The American journal of the medical sciences
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Previous research in the general population suggests that the inflammatory skin disease psoriasis is associated with an increased risk of vascular events, such as stroke. Thus, psoriasis may also represent a risk factor for stroke in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients. ⋯ Contrary to prior research in the general population, psoriasis in ESRD patients was not associated with the risk of stroke after controlling for various demographic and clinical parameters. Our finding emphasizes the importance of controlling for a variety of factors in population studies examining associations of diseases and risk factors.
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Although severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can infect the gastrointestinal (GI) tract in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients, the mechanism of GI tract injury is largely unknown. We aimed to study the potential factors that cause COVID-19 GI symptoms. ⋯ ACE2 and TMPRSS2 were essential proteins in the SARS-CoV-2 infection of GI tract, while TMPRSS2 rather than ACE2 may play a more important role. GI symptoms may derive from the host receptor expression level and pro-inflammatory response in COVID-19 patients after viral infection of GI tissues, and further exacerbate the disease. So targeting TMPRSS2 and inflammation may represent an effective strategy for treating COVID-19 patients with GI symptoms.
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Carbonic anhydrases (CA) are metalloenzymes with wide tissue distribution, involved in many important physiological processes, and in some rheumatic diseases, autoantibodies are formed against these enzymes. Recent studies have suggested that oxidative stress triggers anti-CA antibody formation. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of modification with oxidative/nitrosative stress end products on CA antigenicity in mice and the relationship between the modified CA autoantibodies and oxidant-antioxidant status in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and Sjögren's syndrome (SjS). ⋯ PN modifications can also trigger an immune response against CA isoenzymes in mice, and PN-modified CA I and CA II autoantibody titers were found at a significantly high level in both RA and SjS patients.
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Non-Helicobacter pylori Helicobacter (NHPH) has recently been linked to various gastric diseases. However, the relationship between NHPH infection and gastric cancer remains controversial. This study aimed to identify the effect of NHPH infection on gastritis and gastric cancer development. ⋯ The association between gastric cancer and NHPH infection would have important implications for gastric cancer prevention, diagnostics, and treatment, however, no significant association was found in this particular population.
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Editorial
Hyoro-zeme in the Battle for Tottori Castle: The first description of refeeding syndrome in Japan.
Eating after a period of starvation can cause refeeding syndrome, a fatal condition caused by a shift in fluids and electrolytes that can result in sudden death. The Battle for Tottori Castle (1581) during the Warring States Period of Japan, which witnessed the use of hyoro-zeme, the tactic of intentionally starving a besieged enemy, was followed by a dramatic episode of mass death among starving soldiers not from fighting but from eating; accounts from the period relate that many of the besieged soldiers survived the hyoro-zeme only to die soon afterwards when they were fed immediately after surrendering. We herein reviewed the Japanese historical records of the Battle for Tottori Castle and hypothesized that the hyoro-zeme episode they recount is possibly the oldest description of refeeding syndrome to be documented in Japan. Our investigation revealed sufficient evidence that refeeding syndrome was the cause of the mass deaths reported after the famous battle.