Endoscopic lung volume reduction in severe emphysema

Therapeutic options in severe emphysema are limited. Endoscopic lung volume reduction (ELVR) refers to bronchoscopically inducing volume loss to improve pulmonary mechanics and compliance, thereby reducing the work of breathing. Globally, this technique is increasingly used as treatment for advanced emphysema with the aim of obtaining similar functional advantages to surgical lung volume reduction, while reducing risks and costs. There is a growing body of evidence that certain well-defined subgroups of patients with advanced emphysema benefit from ELVR, provided that a systematic approach is followed and selection criteria are met. In addition to endobronchial valves, ELVR using endobronchial coils is now available in South Africa. The high cost of these interventions underscores the need for careful patient selection to best identify those likely to benefit from such procedures

Recommendations for the use of endoscopic lung volume reduction in South Africa: Role in the treatment of emphysema

Emphysema is a very common cause of morbidity and mortality in South Africa (SA). Therapeutic options in severe emphysema are limited. Endoscopic lung volume reduction (ELVR) is increasingly being used internationally for the treatment of advanced emphysema in a subset of patients with advanced disease, aiming to obtain the same functional advantages as surgical lung volume reduction while reducing risks and costs. In addition to endobronchial valves, ELVR using endobronchial coils is now available in SA. The high cost of these interventions underscores the need for careful patient selection to best identify those who may or may not benefit from ELVR-related procedures. The Assembly on Interventional Pulmonology of the South African Thoracic Society appointed a committee comprising both local and international experts to extensively review all relevant evidence and provide advice on the use of ELVR in SA based on published evidence, expert opinion and local access to the various devices

Die Interaktion zwischen dem Transkriptionsfaktor FoxO1a und der Proteinkinase DYRK1 und ihre Bedeutung bei der Regulation des Glucose-6-Phosphatasegens

In this work the functional interaction between the kinase DYRK1 and the transcription factor FoxO1a was characterized. The role of DYRK1 in insulin-dependent regulation of hepatic glucose-production was investigated. In different independent studies in liver cells a stimulatory effect of DYRK1 on glucose-6-phosphatase (g6pase) promoter activity was shown. An increased amount of endogenous g6pase-mRNA was found in stabilly transfected hepatoma cells overexpressing DYRK1. In luciferase reportergene assays a synergistic effect of DYRK1A and FoxO1a was found. A phosphorylation of FoxO1a by DYRK1A had been described before. This phosphorylation is not responsible fort he effect. In further studies it was shown that the effect requires intact FoxO1a binding sites in the g6pase promoter. These findings suggest that the effect is a FoxO1a-dependent effect. Different DYRK-isoforms showed different effects on g6pase promoter activity, probably due to different subcellular localization. Thus this work presents the first report of the functional relevance of the interaction between the protein kinase DYRK1 and the transcription factor FoxO1a. Besides that the influence on glucose-6-phosphatase gene expression was described

Die Interaktion zwischen dem Transkriptionsfaktor FoxO1a und der Proteinkinase DYRK1 und ihre Bedeutung bei der Regulation des Glucose-6-Phosphatasegens

In this work the functional interaction between the kinase DYRK1 and the transcription factor FoxO1a was characterized. The role of DYRK1 in insulin-dependent regulation of hepatic glucose-production was investigated. In different independent studies in liver cells a stimulatory effect of DYRK1 on glucose-6-phosphatase (g6pase) promoter activity was shown. An increased amount of endogenous g6pase-mRNA was found in stabilly transfected hepatoma cells overexpressing DYRK1. In luciferase reportergene assays a synergistic effect of DYRK1A and FoxO1a was found. A phosphorylation of FoxO1a by DYRK1A had been described before. This phosphorylation is not responsible fort he effect. In further studies it was shown that the effect requires intact FoxO1a binding sites in the g6pase promoter. These findings suggest that the effect is a FoxO1a-dependent effect. Different DYRK-isoforms showed different effects on g6pase promoter activity, probably due to different subcellular localization. Thus this work presents the first report of the functional relevance of the interaction between the protein kinase DYRK1 and the transcription factor FoxO1a. Besides that the influence on glucose-6-phosphatase gene expression was described

Adenocarcinoma the most common cell type in patients presenting with primary lung cancer in the Western Cape

The original publication is available at http://www.samj.org.zaLung cancer is the most common cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide for men and women, causing approximately 1.2 million deaths per year. The absolute and relative frequencies of lung cancer have risen dramatically and in South Africa account for 17% of all cancer deaths. We found that adenocarcinoma is now the most common histological subtype of primary lung cancer diagnosed in the Western Cape and that almost 90% of all patients with non-small cell lung cancer have advanced local or metastatic disease at the time of diagnosis.Publishers' Versio