Adverse drug reactions: physicians' opinions versus a causality assessment method

Since spontaneous reporting of adverse drug reactions depends on the physician's opinion of the relationship between the drug and the adverse event, we compared physicians' opinions with the scores obtained by the causality assessment method used in France. During a 2 month period, all physicians who reported adverse drug reactions (ADRs) to our pharmacovigilance centre expressed their opinions on the causal link by means of visual analogue scales. ADR reports were then assessed with the French causality assessment method by a clinical pharmacologist who was blind to physicians' opinions.The assessment by both physicians and the standardized method was performed for 75 ADR cases involving 120 drugs. Physicians used a wide range of assessments, with a preponderance of extreme scores, resulting in a U-shaped distribution, while the standardized method gave generally low scores. Scores given by physicians were very high (causality considered very likely or likely) in 60% of cases and very low (causality considered unlikely or dubious/possible) in 32% of cases. Scores obtained using the causality assessment method were low (causality dubious/possible) in 89% of cases and causality considered likely in only 11 cases, essentially in cases with positive rechallenge. Complete agreement occurred in only 6% of cases. Adding complete agreement and minor discrepancies raised the percentage to 49%.     

Adverse reactions to non-ionic contrast media with special regard to high-risk patients

Non-ionic contrast media (CM) are proven to be significantly safer than the high osmolar ionic contrast media (HOCM). Nevertheless deaths are reported after administration of non-ionic agents. The aim of the study was to investigate the rate of adverse reactions to non-ionic CM with special regard to high-risk patients and the effects of premedication with H1-and H2-receptor antagonists.In a prospective study conducted over about 2 years 12 995 examinations with intravenous or intra-arterial non-ionic CM were evaluated. Premedication with H1-and H2-antagonists was used in 1276 high-risk patients with known adverse reaction to CM, history of allergy or severe cardiac or pulmonary disease. 229 patients received no premedication inspite of known risk factors. In total, there were 143 (1.10%) adverse reactions (mild in 0.58%, moderate in 0.41% and severe in 0.05%). In high-risk patients there were adverse reactions in 4.37% without and in 1.57% with premedication. There were no severe adverse reactions in the high-risk patients after premedication. The age of the patient, CM dosage and CM concentration were not shown to be risk factors in the present study. In conclusion, the additional premedication with H1- and H2-antagonists could be an effective agent to reduce the risk of mild and moderate adverse reactions and to avoid severe adverse reactions in high-risk patients. Correspondence to: U. Fink     

海南文昌汉族人群中两种葡萄糖-6-磷酸脱氢酶基因突变的研究

目的:分析海南文昌人群中葡萄糖-6-磷酸脱氢酶基因1376G→T、95A→G突变。方法:应用硝基四氮唑蓝定量法进行G6PD缺乏症的筛查,用等位基因特异PCR检测1376G→T、95A→G突变。结果:在358位海南文昌汉族人中,发现G6PD缺乏症患者20例,其中9例患者有1376G→T突变,3例患者有95A→G突变。结论:1376G→T、95A→G突变是文昌人群中常见的突变。     

No evidence for an altered mRNA expression or protein level of haematopoietic cell phosphatase in CD34+ bone marrow progenitor cells or mature peripheral blood cells in polycythaemia vera

Abstract: Polycythaemia vera (PV) is a myeloproliferative disorder characterized by haematopoietic progenitor cells being hypersensitive to cytokines such as erythropoietin, interleukin-3, stem cell factor and insulin-like growth factor 1, which results in an increased production of mature blood cells. The pathogenetic cellular mechanism(s) behind this hypersensitivity to cytokines is unknown, but the number of cytokine receptors and the interaction between ligand and receptor are normal in PV. Interest has therefore focused on post-receptor mechanism(s). Haematopoietic cell phosphatase (HCP) is an intracellular tyrosine phosphatase that has been demonstrated to regulate proliferative signals negatively induced by the cytokines mentioned above. Moreover, motheaten mice that genetically lack HCP have an increased amount of erythroid progenitors that are hypersensitive to Epo, and patients with familial polycythaemia have been shown to exhibit a mutation of the Epo receptor gene that includes the docking site for HCP. We therefore studied mRNA expression of HCP in pure populations of CD34⁺ cells, granulocytes, platelets and lymphocytes from patients with PV, chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) or essential thrombocythemia (ET), as well as healthy controls. Using a polymerase chain reaction analysis employing specific primers for HCP, we failed to detect any abnormalities of HCP expression in PV in any of the cell populations that were examined. Moreover, HCP mRNA expression was similar in ET and CML compared to controls. Finally, Western blot analysis revealed a normal HCP protein content in PV granulocytes and platelets. We therefore conclude that neither an impaired expression of the HCP gene nor a defect in HCP protein synthesis is present in PV, and does not seem to play a role in the aetiology of this disorder.     

Immunohistochemistry of glial reaction after injury in the rat: Double stainings and markers of cell proliferation

The astrocytic reaction in the rat after brain injury has been studied immunohistochemically for intermediate filaments (GFAP and vimentin), also with double staining procedures, and for markers of proliferation (BrdU and PCNA). GFAP-positive reactive astrocytes appeared around the lesion, where they were vimentin-positive and at a distance. BrdU and PCNA showed a high labelling index around the wound at day 2 and scattered positive nuclei were also found at a distance in the ipsilateral side. BrdU-positive astrocytes represented a minor fraction of GFAP- and vimentin-positive astrocytes. The expression of vimentin persisted at least 15 days after the lesion. Our results could suggest that distant reactive astrocytes originate through hypertrophy while those close to lesion arise by hyperplasia from mature or immature glial cells. The hypothesis is formulated that cells of the periventricular matrix contribute to the post-traumatic proliferative activity.     

聚合酶链反应产物特异性的阳性证实

以聚合酶链反应(PCR)法在mRNA水平检测T淋巴细胞受体α链可变区基因表达为例,介绍用~(32)P标记的人工合成寡核苷酸探针对PCR产物特异性作阳性证实的方法。该法以干琼脂糖凝胶作为支持物、相对较为简便和省财。用Ca探针以干凝胶作支持物的杂交结果,证实29个Vα基因的PCR扩增中物均为特异性的,放射自显影的带型与位置和溴乙锭染色所示完全吻合。     

磷脂酶C与生殖

磷脂酶C(PLC)是磷脂酰肌醇信号转导途径中一个关键酶。目前确认的哺乳类PLC共有PLC β、PLC γ、PLC δ、PLC ε和最近新发现的PLC ζ 5种亚型 ,12种同工酶。不同亚型的结构、调控和组织分布各有差异。PLC在调控信号转导通路中的特性使其在顶体反应、卵子激活中发挥了巨大的作用。本文综述了PLC家族 5种亚型的结构、调控机制及PLC在男性生殖领域的相关内容 ,包括PLC引起卵子发生Ca2 + 振荡、激活卵子、促进胚胎发育等 ,并进一步探讨了PLC在临床上可能的应用前景。