Hyponatremia and Psychiatric Diseases

Eating disorders, psychotic illnesses, and substance use disorders are some of the more common psychiatric conditions encountered in clinical practice that are associated with hyponatremia. The mechanisms that lead to hyponatremia vary, and at times hyponatremia may be a result of a drug side effect or drug-drug interaction. Additionally, hyponatremia from a non-psychiatric condition may lead to psychiatric symptomatology. Given the potential for hyponatremia to cause significant morbidity and potential mortality, clinicians are urged to consider screening for plasma sodium in patients at risk of hyponatremia, such as patients in the three categories of psychiatric conditions described above. Treatment of hyponatremia consists of various acute interventions, with consideration that treatment of the underlying psychiatric condition may help to diminish or eliminate the frequency of hyponatremic episodes in the long run

Diverging Mechanisms of Activation of Chemokine Receptors Revealed by Novel Chemokine Agonists

CXCL8/interleukin-8 is a pro-inflammatory chemokine that triggers pleiotropic responses, including inflammation, angiogenesis, wound healing and tumorigenesis. We engineered the first selective CXCR1 agonists on the basis of residue substitutions in the conserved ELR triad and CXC motif of CXCL8. Our data reveal that the molecular mechanisms of activation of CXCR1 and CXCR2 are distinct: the N-loop of CXCL8 is the major determinant for CXCR1 activation, whereas the N-terminus of CXCL8 (ELR and CXC) is essential for CXCR2 activation. We also found that activation of CXCR1 cross-desensitized CXCR2 responses in human neutrophils co-expressing both receptors, indicating that these novel CXCR1 agonists represent a new class of anti-inflammatory agents. Further, these selective CXCR1 agonists will aid at elucidating the functional significance of CXCR1 in vivo under pathophysiological conditions

Clinicopathological Profile of Lung Cancer Patients in a Teaching Hospital in South India

Introduction: Lung cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer related deaths in the world. The incidence of lung cancer is increasing in India and there is a need to understand the natural history of this disease. Aim of the study: To study the clinico- pathological- radiological profile of patients diagnosed with lung cancer from January 2013 to May 2015 at a tertiary care teaching hospital. Materials and Methods: Inpatient records of all patients admitted during the study period were examined and  all patients with a histologically proven diagnosis of bronchogenic carcinoma were recruited. Demographic characteristics, clinical, radiological and pathological details of each patient were recorded. Results: Fifty four patients with lung cancer were identified. Forty three (79.6%) were male and 11 (20.4%) were female. Thirty two (59.7%) were smokers and 22 (40.7%) were non smokers. Cough and expectoration (61.1%) was the most common presenting symptom followed by breathlessness (59.3%). Mass lesion (81.5%) was the most common radiological presentation and adenocarcinoma (42.6%) was the most common histological subtype. When compared to fiber optic bronchoscopy, image guided percutaneous biopsy had a better  yield for diagnosing lung cancer (51.9% vs 48.1%). But this difference was not statistically significant (p=0.892) Conclusion: Adenocarcinoma is replacing squamous cell carcinoma as the most common type of lung cancer in India