Prediction of preeclampsia based on blood lead levels in early pregnancy

زمینه و هدف: پره اکلامپسی شایع ترین عارضه بالینی دوران بارداری است. با توجه به اهمیت پره اکلامپسی در بارداری و عدم وجود عوامل قطعی موثر بر آن، این پژوهش با هدف پیشگویی وقوع پره اکلامپسی بر اساس سطح سرب خون مادران باردار در نیمه اول بارداری انجام شد. روش بررسی: این مطالعه توصیفی - تحلیلی بر روی 1033 مادر باردار در درمانگاه های پره ناتال شهر تهران انجام شد. در بدو ورود به مطالعه نمونه خون جهت سنجش سرب اخذ و پرسشنامه دموگرافیک تکمیل گردید. مادران باردار از زمان ورود به مطالعه تا زمان زایمان تحت مراقبت و پیگیری قرار گرفتند. در صورت وجود فشار خون مساوی یا بیش از 140 بر 90 میلی‌متر جیوه و پروتئین‌اوری پس از هفته 20 بارداری تشخیص پره اکلامپسی برای مادر داده می شد. برای تجزیه و تحلیل داده ها از آزمون های آماری من ویتنی و رگرسیون لجستیک در نرم افزارSPSS استفاده شد. یافته ها: از 1033 مادر باردار 20 نفر (9/1) مبتلا به پره اکلامپسی بودند. میانگین سطح سرب خون مادران µg/dl9/4 ± 7/4 بود. ارتباط میان سرب خون مادر و پره اکلامپسی مستقیم و معنادار بود (001/0>(P. سطح موثر سرب خون (نقطه ی برش) در پره اکلامپسی دارای حساسیت 85، ویژگی 5/70، ارزش اخباری منفی 6/99 و ارزش اخباری مثبت 4/5، µg/dl 5 بدست آمد. نتیجه گیری: نتایج این مطالعه نشان داد که سطح سرب µg/dl 5 و بالاتر در نیمه اول بارداری می تواند با حساسیت نسبتاً بالا با وقوع پره اکلامپسی همراه باشد؛ لذا انجام این آزمایش به عنوان روشی در اوایل بارداری، برای پیشگویی وقوع پره اکلامپسی در مادران باردار فاقد عوامل خطرزای مهم پره اکلامپسی، پیشنهاد می گردد

Design and synthesis of irreversible inhibitors of foot-and-mouth disease virus 3C protease.

Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) causes a highly infectious and economically devastating disease of livestock. The FMDV genome is translated as a single polypeptide precursor that is cleaved into functional proteins predominantly by the highly conserved viral 3C protease, making this enzyme an attractive target for antiviral drugs. A peptide corresponding to an optimal substrate has been modified at the C-terminus, by the addition of a warhead, to produce irreversible inhibitors that react as Michael acceptors with the enzyme active site. Further investigation highlighted key structural determinants for inhibition, with a positively charged P2 being particularly important for potency. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Determinants of Slow-Wave Activity in Overweight and Obese Adults: Roles of Sex, Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Testosterone Levels

Background: Slow-wave activity (SWA) in non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, obtained by spectral analysis of the electroencephalogram, is a marker of the depth or intensity of NREM sleep. Higher levels of SWA are associated with lower arousability during NREM sleep and protect against sleep fragmentation. Multiple studies have documented that SWA levels are higher in lean women, compared to age-matched lean men, but whether these differences persist in obese subjects is unclear. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a condition associated with obesity, is more prevalent in men than in women. Sex differences in SWA could therefore be one of the factors predisposing men to OSA. Furthermore, we hypothesized that higher levels of testosterone may be associated with lower levels of SWA.Objective: The aim of the current study was to identify sex differences in the determinants of SWA in young and middle-aged overweight and obese adults.Methods: We enrolled 101 overweight and obese but otherwise healthy participants from the community (44 men, 57 women) in this cross-sectional study. Participants underwent an overnight in-laboratory polysomnogram. The recordings were submitted to sleep staging and spectral analysis. Sex differences and the potential contribution of testosterone levels were evaluated after adjusting for age, body mass index and race/ethnicity.Results: OSA was present in 66% of men and in 44% of women. After adjustment for differences in age, race/ethnicity and BMI, the odds ratio for OSA in men vs. women was 3.17 (95% CI 1.14–9.43, p = 0.027). There was a graded inverse relationship between the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) and SWA in men (β = −0.21, p = 0.018) but not in women (β = 0.10, p = 0.207). In a multivariate regression model, higher testosterone levels were independently associated with lower SWA in men after controlling for age, race/ethnicity and apnea-hypopnea index (β = −0.56, p = 0.025).Conclusion: Increasing severity of OSA was associated with significant decrease in sleep intensity in men but not in women. Higher testosterone levels were associated with lower sleep intensity in men. Men with higher testosterone levels may therefore have lower arousal thresholds and higher ventilatory instability in NREM sleep, and be at greater risk of OSA

Barbicidal overdose

Acute severe methemoglobinaemia is an uncommon but life-threatening condition caused by a variety of oxidizing agents commonly used in both health care and industrial settings. Thus, recognition is important as it is readily treatable. The oxygen transport is compromised as a result of abnormal levels of oxidized haemoglobin, and this leads to skin discolouration and a variety of symptoms. Diagnostic confusion occurs as the oxygen saturations (SpO2) on the pulse oximeter are unreliable (Sharma V, Haber A. Acquired methaemoglobinaemia: a case report of benzocaine-induced methaemoglobinaemia and a review of the literature. Clin Pul Med. 2002;9(1):53–8). A case of severe methaemoglobinaemia due to self poisoning with barbicide is presented with a brief discussion of the patho-physiology and an overview of the treatment. A barbicidal overdose has never been reported before

Non-sleepy obstructive sleep apnoea: to treat or not to treat?

Non-sleepy obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is thought to have a prevalence of around 20-25% in industrialised countries. However, the question of whether it should be routinely treated or not is controversial. This review collates the results from recent randomised controlled trials addressing OSA and examines whether treating the condition leads to improvements in quality of life and reduced cardiometabolic dysfunction, comorbidities generally attributed to untreated obstructive sleep apnoea/hypopnoea syndrome

Switch of noninvasive ventilation (NIV) to continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) in patients with obesity hypoventilation syndrome: a pilot study

International audienceObesity is a major worldwide public health issue. The main respiratory complication stemming from obesity is obesity hypoventilation syndrome (OHS). Most of the OHS patients diagnosed during an exacerbation are treated with non invasive ventilation (NIV). Up to date, no prospective study has demonstrated in real life conditions the feasibility of a systematic protocoled switch of NIV to continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), once stability is achieved

Endothelial Dysfunction and Specific Inflammation in Obesity Hypoventilation Syndrome

BACKGROUND: Obesity hypoventilation syndrome (OHS) is associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity. What moderate chronic hypoventilation adds to obesity on systemic inflammation and endothelial dysfunction remains unknown. QUESTION: To compare inflammatory status and endothelial function in OHS versus eucapnic obese patients. METHODOLOGY: 14 OHS and 39 eucapnic obese patients matched for BMI and age were compared. Diurnal blood gazes, overnight polysomnography and endothelial function, measured by reactive hyperemia peripheral arterial tonometry (RH-PAT), were assessed. Inflammatory (Leptin, RANTES, MCP-1, IL-6, IL-8, TNFalpha, Resistin) and anti-inflammatory (adiponectin, IL-1Ra) cytokines were measured by multiplex beads immunoassays. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: OHS exhibited a higher PaCO(2), a lower forced vital capacity (FVC) and tended to have a lower PaO(2) than eucapnic obese patients. (HS)-CRP, RANTES levels and glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) were significantly increased in OHS (respectively 11.1+/-10.9 vs. 5.7+/-5.5 mg x l(-1) for (HS)-CRP, 55.9+/-55.3 vs 23.3+/-15.8 ng/ml for RANTES and 7.3+/-4.3 vs 6.1+/-1.7 for HbA1c). Serum adiponectin was reduced in OHS (7606+/-2977 vs 13,660+/-7854 ng/ml). Endothelial function was significantly more impaired in OHS (RH-PAT index: 0.22+/-0.06 vs 0.51+/-0.11). CONCLUSIONS: Compared to eucapnic obesity, OHS is associated with a specific increase in the pro-atherosclerotic RANTES chemokine, a decrease in the anti-inflammatory adipokine adiponectin and impaired endothelial function. These three conditions are known to be strongly associated with an increased cardiovascular risk. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00603096

The role of leptin in the respiratory system: an overview

Since its cloning in 1994, leptin has emerged in the literature as a pleiotropic hormone whose actions extend from immune system homeostasis to reproduction and angiogenesis. Recent investigations have identified the lung as a leptin responsive and producing organ, while extensive research has been published concerning the role of leptin in the respiratory system. Animal studies have provided evidence indicating that leptin is a stimulant of ventilation, whereas researchers have proposed an important role for leptin in lung maturation and development. Studies further suggest a significant impact of leptin on specific respiratory diseases, including obstructive sleep apnoea-hypopnoea syndrome, asthma, COPD and lung cancer. However, as new investigations are under way, the picture is becoming more complex. The scope of this review is to decode the existing data concerning the actions of leptin in the lung and provide a detailed description of leptin's involvement in the most common disorders of the respiratory system