Delayed and persistent suppression of bronchoconstriction by trypsin in the airway lumen.

Mucosal trypsin, a protease-activated receptor (PAR) stimulant, may have an endogenous bronchoprotective role on airway smooth muscle. To test this possibility the effects of lumenal trypsin on airway tone in segments of pig bronchus were tested. Bronchial segments from pigs were mounted in an organ chamber containing Kreb's solution. Contractions were assessed from isovolumetric lumen pressure induced by acetylcholine (ACh) or carbachol added to the adventitia. Trypsin, added to the airway lumen (300 microg x mL(-1)), had no immediate effect on smooth muscle tone but suppressed ACh-induced contractions after 60 min, for at least 3 h. Synthetic activating peptides (AP) for PAR1, PAR2 or PAR3 were without effect, but PAR4 AP caused rapid, weak suppression of contractions. Lumenal thrombin was without effect and did not prevent the effects of trypsin. Effects of trypsin were reduced by N(omega)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester but not indomethacin. Trypsin, thrombin and PAR4 AP released prostaglandin E2. Adventitially, trypsin, thrombin and PAR4 AP (but not PAR2 AP) relaxed carbachol-toned airways after <3 min. The findings of this study show that trypsin causes delayed and persistent bronchoprotection by interacting with airway cells accessible from the lumen. The signalling mechanism may involve nitric oxide synthase but not prostanoids or protease-activated receptors.     

Cause-specific and total mortality in the Canterbury (New Zealand) insulin-treated Diabetic Registry population: a 15-year follow-up study.

AIMS: To establish all-cause and cause-specific death rates, and risk factors for mortality in insulin-treated diabetic individuals living in the province of Canterbury, New Zealand. METHODS: Insulin-treated diabetic subjects (n = 995) on the Canterbury Diabetes Registry were followed up over 15 years and vital status determined. Death rates were standardized and hazard regression was used to model the effects of demographic covariates on relative survival time. RESULTS: There were 419 deaths in 11 226.3 person-years of follow-up with a standardized mortality ratio (SMR) of 2.0 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.8-2.2). Relative mortality was greatest for the group aged 0-29 years (SMR 3.0 (95% CI 2.4-3.7)). After controlling for diabetes duration and gender, a 10-year increment in age of onset was associated with a 33% decrease in relative hazard (95% CI 29-36%), indicating that excess mortality due to diabetes declines with rising age of onset. After controlling for age of onset and gender, each 10-year increment in duration of diabetes is associated with a 26% decrease in relative hazard (95% CI 24-29%), indicating that with longer survival the mortality hazard approaches the general population hazard. Relative mortalities were increased for cardiovascular, renal and respiratory disease, but not malignancy. Relative mortality from acute metabolic complications was increased in the subgroup with age of onset of diabetes < 30 years and requiring insulin within 1 year of diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: Mortality rates are high for insulin-treated diabetic individuals relative to the general population.     

Mycophenolate Mofetil Use Is Associated with Decreased Risk of Late Acute Rejection in Adult Liver Transplant Recipients

Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) used in a triple-drug regimen has been shown to decrease acute rejection rates, compared to a double-drug regimen. The impact of MMF on late acute rejection (LAR) episodes has not been well described. To investigate the risk of LAR (rejection > or = 6 months post-transplantation) data from the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR) were used. We studied adult primary liver transplant recipients transplanted between June 1, 1995, and April 30, 2004, with hepatitis C virus (HCV) (n = 3356), hepatitis B virus (HBV) (n = 550) or a nonviral (n = 5740) primary cause of liver disease who were recorded as receiving continuous 3-(MMF + Tacro + steroids) versus 2-drug (Tacro + steroids) therapy for at least 6 months immediately post transplantation. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed significantly lower LAR rates 4 years post-transplant in 3- versus 2-drug HCV, HBV and nonviral disease patients. Multivariate regression confirmed 3- versus 2-drug therapy to be associated with a decreased risk of LAR. Late graft survival was significantly lower at 4 years post-transplant for patients with LAR 6-12 months post-transplantation versus patients with early rejection (78.0% vs. 87.0%, p < 0.001) and no rejection (88.1%, p < 0.001). Three-drug versus 2-drug therapy for a minimum of 6 months may offer a better treatment strategy to avoid the consequences and expense of LAR episodes.     

胶囊内镜与常规上消化道内镜检查诊断食管静脉曲张准确性的比较：一项前瞻性、3中心先导性研究

背景与研究目的：静脉曲张破裂出血是肝硬化的一个主要并发症，与6周内20％的死亡率有关。目前国际指南推荐肝硬化患应常规行上消化道内镜检查（食管胃十二指肠内镜检查，EGD）来筛查是否有食管静脉曲张。新近出现的食管胶囊内镜在对胃食管反流和Barrett食管的研究中已经显示出准确的诊断效应。该研究比较胶囊内镜和EGD对肝硬化患食管胃底静脉曲张和门脉高压性胃病的检出率。患与方法：在3个中心进行了先导试验。有进行EGD临床指征的肝硬化患，在EGD检查后48h内用胶囊内镜来筛查或监视食管静脉曲张。研究采用盲法，即由1名事先不知道患病史和EGD检查结果的研究评估胶囊视频成像。结果：在32例纳入的患中，EGD和胶囊内镜检查发现有食管静脉曲张23例患。有1例患经胶囊内镜发现有轻度静脉曲张，但EGD未检出。胶囊内镜和EGD诊断食管静脉曲张和门脉高压性胃病的总体一致性分别为96．9％和90．6％。没有与胶囊内镜相关的不良事件。     

Empfehlungen der European Stroke Initiative für Diagnose und Behandlung spontaner intrazerebraler Blutungen

Zusammenfassung Dieser Artikel stellt eine Übersetzung der im Jahr 2006 herausgegebenen Empfehlungen zur Behandlung von Patienten mit spontaner intrazerebraler Blutung der Europäischen Schlaganfallinitiative (EUSI) für das Europäische Schlaganfall-Council (ESC), die Europäische Neurologische Gesellschaft (ENS) und die Europäische Förderation Neurologischer Gesellschaften (EFNS) dar.Diese EUSI-Empfehlungen werden von dem European Stroke Council (ESC), der European Neurological Society (ENS) und der European Federation of Neurological Societies (EFNS) unterstützt.     

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS): a new therapeutic approach in subjective tinnitus?

Subjective (non-recordable) tinnitus is the conscious perception of a phantom sound, and a very frequent, sometimes disabling, condition. Even if subjective tinnitus is often related to peripheral hearing loss, neurophysiological and functional imaging studies provide increasing evidence for an involvement both auditory and non-auditory central nervous pathways in the generation of tinnitus and related distress. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has been proposed to relieve tinnitus by reducing auditory cortex hyperexcitability associated with this condition. This paper will review the first clinical results reported in auditory cortex rTMS studies, with special reference to the pathophysiology of tinnitus processing and the mechanisms of action of rTMS. Although rTMS appears to be a very promising tool for the diagnosis and the treatment of tinnitus patients, available knowledge is still very limited at the moment. Further basic research and clinical studies are needed in order to optimize the parameters of stimulation (stimulus frequency, cortical target definition) and to validate the application of this technique in the management of patients with disabling tinnitus.