Wilson disease - the impact of hyperimmunity on disease activity: A case report.

Background: In Wilson disease lack of biliary copper excretion causes hepatocellular injury by accumulation of free toxic copper. Its overspill to serum accounts for neuronal damage as second common manifestation. Therapy with copper chelators or zinc targets the removal of this free copper.

Reduced metal ion concentrations in atherosclerotic plaques from subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Aims: Transition metal ions have been implicated in atherosclerosis. The goal of this study was to investigate whether metal ion levels were higher in people with diabetes, in view of their increased risk of aggravated atherosclerosis.

Methods And Results: Absolute concentrations of iron, copper, zinc and calcium, and products of protein and lipid oxidation were quantified in atherosclerotic lesions from subjects with (T2DM, n=27), without Type 2 diabetes (nonDM, n=22), or hyperglycaemia (HG, n=17).

Accumulation of zinc in human atherosclerotic lesions correlates with calcium levels but does not protect against protein oxidation.

Objective: Oxidized lipids and proteins, as well as decreased antioxidant levels, have been detected in human atherosclerotic lesions, with oxidation catalyzed by iron and copper postulated to contribute to lesion development. Zinc has been postulated to displace iron from critical sites and thereby protect against damage. In this study, metal ion and protein oxidation levels were quantified in human carotid and abdominal artery specimens containing early-to-advanced lesions, to determine whether zinc concentrations correlate inversely with iron levels and protein oxidation.

Practical solution for control of the pre-analytical phase in decentralized clinical laboratories for meeting the requirements of the medical laboratory accreditation standard DIN EN ISO 15189.

This report was written in response to the article by Wood published recently in this journal. It describes a practical solution to the problems of controlling the pre-analytical phase in the clinical diagnostic laboratory. As an indicator of quality in the pre-analytical phase of sample processing, a target analyte was chosen which is sensitive to delay in centrifugation and/or analysis.

Role of increased environmental Aspergillus exposure for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) treated with corticosteroids in an intensive care unit.

We report about a 75-year-old woman and a 62-year-old man hospitalised for infection-related exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In both patients, respiratory function worsened after initial stabilisation and the disease took a fatal course. A careful inspection of the intensive care unit (ICU) revealed several circumstances known to be risk factors for invasive aspergillosis (reconstruction activities near to the ICU, contamination of the window sills with pigeon droppings, moist building materials due to water leakage).