Captopril prevention project--what shall we do about captopril and the risk of stroke?

[Intensive therapy after solid organ transplantation]

Transplantationsmedizin ist eine interdisziplinäre Aufgabe. Oberstes Ziel ist die schnelle Wiederherstellung der individuellen Eigenständigkeit des Patienten. Nach einer Nierentransplantation sind die Überwachung der Organperfusion, ein adäquater Volumenstatus und die Vermeidung einer nephrotoxischen Medikation entscheidend. Die Betreuung von Patienten mit einer weit fortgeschrittenden Leberinsuffizienz ist nach Einführung des „Model-of-end-stage-liver-disease“- (MELD-)Systems häufiger geworden; dies geht mit dem Anstieg des Anteils komplikationsträchtiger Verläufe einher. Die Überwachung der Transplantatfunktion, die Diagnose früher Perfusions- oder Gallengangskomplikationen, eine spezifische Gerinnungssubstitution und die hämodynamische Optimierung im Sinne der Vermeidung einer Leberstauung sind die Eckpunkte der intensivmedizinischen Betreuung. Viele Patienten zur Herztransplantation sind bereits präoperativ aufgrund der stark eingeschränkten Herzfunktion in intensivmedizinischer Behandlung. Eine differenzierte Unterstützung der Transplantatfunktion mithilfe pulmonalarterieller Dilatatoren und Inotropika ist postoperativ regelhaft notwendig. Die Lungentransplantation zielt besonders auf eine Verbesserung der Lebensqualität der Patienten. Postoperativ ist auf die Limitierung des pulmonalarteriellen Drucks, die Vermeidung einer Flüssigkeitsüberladung und die zügige Entwöhnung vom Respirator zu achten.

Prediabetes: the importance of early identification and intervention

Prediabetes is a state of abnormal glucose homeostasis characterized by the presence of impaired fasting glucose, impaired glucose tolerance, or both. Individuals with prediabetes are at increased risk for type 2 diabetes, compared with individuals with normal glucose values (normal fasting plasma glucose, < 100 mg/dL [5.6 mmol/L]). The increased risk for cardiovascular disease in prediabetes is multifactorial, with etiologies including insulin resistance, hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, hypertension, systemic inflammation, and oxidative stress. The preferred treatment is intensive lifestyle management and aggressive pharmacologic therapies directed toward individual coronary heart disease risk factors. The use of antihyperglycemic agents in this setting is a topic of intense debate. This review discusses the pathophysiology of prediabetes and its clinical implications, highlighting the importance of early identification and intervention.

Prediabetes: a must to recognise disease state

Prediabetes mellitus (PDM) is defined as a state of abnormal glucose homeostasis in which deficiency or resistance to insulin is the hallmark. PDM precedes the development of overt type 2 DM. It is associated with increased mortality and morbidity and thus fits well with the criteria of a disease condition. Framing PDM as a disease and not a risk or a 'pre' stage for diabetes is needed to facilitate early management.

AIM

This review aims therefore to increase awareness of PDM as a disease state.

METHODS

To do so, we shall preview guidelines for its diagnosis. Its prevalence and hazards will be then discussed. Finally, we shall elaborate on the current treatment guidelines.

RESULT

Enough evidence support the notion that PDM is a curable disease state.

CONCLUSIONS

The current recommendations for the treatment of PDM should be adhered. In addition, there is a room for the use of other pharmacological agents.

Clonal chromosomal defects in the molecular pathogenesis of refractory hyperparathyroidism of uremia

Indirect X chromosome-inactivation analyses have demonstrated that most parathyroid glands from patients with uremic refractory secondary/tertiary hyperparathyroidism are monoclonal neoplasms. However, little is known regarding the specific acquired genetic abnormalities that must underlie such clonal expansion or the molecular pathogenetic features of this disorder, compared with primary parathyroid adenomas. To address these issues in a uniquely powerful manner, both comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) and genome-wide molecular allelotyping were performed with a large group of uremia-associated parathyroid tumors. As indicated by CGH, one or more chromosomal changes were present in 24% of the tumors, which is markedly different from the value for common sporadic adenomas (72%). Two recurrent abnormalities that had not been previously described for sporadic parathyroid adenomas were noted with CGH, i.e., gains on chromosomes 7 (9%) and 12 (11%). Losses on chromosome 11 occurred in only one of the 46 uremia-associated tumors (2%); the tumor also contained a somatic mutation of the remaining MEN1 allele (221del18). A total of 13% of tumors demonstrated recurrent allelic loss on 18q, with 18q21.1-q21.2 being defined as the putative tumor suppressor-containing region. In conclusion, the powerful combination of genome-wide molecular allelotyping and CGH has identified recurrent clonal DNA abnormalities that suggest the existence and locations of genes important in uremic hyperparathyroidism. In addition, genome-wide patterns of somatic DNA alterations, including disparate roles for MEN1 gene inactivation, indicate that markedly different molecular pathogenetic processes exist for clonal outgrowth in severe uremic hyperparathyroidism versus common parathyroid adenomas.

Ischemic injury in experimental stroke depends on angiotensin II

Since pharmacological interactions of the renin-angiotensin system appear to alter the neurological outcome of stroke patients significantly, we examined the effect of elevated levels of angiotensin II and the role of its receptor subtype AT1 in brain infarction in transgenic mice after focal cerebral ischemia. Angiotensinogen-overexpressing and angiotensin receptor AT1 knockout mice underwent 1 h or 24 h permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). The current study revealed a much smaller penumbra size, i.e., brain tissue at risk, in angiotensinogen-overexpressing animals compared with their wild-type subgroup after 1 h MCAO, but an enlarged infarct size after 24 h. In contrast, a smaller lesion area of energy failure and a much larger penumbral area were found in AT1 knockout mice compared with wild-type littermates. Lower perfusion thresholds for ATP depletion and protein synthesis inhibition after MCAO in AT1-deficient mice and reduced cell damage in an in vitro model using embryonic neurons of AT1 knockout mice suggest injury mechanisms independent of arterial blood pressure. Our data, therefore, demonstrate a direct correlation between brain angiotensin II and the severity of ischemic injury in experimental stroke.