European journal of clinical investigation
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Eur. J. Clin. Invest. · Aug 2013
Review Meta AnalysisSecondary prophylaxis of variceal bleeding for cirrhotic patients: a multiple-treatments meta-analysis.
To evaluate comprehensively the effects of 12 prophylaxis interventions for secondary prophylaxis of variceal bleeding using multiple-treatments meta-analysis. ⋯ Endoscopic banding ligation combined with EIS might be the first choice in the secondary prophylaxis of varices bleeding.
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Mitochondria are dynamic organelles that participate in energy conversion, metabolism, signaling and apoptosis. To fulfill their multiple tasks, mitochondria come in varied morphologies and ultrastructures resulting from the equilibrium between fusion and fission, Furthermore, they are in close contact with the endoplasmic reticulum generating an essential interface in cell physiology and death. ⋯ The work reviewed here supports a key role for mitochondrial dynamics in cell life and death and in disease.
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Eur. J. Clin. Invest. · Aug 2013
Epidemiology and risk factors for chronic kidney disease in patients with ischaemic stroke.
There is growing evidence for an association between chronic renal disease (CKD) and adverse cerebrovascular events because of the overlap of several risk factors. The purpose of this study is to examine the epidemiology of CKD and the characteristics of risk factors for CKD in the population with ischaemic stroke. ⋯ The patients with ischaemic stroke may be considered as a high-risk population for CKD and be aggressively managed for CKD prevention. The high prevalence of CKD in population with ischaemic stroke prompts the need for greater public awareness about risks of CKD.
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Acute intermittent porphyria (AIP) is an inherited disorder of haem synthesis wherein a partial deficiency of porphobilinogen (PBG) deaminase (PBGD) with other factors may give rise to biochemical and clinical manifestations of disease. The biochemical hallmarks of active AIP are relative hepatic haem deficiency and uncontrolled up-regulation of hepatic 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) synthase-1 (ALAS1) with over-production of ALA and PBG. The treatment of choice is intravenous haem, which restores the deficient regulatory haem pool of the liver and represses ALAS1. Recently, haem has been shown to influence circadian rhythms by controlling their negative feedback loops. We evaluated whether subjects with AIP exhibited an altered circadian profile. ⋯ This pilot study provides evidence for disturbances of circadian markers in women with active AIP that may trigger or sustain some common clinical features of AIP.
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Vascular injury is the initial manifestation of inflammation resulting in the recruitment and activation of various cell types. The integrity of the vascular wall is monitored by platelets that become activated in the presence of exposed subendothelium. Besides their well-established role in haemostasis, ample data are now emerging on the many immunoregulatory functions of platelets. ⋯ Overall, platelets have multiple functions in both innate and adaptive immunity. Further insight into the multifaceted role of platelets could therefore provide important clues into how we could implement current platelet therapy to reduce both platelet-induced thrombosis and inflammation. In this review, we discuss the current perceptions of platelet involvement in various autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, systemic sclerosis and multiple sclerosis.