European journal of clinical investigation
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Coronary revascularization using percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is one of the major treatments for patients with stable coronary artery disease, with approximately 1.5 million patients undergoing PCI in the United States and Europe every year. An important neglected complication of PCI is contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI). ⋯ Following PCI, CI-AKI is an overlooked complication which is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. In this article, we review the pathophysiology of CI-AKI in patients undergoing PCI and discuss the potential therapeutic options for preventing it.
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Eur. J. Clin. Invest. · May 2013
ReviewMechanisms of acute exacerbation of respiratory symptoms in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Exacerbations of chronic obstructive respiratory disease (ECOPD) are acute events characterized by worsening of the patient's respiratory symptoms, particularly dyspnoea, leading to change in medical treatment and/or hospitalisation. AECOP are considered respiratory diseases, with reference to the respiratory nature of symptoms and to the involvement of airways and lung. Indeed respiratory infections and/or air pollution are the main causes of ECOPD. ⋯ Most concomitant chronic diseases share with COPD not only the underlying chronic inflammation of the target organs (i.e. lungs, myocardium, vessels, adipose tissue), but also clinical manifestations like fatigue and dyspnoea. For this reason, in patients with multi-morbidity (eg COPD with chronic heart failure and hypertension, etc), the exacerbation of respiratory symptoms may be particularly difficult to investigate, as it may be caused by exacerbation of COPD and/or ≥ comorbidity, (e.g. decompensated heart failure, arrhythmias, thromboembolisms) without necessarily involving the airways and lung. In these cases the term ECOPD is inappropriate and misleading.
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Eur. J. Clin. Invest. · May 2013
Genetic variation in C-reactive protein in ethnic Chinese population in Taiwan.
High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) is a sensitive inflammatory marker suggested for cardiovascular risk stratification. This study aimed to assess the potential genetic determinants for serum hs-CRP levels in a cohort with well-controlled nondiabetic hypertension. ⋯ C-reactive protein genotype contributed limitedly to serum hs-CRP levels in subjects with well-controlled hypertension, suggesting the impacts of clinical rather than genetic determinants to serum hs-CRP levels for cardiovascular risk stratification in this intermediate-risk Taiwanese cohort.
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Eur. J. Clin. Invest. · Apr 2013
The antihepatic fibrotic effects of fluorofenidone via MAPK signalling pathways.
Fluorofenidone (AKF-PD) is a novel pyridone agent. The purpose of this study is to investigate the inhibitory effects of AKF-PD on dimethylnitrosamine (DMN)-induced liver fibrosis in rats and the involved molecular mechanism related to hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). ⋯ AKF-PD treatment inhibits the progression of hepatic fibrosis by suppressing HSCs proliferation and activation via MAPK signalling pathway.
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Eur. J. Clin. Invest. · Apr 2013
Relationship of pentraxin 3 with insulin sensitivity in gestational diabetes.
Pentraxin 3 (PTX3) is a cytokine-inducible molecule expressed in different tissues, the levels of which increase in a response to a variety of inflammatory conditions. Recently, it has been linked to the serum glucose levels and some comorbidities in type 2 diabetes. ⋯ Dependence of PTX3 on serum glucose levels was more pronounced in women with GDM than in the NGT group. This notion together with its inverse relation to the parameters of insulin sensitivity, suggests a potential involvement of PTX3 in GDM pathology.