.35). CONCLUSION: The present study demonstrates clearly that in this hexarelin dosage regimen, over-stimulation of the pituitary adrenal axis and prolactin secretion do not occur. In fact the impact of chronic hexarelin therapy on the pituitary-adrenal axis, i.e. decreased AUCCORT, contradict the findings reported after acute hexarelin administration and cannot be explained by changes in CBG. The lack of change in UFC, however, suggests that these changes are unlikely to be of clinical significance although the underlying mechanism requires further study.     

抗角蛋白抗体、抗核周因子和抗环瓜氨酸肽抗体联合检测幼年类风湿关节炎：早期诊断及治疗评估意义

目的:评价抗角蛋白抗体、抗核周因子和抗环瓜氨酸肽抗体联合检测在幼年类风湿关节炎诊断及病情评估中的意义。方法:①观察对象及分组:选择2003-01/2005-12首都医科大学附属北京儿童医院风湿免疫病房住院治疗的76例幼年类风湿关节炎患儿及54例非幼年类风湿关节炎患儿,正常对照30例(家属均知情同意)。②检测上述人员血清抗角蛋白抗体、抗核周因子抗体和抗环瓜氨酸肽抗体水平;观察两组患儿出现临床症状、体征例数及实验室检测数据。③对幼年类风湿关节炎诊断的敏感性、特异性,阳性似然比、阴性似然比进行评价,并对幼年类风湿关节炎患儿中3种抗体联合检测阳性组阴性组的临床症状、体征及实验室检查方面的指标进行比较,资料作统计学分析。结果:两组患儿130例,正常儿童30例,全部进入结果分析。①两组患儿临床症状、体征例数及实验室检测值差异没有显著性意义。②抗角蛋白抗体、抗核周因子抗体和抗环瓜氨酸肽抗体联合检测对幼年类风湿关节炎组早期诊断缺乏有效性。③抗角蛋白抗体( )/抗核周因子抗体( )/抗环瓜氨酸肽抗体( )病例与抗角蛋白抗体(-)/抗核周因子抗体(-)/抗环瓜氨酸肽抗体(-)病例相比,关节强直病例明显增多,差异有显著性(较正χ2=3.902,P=0.048),抗链球菌溶血素“O”和C-反应蛋白均显著增高,差异有显著性(χ2=2.616,3.557,P=0.025,0.001)。结论:抗角蛋白抗体、抗核周因子抗体、抗环瓜氨酸肽抗体联合检测对幼年类风湿关节炎缺乏早期诊断意义及特异性,联合检测对判断疾病的活动性、病理损害程度和预后有临床意义。