The erg-like potassium current in rat lactotrophs.

1. The ether-à-go-go-related gene (erg)-like K+ current in rat lactotrophs from primary culture was characterized and compared with that in clonal rat pituitary cells (GH3/B6). The class III antiarrhythmic E-4031 known to block specifically erg K+ channels was used to isolate the erg-like current as the E-4031-sensitive current.

Phototherapy for atopic eczema with narrow-band UVB.

Management of atopic dermatitis has been less than satisfactory. Conventional therapy has not been particularly successful, and prolonged use of topical corticosteroids and systemic immunosuppressant drugs (eg, corticosteroids, cyclosporine, azathioprine) can result in severe cutaneous and systemic effects. We decided to evaluate the effect of UVB at 311 nm to treat 5 patients with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis.

Mycophenolate mofetil: a new therapeutic option in the treatment of blistering autoimmune diseases.

Background: Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), an ester of mycophenolic acid (MPA), was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 1995 and is currently primarily indicated for the prophylaxis of rejection in renal transplant patients. The drug seems also to be of value in the treatment of psoriasis and rheumatic arthritis. Recently there have been 6 reported cases of successful treatment of blistering autoimmune diseases with MMF in combination with high dose prednisone therapy.

Long-term follow-up and outcome in patients treated for spinal dural arteriovenous fistula.

Clinical outcome was examined in 21 patients treated for spinal dural arteriovenous fistula after 5-50 months. We compared the neurological condition (motor function, pain, sensory disturbance, vegetative dysfunction) and Barthel index before and after fistula occlusion. Neurological impairment was assessed as improved, unchanged, or deteriorated.

Treatment of severe recalcitrant dermatoses of the palms and soles with PUVA-bath versus PUVA-cream therapy.

PUVA-bath therapy developed into a first line topical PUVA therapy, and gel and cream preparations have been described as alternative modes of topical 8-MOP application. Because bath-PUVA can be difficult to manage, topical PUVA therapy using 8-MOP gel or cream preparations may become an important alternative when treating localised skin diseases. However, controlled comparisons of efficacy with this alternative topical PUVA therapy are lacking.

PUVA-bath photochemotherapy (PUVA-soak therapy) of recalcitrant dermatoses of the palms and soles.

PUVA-bath therapy has proven to avoid many side effects associated with oral 8-methoxypsoralen (8-MOP) treatment. In order to investigate the effectiveness of topical PUVA-bath therapy (PUVA-soak therapy) on chronic palmoplantar dermatoses, 30 patients with plaque-type psoriasis, pustular psoriasis, endogenous eczema, dyshidrotic eczema and hyperkeratotic dermatitis of the palms and soles were treated over 8 weeks with PUVA-soak using 8-MOP. No additional treatment except skin moisturising cream such as unguentum emulsificans aquosum was used during the study period.

Low-frequency, low-intensity ultrasound accelerates thrombolysis through the skull.

Systemic thrombolysis of acute ischemic stroke with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) has been established recently. Whereas the delay to and the rate of vessel recanalization are unknown, they are likely slower and smaller than for local application of rt-PA. This may contribute to the small benefits of recovery reported and stimulate further investigations to improve clot lysis.

Stroke treatment guided by transcranial Doppler monitoring in a patient unresponsive to standard regimens.

Today secondary prevention of stroke is based on large clinical trials with the disadvantage of a lack of individual pathophysiological aspects. This is mainly due to the difficulty in identifying the source of stroke reliably and rapidly in these patients. Recurrent microembolic events detected by transcranial Doppler monitoring (TCM) has been suggested to individualize treatment.

Sequence and structural elements at the 3' terminus of bovine viral diarrhea virus genomic RNA: functional role during RNA replication.

Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV), a member of the genus Pestivirus in the family Flaviviridae, has a positive-stranded RNA genome consisting of a single open reading frame and untranslated regions (UTRs) at the 5' and 3' ends. Computer modeling suggested the 3' UTR comprised single-stranded regions as well as stem-loop structures-features that were suspected of being essentially implicated in the viral RNA replication pathway. Employing a subgenomic BVDV RNA (DI9c) that was shown to function as an autonomous RNA replicon (S.

Risk stratification following myocardial infarction in the thrombolytic era: a two-step strategy using noninvasive and invasive methods.

Objectives: We prospectively performed a two-step risk assessment in patients in the early phase after acute myocardial infarction (MI).

Background: Noninvasive methods like Holter electrocardiographic monitoring (HM) and determination of the left ventricular ejection fraction (EF) as well as the invasive technique of programmed ventricular stimulation (PVS) have been used to identify patients in the late phase after MI as candidates for prophylactic implantation of a cardioverter/defibrillator. However, it is unclear whether these results can be transferred to patients following acute MI.

Effects of water temperature on photosensitization in bath-PUVA therapy with 8-methoxypsoralen.

The pharmacokinetic aspects of bath-PUVA are not completely clarified. Therefore, we determined the phototoxic response of human skin following psoralen baths at temperatures ranging from 32 degrees C to 42 degrees C (71.6-107.

[Bleomycin-induced PSS-like pseudoscleroderma. Case report and review of the literature].

Although the association between administration of the antitumor agent bleomycin and the development of cutaneous fibrosis is established, there are only a small number of cases of bleomycin-induced scleroderma described in the literature. We report the development of generalised scleroderma with wide spread hyperpigmentation in a 52-year-old male patient, who received a total dose of 360 mg bleomycin in combination with cisplatin and etoposid for therapy of a malignant testicular seminoma. The clinical cutaneous alterations as well as the histological findings were indistinguishable from those encountered in progressive systemic sclerosis (PSS).

Absolute Aggregation Rate Constants of Hematite Particles in Aqueous Suspensions: A Comparison of Two Different Surface Morphologies.

Measurements of absolute aggregation rate constants were performed for two samples of well-characterized spheroidal hematite particles with rather different surface morphology. At high ionic strength, the system is in the fast aggregation regime with pH independent rate constants around (1-4) x 10(-18) m3/s. At low ionic strengths, the rate constant is a function of pH and goes through a flat maximum around the point of zero charge (PZC) where fast aggregation conditions are reached.

Kinetics of photosensitivity in bath-PUVA photochemotherapy.

Background: Bath-PUVA is used to treat a variety of dermatoses. However, the kinetics of 8-methoxypsoralen during treatment are not completely clarified.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the intensity of the phototoxic response and the persistence of phototoxicity after bath-PUVA.

Time course of 8-methoxypsoralen-induced skin photosensitization in PUVA-bath photochemotherapy.

In recent years PUVA-bath photochemotherapy has been shown to be an effective treatment modality for several dermatoses. A limitation of PUVA-bath photochemotherapy has been the lack of guidelines for optimal performance, including the time course of photosensitization of the skin exposed to the 8-methoxypsoralen (8-MOP) bath water solution. In the present study 12 healthy volunteers were exposed to a 20 min bath in 150 l of an 8-MOP water solution (0.

[PUVA-bath photochemotherapy in Hallopeau's acrodermatitis continua suppurativa].

A 73-year-old man presented with severe, relapsing acrodermatitis continua of Hallopeau, which had been resistant to prior local and systemic therapy for eight years. The patient was treated with selective hand PUVA-bath photochemotherapy. The cumulative dose of UVA used over 10 weeks of treatment was 54.