Liver transplantation is a new treatment for familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy (FAP). No qualitative study examining these patients' experiences of the disease and the treatment has been published. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the experience of the disease and the liver transplantation from the FAP patient's perspective. In-depth interviews with 11 liver transplant FAP patients were performed. The process of the FAP disease and a liver transplantation was found to involve the following categories: going downhill, defence and denial, a chance of surviving, the decision — no choice, waiting powerless and uncertain, the first few steps after surgery, freed from the death sentence, still disabled, mastering up strength to recover, and the need for support and help. 相似文献
Cystic fibrosis (CF), a genetic disorder, is characterized by chronic
pulmonary infection/inflammation which leads to respiratory failure. The
presence of anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibodies (ANCA) has
previously been observed in the sera of patients with CF. In view of the
known relationship of ANCA with primary vasculitis and of their putative
pathogenetic role in these disorders, we studied the presence, specificity
and isotype of ANCA and their clinical associations in 66 adult CF
patients. None of the 66 CF samples had autoantibodies to the major ANCA
antigens, proteinase 3 or myeloperoxidase. However, 60/66 (91%) CF samples
contained IgG and 55/66 (83%) IgA, autoantibodies to
bactericidal/permeability increasing protein (BPI), a recently
characterized ANCA specificity. All the IgA anti-BPI-positive samples were
also IgG anti-BPI-positive. The autoantibody specificity was confirmed by
inhibition assay and immunoblotting of CF sera against a neutrophil granule
preparation. Furthermore, in this cross-sectional study, anti-BPI levels
were inversely correlated with the observed reductions in FEV1 and FVC (IgA
anti-BPI and FEV1: r = 0.508, <it>p</it> < 0.0001), and
both IgG and IgA anti-BPI levels were higher in CF patients with secondary
vasculitis (<it>n</it> = 6) than in those without
(<it>p</it> < 0.05). ANCA with specificity for BPI were
present in the majority of CF sera in this study and autoimmune processes
may be associated with the development of pulmonary injury in CF.
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Felty's syndrome (FS) (rheumatoid arthritis with neutropenia and
splenomegaly) has a poor prognosis, largely because of the high risk of
severe infection. Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) is an
emerging treatment for chronic neutropenia. We prospectively monitored its
use in eight patients with recurrent infections or who required joint
surgery. Significant side-effects were documented in five, including
nausea, malaise, generalized joint pains, and in one patient, a vasculitic
skin rash. In two patients treatment had to be stopped, and in these cases
G-CSF had been started at full vial dosage (300 micrograms/ml filgrastim or
263 micrograms/ml lenograstim) alternate days or daily. G-CSF treatment was
continued in three patients by restarting at reduced dose, and changing the
proprietary formulation. G- CSF raised the neutrophil count, reduced severe
infection, and allowed surgery to be performed. A combined clinical and
laboratory index suggested that long-term treatment (up to 3.5 years) did
not exacerbate the arthritis. Once on established treatment, it may be
possible to use smaller weekly doses of G-CSF to maintain the same clinical
benefit. One of the three patients whose FS was associated with a large
granular T-cell lymphocytosis showed a reduction in this subset of
lymphocytes during G-CSF treatment.
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Growth factors have been identified as the primary cause of osteoinduction in bone healing. Transforming growth factor beta (TGF- beta) has been shown to promote bone formation and is present in bone in high quantities. The aims of the present study were to isolate TGF- beta from human bone, demonstrate its biologic activity, and analyze the effects of conventional sterilization techniques on activity. Bone, obtained from femoral heads of five patients (mean age, 70 years) was ground, demineralized, and freeze-dried, and samples from each patient were divided into three groups: no treatment, sterilization with 1.60 to 1.94 Mrad of 60Co irradiation, and sterilization with ethylene oxide (ETO). Carrier-free recombinant TGF-beta control was also treated and was totally inactivated by ETO but not by irradiation (p < 0.01). TGF- beta activity in demineralized bone was not significantly diminished (p > 0.1) by either sterilization procedure, and substantial amounts of active TGF-beta were recovered in all bone samples: 1.04 +/− 0.77 ng per mg of protein in irradiated samples, 0.67 +/− 0.26 ng per mg in ETO- treated samples, and 1.04 +/− 0.33 in untreated samples, respectively (mean +/− SD). Although a recent report demonstrated that the osteoinductive activity of bone morphogenetic protein in bone powder is diminished considerably by ETO and by 2.5 Mrad of irradiation sterilization of bone powder, these data demonstrate that TGF-beta activity, with its osteoinductive properties, was not destroyed in more coarsely ground, demineralized bone by ETO or by lower doses of irradiation. These findings support the use of human bone allografts in clinical instances involving impaired bone formation. 相似文献
Background: We determined qualitative and quantitative serum unconjugated bile acid (SUBA) levels among children with history of intestinal failure (IF) and suspected small bowel bacterial overgrowth (SBBO). Methods: This was a single‐center, case‐control pilot study conducted at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. Children with history of IF and suspected SBBO were enrolled as subjects. Age‐matched children without IF or suspected SBBO served as controls. All participants underwent small bowel fluid sampling for microbial culture analysis. Additionally, serum fractionated and total bile acids were measured by liquid chromatography‐mass spectrometry at enrollment and following treatment for SBBO. Results: SUBA concentrations were elevated in IF subjects (median 1.16 μM, range 0.43–10.65 μM) compared with controls (median 0.10 μM, range 0.05–0.18 μM, P = 0.001). Among SUBA, chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA) was significantly elevated in subjects (median 0.8 μM, range 0–7.08 μM) compared with controls (median 0 μM, range 0–0.03 μM, P = 0.012). When controls were excluded from analysis, IF subjects with positive aspirates for SBBO demonstrated higher concentration of CDCA (median 7.36 μM, range 1.1–8.28 μM) compared with IF subjects with negative aspirates (median 0.18 μM, range 0–1.06 μM, P = 0.017). Treatment for SBBO did not alter SUBA concentration. Conclusions: SUBA concentrations are elevated in children with history of IF and presumed SBBO compared with non‐IF controls. CDCA was more prevalent in IF subjects with positive aspirates for SBBO compared with IF subjects with negative aspirates. The determination of SUBA concentration may be a useful surrogate to small bowel fluid aspiration in the diagnosis of SBBO in children with history of IF. 相似文献
Objective: To evaluate long-term use of Hysingla® ER (HYD), a single-entity, extended-release, once-daily hydrocodone bitartrate tablet with abuse-deterrent properties in patients with moderate-to-severe chronic noncancer and nonneuropathic pain.
Methods: This open-label study consisted of a dose-titration period (up to 45 days), a 52-week maintenance period and a 24-week extension period. Opioid-naïve or opioid-experienced patients with controlled or uncontrolled chronic pain conditions were treated with HYD 20–120 mg daily. Supplemental nonopioid and short-acting opioid analgesics were permitted. This paper presents the results of 106 patients who continued HYD treatment for up to 76 weeks.
Primary safety measures included the incidence of adverse events, as well as audiologic, clinical laboratory and electrocardiogram measurements. Effectiveness was measured by the change between baseline and the overall 76-week treatment period in “average pain over the last 24 h” (0 = no pain, 10 = pain as bad as you can imagine), Brief Pain Inventory-Short Form survey, Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short Form Health Survey, Medical Outcomes Study Sleep Scale-Revised and concomitant nonstudy opioid analgesic use.
Results: Among 410 patients who completed the maintenance period, 106 continued into the extension. Of these, 83 (78%) completed the entire 76-week treatment period. Treatment-emergent adverse events were typical of those observed with μ-opioid agonists. No study drug abuse or diversion was reported. Clinically important analgesia and functional improvement were achieved during the dose-titration period and were maintained in most patients throughout 76 weeks without the need for continued HYD dose increases or changes in concomitant nonstudy opioid analgesics. The mean pain score was 6.1 at baseline, 3.8 at the end of the dose titration period and 3.8 through 76 weeks.
Conclusions: HYD was generally well tolerated. No unexpected safety concerns emerged. Pain control was sustained throughout 76 weeks of treatment. 相似文献
Of the patients undergoing radical cystectomy, 20–80% experience relapse. Minimally invasive methods for early detection of metastatic relapse after cystectomy and for monitoring ongoing therapy are urgently needed to improve individualised follow-up and treatment. Therefore, we evaluated the use of circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) in plasma and urine to detect metastatic relapse after cystectomy and measure treatment efficacy. We exome sequenced tumour and germline DNA from patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer and monitored ctDNA in 370 liquid biopsies throughout the disease courses by 84 personalised digital droplet polymerase chain reaction assays targeting 61 genes. Patients were prospectively recruited between 2013 and 2017. Patients with metastatic relapse had significantly higher ctDNA levels compared with disease-free patients (p < 0.001). The median positive lead time between ctDNA detection in plasma and diagnosis of relapse was 101 d after cystectomy (range 0–932 d). Early detection of metastatic relapse and treatment response using liquid biopsies represents a novel, highly sensitive tool for monitoring patients, supporting clinicians, and guiding treatment decisions.
Patient summary
Measurement of tumour-specific mutations in plasma and urine may be a powerful tool to monitor response during treatment and identify early signs of metastatic disease. 相似文献