Soluble CD30 in pediatric patients with atopic dermatitis

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic, inflammatory skin disease in which a pathogenetic role of Th2 cells has been supposed. This study investigated the presence of soluble CD30 (sCD30), an activation marker of T-cell clones able to produce Th2-type cytokines, in sera from pediatric patients affected by AD ( n =25) with no symptoms of asthma or rhinitis. The severity of the disease was graded by both the SCORAD and Costa et al. clinical scoring systems. Serum levels of sCD30 were significantly higher in patients with AD in respect to both normal donors ( n =20) and urticaria patients ( n = 10), and a positive correlation between serum sCD30 and clinical score was found ( r =0.508; P =0.01) when AD patients were evaluated by Costa et al.'s method. Furthermore, a significant association ( r -=0.443; P =0.027) between sCD30 and serum levels of the soluble interleukin (IL)-2 receptor (sIL-2R) was observed in AD. The presence of high amounts of sCD30 in atopic patients seems to confirm the role of this molecule as an activation marker useful for in vivo evaluation of a Th2 immune response, and the correlation observed with both clinical score and sIL-2R levels indicates the role of sCD30 as an additional marker of disease activity in pediatric patients with AD.     

Action of 2-hydroxy-4,6-dimethoxyacetophenone isolated from Sebastiania schottiana

The inhibitory action of the major constituent of Sebastiania schottiana (Euphorbiaceae), 2-hydroxy-4,6-dimethoxyacetophenone (xanthoxyline) on contractions induced by agonists and electrical stimulation of smooth and cardiac muscle preparations was analysed. Xanthoxyline (30 to 300 microM) inhibited contractions of the rat uterus, guinea-pig ileum, and urinary bladder induced by several agonists in a non-competitive, non-selective, concentration-related manner, with the IC50's ranging between 47 and 190 microM. Twitches evoked by electrical-stimulation of strips of guinea-pig longitudinal ileum, urinary bladder, dog ureter, and rat left atrium were also inhibited dose-dependently by cumulative additions of xanthoxyline (IC50's between 50 and 480 microM). Xanthoxyline was found to be a potent inhibitor of spontaneous contractions of the circular smooth muscle layer of the dog ureter, yielding an IC50 of 54 microM. Repeated washing of all preparations completely reversed the inhibitory effects of xanthoxyline. Therefore, it appears that xanthoxyline induces a direct and non-selective inhibition of contractions triggered by agonists or electrical stimulation of smooth and cardiac muscle preparations. The elucidation of the mechanism(s) by which xanthoxyline induced muscle relaxation requires further investigations.     

Interaction of myeloperoxidase with diclofenac. Inhibition of the chlorinating activity of myeloperoxidase by diclofenac and oxidation of diclofenac to dihydroxyazobenzene by myeloperoxidase

The chlorinating activity of myeloperoxidase, isolated from human polymorphonuclear neutrophils, was inhibited by the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac (Voltaren). The concentration of diclofenac needed for 50% inhibition was 20 microM, a value comparable with IC50 values found for other drugs. Diclofenac did not react with HOCl nor with H2O2 but was oxidized in the presence of myeloperoxidase and H2O2 to an orange-coloured unstable product. The rate of oxidation was proportional to the enzyme concentration and to the concentration of diclofenac. but independent of the H2O2 concentration. Presumably both Compound I and Compound II, two intermediates formed during the reaction cycle of myeloperoxidase with H2O2 are able to oxidize diclofenac. In these redox reactions, the active short-living Compound I is reduced to Compound II, thereby inhibiting the chlorinating activity of the enzyme. Analysis by Fast Atom Bombardment mass spectrometry showed that in the presence of H2O2 myeloperoxidase oxidizes diclofenac to dihydroxyazobenzene.     

A cost-effectiveness comparison of surgical treatments for mitral valve disease.

This study compares the cost-effectiveness of mitral valve reconstruction and replacement. Published clinical data were used to determine the effectiveness of each procedure. Both direct and indirect costs were calculated. The findings indicate that reconstruction has lower costs per year of life extended than replacement due to better outcomes. Changing outcome probabilities and discount rates did not alter these results. Cost savings in excess of 40% may be achieved by early reconstruction for suitable patients. These results suggest that the prevailing practice of delaying surgery until replacement is needed should be reconsidered, especially for patients who could benefit from reconstruction.     

Experience in hemoconcentration by ultrafiltration in operations using artificial circulation at the All-Union Scientific Center of Surgery of the USSR Academy of Medical Sciences

The article deals with the results of using ultrafiltration hemoconcentration in 649 operations conducted on the open heart with extracorporeal circulation at the All-Union Scientific Center of Surgery, USSR AMS during 1983-1989. The method allows control of hemodilution and colloid-osmotic pressure of plasma during the indicated interventions, lessens the loss of blood, and reduces the expenditure of donor blood.     

Hypoglycaemic activity of dioscoretine from tubers of Dioscorea dumetorum in normal and alloxan diabetic rabbits

Dioscoretine isolated from the aqueous fraction of the methanol extract of Dioscorea dumetorum tubers when administered intra-peritoneally to normal and alloxan diabetic rabbits produces significant hypoglycaemic effects at a dose of 20 mg/kg. The fasting blood sugar in normoglycaemic rabbits was reduced from 112 mg/100 ml to 55 mg/100 ml after 4 hours. In alloxan diabetic rabbits, the blood sugar was lowered from 520 mg/100 ml to 286 mg/100 ml at the same time interval. The aqueous fraction of the methanol extract produced comparable effects at 100 mg/kg. The chloroform fraction of the same extract raised the fasting blood sugar of normal rabbits to 196 mg/100 ml after 6 h. The acute toxicity studies gave LD50 values of 1.4 g/kg for the aqueous fraction and 0.58 g/kg for dioscoretine when tested on mice. The hypoglycaemic effects were compared to those of tolbutamide.     

Increase in brain cerebrospinal fluid volume is greater in older than in younger alcoholic patients: A replication study and CT/MRI comparison

This cross-sectional study used a semi-automated analysis technique to quantify regional brain cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) volumes derived from computed tomography (CT) in 84 healthy men ranging from 21 to 82 years of age and 28 patients meeting Research Diagnostic Criteria for alcohol dependence. The goals were to replicate an earlier CT study of an independent sample of alcoholic and control subjects (Pfefferbaum et al., 1988a; Zipursky et al., 1988) and to compare CT assessments of brain changes with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) assessments made in the same alcoholic patients (Pfefferbaum et al., 1992). Regional brain changes associated with normal aging were derived by regression analysis, using CT data collected from the healthy control subjects. As in the earlier CT study and in the concurrent MRI study, ventricular and sulcal CSF volumes in alcoholic patients were greater than would be expected for their age. Furthermore, the present CT study replicated the previous CT and MRI findings of a positive relationship between age and CSF volume enlargement in alcoholic patients over and above the normal age-related increase in CSF volume, suggesting greater vulnerability of the aging brain to alcohol. Comparison of CT-and MRI-derived estimates of ventricular and cortical sulcal volume revealed high correlations (>0.80). MRI and CT produced similar absolute ventricular volumes, while MRI produced larger sulcal volume estimates than did CT. The difference in sulcal volume estimate may be due to differences between CT and MRI in slice thickness and sensitivity to partial volume effects.