NYU School of Medicine researchers have discovered that dendritic cells in the liver have a protective role against the toxicity of acetaminophen, the widely used over-the-counter pain reliever and fever reducer for adults and children. The study's findings are published in the September issue of the journal Hepatology.
The liver is the organ that plays a central role in transforming and filtering chemicals from the body. High-doses of acetaminophen can cause hepatotoxicity, chemical driven liver damage. In fact, accidental and intentional acetaminophen overdose are the most frequent causes of acute liver failure (ALF) in the United States. Acetaminophen related liver failure by intentional or accidental overdose causes 56,000 emergency room visits, 2,600 hospital visits and 450 deaths annually. As a result, this year the FDA mandated drug manufacturers to start limiting the amount of acetaminophen in combination drug products and is currently exploring adding safer dosing instructions to children's acetaminophen products.
In the new study, researchers found an abundance of dendritic cells in the liver can protect the organ from acetaminophen damage while low levels of dendritic cells in the liver are associated with exacerbated liver damage, liver cell and tissue death, known as centrilobular hepatic necrosis, and acute liver failure from acetaminophen.
"Our research results confirm a central role for dendritic cells and their powerful regulation of acetaminophen's toxicity," said George Miller, MD, senior author of study and assistant professor, Departments of Surgery and Cell Biology at NYU Langone Medical Center. "High levels of dendritic cells have a novel, critical and innate protective role in acetaminophen hepatotoxicity. We now have greater insight into the liver's tolerance of acetaminophen toxicity and dendritic cell regulation of these toxins."
In the study, researchers used acetaminophen-induced hepatic injured mice models to closely examine the protective role of dendritic cells. Dendritic cells are the main antigens in the liver that trigger an immune response and control the liver's tolerance to high doses of invading toxins like acetaminophen. In the experiment all mice were injected with acetaminophen but some mice models were first depleted of dendritic liver cells using a diphtheria toxin while others had their dendritic cell levels bolstered with Flt3L, a protein in the blood previously shown to increase proliferation of dendritic cell levels.
Researchers discovered dendritic cell depletion exacerbates acetaminophen's damage to the liver. The acetaminophen treated mice with depleted dendritic cells had more extensive liver cell and tissue death compared to other mice. Also, these mice died within 48 hours of acetaminophen challenge- whereas death was rare in other mice without dendritic cell depletion. In addition, the study shows dendritic cell expansion successfully diminished the hepatotoxic effects of acetaminophen protecting the liver from damage.
"Understanding the regulatory role of dendritic cells is an important step in the development of immune-therapy for acetaminophen induced liver injury," said Dr. Miller, a member of the NYU Cancer Institute. "Advanced studies are warranted to investigate further the protective role of dendritic cells in humans and their use as a possible new therapeutic target for liver failure prevention in the future."
**Source: NYU Langone Medical Center / New York University School of Medicine
02 September 2011
01 September 2011
Cafeína y fertilidad
Tomar dosis altas de cafeína puede reducir las posibilidades de un embarazo. Ahora se conocen las causas de esta información. Según un estudio publicado recientemente por el British Journal of Pharmacology, la cafeína disminuye la actividad de los cilios de la trompa de Falopio y su efectividad para impulsar el óvulo desde el ovario al útero.
Este dato ayuda a entender mejor la causa de los denominados embarazos ectópicos. Los consejos de los médicos para posibilitar los embarazos pasa por reducir o eliminar el consumo de café.
Este dato ayuda a entender mejor la causa de los denominados embarazos ectópicos. Los consejos de los médicos para posibilitar los embarazos pasa por reducir o eliminar el consumo de café.
Baja el número de cesáreas en España
España, hasta hace poco, era uno de los países europeos con mayor índice de cesáreas. Pero las cifras están bajando y, segun una nota facilitada por la Asociación "El parto es nuestro", este dato se redujo en un 8% entre los años 007 y 2009. Se pasó del 25´9%( año 2007) al 17´8%( año 2009). Este dato se ha publicado en el volumen Estrategia de Atención al Parto Normal.
Nuevas investigaciones sobre el asma infantil
Más de un millón de niños y adolescentes españoles sufren de asma. Un reciente estudio realizado por un grupo de investigadores de la Universidad de Columbia( Nueva York) EEUU ha descubierto que las diferencias en las tasas de asma entre unos barrios y otros podría estar relacionado con la presencia de cucarachas.
En el polvo de los hogares de barrios con tasas altas de asma había una mayor cantidad del alérgeno producido por las cucarachas.
Según otra investigación realizada en el Centro Alemán de Investigación para la Salud Ambiental de Neuherber, en las casas con humedad y moho también se disparan las tasas de asma.
innuo estrena nuevas oficinas en el World Trade Center
La agencia de comunicación especializada en salud innuo se muda dentro del Edificio World Trade Center de Barcelona donde tiene su sede desde 2005 y se instala en el local 10 de la planta baja del edificio Sur de este complejo de oficinas. La nueva ubicación, de más de 500 metros cuadrados y situada frente al mar, supone una considerable mejora en prestaciones, accesibilidad y recursos tecnológicos.
innuo sigue apostando por el World Trade Center, uno de los centros de negocios más importantes de la ciudad, lo que le asegura el acceso a múltiples servicios y la creación de sinergias a nivel internacional.
Xavier Lorenz, Director General de innuo, destaca que “este cambio forma parte de nuestra estrategia de desarrollo y nos permite disponer de unas condiciones óptimas para el desempeño de nuestro trabajo, disponer de espacios más amplios y versátiles para nuestros equipos y clientes y proporcionarnos la capacidad de seguir creciendo en los próximos años”.
innuo es una agencia de comunicación independiente creada en 2002, con sede en Barcelona y especializada en salud, formada por un amplio equipo multidisciplinar que desarrolla proyectos de comunicación basados en la gestión de la evidencia científica y la aplicación de nuevas tecnologías para marcas y clientes de ámbito nacional e internacional.
innuo sigue apostando por el World Trade Center, uno de los centros de negocios más importantes de la ciudad, lo que le asegura el acceso a múltiples servicios y la creación de sinergias a nivel internacional.
Xavier Lorenz, Director General de innuo, destaca que “este cambio forma parte de nuestra estrategia de desarrollo y nos permite disponer de unas condiciones óptimas para el desempeño de nuestro trabajo, disponer de espacios más amplios y versátiles para nuestros equipos y clientes y proporcionarnos la capacidad de seguir creciendo en los próximos años”.
innuo es una agencia de comunicación independiente creada en 2002, con sede en Barcelona y especializada en salud, formada por un amplio equipo multidisciplinar que desarrolla proyectos de comunicación basados en la gestión de la evidencia científica y la aplicación de nuevas tecnologías para marcas y clientes de ámbito nacional e internacional.
New UK guidance on the initial evaluation of a child with a suspected disorder of sex development
New guidance from the Society for Endocrinology highlights the importance of a multidisciplinary team in diagnosing children with a suspected disorder of sex development (DSD). The guidance is published in the journal Clinical Endocrinology. This is the first time guidance on the best practice for initial evaluation and diagnosis of a DSD has been applied to a UK clinical setting.
Disorder of sex development is an umbrella term applied a wide range of conditions, present from birth, where the development of chromosomal, gonadal and/or anatomical sex differs from expected. A DSD is most often diagnosed at birth (if the appearance of the external genitalia is ambiguous) or at puberty (for example, a boy with pubertal delay, a girl who develops male characteristics or a girl who does not start menstruation). Approximately one in 300 newborns may be born with a concern about the development of the external genitalia. However, the prevalence of complex anomalies where the sex is unclear upon expert examination is more in the region of one in 5000 births.
Managing these clinical situations can be very complex, both for parents and the medical team, especially when the sex of rearing is uncertain. This guidance aims to bring together good clinical practice and standardise the UK approach to diagnosing DSDs in infants and children.
The guidance recommends:
· Infants or adolescents with a suspected DSD should be treated by an experienced multidisciplinary team, accessible through a regional centre. As a minimum, this team should include specialists in endocrinology, surgery and/or urology, clinical psychology, radiology, nursing and, for infants, neonatology.
· One main contact person should be assigned to each family; in most cases, this will be the paediatric endocrinologist. The family should be told of the range of support available to them and provided with contact details for these personnel. They should also be made aware of the stepwise process used to diagnose and manage DSDs, with the ultimate goal of achieving long-term well-being.
· Access to specialist psychological support during and after the diagnostic process is essential for both the affected person and their parents. In addition, any adolescents with an existing DSD who need medical/surgical attention should be routinely offered clinical psychological support. The pace of how information is shared should be set by the family and issues of confidentially discussed and respected.
· The exact tests used to diagnose a DSD will vary between patients. However, as a minimum, the multidisciplinary team should take into account the patient’s external appearance, internal anatomy, genetic make-up and hormone profile. The most important goals of the initial assessment period are to support the affected child and parents, assign a sex of rearing (in infants) and exclude the possibility of any early medical problems.
· Patient groups can provide important psychological support and information to affected individuals and their families. Contact details of relevant support groups should be provided as routine by healthcare professionals upon diagnosis.
· All medical personnel involved in the care of a patient with a DSD should have access to a regional DSD team. The team has a responsibility to educate other healthcare staff (including the family’s primary physician) and should have a regular forum where they meet to discuss the case and review its own performance.
--Prof Faisal Ahmed, Chair of the DSD guidance taskforce, said:
“The aim of this guidance is to support clinical professionals in the initial evaluation and diagnosis of children with suspected disorders of sex development and to provide a framework to standardise clinical practice throughout the UK. It is of paramount importance that a child with a suspected disorder of sex development is assessed by an experienced multidisciplinary team.
“Having a child diagnosed with a disorder of sex development can be a very traumatic time for families. It is essential that they are offered specialist psychological support, both at initial evaluation and later on once diagnosis has been confirmed.”
--About this guidance
This guidance was produced by the Society for Endocrinology in association with the Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome Support Group, the Association for Clinical Biochemistry, the British Society for Paediatric Endocrinology & Diabetes, the British Society for Human Genetics, British Society of Paediatric & Adolescent Gynaecology, the British Society of Paediatric Radiology, Climb CAH Support Group, the Clinical Genetics Society and the Royal College of Nursing.
A UK DSD taskforce was convened to develop guidance on the initial evaluation and diagnosis of patients with a suspected DSD. Taskforce members took responsibility for individual sections and based their findings on observational studies and expert opinion following group discussion. Prior to publication, the guidance was subjected to open external review from the professional societies involved and their members, as well as patient group representatives.
Disorder of sex development is an umbrella term applied a wide range of conditions, present from birth, where the development of chromosomal, gonadal and/or anatomical sex differs from expected. A DSD is most often diagnosed at birth (if the appearance of the external genitalia is ambiguous) or at puberty (for example, a boy with pubertal delay, a girl who develops male characteristics or a girl who does not start menstruation). Approximately one in 300 newborns may be born with a concern about the development of the external genitalia. However, the prevalence of complex anomalies where the sex is unclear upon expert examination is more in the region of one in 5000 births.
Managing these clinical situations can be very complex, both for parents and the medical team, especially when the sex of rearing is uncertain. This guidance aims to bring together good clinical practice and standardise the UK approach to diagnosing DSDs in infants and children.
The guidance recommends:
· Infants or adolescents with a suspected DSD should be treated by an experienced multidisciplinary team, accessible through a regional centre. As a minimum, this team should include specialists in endocrinology, surgery and/or urology, clinical psychology, radiology, nursing and, for infants, neonatology.
· One main contact person should be assigned to each family; in most cases, this will be the paediatric endocrinologist. The family should be told of the range of support available to them and provided with contact details for these personnel. They should also be made aware of the stepwise process used to diagnose and manage DSDs, with the ultimate goal of achieving long-term well-being.
· Access to specialist psychological support during and after the diagnostic process is essential for both the affected person and their parents. In addition, any adolescents with an existing DSD who need medical/surgical attention should be routinely offered clinical psychological support. The pace of how information is shared should be set by the family and issues of confidentially discussed and respected.
· The exact tests used to diagnose a DSD will vary between patients. However, as a minimum, the multidisciplinary team should take into account the patient’s external appearance, internal anatomy, genetic make-up and hormone profile. The most important goals of the initial assessment period are to support the affected child and parents, assign a sex of rearing (in infants) and exclude the possibility of any early medical problems.
· Patient groups can provide important psychological support and information to affected individuals and their families. Contact details of relevant support groups should be provided as routine by healthcare professionals upon diagnosis.
· All medical personnel involved in the care of a patient with a DSD should have access to a regional DSD team. The team has a responsibility to educate other healthcare staff (including the family’s primary physician) and should have a regular forum where they meet to discuss the case and review its own performance.
--Prof Faisal Ahmed, Chair of the DSD guidance taskforce, said:
“The aim of this guidance is to support clinical professionals in the initial evaluation and diagnosis of children with suspected disorders of sex development and to provide a framework to standardise clinical practice throughout the UK. It is of paramount importance that a child with a suspected disorder of sex development is assessed by an experienced multidisciplinary team.
“Having a child diagnosed with a disorder of sex development can be a very traumatic time for families. It is essential that they are offered specialist psychological support, both at initial evaluation and later on once diagnosis has been confirmed.”
--About this guidance
This guidance was produced by the Society for Endocrinology in association with the Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome Support Group, the Association for Clinical Biochemistry, the British Society for Paediatric Endocrinology & Diabetes, the British Society for Human Genetics, British Society of Paediatric & Adolescent Gynaecology, the British Society of Paediatric Radiology, Climb CAH Support Group, the Clinical Genetics Society and the Royal College of Nursing.
A UK DSD taskforce was convened to develop guidance on the initial evaluation and diagnosis of patients with a suspected DSD. Taskforce members took responsibility for individual sections and based their findings on observational studies and expert opinion following group discussion. Prior to publication, the guidance was subjected to open external review from the professional societies involved and their members, as well as patient group representatives.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)