Ascorbinsäure,ein Vorstadium des C-Vitamins. II

Zusammenfassung Es wird eine Mikromethylenblaumethode zur quantitativen Bestimmung der Serumascorbinsäure mitgeteilt.Durch vergleichende Untersuchungen mitLund undLiecks Methylenblaumethode wird die Auffassung bekräftigt, daß die Ascorbinsäure ein Vorstadium des C-Vitamins ist.     

Effect of smoking cessation on markers of inflammation and endothelial cell activation among individuals with high risk for cardiovascular disease

Objective. To prospectively determine the effect of smoking cessation on markers of inflammation and endothelial cell activation. Material and methods: Thirty male and 22 female smokers of >7 cigarettes daily, aged 32–64 years with cardiovascular disease (CVD) or additional risk factors to smoking, participated in a program of smoking cessation with a follow‐up period of 1 year. Cessation was validated by carbon monoxide measurement in expired breath, and 41 of the patients completed the study (17 quitters and 24 non‐quitters). Plasma samples were drawn at baseline and after 1 year, and inflammatory markers were analyzed by enzyme immunoassays. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated at baseline and 1 year in 6 quitters and 6 smokers and mRNA levels of interleukin‐8 (IL‐8), tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) and intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM‐1) were analyzed by real‐time quantitative RT‐PCR. Results. Our main findings were: (i) While the concentration of soluble (s) ICAM‐1 decreased in quitters, it increased in smokers, with a significant difference in changes between the groups (p = 0.04). (ii) While there was only minor change in mRNA levels of IL‐8 in smokers, those who stopped smoking showed a decrease in the gene expression of IL‐8 (p<0.09; comparing difference in changes). (iii) Concentrations of the other measured parameters (E‐selectin, IL‐6, sCD40 ligand, TNFα, von Willebrand factor, and C‐reactive protein) were unchanged during follow‐up in both groups. Conclusion. Smoking cessation induced a reduction in ICAM‐1, suggesting a novel mechanism for the rapid reduction in the risk of CVD following smoking cessation.     

General practitioners' reactions to non-compliant patients

Objective - To examine how general practitioners (GPs) respond to patients who are non-compliant with medical advice and who doctors believe act irresponsibly towards their health. Design - Quantitative analysis of responses to questionnaire with case histories. Setting and subjects - 93 questionnaires completed by a random stratified sample of Norwegian GPs. Main outcome measures - Scores relating to GPs' feelings and choice of main and sub-strategies for further treatment of patients. Results - The respondents typically felt discouraged or unaffected by non-compliant patients, younger doctors more often felt helpless while older ones were more content, and female doctors more often than male doctors felt irritated or angry. The main strategy preferred was to give the patient a new appointment. The young, the inexperienced, and females tended more often to ask a colleague for advice or refer to a specialist. Patient-centred sub-strategies were generally preferred, especially by younger doctors. Conclusion - GPs' feelings towards and strategies for dealing with non-compliant patients vary, and the doctor's age, sex and clinical experience are central variables.     

Nurses Share Real‐Life Research Experiences

Nursing for Women's Health convened a group of nurse researchers for a roundtable discussion about the relationship of research to the profession of nursing, how research drives evidence‐based practice and how nurses can get involved in research and in its application to the care of women and newborns.     

Relationship between peripheral airway dysfunction, airway obstruction, and neutrophilic inflammation in COPD

BACKGROUND: Considerable research has been conducted into the nature of airway inflammation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) but the relationship between proximal airways inflammation and both dynamic collapse of the peripheral airways and HRCT determined emphysema severity remains unknown. A number of research tools have been combined to study smokers with a range of COPD severities classified according to the GOLD criteria. METHODS: Sixty five subjects (11 healthy smokers, 44 smokers with stage 0-IV COPD, and 10 healthy non-smokers) were assessed using lung function testing and HRCT scanning to quantify emphysema and peripheral airway dysfunction and sputum induction to measure airway inflammation. RESULTS: Expiratory HRCT measurements and the expiratory/inspiratory mean lung density ratio (both indicators of peripheral airway dysfunction) correlated more closely in smokers with the severity of airflow obstruction (r = -0.64, p<0.001) than did inspiratory HRCT measurements (which reflect emphysema severity; r = -0.45, p<0.01). Raised sputum neutrophil counts also correlated strongly in smokers with HRCT indicators of peripheral airway dysfunction (r = 0.55, p<0.001) but did not correlate with HRCT indicators of the severity of emphysema. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that peripheral airway dysfunction, assessed by expiratory HRCT measurements, is a determinant of COPD severity. Airway neutrophilia, a central feature of COPD, is closely associated with the severity of peripheral airway dysfunction in COPD but is not related to the overall severity of emphysema as measured by HRCT.     

MicroRNAs: relevant tools for a colorectal surgeon?

Colorectal cancer is the third most common malignancy and cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Approximately half of the patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer ultimately die of the condition. Death from colorectal cancer can be prevented by early detection, but unfortunately presentation is often late, with a worse prognosis. Screening by fecal occult blood testing reduces disease-specific mortality, but there is a need for sensitive and specific noninvasive biomarkers to facilitate detecting the disease, staging it, and predicting the best therapeutic options. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short noncoding RNA sequences that have a crucial role in the regulation of gene expression. They have significant regulatory functions in basic cellular processes, such as cell differentiation, proliferation, and apoptosis. Evidence suggests that miRNAs may function as both tumor suppressors and oncogenes. The main mechanism for changes in the function of miRNAs in cancer cells is due to aberrant gene expression. Accurate discrimination of miRNA profiles between tumor and normal mucosa in colorectal cancer allows definition of specific expression patterns of miRNAs, giving good potential as diagnostic and therapeutic targets. MiRNAs expressed in colorectal cancers are also abundantly present and stable in stool and plasma samples. Their extraction from these three sources is feasible and reproducible. The ease and reliability of determining miRNA profiles in plasma or stool makes them potential molecular markers for colorectal cancer screening. This review summarizes the role miRNAs have in colorectal cancer, highlighting particularly the potential diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic implications in the future treatment of the disease.