Ugeskrift for laeger
-
Toll-like receptors (TLRs) comprise a group of recently discovered receptors which are essential molecular structures in the activation of immunity. The discovery of TLRs has provided a substantial increase in the knowledge of immunologic aspects of disease pathology and is presently giving rise to new treatment strategies. This review summarizes the current knowledge on TLRs functioning in infections, their possible roles in inflammatory bowl disease and the pivotal role for TLRs in endotoxic shock, an area which is currently subject to development of a new farmakon.
-
Critically-ill patients in intensive care units often suffer from weakness of the arms and legs and have difficulty in weaning from the ventilator. If this cannot be explained by the illness itself, it may be due to a critical illness polyneuropathy (CIP) or a critical illness myopathy (CIM) or both. It is difficult to determine the cause of the weakness by conventional methods in an intensive care unit. The objective was to describe the diagnostic yield with electrodiagnostic testing and describe the various patterns and prognosis in these patients. ⋯ Electrophysiologic tests are valuable in identifying the specific cause of prolonged weakness in critically-ill patients in intensive care units.