503 research outputs found
Evaluation of esophageal motility using multichannel intraluminal impedance in healthy children and children with gastroesophageal reflux: comments
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: : Multichannel intraluminal impedance (MII) directly evaluates esophageal bolus transport. There is a good correlation between MII and manometry in healthy adults, but there are no reports concerning children.The aim of the present study was to determine normal values of esophageal motility using only impedance measurements in healthy children and in a pediatric population with gastroesophageal reflux (GER).
PATIENTS AND METHODS: : We described in the present study 60 children submitted to pH-MII for 24 hours for suspected GER. Patients were divided into 2 different groups on the basis of their pH-MII report. Group 1 patients showed acid GER, whereas group 2 patients had negative pH-MII analysis for GER despite symptoms. We described impedance reflux and motility parameters on 10 standardized swallows: number of reflux, mean acid clearing time, median bolus clearing time, bolus presence time, total bolus transit time, segmental transit time, and total propagation velocity.
RESULTS: : In group 1, the median mean acid clearing time was 151 seconds, whereas the median mean bolus clearing time was 25 seconds. In group 2 patients, all of the reflux parameters were normal. In group 1 the median bolus presence time at each measuring site, the median total bolus transit time, and the median segmental transit time were significantly greater and total propagation velocity lower than values reported in group 2 (P < 0.001), if compared with those described for adult patients.
CONCLUSIONS: : The pH-MII is an ideal test in children because it studies GER with its characteristics and motility pattern. Our report summarizes for the first time impedance motility parameters in healthy children
An Update of Carbazole Treatment Strategies for COVID-19 Infection
The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak was declared by the World Health
Organization (WHO) in March 2020 to be a pandemic and many drugs used at the beginning proved
useless in fighting the infection. Lately, there has been approval of some new generation drugs for the
clinical treatment of severe or critical COVID-19 infections. Nevertheless, more drugs are required to
reduce the pandemic’s impact. Several treatment approaches for COVID-19 were employed since the
beginning of the pandemic, such as immunomodulatory, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial
agents, and again corticosteroids, angiotensin II receptor blockers, and bradykinin B2 receptor
antagonists, but many of them were proven ineffective in targeting the virus. So, the identification of
drugs to be used effectively for treatment of COVID-19 is strongly needed. It is aimed in this review
to collect the information so far known about the COVID-19 studies and treatments. Moreover, the
observations reported in this review about carbazoles as a treatment can signify a potentially useful
clinical application; various drugs that can be introduced into the therapeutic equipment to fight
COVID-19 or their molecules can be used as the basis for designing new antivirals
The importance of the interactions between KIRs and HLA ligands in the development of human autoimmune and viral diseases
Killer immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs) regulate the activation of
natural killer cells through their interaction with human leucocyte antigens
(HLA). KIR and HLA loci are highly polymorphic, and certain
KIR/HLA combinations have been found to protect against viral infections
or to predispose to autoimmune disorders. In particular, some
activating KIR profiles may be detrimental in autoimmune pathogenesis,
and specific KIR genes may be particularly aggressive in the clearance
of different microorganisms, protecting individuals in the control of a
given pathogen. Here we reviewed a growing body of evidence purporting
the influence of KIR polymorphism and KIR-HLA interaction in the
development of the main human autoimmune and viral diseases
Carbazoles: Role and Functions in Fighting Diabetes
Carbazole derivatives have gained a lot of attention in medicinal chemistry over the
last few decades due to their wide range of biological and pharmacological properties, including
antibacterial, antitumor, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory activities. The therapeutic potential of
natural, semi-synthetic or synthetic carbazole-containing molecules has expanded considerably owing
to their role in the pathogenesis and development of diabetes. Several studies have demonstrated
the ability of carbazole derivatives to reduce oxidative stress, block adrenergic hyperactivation,
prevent damage to pancreatic cells and modulate carbohydrate metabolism. In this survey, we
summarize the latest advances in the synthetic and natural carbazole-containing compounds involved
in diabetes pathways
Concomitant Small Cell Neuroendocrine Carcinoma of Gallbladder and Breast Cancer
The neuroendocrine carcinoma is defined as a high-grade malignant neuroendocrine neoplasm arising from enterochromaffin
cells, usually disposed in the mucosa of gastric and respiratory tracts. The localization in the gallbladder is rare. Knowledge of
these gallbladder tumors is limited and based on isolated case reports. We describe a case of an incidental finding of small cell
neuroendocrine carcinoma of the gallbladder, observed after cholecystectomy for cholelithiasis, in a 55-year-old female, who
already underwent quadrantectomy and sentinel lymph-node biopsy for breast cancer. The patient underwent radiotherapy for
breast cancer and six cycles of chemotherapy with cisplatin and etoposide. Eighteen months after surgery, the patient was free from
disease. Small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the gallbladder has poor prognosis. Because of the rarity of the reported cases,
specific prognostic factors have not been identified. The coexistence of small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the gallbladder
with another malignancy has been reported only once.The contemporary presence of the two neoplasms could reflect that bioactive
agents secreted by carcinoid can promote phenotypic changes in susceptible cells and induce neoplastic transformation
Lovastatin, but not orlistat, reduces intestinal polyp volume in an Apc(Min/+) mouse model
The statins, inhibitors of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase (HMGCoAR) and orlistat, an inhibitor of fatty acid synthase (FAS), inhibit tumor cell growth by restricting cholesterol and fatty acid synthesis, respectively. We previously demonstrated that an omega (ω)-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA)- or olive oil-enriched diet reduced the polyp number and volume in ApcMin/+ mice. This phenomenon was associated with a significant inhibition of FAS and HMGCoAR, as well as an increase in the estrogen receptor (ER)β/α ratio. Herein, we evaluated the effect of lovastatin and orlistat on polyp development and ER expression in ApcMin/+ mice, in order to confirm previous data obtained with ω-3-PUFAs and olive oil. As expected, the use of lovastatin and orlistat significantly reduced HMGCoAR and FAS enzymatic activities and gene expression in colonic tissues, but did not affect the number of intestinal polyps, while there was a statistically significant reduction in polyp volume only in the mouse group treated with lovastatin. In the mice receiving orlistat, we observed a significant increase in cell proliferation in the polyp tissue, as well as enhanced expression of ERα. Moreover, the overexpression of ERα was associated with a statistically significant increase in PES1, Shh and Gli1 protein levels, considered ERα-related molecular targets
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