[Therapeutic bilateral lung lavage in an adolescent with pulmonary alveolar proteinosis. Case report].

Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis is an unusual diffuse lung disease characterized by abnormal accumulation of pulmonary surfactant and lipoproteins in the alveolar space, which impairs gas exchange with a variable clinical course, ranging from an asymptomatic clinical presentation to severely affected respiratory failure. A 16-year-old girl with diagnosis of pulmonary alveolar proteinosis presented to our hospital for therapeutic lung lavage after a recent history of progressive dyspnea, respiratory distress, declining lung function measurements, and worsening radiographic abnormalities. We obtained baseline pulmonary function tests and laboratory measurements before and after therapeutic bilateral lung lavage.

Blockade by nanomolar resveratrol of quantal catecholamine release in chromaffin cells.

The cardiovascular protecting effects of resveratrol, an antioxidant polyphenol present in grapes and wine, have been attributed to its vasorelaxing effects and to its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antiplatelet actions. Inhibition of adrenal catecholamine release has also been recently implicated in its cardioprotecting effects. Here, we have studied the effects of nanomolar concentrations of resveratrol on quantal single-vesicle catecholamine release in isolated bovine adrenal chromaffin cells.

Mitochondrial Na+/Ca2+-exchanger blocker CGP37157 protects against chromaffin cell death elicited by veratridine.

Mitochondrial calcium (Ca(2+)) dyshomeostasis constitutes a critical step in the metabolic crossroads leading to cell death. Therefore, we have studied here whether 7-chloro-5-(2-chlorophenyl)-1,5-dihydro-4,1-benzothiazepin-2(3H)-one (CGP37157; CGP), a blocker of the mitochondrial Na(+)/Ca(2+)-exchanger (mNCX), protects against veratridine-elicited chromaffin cell death, a model suitable to study cell death associated with Ca(2+) overload. Veratridine produced a concentration-dependent cell death, measured as lactate dehydrogenase released into the medium after a 24-h incubation period.

A low nicotine concentration augments vesicle motion and exocytosis triggered by K(+) depolarisation of chromaffin cells.

Tobacco smokers have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease; this is likely associated to an enhanced catecholamine release by circulating nicotine. Here, we have explored how low concentrations of nicotine in the range of those found in the blood of tobacco smokers, might affect the release of catecholamines in bovine chromaffin cells. We have combined patch-clamp and Ca(2+) imaging techniques to study cell excitability, cytosolic Ca(2+) transients, vesicle movement, and secretory responses.