Biomedical subjects

J Beier

Publications and source records attributed to J Beier.

57 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

PubMedDate not supplied

Platinum-based, leukocyte-depleting chemotherapy does not alter induced sputum markers of neutrophilic inflammation in COPD patients with unresectable non-small cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: Neutrophilic inflammation is a major feature of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and several novel therapies aim at the suppression of neutrophils in COPD. Due to the abundance and redundancy of mediators involved in neutrophilic inflammation, there is an ongoing controversy about the feasibility of such anti-neutrophilic approaches. Systemic chemotherapy has broad side effects, including neutrophil toxicity. OBJECTIVES: In this observational study, we have measured cellular and neutrophil-related inflammatory markers in induced sputum of COPD patients with unresectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) undergoing platinum-based chemotherapy. METHODS: 15 COPD/NSCLC patients were followed during their first course of chemotherapy with cisplatin (60 mg/m(2) days 1 and 7) and etoposide (100 mg/m(2) days 3, 4, and 5). Sputum induction was performed before, and 3 weeks after chemotherapy. Peripheral blood count, sputum total cells and differentials, and the concentrations of the inflammatory markers interleukin (IL)-8, and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 in sputum supernatant were analyzed. RESULTS: Similar to COPD controls (n = 12), COPD/NSCLC patients had increased levels of absolute and relative sputum neutrophils, IL-8, and MMP-9 at baseline, when compared with healthy controls (n = 14, p < 0.001, all comparisons). After chemotherapy, there was a significant reduction in peripheral blood leukocytes (pre: 10,736 +/- 550, post: 6,536 +/- 1,064 cells/microl, p = 0.002) and log neutrophils (pre: 8.9 +/- 0.09, post: 8.1 +/- 0.2 cells/microl, p = 0.004), whereas log sputum neutrophils (pre: 0.3 +/- 0.37, post: 0.18 +/- 0.3 cells x 10(6)/ml, p = 0.1), IL-8 (pre 15.9 +/- 3.8, post: 17.7 +/- 3.6 ng/ml, p = 0.7), and log MMP-9 (pre: 5.3 +/- 0.57, post: 5.6 +/- 0.7 ng/ml, p = 0.33) remained unchanged. CONCLUSION: A single course of platinum-based chemotherapy markedly decreases peripheral blood neutrophils, but has no effect on inflammatory patterns of induced sputum in COPD patients with unresectable NSCLC.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Stability of glutathione in induced sputum: impact of freezing.

BACKGROUND: Oxidative stress has repeatedly been linked to the pathogenesis of pulmonary disorders like asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Measuring glutathione (GSH) in induced sputum (IS) offers a noninvasive tool to study oxidative stress in airway diseases. OBJECTIVES: This study assessed the stability of GSH in sputum supernatant under varying conditions. METHODS: GSH in IS of 14 (7 healthy, 4 chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, 3 allergic rhinitis) nonsmoking subjects was quantified spectrophotometrically. The stability of GSH in supernatant was analyzed over 24 h under different ambient conditions (room temperature and cooling at 4 degrees C). Reproducibility of GSH measurements in immediately processed and frozen supernatant (+72 h) was expressed by intraclass correlation coefficient (R(i)) and coefficient of repeatability (CR). RESULTS: GSH recovery in supernatant decreased in a time- and temperature-dependent manner. Samples stored at 4 degrees C and room temperature showed a rapid decline of stability after 2 h. Mean GSH concentrations in IS after freezing (-20 degrees C) and thawing after 72 h were not significantly different from GSH values measured immediately after processing of the samples (immediate processing: 17.9 +/- 13.9 microM; 72 h freezing: 16.4 +/- 12.9 microM, p = 0.2). The reproducibility between immediately processed and frozen samples was excellent (R(i) = 0.97; CR = 5.7 microM). CONCLUSIONS: Storage of sputum supernatant at room temperature or 4 degrees C leads to a rapid decline of GSH recovery compared with baseline values. Immediate freezing of samples is a suitable and valid alternative to rapid processing and allows collection and shipment of samples for subsequent analysis.

Freezing↗

PubMedDate not supplied

"They don't leave you on your own:" a qualitative study of the home care of chronically ill children.

Learning to cope with a chronic illness is a process often demanding professional help that extends beyond the time spent in the hospital. Using interviews, this qualitative study describes the subjective experiences of five families with children who are chronically ill and the experiences of the two head nurses at External Care Services (EPD) in Berlin, Germany, an institution focused exclusively on home care for children. The positive experiences expressed by parents reflect the patient-oriented understanding of caring developed by the EPD, which strives for the qualified instruction of families and the building of caring relationships. As a result of the care offered by the EPD, many children are spared the repeated hospitalizations that so hinder the normalization of family life and impede family health.

Berlin↗