Multicenter Belgian experience of sofosbuvir medical need program in pre and post liver transplantation: safety and efficacy results

0FLWINinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Breakdown in systemic humoral tolerence to fed ovalbumin

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies in sera from colectomised ulcerative colitis patients and its relation to the presence of pouchitis.

BACKGROUND: Few studies have evaluated the influence of colectomy on antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) positivity in ulcerative colitis (UC). In small series of patients it has been suggested that ANCA positivity in UC might be predictive for development of pouchitis after colectomy. AIMS: To assess the prevalence of ANCA in UC patients treated by colectomy and a Brooke's ileostomy (UC-BI) or ileal pouch anal anastomosis (UC-IPAA), and the relation between the presence of ANCA, the type of surgery, and the presence of pouchitis. SUBJECTS: 63 UC patients treated by colectomy (32 with UC-BI and 31 with UC-IPAA), 54 UC, and 24 controls. METHODS: Samples were obtained at least two years after colectomy. ANCA were detected by indirect immunofluorescent assay. RESULTS: There were no differences between patients with (36.3%) or without pouchitis (35.0%) and between patients with UC (55%), UC-BI (40.6%), and UC-IPAA (35.4%). However, ANCA prevalence significantly decreases in the whole group of operated patients (38.0%) compared with non-operated UC (p = 0.044). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of ANCA in operated patients was significantly lower than in non-operated UC, suggesting that it might be related either to the presence of inflamed or diseased tissue. ANCA persistence is not related to the surgical procedure and it should not be used as a marker for predicting the development of pouchitis

Bronchial eosinophilic infiltration in Crohn's disease in the absence of pulmonary disease

BackgroundImmunological and functional bronchopulmonary abnormalities may be present in up to two-thirds of patients with Crohn's disease. Having recently described a mild increase in methacholine airways responsiveness in these patients, we investigated whether this physiological abnormality is associated with bronchial inflammation since it has previously been described in asthma.MethodsEighteen patients with Crohn's disease and 15 healthy controls matched for age, atopy and smoking habit, were studied. All the subjects underwent a bronchial methacholine challenge (1, 4 and 16 mg/mL) and a sputum induction by inhalation of hypertonic saline (NaCl 4.5%). The sputum samples were analysed for their cellular composition as well as for the levels of several mediators and proteins in the fluid phase, including eosinophil cationic protein (ECP), myeloperoxydase, albumin, α2-macroglobulin, interleukin-8 (IL-8), IgA and IL-8/immunoglobulin A complexes.ResultsWhen compared to control subjects, patients with Crohn's disease had significantly higher sputum eosinophil counts (14.5% [0–79.9%] vs 0.2% [0–2.3%]; P < 0.001) and ECP levels (26.2 μg/L [4–124.2 μg/L] vs 9.8 μg/L [0–94.2 μg/L]; P < 0.05). However, patients with Crohn's disease had no sign of increased plasma exudation as reflected by sputum levels of albumin and α2-macroglobulin similar to those seen in control subjects. Furthermore the sputum levels of IL-8, IgA and IL-8/IgA complexes were not significantly different between the two groups. The magnitude of the fall in forced expiratory volume in 1 s after methacholine inhalation was significantly increased in Crohn's disease patients although it did not correlate with the extent of sputum eosinophilia or with the sputum ECP levels.ConclusionsCrohn's disease patients without any clinical respiratory involvement have airway eosinophilia without local increased plasma exudation. However, bronchial eosinophilia in Crohn's disease per se is not sufficient to induce clinically significant airway hyperresponsiveness, suggesting that other factors than bronchial eosinophilic infiltration are required for the clinical expression of an airway instability.FLWINinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Multicenter Belgian experience of sofosbuvir medical need program in pre- and post liver transplantation: safety and efficacy results

FLWINinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedSpecial Issue: Abstracts of the 17th Congress of the European Society for Organ Transplantation 13 - 16 September 2015, Brussels, Belgiu

Gastrin levels in serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of patients with lung cancer: comparison with patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

BACKGROUND: The gastrin gene is known to be expressed in all classes of bronchogenic carcinomas. Furthermore, high levels of gastrin have been reported in both the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid and serum of patients with lung cancer. Based on these preliminary data a study was conducted to evaluate the usefulness of gastrin measurements in the diagnosis and staging of lung cancer. METHODS: Thirty-five patients with lung cancer (26 non-small cell (NSCLC) and nine small cell (SCLC)) and 25 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease underwent fibreoptic bronchoscopy and BAL. Gastrin levels were determined in both BAL fluid and the serum and compared with each other and with staging. RESULTS: No difference was found between the gastrin levels in the BAL fluid or serum of the study groups. There was no correlation with the stage in NSCLC and no correlation was found between the gastrin levels in the serum and the BAL fluid. A significant difference was seen in gastrin levels in BAL fluid between extensive and limited SCLC (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: There is no evidence of clinical usefulness for gastrin measurements in lung cancer

Conditioning Panax vietnamensis

peer reviewedThe influence of lighting conditions, culture volume and four different auxins (indoleacetic acid (IAA), indolebutyric acid (IBA), 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) or 3-(benzo[b]selenyl)acetic acid (BSAA)) on Panax vietnamensis cell growth was evaluated in flasks. The highest biomass productivity was observed under continuous light and in the presence of IBA (0.36 g DW l(-1) d(-1)) or BSAA (0.5 g DW l(-1) d(-1)). Cultures in bioreactors were performed with these two auxins. The final biomass concentration was 107 g FW l(-1) and 373 g FW l(-1) in the presence of IBA or BSAA, respectively