Background: The cardiac safety of droperidol given at antiemetic doses is a matter of debate. Although droperidol potently inhibits human ether-a-go-go-related gene (HERG) channels, the molecular mode of this interaction is unknown. The role of amino acid residues typically mediating high-affinity block of HERG channels is unclear. It is furthermore unresolved whether droperidol at antiemetic concentrations induces action potential prolongation and arrhythmogenic early afterdepolarizations in cardiac myocytes.
Methods: Molecular mechanisms of HERG current inhibition by droperidol were established using two-electrode voltage clamp recordings of Xenopus laevis oocytes expressing wild-type and mutant channels. The mutants T623A, S624A, V625A, Y652A, and F656A were generated by site-directed mutagenesis. The effect of droperidol on action potentials was investigated in cardiac myocytes isolated from guinea pig hearts using the patch clamp technique.
Results: Droperidol inhibited currents through HERG wild-type channels with a concentration of half-maximal inhibition of 0.6-0.9 [mu]m. Droperidol shifted the channel activation and the steady state inactivation toward negative potentials while channel deactivation was not affected. Current inhibition increased with membrane potential and with increasing duration of current activation. Inhibition of HERG channels was similarly reduced by all mutations. Droperidol at concentrations between 5 and 100 nm prolonged whereas concentrations greater than 300 nm shortened action potentials. Early afterdepolarizations were not observed. 相似文献
BACKGROUND: Seborrhoeic dermatitis (SD) is a common dermatosis in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive patients, many of whom do not respond satisfactorily to conventional topical treatments such as corticosteroids and antifungals. OBJECTIVE: A pilot study to investigate the efficacy and tolerability of pimecrolimus cream 1% in HIV-positive patients with facial SD. METHODS: In a single-centre study, 21 HIV-infected patients with mild to severe SD were treated twice daily with pimecrolimus cream 1% for 14 days. Thereafter, treatment was discontinued and patients followed up for 5 weeks. Skin involvement at baseline and on days 7, 14, 21, 35 and 49 was assessed using a four-point clinical score and digital photography. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Efficacy and safety of pimecrolimus cream 1% treatment and incidence of relapse in the follow-up phase. Results Marked improvement was seen in clinical parameters at day 7, with >or= 90% patients clear of symptoms at day 14. Relapse was observed at day 35 but signs were milder than at baseline. All patients responded to therapy, despite their immunological status. Pimecrolimus did not alter CD4(+) and CD8(+) T-cell counts or viral load during the treatment period. CONCLUSION: Pimecrolimus cream represents a new, effective therapeutic option for facial SD in HIV patients. 相似文献
In-vitro maturation (IVM) of oocytes is a promising technique to reduce the
costs and avert the side-effects of gonadotrophin stimulation for in-vitro
fertilization (IVF). The pregnancy rates from oocytes matured in vitro are
much lower than those of in-vivo stimulation cycles indicating that
optimization of IVM remains a challenge. Therefore, we investigated the
effect of supplementation of the medium with gonadotrophins, oestradiol and
epidermal growth factor (EGF) and the effect of retaining or removing the
cumulus cells on nuclear and cytoplasmic maturation of immature oocytes.
Human germinal vesicle (GV) oocytes obtained after gonadotrophin
stimulation for intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) were cultured in a
complex defined medium either supplemented with gonadotrophins, oestradiol
and physiological concentrations of EGF (2 ng/ml) or gonadotrophins and
oestradiol alone. The cumulus cells were either removed or kept intact. In
GV stage oocytes cultured without cumulus (group I) significantly more
oocytes reached the metaphase II (MII) stage at 30 h in media supplemented
with EGF (64.3 versus 33.9%, P < 0.003). For oocytes cultured with
intact cumulus (group II), more oocytes reached MII at 30 h than in group
I, but there was no difference in medium with or without EGF
supplementation (81.8 and 79.8% respectively). Cytoplasmic maturation of
MII oocytes was judged from their capability to activate and fertilize
after ICSI. In group I, the rates of activation and normal fertilization
were similar. However, in group II, significantly more oocytes underwent
normal fertilization in the EGF-supplemented than the unsupplemented group
(71.7 versus 45.6%, P < 0.05). The cleavage rates of the fertilized
oocytes were similar in the sibling oocyte subgroups cultured with or
without EGF supplementation, but the overall cleavage rates were higher in
cumulus-intact compared to cumulus-denuded oocytes (88.9 versus 47.8%, P
< 0.001). Thus, supplementation of the maturation medium with EGF and
maintenance of the cumulus during culture improve the nuclear and
cytoplasmic maturation of human oocytes in vitro.
相似文献
In a human in-vitro fertilization (IVF) programme, the effect of co-
culture of embryos with human fibroblasts was evaluated with respect to
pregnancy rate and embryo development. Patients were included in the study
after giving informed written consent. The IVF treatments were randomly
assigned by stratification of both age (<36 versus > or =36 years)
and previous IVF attempts (yes versus no). After fertilization was
established, the zygotes were transferred to a 4-well dish with or without
fibroblasts and cultured for 2 days. On the third day after ovum pick-up
(OPU), cell number and quality [5 (good) to 1 (poor)] of the embryos were
scored and a maximum of three embryos was transferred. Supernumerary
embryos of good quality were cryopreserved. The design of this study was a
group sequential trial with the objective of detecting differences between
pregnancy rates following IVF with conventional incubation or incubation in
co-culture with fibroblasts. This design included one evaluation at
half-way data collection. In the study, 148 patients had an OPU, of whom 77
were allocated to the co-culture group. There was no statistically
significant difference in pregnancy rate, cell number and embryo quality
between the two groups. The ongoing pregnancy rate per embryo transfer was
27% in co-culture and 30% in the conventional culture group. The
implantation rates per transferred embryo were 17 and 18% respectively.
Using a multivariate logistic regression model for the probability of
ongoing pregnancies, the odds ratio of co-culture, adjusted for age and
previous IVF attempts, was not statistically significant. In conclusion,
co-culture with human fibroblasts does not contribute to an improvement of
embryo quality nor to a higher pregnancy rate after IVF in an unselected
group of patients.
相似文献
We recently have identified a ubiquitously transcribed mouse Y chromosome
gene, Uty , which encodes a tetratricopeptide repeat (TPR) protein. A
peptide derived from the UTY protein confers H-Y antigenicity on male
cells. Here we report the characterization of a widely transcribed X-linked
homologue of Uty , called Utx , which maps to the proximal region of the
mouse X chromosome and which detects a human X-linked homologue at Xp11.2.
Given that Uty is ubiquitously transcribed, we assayed for Utx expression
from the inactive X chromosome (Xi) in mice and found that Utx escapes X
chromosome inactivation. Only Smcx and the pseudoautosomal Sts gene on the
mouse X chromosome have been reported previously to escape inactivation.
The human UTX gene was also found to be expressed from Xi. We discuss the
significance of these data for our understanding of dosage compensation of
X-Y homologous genes in humans and mice.
相似文献
As more mutations are identified in genes of known sequence, there is a
crucial need in the areas of medical genetics and genome analysis for
rapid, accurate and cost-effective methods of mutation detection. We have
developed a multiplex allele-specific diagnostic assay (MASDA) for analysis
of large numbers of samples (> 500) simultaneously for a large number of
known mutations (> 100) in a single assay. MASDA utilizes
oligonucleotide hybridization to interrogate DNA sequences. Multiplex DNA
samples are immobilized on a solid support and a single hybridization is
performed with a pool of allele-specific oligonucleotide (ASO) probes. Any
probes complementary to specific mutations present in a given sample are in
effect affinity purified from the pool by the target DNA. Sequence-specific
band patterns (fingerprints), generated by chemical or enzymatic sequencing
of the bound ASO(s), easily identify the specific mutation(s). Using this
design, in a single diagnostic assay, we tested samples for 66 cystic
fibrosis (CF) mutations, 14 beta-thalassemia mutations, two sickle cell
anemia (SCA) mutations, three Tay-Sachs mutations, eight Gaucher mutations,
four mutations in Canavan disease, four mutations in Fanconi anemia, and
five mutations in BRCA1. Each mutation was correctly identified. Finally,
in a blinded study of 106 of these mutations in > 500 patients, all
mutations were properly identified. There were no false positives or false
negatives. The MASDA assay is capable of detecting point mutations as well
as small insertion or deletion mutations. This technology is amenable to
automation and is suitable for immediate utilization for high-throughput
genetic diagnostics in clinical and research laboratories.
相似文献
Previously we have described the properties of store-operated channel currents (SOCs) in freshly dispersed rabbit portal vein smooth muscle cells. In addition to Ca2+ store depletion these SOCs could also be activated by α-adrenoceptor stimulation and diacylglycerol (DAG) via a protein kinase C (PKC)-dependent mechanism. In the present study we have investigated the effect of β-adrenoceptor stimulation on SOCs in rabbit portal vein myocytes. With whole-cell recording the selective β-adrenoceptor agonist isoprenaline reduced the current evoked by cyclopiazonic acid (CPA, sarcoplasmic/endoplasmic reticulum ATPase inhibitor) by over 85%. With cell-attached patch recording, bath application of isoprenaline produced a pronounced inhibition of SOC activity evoked by either CPA or the acetoxymethyl ester form of BAPTA (BAPTA-AM). SOC activity evoked by CPA, the DAG analogue, 1-oleoyl-acetyl- sn -glycerol (OAG) or the phorbol ester, phorbol-12,13-dibutyrate (PDBu) was also markedly inhibited by the adenylate cyclase activator, forskolin, and the cell-permeable non-hydrolysable analogue of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), 8-Br-cAMP. With inside-out patches, bath application of PDBu evoked channel currents with similar properties to SOCs which were inhibited by over 90% by a catalytic subunit of protein kinase A (PKA) and by 8-Br-cAMP. Moreover bath application of PKA inhibitors, H-89, KT5720 and an inhibitory peptide to quiescent cell-attached or inside-out patches, activated channel currents with similar properties to SOCs. These data suggest that in rabbit portal vein myocytes, stimulation of β-adrenoceptors inhibits SOC activity via a cAMP-dependent protein kinase signal transduction cascade. In addition it is concluded that constitutive PKA activity has a profound inhibitory effect on SOC activity in this vascular preparation. 相似文献
The present study sought possible factors leading to the cytological diagnosis of atypical squamous cells of uncertain significance (ASCUS) in cases of high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL). Based on retrospective histopathological analysis of loop electrical excision procedure (LEEP) products that diagnosed HSIL, two study groups were randomly selected. The first was consisted of cases with two consecutive Papanicolaou (Pap) smears with the diagnosis of ASCUS. The second (control) group was represented by cases diagnosed as HSIL by cytology. From the Pap smears diagnosed as ASCUS, the sampling limitations was different from control group (P < 0.05). The median size of the largest lesion in each case with ASCUS was 2.66 mm (+/- 1.71 mm). In the control group, the median size of the largest lesion was 5.15 mm (+/-2.58 mm) (P < 0.05). The size of the lesion and sample limitations led patients with cervical intraepithelial neoplasms to be diagnosed as ASCUS for two consecutive times, after a 6-mo period. 相似文献
The present study compared the accuracy of ventilation perfusion scintigraphy (VQS) and CT pulmonary angiography (CTPA) for the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism. This was a prospective observational study of 112 patients with suspected pulmonary embolism (PE) who could be studied with both investigations within 24 h. Results were compared to final diagnosis at completion of 6-month follow up, using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Pulmonary embolism was diagnosed in 27 referred patients (24%). The sensitivity and specificity of VQS and CTPA were similar to that reported from the literature. A normal VQ scan had the highest negative predictive value (100%), while a high-probability VQ scan had the highest positive predictive value (92%). There was no overall difference (area under the ROC curve (AUC)) between VQS (AUC (95% CI) = 0.82 (0.75,0.89)) and CTPA (AUC = 0.88 (0.81,0.94)) for the diagnosis of PE. Among patients with abnormal chest X-rays, CTPA (AUC 0.90 (0.83,0.97)) appeared somewhat better than VQS (AUC 0.78 (0.68,0.88)) but this difference did not reach statistical significance. In this instance, CTPA is at least as accurate as VQS and may provide an opportunity to make alternative diagnoses. 相似文献