Thyrotoxic Periodic Paralysis in a Samoan Male With Metabolic Acidosis: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Thyrotoxic periodic paralysis (TPP) is a rare disorder characterized by muscle paralysis, thyrotoxicosis, and hypokalemia. It commonly manifests as paralysis of both proximal and distal upper and lower limbs, and if left untreated, may progress to respiratory failure or cardiac arrhythmias. It is most common in Asian males and is frequently precipitated by strenuous exercise, high carbohydrate diet, stress, corticosteroid therapy, or alcohol.

[Inflammatory markers in dialysis: epidemiological data].

Inflammatory markers such as C-reactive protein are frequently elevated in patients treated by dialysis. Serum concentration of these markers are much higher than in the general population, in which it has been clearly shown that chronic inflammation is associated to the occurrence of cardiovascular events. The mechanisms leading to chronic inflammation in dialysis patients may be related to chronic inflammation per se, or to dialysis.

Mass transfer, clearance and plasma concentration of procalcitonin during continuous venovenous hemofiltration in patients with septic shock and acute oliguric renal failure.

Objectives: To measure the mass transfer and clearance of procalcitonin (PCT) in patients with septic shock during continuous venovenous hemofiltration (CVVH), and to assess the mechanisms of elimination of PCT.

Setting: The medical department of intensive care.

Design: A prospective, observational study.

Effects of Rosa canina fruit extract on neutrophil respiratory burst.

Respiratory burst leads polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) to produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as superoxide anions (O(2)(o-)), hypochlorous acid (HOCl) and hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) which may possess deleterious effects for the organism. Rosa canina fruits are well known to contain a large amount of vitamin C which is antioxidant. This study was focused on the polyphenolics contained in rose hips to evaluate their antioxidative properties.

Investigation of the inhibitory effects of HA-1077 and Y-32885 on the translocation of PKCbetaI, PKCbetaII and PKCzeta in human neutrophils.

To transmit the information inside the cell, one possibility is the action of an enzyme called kinase that phosphorylates other proteins. To study these enzymes, chemical compound synthesis was needed to know the function and the mechanism of activation. The major difficulty is creating a specific molecule for one kinase.

Determinants of arterial compliance in patients treated by hemodialysis.

Background: Cardiovascular disease is the principal cause of morbidity and mortality among hemodialysis patients. Several studies have demonstrated the importance of a reduction in arterial compliance in the development of cardiovascular complications, reflecting the interaction of functional and structural alterations of the peripheral arterial system and left ventricle. The aim of the present study was to demonstrate that arterial compliance, evaluated by automated recording of the QKd interval, was lower in hemodialysis patients than in normal subjects.

Investigation of the inhibitory effects of chelerythrine chloride on the translocation of the protein kinase C betaI, betaII, zeta in human neutrophils.

The protein kinase C (PKC) is a serine/threonine kinase, consisting of different isoforms, implicated in numerous processes of signal transduction. To understand this enzyme well, different pharmacological tools were developed. To activate PKC specifically, phorbol esters were previously used but recent research has shown that these compounds are able to stimulate other proteins.

Cytomegalovirus infection in transplant recipients resolves when circulating gammadelta T lymphocytes expand, suggesting a protective antiviral role.

gammadelta T cells undergo massive expansion in the peripheral blood of renal transplant recipients who are infected with cytomegalovirus (CMV). In a 3-year prospective study, the relationship between the evolution of CMV infection and the kinetics of gammadelta T cell amplification was followed for 10 months after transplantation. Patients with late gammadelta T cell expansion (>/=45 days) had significantly longer (P<.

A simple method for isolating human and rabbit polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs).

We report the successful application to human venous blood of a novel method developed to purify rabbit polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) from whole blood. Human PMNs were separated from whole blood after sedimentation with dextran and histopaque density gradient centrifugation. 3.

Reduced ammonium chloride haemolysis time enhances the number of isolated functional rabbit polymorphonuclear neutrophils.

In the present study we compared seven different methods for isolating rabbit polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) with a view to assessing viability, lymphocyte contamination and isolation yield. The two methods offering the best isolation yield and functional PMNs were retained. Leukocyte-containing plasma fraction was obtained after erythrocyte sedimentation with dextran.

Phenolic compounds and antioxidant activities of buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench) hulls and flour.

The interest of polyphenolics as therapeutic agents against diseases involving radical damage is growing. The phenolic contents of the hulls and flour from the seeds of Fagopyrum esculentum (French variety 'La Harpe') (total phenols, flavonoids, total flavanols, oligomeric proanthocyanidins) are compared with the antioxidative effects of the extracts against reactive oxygen species: hydrogen peroxide, hypochlorous acid, superoxide anion. The higher efficiency of the flour extract can be related to its higher flavanolic content rather than to flavonoids which are predominant in the hull extract.

High-performance liquid chromatographic determination of naltrexone in plasma of hemodialysis patients.

A simple, sensitive, selective and reliable reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method with UV detection is described for the determination of naltrexone in plasma samples. Naltrexone and the internal standard, naloxone, were isolated from plasma either with a liquid-liquid extraction method using ethyl acetate or with a solid-phase extraction method using Sep-Pack C18 cartridge before chromatography. The extracts were dried under a stream of nitrogen and the samples were reconstituted in the mobile phase, then 20 microL were injected on a Waters Symmetry C18 column (5 microm particle size, 4.

Stability, compatibility and plasticizer extraction of quinine injection added to infusion solutions and stored in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) containers.

The stability of quinine was determined in various diluents and in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) containers. The release of diethyhexyl phthalate (DEHP) from PVC bags into intravenous infusions of quinine was also measured. We used an injection of two doses of quinine; quiniforme at 500 mg and quinimax at 400 mg in either 250- or 500-ml PVC infusion bags containing 5% dextrose, to give initial nominal concentrations of 2 or 1 mg ml(-1) quiniforme and 1.

Neurosedative and antioxidant activities of phenylpropanoids from ballota nigra.

Ballota nigra is a European plant known for its neurosedative properties. In this study, the ability of five phenylpropanoids (verbascoside, forsythoside B, arenarioside, ballotetroside, and caffeoyl malic acid) isolated from a hydroalcoholic extract, to bind to benzodiazepine, dopaminergic, and morphinic receptors was investigated. To carry out these studies, affinity tests with rat striata, entire brains and receptor rich preparations were employed.

Compatibility study of 5-fluorouracil with PVC bags after repackaging into two types of infusion admixtures.

The stability and compatibility of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) in admixtures for continuous intravenous infusion using PVC bags and administration sets were studied. 5-fluorouracil was reconstituted and diluted to 1.8 mg/ml for infusion in polyvinyl chloride and glass containers, and to 1 mg/ml to 16 mg/ml for storage in polyvinyl chloride bags containing 5 per cent dextrose or 0.

In vitro effects of spiramycin and dirithromycin on IL1 beta production by human LPS-stimulated mononuclear cells.

Polymorphonuclear neutrophils are the predominant cells in acute inflammatory lesions and their functions and recruitment are regulated by cytokines, including IL1, TNF and IL8. Antibiotic modulation of inflammatory effects has stimulated investigations of antibiotics for their potential activity as immunomodulators over their primary bactericidal or bacteriostatic activities. This study reports the influence of macrolides, spiramycin and dirithromycin on IL1 beta production.

Effects of two antihypertensive agents, labetalol and metoprolol, on the production of reactive oxygen species by normal polymorphonuclear leukocytes in vitro.

Objective: Increased lipid peroxidation is a putative causal factor for preeclampsia. Because oxygen free radicals are involved in inducing the lipid oxidation chain reaction, we evaluated two beta adrenoreceptor blockers, labetalol and metoprolol, currently used for treating hypertension with regard to their ability to inhibit the formation of reactive oxygen species during respiratory burst of human normal polymorphonuclear leukocytes in vitro.

Methods: We determined whether labetalol or metoprolol have antioxidative activity in a model of polymorphonuclear leukocytes stimulated in vitro with phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA) and N-formyl-methionin-leucin-phenylalanin (fMLP).

Antioxidant properties of albumin: effect on oxidative metabolism of human neutrophil granulocytes.

The present study aims at investigating the effect of bovine serum albumin (BSA) on the trial of oxidative-stress. The antioxidant effects of BSA were determined by human neutrophil granulocytes oxygen free radicals and their by-products (O2-, H2O2, HOCl) productions. BSA interacts with those reactive oxygen species (ROS) in a dose-dependent manner.

Serum opioid activity after physical exercise in rats.

In order to study the effect of exercise on the total serum opioid activity, female rats were trained for 3 weeks on a motor-driven treadmill and the experiment was ended by a final strenuous run until exhaustion. The serum samples were taken immediately after the final run and were analyzed by radioreceptor assay. Despite considerable interindividual variations, serum opioid activity, expressed in met-enkephalin equivalents (ME eq +/- S.

Evaluation of the effects of Gd complexes used as magnetic resonance imaging contrast agents, on superoxide dismutase: comparison of two methods.

Investigations are currently being made into the safety of gadolinium complex contrast agents used in Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Their hyperosmolality or potential Gd3+ release is evoked as a cause of various anaphylactoid reactions to be observed in humans after intravenous injection. An estimation has already been made of their effects on the liberation of reactive oxygen intermediates by neutrophils.

Pharmacokinetics of midazolam: comparison of sublingual and intravenous routes in rabbit.

In France, the legal routes used to administer midazolam to a patient are intravenously and intramuscularly. For anaesthetists, these routes are not well adapted to paediatric use; they lead to pain at injection site and stress on children. The sublingual route should be a good compromise between stress and quick efficiency.

Time and concentration dependent influence of dirithromycin on neutrophils oxidative burst.

Dirithromycin is a 14-membered macrolide antibiotic, well known to yield high intragranulocytic levels after several hour exposure. We chose therefore to investigate oxidative metabolism after prolonged incubation periods with neutrophils. Neutrophil generation of reactive oxygen species, represented by superoxide anion, was assessed after fMLP or Staphylococcus aureus-induced activation of the respiratory burst.

Effects of PVC bags sterilization process on the 5-fluorouracil stability.

The stability and compatibility of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) in undiluted or diluted admixtures stored in beta-radiation sterilized portable poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) infusion bags were investigated. Admixtures containing 5-FU 50 mg ml(-1) not diluted or 25 mg ml(-1) diluted in 0.9% sodium chloride injection were placed in 100 or 250 ml empty PVC reservoirs sterilized initially by beta-irradiation.

Stability study of fotemustine in PVC infusion bags and sets under various conditions using a stability-indicating high-performance liquid chromatographic assay.

The stability and compatibility of fotemustine, a nitrosourea anticancer agent, in 5% dextrose solution with polyvinyl chloride (PVC) containers and administration sets were studied under different conditions of temperature and light. The drug was diluted to 0.8 and 2 mg ml(-1) in 100 or 250 ml 5% dextrose injection solutions for 1-h simulated infusions using PVC bags and administration sets with protection from light.