Posttransplant Lymphoproliferative Disorder in Kidney and Liver Transplant Recipients: A Single-Center Experience

Introduction

Posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) is a heterogeneous group of lymphoid malignant neoplasms arising after solid organ transplantation or hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. The current World Health Organization classification identified 4 basic histologic types of PTLD: early, polymorphic variant, monomorphic variant, and classical Hodgkin lymphoma-type lesions.

Urinary alanine-aminopeptidase (AAP) excretion in patients with urinary tract infection treated with ceftazidime (CAZ) or cefotaxime (CTX) plus tobramycin (TOB)

It is well known that some antibiotics are particularly nephrotoxic. In the present study we investigated kidney function and AAP excretion (as an index of nephrotoxicity) in patients with urinary tract infection treated with CAZ or CTX plus TOB. The main cause of infection wasE. coli in both treated groups. After 10 days of treatment similar beneficial effects were stated in both groups. At the end of treatment urinary AAP excretion in both groups was higher than before treatment. Despite a significant increase in urinary AAP in only one patient of each group, the serum creatinine level rose by more than 45 μmol/l. Monitoring of urinary AAP may by useful in early detection of nephrotoxicity caused by antibiotics.     

Coffee consumption and the occurrence and intensity of metabolic syndrome: a cross-sectional study

The objective of the study was to investigate associations between coffee consumption and the occurrence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its components in individuals with a normal BMI, as well in those who are overweight and obese. The analysis was based on the data of 10,367 participants. The studies included a questionnaire interview, anthropometric measurements, blood pressure measurements and analyses of collected fasting-blood samples. In the overweight and obese participants, lower coffee consumption, compared with higher consumption was correlated with a significantly higher risk of abdominal obesity, hypertension, an abnormal glucose concentration, HDL cholesterol, triglycerides and MetS (p?p?相似文献   

Immunohistochemical assessment of apoptosis-associated proteins: p53, Bcl-xL, Bax and Bak in gastric cancer cells in correlation with clinical and pathomorphological factors

PurposeThe p53 protein as well as Bcl-2 family proteins such as Bax, Bak and Bcl-xL regulate apoptosis. The study objective was to analyze the expression of p53, Bak, Bcl-xL and Bax in gastric cancer and in healthy gastric mucosa.Material and MethodsThe study group consisted of 66 patients with gastric cancer, treated surgically in II Department of General and Gastroenterological Surgery, Medical University of Bialystok. The expression of the studied proteins was assessed using the immunohistochemical method.ResultsSignificant differences were found in the expressions of the studied proteins as compared to healthy gastric mucosa. The expressions of p53 and Bax were significantly higher (70%vs13% and 50%vs13%), whereas those of Bak and Bcl-xL significantly lower (18% vs 83% and 74% vs 97%) in cancer cells than in normal mucosa (p<0.001). Significant differences were also noted in the expressions of Bax and Bcl-xL in relation to histological type. In the intestinal type (Lauren I), the expressions of Bax and Bcl-xL were higher as compared to the diffuse type (Lauren II) (93% vs 43% and 91% vs 43%). Simultaneously, correlations were noted between changes in the expression of Bax vs Bcl-xL and Bak. High expression of Bax showed a positive correlation with reduced Bak and Bcl-xL (p<0.05). Moreover, positive expression of p53 caused poorer distant survival of patients (p<0.05).ConclusionOur study concluded that disturbances in the expression of p53, Bax, Bcl-xL and Bak proteins are associated with their involvement in the process of carcinogenesis in the stomach. It is suggesting that they might appeared in the early phase of carcinogenesis.     

Effect of long-term administration of ranitidine,a histamine H2 receptor antagonist,on bone metabolism in young growing rats

Background

Histamine regulates function of osteoclasts and osteoblasts, however data regarding the influence of histamine H2 receptors antagonists on bone tissue are ambiguous. Factors that influence growing skeleton may have an important impact on the peak bone mass and future risk of fractures. The aim of our study was the assessment of influence of ranitidine, on growing bones.

Tapentadol – A representative of a new class of MOR-NRI analgesics

Tapentadol is a centrally acting analgesic with a dual mode of action as a μ-opioid receptor (MOR) agonist and a noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor (NRI). It was initially approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in November 2008 for the treatment of moderate-to-severe acute pain in adult patients, and in August 2011, for chronic pain in an prolonged release form in the same population. Due to its limited protein binding capacity, the absence of active metabolites and significant microsomal enzyme induction or inhibition, tapentadol has a limited potential for drug–drug interactions. It appears to be well-tolerated and effective in the treatment of moderate-to severe acute and chronic pain. Owing to its dual mechanism of action, it is hypothesized to be good option in the treatment of both nociceptive and neuropathic pain.     

The effect of chamomile extract obtained in supercritical carbon dioxide conditions on physicochemical and usable properties of pharmaceutical ointments

The study investigated the effect of chamomile extract obtained in supercritical carbon dioxide conditions on the basic properties of pharmaceutical ointments. A total of five formulations were designed and prepared, differing in the weight ratio of sunflower oil to chamomile extract (5:0, 3.5:1.5, 2.5:2.5, 1.5:3.5 and 0:5). An increase in the concentration of chamomile extract was found to be accompanied by a decrease in hardness, adhesive power and flow limit. Based on viscosity measurements it was shown that ointments containing the hydrophobic plant extract under study were prone to larger drops in viscosity under the effect of the set shear rate. It was determined that from the viewpoint of ointment spreadability and application to the skin, the optimum concentration of chamomile extract for the studied formulations should be within the range of 1.5–2.5%. Furthermore, the addition of chamomile extract to ointments was found to give samples a yellow-green color. Green was observed to be the dominant color, and its saturation and shade varied for different formulations.     

Magnetic Resonance Microscopy for Assessment of Morphological Changes in Hydrating Hydroxypropylmethylcellulose Matrix Tablets In Situ–Is it Possible to Detect Phenomena Related to Drug Dissolution Within the Hydrated Matrices?

Purpose

So far, the hydrated part of the HPMC matrix has commonly been denoted as a “gel” or “pseudogel” layer. No MRI-based results have been published regarding observation of internal phenomena related to drug dissolution inside swelling polymeric matrices during hydration. The purpose of the study was to detect such phenomena.

Methods

Multiparametric, spatially and temporally resolved T₂ MR relaxometry, in situ, was applied to study formation of the hydration progress in HPMC matrix tablets loaded with L-dopa and ketoprofen using a 11.7 T MRI system. Two spin-echo based pulse sequences were used, one of them specifically designed to study short T₂ signals.

Results

Two components in the T₂ decay envelope were estimated and spatial distributions of their parameters, i.e. amplitudes and T₂ values, were obtained. Based on the data, different region formation patterns (i.e. multilayer structure) were registered depending on drug presence and solubility. Inside the matrix with incorporated sparingly soluble drug a specific layer formation due to drug dissolution was detected, whereas a matrix with very slightly soluble drug does not form distinct external “gel-like” layer.

Conclusions

We have introduced a new paradigm in the characterization of hydrating matrices using ¹H MRI methods. It reflects molecular mobility and concentration of water inside the hydrated matrix. For the first time, drug dissolution related phenomena, i.e. particular front and region formation, were observed by MRI methods.