血清白细胞介素-8与溃疡性结肠炎的关系

背景:炎症细胞因子在溃疡性结肠炎（UC）的发病中可能起一定作用。目的:检测UC患者的血清白细胞介素（IL）-8含量,并分析其与UC病变范围、病变程度和复发与否的关系。方法:收集64例经内镜检查证实的UC患者的血清标本,用酶联免疫吸附测定（ELISA）检测IL-8含量,并与正常对照组进口比较。结果:UC患者的血清IL-8含量为685pg/ml±790pg/ml,正常对照组为25pg/ml±21pg/ml（P<0.000）。不同病变范围UC的血清IL-8含量分别为:愈合期病变289pg/ml±373pg/ml,直肠病变499pg/ml±736pg/ml,直乙状结肠病变686pg/ml±755pg/ml,左半结肠病变 1407pg/ml±846pg/ml,全结肠病变815 pg/ml±926pg/ml;左半结肠病变者的IL-8含量最高,与愈合期和直肠病变者相比有显著差异（P<0.01）。不同病咎程度UC的血清IL-8含量分别为:0级267pg/ml±364pg/ml,1级332pg/ml±418pg/ml,2级999pg/ml±943pg/ml,3级894pg/ml±851pg/ml;2级和3级病变者的含量较0级和1级病变者明显增高（P<0.05和P<0.01）,0级者的含量亦高于正常对照组（P<0.01）。初发患者的血清IL-8含量为758pg/ml±833pg/ml,与复发患者（696pg/ml±803pg/ml）相比无显著差异（p=0.77）。19例患者在正规5-氨基水杨酸（5-ASA）制剂治疗前后分别测定了血清IL-8含量,治疗前的IL-8含     

Suppression of transfusion-related alloimmunization in intensively treated cancer patients

A retrospective review of HLA antibody testing and transfusion records of 100 cancer patients who required extensive platelet support revealed that 27 of 100 patients exhibited positive HLA antibody tests; only 13 remained positive on repetitive examination, while 88% of aplastic anemia patients so tested were positive. Sixty-five patients with leukemia, 16 with Ewing's sarcoma, and 19 with recurrent undifferentiated lymphoma were studied. Each patient received at least 10 U of platelets (mean of 72). HLA antibodies were detected in 31% (20/65) of the leukemias, 12% (2/16) of the Ewing's, and 26% (5/19) of the lymphoma patients. Fourteen of the 27 patients who developed antibodies became antibody negative again within 2 mo and remained so. There were no significant differences in quantity of platelet transfusions between antibody-negative patients and alloimmunized patients. A smaller group (n = 8) of aplastic anemia patients followed at the NCl exhibited a frequency of alloimmunization of 88% (7/8) after a mean of 44 U of platelets were transfused. Granulocyte transfusions given therapeutically for granulocytopenia and documented infection did not appear to influence HLA antibody formation. These data indicate that significant immunosuppression occurs in intensively treated cancer patients, as measured by their ability to from antibodies to HLA antigens expressed on the surface of transfused platelets.     

Association of early-onset myasthenia gravis and primary Sjögren’s syndrome: a case-based narrative review

Clinical Rheumatology - Coexistent myasthenia gravis (MG) and primary Sjögren’s syndrome (pSS) is an absolute rarity. That is kind of a surprise as both entities seem to share the same...     

Relationship of secondhand smoke and infant lower respiratory tract infection severity by familial atopy status

BackgroundIndividuals with atopy have more severe complications of infectious diseases. We hypothesized that the importance of secondhand smoke (SHS) on lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) severity would be greater in infants with a familial atopic predisposition.ObjectiveTo determine whether infants with a familial atopic predisposition are more susceptible to adverse effects of SHS, resulting in more severe LRTI.MethodsWe conducted cross-sectional analyses of mother-infant dyads enrolled during 2004 to 2008 during an infant LRTI. Predictor variables were SHS and 2 measures of a familial atopic predisposition (maternal atopic disease with allergen sensitization or familial atopy). LRTI severity was determined by bronchiolitis severity score (BSS) and hospital length of stay (LOS). We conducted multivariable regression analysis to test for a differential relationship between SHS and LRTI severity by measures of familial atopic predisposition.ResultsIn 451 dyads, 57% of infants had SHS exposure, 36% had a mother with atopic disease, and 68% had familial atopy. We did not detect differences in BSS or LOS by SHS exposure stratified by history of maternal atopic disease. In bivariate analysis, there was a significant difference in LOS by SHS in those with familial atopy (P = .006) but not in those without (P = .66). In multivariable analysis, among infants with familial atopy, there was a 23% increased LOS in infants with SHS exposure (P = .03), whereas no statistical significance was detected in those without familial atopy (P = .07).ConclusionIn infants with familial atopy, SHS was associated with longer hospital LOS for LRTI but not BSS. Because the effect was seen only among hospitalized infants, confirmation is required.     

Ein tierexperimentelles Modell zur Verbesserung der Organkonservierung bei Lungentransplantation

The increasing demand for lung transplants, which is accompanied by a decrease in the number of available donor organs, makes it necessary to take not only long transport distances and long ischemic times into account, but also to extend the criteria of the quality of donor organs. The requirements for a reliable preservation method are, therefore, high. The clinical standard is the flushing of the pulmonary artery with Perfadex solution at 4°C. The aim of our project was to improve this method with the addition of CNI-1493 and compstatin, respectively. The experiments were performed using an isolated organ model.     

β2‐Adrenergic Receptor Promoter Haplotype Influences Spirometric Response During an Acute Asthma Exacerbation

Genetic variants in the β₂‐adrenergic receptor (ADRB2) coding block have been associated with different parameters of asthma severity, but there is no consensus on which variants are most important. Our objective was to determine whether the genetic variants in the 5′‐ or 3′‐flanking regions of ADRB2 impact the response to therapy. DNA was obtained initially from 72 adults hospitalized for an asthma exacerbation. We sequenced a 5,000 bp region of the ADRB2 gene that spanned the flanking regions and identified 31 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Nonresponders to asthma therapy were defined as patients whose forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV₁) worsened by >10% at 24 hours after admission. We then evaluated the relationship between the 19 common SNPs and response to asthma‐specific therapy during acute disease exacerbations. Our results showed a significant association between nonresponders and a haplotype of five promoter SNPs in a nearly complete linkage disequilibrium. An analysis of the promoter and coding block polymorphisms in an extended cohort of 99 patients confirmed that promoter haplotype was the genetic component most strongly associated with asthmatic nonresponders, which was statistically significant among whites (p < 0.05). An identification of this promoter haplotype may provide an alternate explanation for the variation in the asthma responses observed with ADRB2 coding block polymorphisms.     

Zeitschriften

Journal of Molecular Medicine -     

Comparison of bone mineral density in both hips

Dual-photon absorptiometry (DPA) was performed on both hips of 40 patients to determine if the calculated bone-mineral density (BMD) of one hip could be used to predict the BMD of the opposite hip. For the Ward triangle, femoral neck, and greater trochanter the correlation coefficients between the BMD of the two hips was .920, .917, and .843, and the standard errors (SE) of the estimate for the linear regression of the left hip on to the right were 0.067, 0.063, and 0.077 g cm-2. The absolute error of predicting one hip from the other was not a function of BMD and thus the relative error increases with lower BMD values. The relative errors were 17%, 8%, and 7% for BMDs of 0.4, 0.8, and 1.0 g cm-2, respectively. The interobserver variability was small, with an r value of .96 and an SE of the estimate value of 0.036 g cm-2. The relative error in the mild-to-moderate osteoporosis categories was 2.5 times the precision of the instrument, indicating that the asymmetry of BMD is due to real differences between hips. Therefore the BMD of one hip cannot be used to predict that of the other with sufficient accuracy to discriminate clinically relevant trends in BMD.