Plaque herniation through an intracoronary stent

We present a case where a Wiktor intracoronary stent was inserted for 'poor angiographic result' following balloon angioplasty. Despite appropriate positioning and repeated dilation of the stent a suboptimal result was achieved because of plaque herniation through the stent. The case emphasizes that the choice of stent used is important and will become more so as the number of choices available increases.     

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha-induced apoptosis in a human keratinocyte cell line (HaCaT) is counteracted by transforming growth factor-alpha

Pulmonary surfactant is a complex mixture of lipids and proteins that functions to keep alveoli from collapsing at the end of expiration. Dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine has been identified as the most important component for lowering surface tension at the air-liquid interface. Hydrophobic surfactant apoproteins, SP-B and SP-C, play essential roles in the biophysical functions of the surfactant phospholipids. Hydrophilic surfactant apoproteins (SP-A and SP-D) that are members of C-type lectin superfamily, interact with phospholipids and glycolipids and modulate host defense functions in the lung. SP-A also plays an important role in regulating phospholipid homeostasis in the alveolar spaces. Recent advances in genetics and molecular biology have clarified the structure-function relationship of surfactant apoproteins.     

The effect of point of expression on ESS sex ratios

The sex ratio produced by an individual may be a consequence of relative frequencies of genotypes amongst offspring, or may result directly from parental (maternal) control. We analyse the evolutionarily stable sex ratio for a hypothetical organism in which both forms of sex ratio expression can occur. We prove that the point of expression of sex ratio does not affect the evolutionarily stable sex ratio for diploid hosts in populations infected with cytoplasmically inherited sex ratio distorters.     

Effects of benfluorex metabolites on membrane fluidity and insulin-related processes

Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is a potent mitogen for the maturation of hepatocytes in vitro which plays a role in liver regeneration in vivo. In addition, transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-beta 1) is also a potent regulator of liver regeneration. In attempting to clarify the mechanisms related to liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy, we investigated the expression of HGF and TGF-beta 1 in rats with liver cirrhosis (LC). A rat model of LC was prepared using carbon tetrachloride (CCl4). The expression of HGF mRNA in both the LC and control groups showed a similar time-course with the highest expression seen at 18h after a 70% hepatectomy. The expression of TGF-beta 1 mRNA peaked at 18h after partial hepatectomy in the LC group and at 48h in the control group. The 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU) labeling index for the LC group at 24, 48, and 72 h after partial hepatectomy was 9.2%, 5.9%, and 1.8%, while for the control group it was 7.0%, 11.7%, and 6.8%, respectively. The BrdU labeling index in the LC group was thus suppressed earlier than that in the control group. We therefore postulate that regeneration of the remnant liver in the presence of LC accelerates immediately after partial hepatectomy, but the extent of regeneration is insufficient because of an early cessation due to an early expression of TGF-beta 1.     

Respiratory infections in patients with HIV

Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia has long been considered the predominant pulmonary disease in patients with HIV, but several factors are changing this perception. The population infected with HIV is increasingly composed of injection drug users, and racial and ethnic minorities, which represent groups that have a high incidence of bacterial pneumonia and tuberculosis. The increased longevity attributed to antiretroviral therapy and P. carinii pneumonia prophylaxis is accompanied by more profound immunosuppression, rendering patients susceptible to Pseudomonas, Aspergillus, and other opportunistic pneumonias. Trimetrexate and atovaquone are now available for the treatment of P. carinii pneumonia. Both are less effective than standard regimens of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, but have fewer adverse effects. The diagnosis of respiratory infections complicating HIV usually depends on isolation of the pathogen. The routine use of transbronchial biopsy during bronchoscopy is controversial because the prevalence of P. carinii pneumonia is high in most centers caring for patients with AIDS, and bronchoalveolar lavage is usually diagnostic in this disease. However, biopsy enhances the yield of bronchoscopy, especially in the diagnosis of noninfectious pulmonary disorders and infections other than P. carinii pneumonia.     

Anti-inflammatory action of dapsone: inhibition of neutrophil adherence is associated with inhibition of chemoattractant-induced signal transduction

Dapsone has clinical utility as an anti-inflammatory agent but the mechanism of this action remains unknown. We have previously reported that dapsone inhibits beta2 integrin (CD11b/CD18)-mediated adherence of human neutrophils in vitro and now describe studies designed to discover how dapsone-mediated inhibition of this neutrophil function occurs. Results indicate that dapsone interferes with the activation or function of the G-protein (Gi type) that initiates the signal transduction cascade common to chemotactic stimuli. They also show that dapsone-mediated suppression of this pathway inhibits the generation of second messengers essential to the activation of beta2 integrin molecules, as well as respiratory and secretory functions of neutrophils exposed to chemoattractants. We propose that the inhibition of chemoattractant-induced signal transduction by dapsone suppresses neutrophil recruitment and local production of toxic respiratory and secretory products in the affected skin of dermatitis herpetiformis and other neutrophilic dermatoses.