[Systemic inflammation in COPD and asthma: similarities and differences].

While recent studies have shown that patients with COPD and patients with asthma exhibit evidence of airway and systemic inflammation, markers of systemic inflammation have not been compared between the two diseases. To evaluate circulating inflammatory markers, blood was sampled from 111 patients with COPD, 75 control subjects and 46 asthmatic patients (some of whom were smokers). Measurements of WCC, serum levels of fibrinogen, high-sensitivity c-reactive protein (hs-CRP), interleukin-8 (IL-8), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta1, tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase (TIMP)-1, neutrophil elastase and alphal-antitrypsin (alpha1-AT) were done.

Systemic inflammation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma: Similarities and differences.

Background And Objective: While recent studies have shown that patients with COPD and patients with asthma exhibit evidence of airway and systemic inflammation, markers of systemic inflammation have not been compared between the two diseases.

Methods: To evaluate circulating inflammatory markers, blood was sampled from 111 patients with COPD, 75 control subjects and 46 asthmatic patients (some of whom were smokers). Measurements of WCC, serum levels of fibrinogen, high-sensitivity (hs)-CRP, IL-8, IL-6, tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta1, tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase (TIMP)-1, neutrophil elastase and alpha1-antitrypsin (alpha1-AT) were performed.

Adenoviral E1A suppresses secretory leukoprotease inhibitor and elafin secretion in human alveolar epithelial cells and bronchial epithelial cells.

Background: An imbalance between neutrophil protease and surrounding antiprotease levels has been shown to be important in the pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Adenoviral E1A DNA and protein are frequently detected in the lungs of COPD patients. As secretory leukoprotease inhibitor (SLPI) and elafin/skin-derived antileukoproteinase (SKALP) are locally produced in the lung and inhibit neutrophil elastase activity, we hypothesized that adenoviral E1A might affect the production of these antiproteases.

Immunological rapid urease test using monoclonal antibody for Helicobacter pylori.

Background And Aim: The current diagnostic methods for detecting Helicobacter pylori infection include rapid urease test (RUT), urea breath test (UBT), histology, culture, and serum antibody detection. The present study evaluated the efficacy of a novel highly specific test, an immunological RUT (IRUT), that uses a monoclonal antibody against H. pylori urease.

Myoclonus and metabolic alkalosis from licorice in antacid.

A 90-year-old woman with hypertension developed metabolic alkalosis and myoclonus. Her medications included diltiazem hydrochloride, benidipine hydrochloride, kallidinogenase, procaterol hydrochloride, sennoside, dihydrocodeine phosphate, and KM powder antacid that contained 354 mg of licorice and 900 mg of sodium bicarbonate per 3.9 g of powder.

[A case of tuberculosis pleuritis developing contralateral pleural effusion during anti-tuberculosis chemotherapy, falling into chronic respiratory failure].

The patient was a 74 year-old male presenting right pleural effusion with mild fever. His temperature was 37.0 degrees C.

Hyperglycemia impairs antro-pyloric coordination and delays gastric emptying in conscious rats.

Delayed gastric emptying has been shown in diabetes. Although it has been proposed that hyperglycemia, and not only autonomic neuropathy, contributes to the pathogenesis of delayed gastric emptying, the inhibitory mechanism of hyperglycemia on gastric emptying remains unclear. We studied the effects of hyperglycemia per se on gastric emptying and postprandial gastric motility in conscious rats.