[The role of prostacyclin in the function of the gastric mucosa]
BÁLINT Gábor Sándor1
JULY 29, 1992
Lege Artis Medicinae - 1992;2(07)
BÁLINT Gábor Sándor1
JULY 29, 1992
Lege Artis Medicinae - 1992;2(07)
[The intracellular effect of exogenously admi nistered prostacyclin in the gastric mucosa seems to be a polyphasic one, namely: 1. effect on the cyclic nucleotide (CAMP, CGMP) turnover, 2. effect on the calmodulin-content, 3. DNA and RNA changes 4. influence on protein synthesis 5. new cell formation. Besides the endogenous prostacyclin exerts a natural protection against damaging noxae, thus maintaining the physiological integrity of the mucosa. ]
Lege Artis Medicinae
[Primary Sjögren's syndrome is the most frequent polysystemic autoimmune disease after rheumatoid arthritis. Keratoconjunctivitis sicca and xerostomia are characteristic of primary Sjögren's syndrome but the evolution of these signs may exist for years, and only one of them may be observed for a long time. Arthritis and enlargement of the parotid and submandibular glands are rarely observed as first symptom. The diagnosis of primary Sjögren's syndrome is based on the evaluation of the obligate signs. Clinical experience shows that there are many patients with undiagnosed Sjögren's disease. The authors would like to demonstrate the importance of the characteristic sings of primary Sjögren's syndrome, and the clinical and immunoserological tests which are useful in the diagnosis of the disease.]
Lege Artis Medicinae
[Psychologically intravascular coagulation of the blood is hampered by the endothelium, the inhibitors of the coagulation system and the circulation as well. Various pathological events may the diffuse activation of the blood coagulation factors causing disseminated intravascular coagulation. The two main consequences of the DIC are ischaemia in the organs concerned and the consumption of the blood coagulation factors. The activation of the fibrinolytic system improves the former though aggravates the latter pathological events. In the prevention and therapy the effective treatment of the basic disease is of primary importance. Thorough evaluation of the clinical symptoms and the laboratory data can help in the diagnostics. Heparin can be administered only in the hypercoagulative-consumptive forms of the DIC if bleeding does not exist actually. In recent years, the administration of the anti thrombin concentrate has come into prominence because it can promote the restitution of the coagulation system without increase of bleeding. Antifibrinolytic (Gordox) therapy is advised only in cases of extreme hyperfibrinolytic activity. ]
Lege Artis Medicinae
[Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) is a highly dynamic process with a broad spectrum of clinical manifestations and laboratory findings. There is no specific laboratory test for the diagnosis of DIC. For the reliable diagnosis of DIC we recommend a test-panel which can be divided into three groups: 1, The screening tests include the measurement of prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time, trombin time, platelet count and detection of fibrin monomers; 2, The diagnosis of DIC can be confirmed with the help of additional assays, such as the determination of fibrin degradation products, antithrombin III or the detection of fragmentocytes in peripheral blood smear; 3, Special tests such as determination of clotting factors, reptilase time, activation peptides and thrombin-antithrombin III complexes may serve as useful tools in the differential diagnosis and in the scientific evaluation of the mechanisms of DIC. In this paper the advantages and disadvantages of different laboratory tests used in the diagnosis of DIC are also critically evaluated. ]
Lege Artis Medicinae
[The development of the tissue banking techniques has made possible the production of wide range of differently preserved collagen based tissue grafts (skin, bone, dura mater, fascia lata). Excellent clinical results have been obtained by the application of allogeneic and xenogeneic grafts. The article summarizes the activity fields of tissue banks in the USA and in Europe. The review presents the most important aspects of tissue banking, antigenicity, sterility, preservation and storage of different grafts. ]
Lege Artis Medicinae
[ Arrhythmia-related death and non-fatal cardiac arrest were 4.5% in the encainide and flecainide group (33 out of 730 patients), compared with only 1.2% in the placebo group (9 out of 725). The relative risk was found to be 3.6%. The overall mortality rate was also higher in the group treated with active agents (7.7%) than among those treated with placebo (3.0%). The relative risk in the latter group was 2.5%.]
Although vertigo is one of the most common complaints, intracranial malignant tumors rarely cause sudden asymmetry between the tone of the vestibular peripheries masquerading as a peripheral-like disorder. Here we report a case of simultaneous temporal bone infiltrating macro-metastasis and disseminated multi-organ micro-metastases presenting as acute unilateral vestibular syndrome, due to the reawakening of a primary gastric signet ring cell carcinoma. Purpose – Our objective was to identify those pathophysiological steps that may explain the complex process of tumor reawakening, dissemination. The possible causes of vestibular asymmetry were also traced. A 56-year-old male patient’s interdisciplinary medical data had been retrospectively analyzed. Original clinical and pathological results have been collected and thoroughly reevaluated, then new histological staining and immunohistochemistry methods have been added to the diagnostic pool. During the autopsy the cerebrum and cerebellum was edematous. The apex of the left petrous bone was infiltrated and destructed by a tumor mass of 2x2 cm in size. Histological reexamination of the original gastric resection specimen slides revealed focal submucosal tumorous infiltration with a vascular invasion. By immunohistochemistry mainly single infiltrating tumor cells were observed with Cytokeratin 7 and Vimentin positivity and partial loss of E-cadherin staining. The subsequent histological examination of necropsy tissue specimens confirmed the disseminated, multi-organ microscopic tumorous invasion. Discussion – It has been recently reported that the expression of Vimentin and the loss of E-cadherin is significantly associated with advanced stage, lymph node metastasis, vascular and neural invasion and undifferentiated type with p<0.05 significance. As our patient was middle aged and had no immune-deficiency, the promoting factor of the reawakening of the primary GC malignant disease after a 9-year-long period of dormancy remained undiscovered. The organ-specific tropism explained by the “seed and soil” theory was unexpected, due to rare occurrence of gastric cancer to metastasize in the meninges given that only a minority of these cells would be capable of crossing the blood brain barrier. Patients with past malignancies and new onset of neurological symptoms should alert the physician to central nervous system involvement, and the appropriate, targeted diagnostic and therapeutic work-up should be established immediately. Targeted staining with specific antibodies is recommended. Recent studies on cell lines indicate that metformin strongly inhibits epithelial-mesenchymal transition of gastric cancer cells. Therefore, further studies need to be performed on cases positive for epithelial-mesenchymal transition.
Clinical Neuroscience
Cognitive dysfunction (CD) is a common non-motor symptom of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Alexithymia is a still poorly understood neuropsychiatric feature of PD. Cognitive impairment (especially visuospatial dysfunction and executive dysfunction) and alexithymia share common pathology of neuroanatomical structures. We hypothesized that there must be a correlation between CD and alexithymia levels considering this relationship of neuroanatomy. Objective – The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between alexithymia and neurocognitive function in patients with PD. Thirty-five patients with PD were included in this study. The Toronto Alexithymia Scale–20 (TAS-20), Geriatric Depression Inventory (GDI) and a detailed neuropsychological evaluation were performed. Higher TAS-20 scores were negatively correlated with Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) similarities test score (r =-0.71, p value 0.02), clock drawing test (CDT) scores (r=-0.72, p=0.02) and verbal fluency (VF) (r=-0.77, p<0.01). Difficulty identifying feelings subscale score was negatively correlated with CDT scores (r=-0.74, p=0.02), VF scores (r=-0.66, p=0.04), visual memory immediate recall (r=-0.74, p=0.01). VF scores were also correlated with difficulty describing feelings (DDF) scores (r=-0.66, p=0.04). There was a reverse relationship between WAIS similarities and DDF scores (r=-0.70, p=0.02), and externally oriented-thinking (r=-0.77,p<0.01). Executive function Z score was correlated with the mean TAS-20 score (r=-62, p=0.03) and DDF subscale score (r=-0.70, p=0.01) Alexithymia was found to be associated with poorer performance on visuospatial and executive function test results. We also found that alexithymia was significantly correlated with depressive symptoms. Presence of alexithymia should therefore warn the clinicians for co-existing CD.
Clinical Neuroscience
[A growing body of evidence suggests that sleep plays an essential role in the consolidation of different memory systems, but less is known about the beneficial effect of sleep on relational memory processes and the recognition of emotional facial expressions, however, it is a fundamental cognitive skill in human everyday life. Thus, the study aims to investigate the effect of timing of learning and the role of sleep in relational memory processes. 84 young adults (average age: 22.36 (SD: 3.22), 21 male/63 female) participated in our study, divided into two groups: evening group and morning group indicating the time of learning. We used the face-name task to measure relational memory and facial expression recognition. There were two sessions for both groups: the immediate testing phase and the delayed retesting phase, separated by 24 hours. 84 young adults (average age: 22.36 (SD: 3.22), 21 male/63 female) participated in our study, divided into two groups: evening group and morning group indicating the time of learning. We used the face-name task to measure relational memory and facial expression recognition. There were two sessions for both groups: the immediate testing phase and the delayed retesting phase, separated by 24 hours. Our results suggest that the timing of learning and sleep plays an important role in the stabilizing process of memory representation to resist against forgetting.]
Clinical Neuroscience
Sandhoff disease is a rare type of hereditary (autosomal recessive) GM2-gangliosidosis, which is caused by mutation of the HEXB gene. Disruption of the β subunit of the hexosaminidase (Hex) enzyme affects the function of both the Hex-A and Hex-B isoforms. The severity and the age of onset of the disease (infantile or classic; juvenile; adult) depends on the residual activity of the enzyme. The late-onset form is characterized by diverse symptomatology, comprising motor neuron disease, ataxia, tremor, dystonia, psychiatric symptoms and neuropathy. A 36-year-old female patient has been presenting progressive, symmetrical lower limb weakness for 9 years. Detailed neurological examination revealed mild symmetrical weakness in the hip flexors without the involvement of other muscle groups. The patellar reflex was decreased on both sides. Laboratory tests showed no relevant alteration and routine electroencephalography and brain MRI were normal. Nerve conduction studies and electromyography revealed alterations corresponding to sensory neuropathy. Muscle biopsy demonstrated signs of mild neurogenic lesion. Her younger brother (32-year-old) was observed with similar symptoms. Detailed genetic study detected a known pathogenic missense mutation and a 15,088 base pair long known pathogenic deletion in the HEXB gene (NM_000521.4:c.1417G>A; NM_000521:c.-376-5836_669+1473del; double heterozygous state). Segregation analysis and hexosaminidase enzyme assay of the family further confirmed the diagnosis of late-onset Sandhoff disease. The purpose of this case report is to draw attention to the significance of late-onset Sandhoff disease amongst disorders presenting with proximal predominant symmetric lower limb muscle weakness in adulthood.
Hypertension and nephrology
[Affective temperaments (cyclothymic, hypertymic, depressive, anxious, irritable) are stable parts of personality and after adolescent only their minor changes are detectable. Their connections with psychopathology is well-described; depressive temperament plays role in major depression, cyclothymic temperament in bipolar II disorder, while hyperthymic temperament in bipolar I disorder. Moreover, scientific data of the last decade suggest, that affective temperaments are also associated with somatic diseases. Cyclothymic temperament is supposed to have the closest connection with hypertension. The prevalence of hypertension is higher parallel with the presence of dominant cyclothymic affective temperament and in this condition the frequency of cardiovascular complications in hypertensive patients was also described to be higher. In chronic hypertensive patients cyclothymic temperament score is positively associated with systolic blood pressure and in women with the earlier development of hypertension. The background of these associations is probably based on the more prevalent presence of common risk factors (smoking, obesity, alcoholism) with more pronounced cyclothymic temperament. The scientific importance of the research of the associations of personality traits including affective temperaments with somatic disorders can help in the identification of higher risk patient subgroups.]
Mechanism of mucosal defence and options to reduce virus invasion during the COVID pandemic
Late simultaneous carcinomatous meningitis, temporal bone infiltrating macro-metastasis and disseminated multi-organ micro-metastases presenting with mono-symptomatic vertigo – a clinico-pathological case reporT
1.
2.
3.
4.
Journal of Nursing Theory and Practice
[Correlations Between Burnout and Socio-demographic and Workplace Related Factors Among Health-care Workers During The Covid-19 Pandemics]5.
Journal of Nursing Theory and Practice
[Operational Efficiency Investigation from APN Perioperative Perspective]1.
2.
Journal of Nursing Theory and Practice
[A possible role of Advanced Practice Nurses in primary care - the possibility of screening for retinopathy in patients with diabetes]3.
4.
5.
Journal of Nursing Theory and Practice
[Nutritional Therapy in the Stroke Ward: Treatment of Dysphagia in Acute Care of Stroke Patients ]
COMMENTS
0 comments