The association of circulating endotoxin with the development of the adult respiratory distress syndrome

Despite extensive investigation, the pathogenesis of the adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) remains uncertain. As yet, there is no clear explanation of why some patients at risk for ARDS develop the syndrome, whereas others do not. Neutrophils and complement fragments have been implicated in the acute lung injury, but it is clear from published data that evidence of complement activation alone predicts neither the development nor the severity of ARDS. We investigated whether the combination of endotoxin, a leukocyte-priming agent, and complement fragments, leukocyte-stimulating agents, was associated with the development of ARDS. Ninety-eight patients were identified as being either at risk for the development of ARDS or having ARDS, and serial blood samples were obtained. There was no correlation between C5 fragments and the development of ARDS. C3 fragment levels were increased in 89% of the patients with ARDS, but they were also increased in 62% of patients at risk. Endotoxin was detected in 74% of the plasma samples obtained from patients at risk who subsequent developed ARDS and in 64% of the plasma samples obtained from the patients with ARDS. In contrast, only 22% of the plasma samples obtained from the patients at risk who did not develop ARDS had measurable endotoxin. We suggest that the combination of endotoxin and complement fragments may be one mechanism involved in the development of ARDS.     

New areas for therapeutic intervention in the treatment of rheumatic disease.

Anti-rheumatic therapy has been targeted against the symptoms arising from chronic inflammation of the joint. This has resulted in the extensive use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. It is now becoming apparent that these agents have no beneficial effect on disease progression. This mini review concentrates on the formation and maintenance of pannus, the granulomatous tissue responsible for cartilage and bone erosion. This reveals a number of possible therapeutic targets. Protease inhibitors could be used to interfere with the degradatory processes. The diverse functions of endothelial cells suggest oedema formation, cell accumulation and supply of nutrients to the granulomatous tissue could all be targeted by appropriate therapy. Alternatively the immune processes that control pannus formation and state of activation could be regulated by interfering with antigen presentation and the cytokine network.     

Kidney Transplantation in Patients with Antibodies against Donor HLA Class II

The immunologic risk associated with donor-specific antibodies (DSA) against Class II human leukocyte antigens (HLA) in kidney transplant (KTx) recipients is unclear. The aim of this study was to determine the outcome of KTx when DSA was detected only against HLA Class II. To isolate the impact of anti-Class II DSA, we retrospectively analyzed 12 KTx recipients who at baseline had a positive B-cell flow cytometric crossmatch (FXM) and a negative T-cell FXM. Using alloantibody specification analysis, 58.3% (7/12) had DSA against donor Class II and 41.7% had no demonstrable DSA. Biopsy-proven AMR occurred in 57% (4/7) in the Class II(+) group and 0% in the Class II(-) group (p > 0.05). Peritubular capillaries stained positive for C4d in 86% (6/7) of the Class II(+) patients and in 40% (2/5) of the Class II(-) patients (p > 0.05). One patient in the Class II(+) group lost their graft at 3 months to accelerated transplant glomerulopathy, while all other grafts were functioning 3-37 months posttransplant despite the persistence of anti-Class II DSA. We conclude that KTx recipients with clearly defined anti-Class II DSA are at risk for humoral rejection suggesting that desensitization and/or close posttransplant monitoring may be needed to prevent AMR.     

Caring for the patient with fibromyalgia: the rehabilitation nurse's role.

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic, potentially disabling, cluster of symptoms that manifests as pain for 3 months or more and pain with pressure on 11 of 18 tender points throughout the body. Because there is no known cause, and therefore, no cure, treatment focuses on the control or relief of symptoms. Many patients are referred to rehabilitation settings for physical or exercise therapy. While exercise is helpful in the control of the pain, stiffness, fatigue, sleep disorders, and mood changes, a holistic approach to treatment is more effective. Rehabilitation nurses provide major support for patients with FM. Validation of the patients' experiences is essential for achieving quality of life. Many patients have a history of being undertreated because of a lack of credibility and invisibility of the illness. This article provides background information about FM, summarizes the FM trajectory, reviews approaches to management, and discusses the role of rehabilitation nurses in a holistic approach to care of clients with FM.     

Calcium mobilization and entry by thapsigargin in neuronal tumor cell line, SK-N-SH.

Using fura-2 loaded neural tumour cells, SK-N-SH, we demonstrate that receptor-mediated activation of phosphoinositide hydrolysis not only causes the release of Ca2+ from intracellular stores but also causes a concomitant influx of extracellular Ca2+. Thapsigargin (TG), a sesquiterpene lactone, causes a sustained elevation of intracellular Ca2+ and depletion of the inositol 1, 4, 5-trisphosphate-sensitive intracellular Ca2+ stores. In the absence of extracellular Ca2+, the increase in intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) was transient, suggesting that thapsigargin activates both intracellular mobilization and the influx of Ca2+ from extracellular space. These results are consistent with the proposal that the depletion of the inositol 1, 4, 5-trisphosphate-sensitive intracellular Ca2+ pool serves as a signal for Ca2+ influx.     

The metabolism of dopamine in the median eminence reflects the activity of tuberoinfundibular neurons

The purpose of the present study was to characterize the metabolism of dopamine (DA) in tuberoinfundibular (TI) neurons terminating in the median eminence and to examine the effects of procedures that alter the synthesis and turnover of DA in these neurons on the concentrations of dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) in the median eminence. The DA uptake inhibitor nomifensine (25 mg/kg, i.p.; 30 min) failed to alter median eminence DOPAC concentrations indicating that very little released DA is recaptured and metabolized by TIDA neurons. Within 5 min following the administration of the monoamine oxidase inhibitor pargyline (50 mg/kg, i.v.) median eminence DOPAC concentrations declined to 15% of control demonstrating that this metabolite has a high turnover rate and is rapidly removed from the median eminence. Median eminence DOPAC concentrations in diestrous female rats, whose TIDA neuronal activity is higher than in the male, were two-fold greater than in male rats. Prolactin (10 micrograms/rat, i.c.v.; 12 h), which increases TIDA neuronal activity, produced a corresponding increase in median eminence DOPAC concentrations in male rats. Restraint stress (30 min), which decreases TIDA neuronal activity, produced a corresponding decrease in median eminence DOPAC concentrations in diestrous female rats. The results from the present study suggest that DOPAC concentrations in the median eminence can be used as an index of TIDA neuronal activity.