Generalized pustular psoriasis and bacteremia

A 73-year-old man, who developed bacteremia in the course of generalized pustular psoriasis (GPP) which appeared one year after the onset of psoriasis vulgaris, was reported. Blood culture confirmed bacteremia caused by Staphylococcus aureus, Epidermidis and Streptococcus faecalis. We emphasized in this article that bacteremia should be considered in emaciated patients with GPP who have received corticosteroid therapy for a long time, show remarkable shift to the left of neutrophils, and suffer remittent fever.     

Time course of in vivo 5-HTT transporter occupancy by fluvoxamine

The pharmacokinetics of drugs with specific binding sites in the brain needs to be evaluated at these sites. In this study, we measured the time course of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor fluvoxamine in the human brain based on serotonin transporter (5-HTT) occupancy by positron emission tomography. Consecutive positron emission tomography scans were performed using [11C]3-amino-4-(2-dimethylaminomethyl-phenylsulfanyl)-benzonitrile before, 5 hours, 26 hours, and 53 hours after 50 mg of fluvoxamine administration in 6 healthy male volunteers (mean, 24.3 +/- 4.8 years). Quantification was performed using the multilinear reference tissue model 2. Mean 5-HTT occupancies were 72.9% +/- 4.9% at 5 hours, 50.3% +/- 11.0% at 26 hours, and 24.7% +/- 15.3% at 53 hours, and plasma concentrations were 13.9 +/- 5.5 ng/mL at 5 hours, 5.1 +/- 3.2 ng/mL at 26 hours, and 1.5 +/- 1.7 ng/mL at 53 hours. The relationship between the plasma concentration of fluvoxamine and 5-HTT occupancy at these different time points was fitted to the law of mass action.     

Regional arterial stiffness in patients with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease

Increased arterial stiffness is an independent predictor of death from cardiovascular disease, and aortic stiffness is more predictive than stiffness of other arterial regions. Because little is known about the effect of chronic kidney disease (CKD) on regional arterial stiffness, pulse wave velocity (PWV) of four different arterial segments was measured in patients who had type 2 diabetes with and without various stages of CKD. A total of 434 patients had type 2 diabetes, and there were 192 healthy control subjects who were comparable in age and gender. GFR was estimated by the abbreviated Modification of Diet in Renal Disease equation. The patients with diabetes were classified into CKD stages by the definition of the Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative guidelines. PWV was measured in the heart-femoral, heart-carotid, heart-brachial, and femoral-ankle segments simultaneously using an automatic pulse wave analyzer. PWV of each arterial region was increased in patients who had diabetes without kidney damage and was increased further in a stepwise manner with the advanced stages of CKD. The increase in PWV was greater in the heart-femoral and heart-carotid regions than in the heart-brachial and femoral-ankle segments. However, after adjustment for age, BP, and other confounding factors using a multiple regression model, decreased GFR was independently associated with increased PWV of the heart-femoral region but not with PWV of other arterial segments. In type 2 diabetes, CKD was associated with increased stiffness of arteries, particularly of the aorta. The cross-sectional result may explain the increased risk for cardiovascular disease in CKD, although longitudinal studies are needed to confirm it.     

Role of the thymus in transplantation tolerance in miniature swine: V. Deficiency of the graft-to-thymus pathway of tolerance induction in recipients of cardiac transplants

BACKGROUND: We have previously shown that both thymic immigrants (graft to thymus pathway) and thymic emigrants (thymus to graft pathway) are involved in tolerance to renal allografts in miniature swine treated with a short course of calcineurin inhibitors. This study investigates the role of these pathways in cardiac transplant survival in recipients treated with a short course of tacrolimus. METHODS: Eleven animals received two-haplotype fully MHC-mismatched cardiac grafts with a 12-day course of tacrolimus. Recipients were thymectomized on day -21 (n=5) or day 0 (n=3), or were left euthymic (n=3). Two of the day -21 thymectomized animals received a day 0 host-MHC matched thymocyte infusion. RESULTS: Euthymic recipients of cardiac grafts treated with an immunosuppressive regimen identical to that previously shown to induce tolerance in euthymic recipients of renal allografts all rejected their grafts. Although no animal became tolerant, animals that were euthymic or thymectomized on day 0, as well as recipients of day 0 host-type thymocyte infusions following thymectomy on day -21, developed donor-specific hyporesponsiveness and maintained their cardiac grafts for markedly prolonged periods. In contrast, all animals thymectomized on day -21 that did not receive thymocyte infusions developed strong antidonor CTL responses and rejected their grafts by day 35. CONCLUSIONS: The graft-to-thymus pathway that plays an important role in tolerance induction to renal allografts appears to be relatively deficient in recipients of cardiac grafts. Strategies to increase donor antigen migration to the host thymus might therefore assist in tolerance induction to cardiac allografts.     

A method for assessing chronic effects of toxic substances on the midge,Paratanytarsus parthenogeneticus—Effects of copper

A method was developed for the assessment of the chronic effects of copper on midge larva. Growth and reproduction of the midge was related to copper concentrations greater than 0.08 mg/L; 50% reproductive impairment was apparent at a copper level of 0.37 mg/L. Growth and amount of food uptake by larvae were inversely related to copper concentration. Accumulation of copper in green algae was proportional to copper concentration in the water.     

Expression of 5-lipoxygenase in human colorectal cancer

INTRODUCTION Evidence from epidemiological and animal studies suggests that a high-fat consumption is associated with an increased incidence and growth of tumors at several specific organ sites, including breast, pancreas, colon, and prostate[1]. In this …