Fleming Cottage Hospital

C- reactive protein has been considered one of the most important tools to detect inflammatory reactions. This study intends to identify whether or not hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, recognized through polymerase chain reaction- RNA (PCR-RNA), may incite an inflammatory response by itself, in the absence of other concomitant additional infection or inflammation in hemodialysis patients. All the hemodialysis 28 patients HCV positive in our Unit were included. Those 28 hemodialysis individuals were evaluated and divided in 2 groups: Group I (n = 14): positive HCV individuals with no other Infection- Inflammation detected and Group II (n = 14): positive HCV presenting another well-identified Infection- Inflammation. Results: HCV patients in Group I had adequate C - reactive protein, hematocrit, hemoglobin and transferrin serum levels while Group II- HCV reagent patients with another well-defined Infection- Inflammation associated- had increased C- Reactive Protein and decreased Hematocrit, Hemoglobin and transferrin. Conclusion: Despite the small number of individuals, data suggest that HCV by itself does not incite inflammatory reaction in HD patients, except when another distinct kind of Infection-Inflammation associated was identified. This fact was not previously objectively reported.

Pregnancy, childbirth and lactation pose unique challenges in terms of drug therapy. The pregnant mother and her unborn child are exceptionally vulnerable from a physiological, clinical and ethical standpoint. This warrants careful consideration with respect to a number of important aspects, which could firstly influence the decision to opt for drug therapy, and secondly, could influence the specific agent selected for each indication. The US Food and Drug Administration has introduced changes to the content and format of information presented in prescription drug labelling to assist healthcare providers when assessing benefit versus risk, and in the subsequent counselling of pregnant woman and nursing mothers who need to take medication. This change came into effect at the end of June 2015. This article provides an overview of these important aspects.

BcI-2 is a member of a large multigene family, which includes genes that can inhibit or promote apoptosis. The regulation of apoptosis is achieved by homo- or heterodimerization of their proteins through four highly conserved domains. Bcl-2 protein is a strong cell death suppressor in a wide range of cell types and under a variety of stimuli. Bcl-2 and the other members of this family are differentially expressed in the endocrine glands and disregulation of their expression seems to contribute to the neoplastic transformation in these organs. The significance of bcl-2 and the related proteins for endocrine pathology at the experimental and clinical level is reviewed in this article.