Copper Accumulation in the Lips of Brass Players: Case Report of a Rare Phenomenon.

Work-related exposures affecting oral health are important factors of morbidity and decreased quality of life, which may emerge from numerous physical, chemical, or mental occupational exposures. Copper (Cu) is an important trace element, however, it may also cause allergies, depose and accumulate in the body, leading to acute and chronic toxicity. In the present report, we describe a rare phenomenon found during the examination of two professional brass players, after incidentally noting an artefact during magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, which were performed to monitor bone healing after bone augmentation procedures in an unrelated clinical study.

Recurrent Scedosporium apiospermum mycetoma successfully treated by surgical excision and terbinafine treatment: a case report and review of the literature.

Background: Scedosporium apiospermum is an emerging opportunistic filamentous fungus, which is notorious for its high levels of antifungal-resistance. It is able to cause localized cutaneous or subcutaneous infections in both immunocompromised and immunocompetent persons, pulmonary infections in patients with predisposing pulmonary diseases and invasive mycoses in immunocompromised patients. Subcutaneous infections caused by this fungus frequently show chronic mycetomatous manifestation.

Fatal Clostridium perfringens sepsis due to emphysematous gastritis and literature review.

A 76-year-old female patient was admitted to the Level I Emergency Department of University of Szeged with severe abdominal pain and vomiting. The clinical assessment with laboratory tests and radiological investigations confirmed severe sepsis associated with intravascular hemolysis and multiorgan failure and acute pancreatitis. On the abdominal CT, besides of other abnormalities, the presence of gas bubbles in the stomach, small intestines and liver were seen.

Safety and tolerability of bilastine 10 mg administered for 12 weeks in children with allergic diseases.

Background: Regulations on medicinal products for paediatric use require that pharmacokinetics and safety be characterized specifically in the paediatric population. A previous study established that a 10-mg dose of bilastine in children aged 2 to <12 years provided an equivalent systemic exposure as 20 mg in adults. The current study assessed the safety and tolerability of bilastine 10 mg in children with allergic rhinoconjunctivitis and chronic urticaria.

Relationship between serum nickel and homocysteine concentration in hemodialysis patients.

Severe hyperhomocysteinemia (HHC) is associated with atherosclerosis. In hemodialysis (HD) patients, one of the main causes of death is cardiovascular disease. In animals, trace elements such as cobalt, copper, iron, and nickel ameliorated vitamin B(12) deficiency-induced HHC.

Retinoid receptor-activating ligands are produced within the mouse thymus during postnatal development.

Vitamin A deficiency is known to be accompanied with immune deficiency and susceptibility to a wide range of infectious diseases. Experimental evidence suggests that the active metabolites of vitamin A that mediate its effects on the immune system are the retinoic acids (RA), which are ligands for the nuclear RA receptor (RAR) family. RA were previously shown both to promote proliferation and to regulate apoptosis of thymocytes.

A case of interstitial pneumonitis in a patient with ulcerative colitis treated with azathioprine.

The early hypersensitivity reaction and late bone marrow depression are well-known side-effects of azathioprine, whereas interstitial pneumonia is a rare complication. A 40-year old male patient had been treated with azathioprine in consequence of extensive ulcerative colitis for 10 years. He then complained of 7 d of fever, cough and catarrhal signs, without symptoms of active colitis.

Adenosine A2A receptor-mediated cell death of mouse thymocytes involves adenylate cyclase and Bim and is negatively regulated by Nur77.

Adenosine is generated in the microenvironment of emerging thymocytes through normal mechanisms of lymphocyte selection. In a normal thymus, most of the adenosine is catabolized by adenosine deaminase; however, in an environment where up to 95% of the cells undergo programmed cell death, a sufficient amount of adenosine is accumulated to trigger cell surface adenosine receptors. Here we show that accumulated adenosine can induce apoptosis in immature mouse thymocytes, mostly via adenosine A(2A) receptors.

[Azathioprine-associated interstitial pneumonitis].

Azathioprine-associated interstitial pneumonitis. The early hypersensitivity reaction and the late bone marrow depression are well known side effects of the azathioprine; the interstitial pneumonia is a rare complication. A 40-year old male patient was treated with azathioprine due to extensive ulcerative colitis for ten years.

Prevalence of respiratory symptoms and diseases associated with gastroesophageal reflux disease.

Aim: Investigation of the prevalence of respiratory symptoms and diseases associated with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

Patients And Methods: 299 subjects with GERD were submitted to upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and 24-hour esophageal pH monitoring and a symptom analysis.

Results: Chronic respiratory symptoms or diseases were present in 18% (56/299).

Transglutaminase 2-/- mice reveal a phagocytosis-associated crosstalk between macrophages and apoptotic cells.

Tissue transglutaminase (TGase2) is a protein-crosslinking enzyme known to be associated with the in vivo apoptosis program. Here we report that apoptosis could be induced in TGase2-/- mice; however, the clearance of apoptotic cells was defective during the involution of thymus elicited by dexamethasone, anti-CD3 antibody, or gamma-irradiation, and in the liver after induced hyperplasia. The lack of TGase2 prevented the production of active transforming growth factor-beta1 in macrophages exposed to apoptotic cells, which is required for the up-regulation of TGase2 in the thymus in vivo, for accelerating deletion of CD4+CD8+ cells and for efficient phagocytosis of apoptotic bodies.

Ligation of retinoic acid receptor alpha regulates negative selection of thymocytes by inhibiting both DNA binding of nur77 and synthesis of bim.

Negative selection refers to the selective deletion of autoreactive thymocytes. Its molecular mechanisms have not been well defined. Previous studies in our laboratory have demonstrated that retinoic acids, physiological ligands for the nuclear retinoid receptors, selectively inhibit TCR-mediated death under in vitro conditions, and the inhibition is mediated via the retinoic acid receptor (RAR) alpha.