Background and aims: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is characterised by refractory in flammatory ulceration and damage to the *** mechanisms underlying impaired healing have yet to be defined. As transglutaminase expression ...
详细信息
Background and aims: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is characterised by refractory in flammatory ulceration and damage to the *** mechanisms underlying impaired healing have yet to be defined. As transglutaminase expression resulting in mat rix protein cross linking is associated with increased wound healing in a rat mo del of colitis, we hypothesised that different types of transglutaminase might a lso play a role in UC. patients end methods: Endoscopic and histological indices were studied in 26 patients with UC (10 active and 16 inactive) and in 20 norma l controls undergoing colonoscopy. Transglutaminase activity was evaluated in pl asma (factor XIIIa) by a radioenzymatic metho- d. Factor XIIIa, tissue and keratinocyte transglutaminase protein content, and mRNA expression in the colon were evaluated by western blot analysis and semiqu antitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-pCR),respectively. Colon ic location of transglutaminases and their reaction products, the -(γ-glutamy l)lysine bonds, was evaluated by immunohistochemistry using specific monoclonal ***: Transglutaminase activity was significantly lower in the pla sma of patients with active UC (4.2 (2.4) mU/ml;pmU/ml). As shown by we stern blot,protein levels of tissue transglutaminase and factor XIIIa were uncha nged in active UC compared with inactive disease and controls, while the keratin ocyte form was reduced in active UC. Tissue transglutaminase and factor XIIIa im munostaining was strongly present in damaged areas colocalising with isopeptide bonds. In contrast, the keratinocyte form was almost absent in active UC and loc alised in the upper part of the crypts in normal subjects. RT-pCR showed upregu lation of tissue transglutaminase mRNA in active UC (320%compared with controls ) while keratinocyte transglutaminase gene expression was downregulated in activ e UC. Conclusion
Background: Smoking increases plasma nicotine. Nicotine releases catecholamine s and alters arterial distensibility. The nicotine intake per cigarette is great er and serum cotinine levels, the proximate metabolite of...
详细信息
Background: Smoking increases plasma nicotine. Nicotine releases catecholamine s and alters arterial distensibility. The nicotine intake per cigarette is great er and serum cotinine levels, the proximate metabolite of nicotine, are higher i n Blacks than in Whites. We tested the hypothesis that cigarette smoking increas es the pulse wave velocity(pWV), a marker of arterial stiffness, and the augment ation index(AI), a measure of wave reflection, more in Blacks than in Whites. me thods: We matched Black(n=30) and White(n=30) smokers for age, gender, body mass index and height. We determined carotid-femoral pWV(pWVCF) and carotid-radial pWV(pWVCR)(Complior), the AI derived from the aortic pressure waveform(applanat ion tonometry, Sphygmocor), blood pressure, heart rate(HR) and cotinine levels b efore and after cigarette smoking. We also performed measurements in 16 participants aft er sham smoking. Results: Smoking increased the AI, pWVCF and pWVCR in the whole population(all ppWV were positively rela ted to serum cotinine levels(all pmoking increased serum cotinine(p=0. 01) and mean blood pressure(p=0.03) more,but raised the HR to a lesser extent, i n Blacks[+8±4 versus+13±6 beats/ min in Whites(mean±SD), p=0.01]. Blacks di sclosed larger increases in AI adjusted for HR(Blacks, +7.2±8 versus Whites, +4.4±8%; p=0.03), pWVCF(Blacks, +1.1±0.2 versus Whites, +0.6±0.3 m/s; ppWVCR(Blacks, +1.4±0.1 versus Whites, +0.7±0.4 m/s; pnorma lized for the mean blood pressure. No changes were observed with sham smoking. C onclusions: Smoking acutely increases the pWV and AI in Blacks more than in Whit es. Differences in nicotine metabolism and β-adrenergic sensitivity could expl ain these findings.
Repetitive nerve stimulation often shows responses with an abnormal decrement in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), suggesting instability of the neuromuscular junction; however, the pathophysiology an...
详细信息
Repetitive nerve stimulation often shows responses with an abnormal decrement in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), suggesting instability of the neuromuscular junction; however, the pathophysiology and response characteri stics of this instability are not clear. We evaluated response variability of 47 single motor units from 16 patients with ALS and 51 units from 10 normal subjec ts, acquired by delivering threshold stimuli sporadically at 0.5 Hz or less. In addition, in 46 other different single motor units obtained from 21 patients wit h ALS, variability was studied at both 1 and 3 Hz stimulation rates. motor uni ts from patients with ALS were significantly more variable than those from norma l subjects, even when their larger amplitude was accounted for. This increased v ariability was not rate dependent. Response variability is a critical measure in the statistical method of motor unit number estimation and is attributed to var iability in the number of units activated; the fact that variability of single m otor units varies with disease state may be a potentially confounding factor in the application of the technique.
Aims: To evaluate cardiopulmonary exercise tolerance in a large cohort of appa rently healthy paediatric cancer survivors in order to determine their participa tion in sporting activities. methods: A total of 84 young...
详细信息
Aims: To evaluate cardiopulmonary exercise tolerance in a large cohort of appa rently healthy paediatric cancer survivors in order to determine their participa tion in sporting activities. methods: A total of 84 young (mptomatic childhood cancer survivors, who had been exposed to anthracyclines ( mean dose 212 mg/m2) and/or chest irradiation (median dose 2000 cGy), with norma l left ventricular systolic function at rest (fractional shortening > 29%), and 79 healthy controls were studied. Exercise testing was performed on a treadmill ergometer. Gas exchange analysis and derived variables were measured on a breat h-by-breath basis. pulmonary functional evaluation was performed before exerci se. Echocardiographic evaluation at rest was performed within one month before t he exercise test. Results: There were no differences in exercise responses betwe en patients and controls. In boys mean VO2 max was slightly but sign ificantly lower than in controls. This finding was thought to be a result of dec reased physical fitness as all the other exercise parameters were similar to those in the controls. Conclusions: Results show that apparently healthy survivors of paediatric cancer can take part in dynamic sporting activities if they exhibi t a normal response to cardiopulmonary exercise testing, while those that exhibi t a reduced VO2 max should be re-evaluated after an aerobic training programme, and should undergo tailored dynamic physical activity if the VO2 max does not n ormalise.
暂无评论