Improved cytosolic free calcium mobilization and superoxide production in bicarbonate-based peritoneal dialysis solution

Background. Intraperitoneal phagocytes play an important role in local host defence to prevent CAPD peritonitis. The intracellular calcium [Ca²⁺]i is thought to be involved in the regulation of various cell functions. This study therefore investigates the effect of lactate-based dialysis solution (LBDS) and bicarbonate-based dialysis solution (BBDS) on cytosolic free calcium mobilization and superoxide production (SP) as important steps in signal transduction and bacterial killing. Methods. We studied changes in [Ca²⁺]i and SP following stimulation with N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (fMLP) in polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) incubated in either LBDS-pH 5.2, LBDS adjusted to pH 7.4, 1:10 diluted spent and fresh LBDS or BBDS-pH 7.4 with different glucose concentrations, comparing the data with cells treated with Hanks buffer (HBSS) pH 7.4 as control. To elucidate the effect of glucose and lactate PMNs were additionally incubated in HBSS-pH 7.4, containing glucose (HBSS-Glu-pH 7.4) or lactate (HBSS-Lact-pH 7.4) in the same concentrations as contained in CAPD solutions and tested as above. PMNs were isolated from healthy blood donors and incubated with dialysis solution 10 min prior to stimulation with fMLP. Results. [Ca²⁺]i mobilization and SP were completely inhibited in PMNs incubated in LBDS pH 5.2. pH adjustment of LBDS to 7.4 and 1:10 dilution of spent and fresh LBDS corrected some of the suppression of the calcium influx and superoxide production. BBDS pH 7.4, however, preserved physiological cell function significantly better at low (1.5 and 2.3%) glucose concentrations. Conclusion. In comparison to conventional lactate-based dialysis solution, pH adjusted and 1:10 diluted LBDS, bicarbonate-based dialysis solution is more biocompatible since it preserves significantly better neutrophil cell functions.     

Twenty-four-hour ambulatory blood pressure profiles in pediatric patients after renal transplantation

Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring was applied in 27 pediatric patients aged 6.3 – 24.3 (median 15.0) years who had been transplanted 1.5 – 8.4 years previously. Daytime values were compared with the mean of 10 concomitant casual blood pressure recordings. At the time of the study, antihypertensive drugs were given to 17 patients. Inulin clearance ranged from 18 to 116 (median 66) ml/min per 1.73 m². Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring confirmed hypertension or normotension determined by casual blood pressure measurements in 63% of patients. The physiological nocturnal dip in blood pressure was attenuated or reversed in 8 of 27 patients. It was reduced in all 3 patients with renal artery stenosis of the graft, in 3 of 4 patients with chronic rejection, in the only patient with recurrent focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, and in 1 of 6 patients with past acute rejection. The dipping was not related to inulin clearance. In conclusion, casual blood pressure measurements do not accurately reflect blood pressure in pediatric patients transplanted more than 1.5 years previously. A reduced nocturnal dip in blood pressure may indicate an underlying renovascular or renoparenchymal pathology. Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring should regularly be applied in patients with renal transplants. Received May 23, 1995; received in revised form June 18, 1996; accepted June 20, 1996     

Mycobacterium ulcerans cytotoxicity in an adipose cell model

An adipose cell (SW872) model was developed to observe cellular necrosis and apoptosis upon Mycobacterium ulcerans infection and treatment with mycobacterial exudate. Apoptosis was likely due to secreted proteins, while necrosis was likely due to mycolactone. Our data suggest that additional factors in M. ulcerans may be involved in Buruli ulcer pathogenesis.     

Coding assignments of Drosophila X virus genome segments: in vitro translation of native and denatured virion dsRNA

Both dsRNA genome segments of Drosophila X virus (DXV) were denatured and translated in vitro using nuclease-treated rabbit reticulocyte lysates. The synthesis of all four primary gene products was detected by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and autoradiography. Genome segment A (mol wt 2.3 X 10(6)) encoded polypeptides with molecular weights of 67,000 (67K), 34K, and 27K, whereas segment B (mol wt 22 X 10(6)) encoded the 110K polypeptide. The proteolytic processing of 67K which generates a 49K polypeptide in infected cells was also observed in vitro. Pulse-chase experiments indicated that synthesis of the three polypeptides encoded by genome segment A initiated independently and simultaneously, suggesting that segment A is polycistronic. Native (undenatured) DXV dsRNA could also be translated with high fidelity (vitro). The messenger activity of native dsRNA was abolished by S1 nuclease treatment but completely restored on subsequent denaturation. In vitro "pulse-chase" experiments using native dsRNA as messenger, indicated that the order of translation of polypeptides on genome segment A was 5'-67K-27K-34K-3'.     

Validation of the PAM-13 instrument in the Hungarian general population 40 years old and above

The European Journal of Health Economics - Patient activation comprises the skills, knowledge and motivation necessary for patients’ effective contribution to their care. We adapted and...     

Effect of intrathecal agmatine on inflammation-induced thermal hyperalgesia in rats

Agmatine, an endogenous ligand, interacts both with the alpha2-adrenoceptors and with the imidazoline binding sites. The effect of intrathecally administered agmatine on carrageenan-induced thermal hyperalgesia was investigated by means of a paw-withdrawal test in rats. The effect of agmatine on morphine-induced anti-hyperalgesia was also studied. Intrathecal agmatine in doses larger than 250 microg caused a decrease in the pain threshold, with vocalization and agitation lasting for several hours in all animals. Agmatine alone at 1-100 microg did not give rise to any change in the thermal withdrawal threshold in the contralateral non-inflamed paw. Agmatine pretreatment was found to dose-dependently attenuate the thermal hyperalgesia induced by intraplantar carrageenan. The effect of 100 microg agmatine was completely lost by 60 min, whereas the effect of 50 microg was of similar magnitude but exhibited a longer duration. Agmatine posttreatment had a slighter effect. Agmatine pretreatment (100 microg) together with 1 microg morphine (subeffective dose) has significantly higher anti-hyperalgesic effect then the individual compounds by themselves. These are the first data demonstrating the behavioral and anti-hyperalgesic effects of intrathecal agmatine. The results reveal important interactions between intrathecal agmatine and opioids in thermal hyperalgesia.     

The effects of ketamine and its enantiomers on the morphine- or dexmedetomidine-induced antinociception after intrathecal administration in rats

BACKGROUND: The spinal administration of some N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor antagonists results in antinociception and potentiates the effects of opioids and alpha2-adrenoceptor agonists, but ketamine and its enantiomers have not been examined. The present study investigated the interactions of racemic ketamine, R(-)-ketamine and S(+)-ketamine with morphine and with dexmedetomidine. METHODS: Intrathecal catheters were implanted into male Wistar rats. Three days later, the acute nociceptive sensitivity was assessed using the tail-flick test. Analgesic latencies were converted to the percentage maximum possible effect. The dose that yielded 50% of the maximum possible effect (ED50) and dose-response and time-course curves were determined for the ketamines (30-300 microg), morphine (0.1-3.0 microg), dexmedetomidine (0.3-10.0 microg), and mixtures of two doses of ketamines (30 or 100 microg) with different doses of morphine or dexmedetomidine for fixed-dose analysis. RESULTS: Neither racemic ketamine nor its enantiomers alone had a significant effect on the tail-flick test, with the exception of the highest dose of racemic ketamine, which caused motor impairment. Morphine and dexmedetomidine each produced dose-dependent antinociception, with ED50 of 1.7 microg (95% confidence interval: 1.04-2.32) and 4. 85 microg (3.96-5.79), respectively. A low dose (30 microg) of racemic ketamine or its enantiomers did not influence the ED50 of morphine significantly. Coadministration of 100 microg racemic ketamine or S(+)-ketamine, but not R(-)-ketamine, significantly enhanced and prolonged the antinociceptive effect of morphine. Both doses of racemic ketamine or its isomers significantly decreased the ED50 value for dexmedetomidine, although the higher dose of racemic or S(+)-ketamine had the highest potency. One-hundred micrograms of racemic ketamine or S(+)-ketamine also prolonged the effects of dexmedetomidine. CONCLUSIONS: These data indicate that racemic ketamine and S(+)-ketamine, but not R(-)-ketamine, exhibit similar effectiveness in potentiating the antinociceptive effects of both morphine and dexmedetomidine.     

禁食疗法初步应用的不良反应分析

禁食疗法是在有限的时间内,机体利用自身储存的能量和物质,在保证人体正常生命活动需要的前提下,除了可以适量饮水和特别提供低糖、无脂和无蛋白营养液外,禁食日常食物,达到预防治疗某些疾病的一种方法.在欧美,禁食疗法作为一种成熟、常规的治疗方法,可治疗脂肪肝、高血压病、脂质紊乱、肥胖、2型糖尿病等多种疾病.     

Amount of systemic steroid medication is a strong predictor for the use of complementary and alternative medicine in patients with inflammatory bowel disease: results from a German national survey

OBJECTIVES: Previous studies have suggested that inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients rank high among users of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). To further elucidate this phenomenon, we sent questionnaires to a large sample of IBD patients in Germany to determine the patterns and predictors of their CAM use. METHODS: Pretested 73-item questionnaires were mailed to a randomly selected representative sample of 1000 IBD patients from the approximately 16,000 members and associates of the German Crohn's and Colitis Association. Predictors of CAM use were evaluated by logistic regression models. RESULTS: Completed questionnaires were returned by 684 patients (female patients, 61.4%; Crohn's disease patients, 58.3%; ulcerative colitis patients, 38.2%). Of the 671 adult respondents, 344 (51.3%) had experience with CAM, and significantly more of the ulcerative colitis patients (59.8%) than the Crohn's disease patients (48.3%) had experience with CAM. There was no difference by gender. Homeopathy (52.9%) and herbal medicine (43.6%) were the most commonly used types of CAM. The most frequent personal reasons for CAM use were the search for an "optimum treatment" (78.9%) and the wish to stop taking steroids (63.8%). Using logistic regression, we found that total cortisone intake (P = 0.0077), but not duration of disease, was a strong predictor of CAM use. Other predictors were experience with psychosomatic and psychotherapeutic support (P = 0.0029), relaxation techniques (P = 0.0284), an academic education (P = 0.0173), a diet utilizing whole grains (P = 0.0123), and a normal body weight (P = 0.0215). Although 80% of patients indicated that they were interested in using CAM in the future, only 24.7% felt sufficiently informed about it. CONCLUSIONS: More than 50% of a large group of German IBD patients had used CAM. Prolonged or intensive steroid treatment, an academic education, active ways of coping, and a health-conscious life-style are associated with CAM use. Given the potential side effects and interactions, the treating physician should focus on thorough information about the benefits and limitations of conventional and complementary treatment options, especially for IBD patients who have received prolonged or intensive steroid treatment.