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Biomedical subjects

S Kivity

Publications and source records attributed to S Kivity.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1998

The use of a neural network for studying the relationship between air pollution and asthma-related emergency room visits.

To establish the relationship between air pollution levels and bronchial asthma-associated emergency room (ER) visits, we adapted artificial network technology to conduct this study which focused on three different pollutants, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and ozone. The study population was comprised of adults presenting to the emergency room of a large metropolitan hospital in Israel during a 3-month period with acute exacerbation of bronchial asthma and who had a past history of intermittent airway disease compatible with bronchial asthma. The range of mean daily pollutants levels for the whole period were: O3 = 15-26 micrograms m-3, NOx = 36-108 micrograms m-3, NO = 16-70 micrograms m-3, and SO2 = 11-32 micrograms m-3. The data sets were composed of input air pollution levels and output ER visits. The first 126 data sets used for the training phase showed that maximal ER visits were mainly associated with the highest cumulative values of air pollution and mostly with nitrogen oxide. In phase two, an attempt was made to predict ER visits based on air pollution level in 49 data sets. The study findings demonstrated that ordinary network technology can be used for learning the effect of air pollution ER visits and, although limited in accuracy, to also predict future ER visits.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Reversible cortical atrophy and cognitive decline induced by valproic acid.

An 18-year-old male suffered from familial progressive myoclonic epilepsy from the age of 7 years. In addition to seizures, there was a marked decline in school performance. At the age of 14 years, sodium valproate was started as add-on therapy; 2 weeks later he was hospitalized in a stuporous state. The serum level of valproate was within the therapeutic range. Cognitive evaluation disclosed moderate mental retardation. No metabolic abnormalities were detected. Valproate was discontinued and during the 4 following months, a slow but significant improvement was documented in cognitive functions. Repeated assessment was within the range of mild mental retardation. Initially, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed mild cortical atrophy. A subsequent MRI study performed 2 years later was normal.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

The in vivo effect of isocyanate-induced asthma on basophil histamine release.

In vitro studies have suggested that basophils are involved in the asthmatic response to isocyanate. Classified by the type of airway response, three groups of patients exposed to isocyanate were studied: 1) nonreactive (n=3), 2) immediate responders (n=4), and 3) late responders (n=4). Basophil histamine release to concanavalin A (conA), FMLP, and anti-IgE was evaluated before and during the airway response. Histamine release significantly (P=0.009 for conA and 0.03 for anti-IgE) increased after exposure to isocyanate only in the group which had late bronchial response. Additionally, good correlation was found between baseline FEV1/FVC% and degree of histamine release of basophils stimulated with conA. These findings support a role for basophils in the late asthmatic response to isocyanate.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Predictive value of response to treatment of T-lymphocyte subpopulations in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

T-cell types are important in maintaining immune homeostasis in the lung and their imbalance may be associated with several diseases. We examined the relationship between bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) T-cell subset profiles and the clinical course of 46 patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). A flow cytometry cell sorter (FACS) was used to analyse the T-cell subsets. Pulmonary function tests (PFT) were performed at baseline and 6-12 months later. Patients were divided into two groups according to their CD4/CD8 ratio: CD4/CD8 >1 (group 1, n=21); and CD4/CD8 <1 (group 2, n=25). A lower percentage of lymphocytes, a higher percentage of CD8/S6F1 cells (cytotoxic T-lymphocytes) and a higher percentage of neutrophils were found in the BAL in group 2 compared to group 1 (11+/-7.5% versus 19+/-13.2%; p=0.024 and 29.8+/-17.6% versus 13.3+/-6.9%; p=0.068, respectively for lymphocytes and cytotoxic T-lymphocytes; and 8+/-11% versus 29+/-27%; p=0.003 for neutrophils). Inversely, in the peripheral blood, the distribution of CD8/S6F1 cells was lower in group 1 than in group 2 (8.3+/-6.9% versus 33.4+/-16.5%; p=0.0048). The patients were followed over a period of 1 yr in order to test whether those findings could determine efficacy of therapy. The baseline transfer factor of the lung for carbon monoxide (TL,CO) capacity in group 1 and group 2 was 59+/-22% and 51+/-21%, respectively (p=0.29), but only in group 1 was the TL,CO capacity improved significantly in response to steroids treatment after 6-12 months. IPF patients with a higher percentage of lymphocytes, a lower percentage of neutrophils, CD4/CD8 >1 and a low percentage of CD8/S6F1 may have a more benign course of disease. These parameters may identify an early stage of reversible disease responsive to therapy. We conclude that these measurements may be a useful tool in monitoring response to treatment in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid↗
PubMed1997

The effect of naloxone on basophil histamine release from dialyzed patients.

OBJECTIVE AND DESIGN: Naloxone had been shown to be effective in relieving pruritus of dialyzed patients. In order to determine the mechanism by which this is accomplished, we studied its effect on histamine release from white blood cells taken from this group. SUBJECTS: We compared 12 dialyzed patients (before and after dialysis) and 12 healthy controls. METHODS: The effect of naloxone (5 x 10(-3) M) on histamine release from the subjects' white blood cells was measured following anti-IgE + IL3 and TPA administration. RESULTS: The white blood cells of dialyzed patients had a high degree of histamine release compared to the healthy controls. Neither dialysis nor the patient's plasma affected this release. Naloxone markedly inhibited histamine release from white blood cells when stimulated with anti-IgE + IL3 or with TPA. CONCLUSIONS: We concluded that naloxone may have a beneficial effect in treating dialyzed patients suffering from pruritus, probably by inhibiting histamine release.

Antibodies↗
PubMed1997

Early-onset benign occipital seizure susceptibility syndrome.

PURPOSE: Childhood epilepsy with occipital paroxysms (CEOP) is characterised by ictal visual hallucinations and occipital epileptiform activity on interictal EEG. A variant has been described with nonvisual symptoms including tonic head and eye deviation, vomiting, and episodes of partial status epilepticus. We fully documented the electroclinical features of such patients to determine whether classification separate from CEOP is justified. METHODS: This was a multicentre study with participating investigators submitting details of patients with idiopathic occipital seizures characterised by ictal head or eye deviation and vomiting. RESULTS: One hundred thirteen patients were recruited. Seizures began in early childhood (mean, 4.6 years) and occurred infrequently (mean total seizures, 3); 30% of patients had only a single seizure. Two thirds of seizures were nocturnal. Ictal eye deviation occurred in 79%, vomiting in 70%, and head deviation in 35%. Seizures were predominantly complex partial in type. Partial status epilepticus occurred in 44% of patients. Seventy-four percent of patients had occipital interictal EEG epileptiform activity, predominantly right sided, with fixation-off sensitivity. Extraoccipital EEG abnormalities occurred in 35% of patients. Prognosis was excellent: the mean duration of active seizures was 1 year. CONCLUSIONS: Although the two groups shared identical EEG features, the distinct clinical symptoms probably justify separate classification. Early-onset benign occipital seizure syndrome (EBOSS) is suggested as an appropriate name for the variant group.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

The in vitro and in vivo effect of corticosteroids on basophil releasability in patients with mild and severe bronchial asthma.

BACKGROUND: While inhalation of corticosteroids (CST) is considered very effective in most asthmatic patients, some require a high dose of oral prednisone to control the disease. Basophils, which participate in inflammation, are responsive to corticosteroids by suppressing histamine release. OBJECTIVES: We investigated the in vivo (oral prednisone) and in vitro (dexamethasone, DEX) effect on basophil histamine release in mild and steroid-dependent asthmatics. METHODS: Histamine release from basophils to anti-IgE and anti-IgE + IL3 was evaluated following five days of prednisone given 20 mg twice daily in eight subjects with mild disease and 2 h following their daily prednisone ingestion in eight subjects with severe disease, as well as after in vitro DEX was added to the cells. RESULTS: Histamine release from basophils was seen following anti-IgE as well as anti-IgE + IL-3. The same amount of release was seen in the mild and severe asthmatics. In vivo prednisone suppressed histamine release to both stimuli and DEX added to the suppression in the mild asthmatics. In the severe ones, DEX showed no inhibitory effect on histamine release. CONCLUSION: Oral and in-vitro CST suppressed histamine release from basophils of mild but not severe CST-dependent asthmatics. Suppression of basophil releasability can be a reflection of asthma severity.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1996

Randomised crossover trial of naltrexone in uraemic pruritus.

BACKGROUND: Most dialysis patients develop pruritus, for which current treatment is unsatisfactory. Endogenous opioids may be involved in this pruritus. We studied the effect of the opioid antagonist naltrexone on the pruritus of haemodialysis patients. METHODS: Naltrexone 50 mg per day by mouth was given to 15 haemodialysis patients with severe resistant pruritus in a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial. The naltrexone or placebo periods lasted 7 days each with a 7-day washout between the two periods. Pruritus was assessed by the patients on a visual analogue scale from 0 (no pruritus) to 10 (maximum), and mean daily scores were calculated. Plasma histamine and beta-endorphin levels were measured, and spontaneous and stimulated basophil histamine-release were determined. FINDINGS: The median pruritus scores at the end of the naltrexone treatment were 2.1 (interquartile range 1.5-2.15) for the naltrexone-placebo sequence and 1.0 (0.4-1.15) for the placebo-naltrexone sequence. The respective values before naltrexone was given were 9.9 (9.85-9.95) and 9.9 (9.3-10.0). Plasma beta-endorphin levels were normal and remained unchanged during the study. Plasma histamine levels were high (mean 2.32 [SD 0.11] ng/mL, normal < 1.0) and decreased after naltrexone (to 1.8 [0.09], p < 0.01). Basophils from haemodialysis patients stimulated by interleukin-3 plus IgE antibodies released high amounts of histamine. The increase was 78.3 (19.3)% compared with 26.6 (16.3)% for five normal controls (p < 0.01). Incubation of the basophils with naloxone, another opioid antagonist, prevented this effect. INTERPRETATION: Our data suggest short-term efficacy with few side-effects for the amelioration of uraemic pruritus with naltrexone.

Cross-Over Studies↗
PubMed1996

Effect of IL-6 on alveolar fibroblast proliferation in interstitial lung diseases.

Alveolar macrophage-fibroblast interaction may be involved in the pathogenesis of interstitial lung diseases (ILD). Herein, we compared IL-6 secretion from alveolar macrophages (AM) and alveolar fibroblasts (AFb) recovered from patients with sarcoidosis (SA) and with diffuse interstitial fibrosis (DIF). Moreover, we evaluated the effect of IL-6 on the in vitro AFb proliferation in both diseases. AM and AFb from SA patients showed increased spontaneous secretion of IL-6 compared with cells from DIF subjects. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFalpha) and interleukin-1 (IL-1) enhanced IL-6 secretion and IL-6 mRNA transcription in AFb of SA patients. Addition of anti-IL-6 MoAbs increased AFb proliferation capacity in SA, but suppressed it in DIF. These results show that only SA AM and AFb secrete high levels of IL-6 which have suppressive effect on AFb proliferation. This may indicate a potential role of IL-6 in the fibrogenesis of ILD.

Cell Division↗
PubMed1996

Effect of nedocromil sodium and cromoline sodium on atopic basophil function.

Nedocromil sodium (NS) is a new drug for the treatment of bronchial asthma. In the present study, we examined the effect of NS on basophil histamine release stimulated by anti-IgE, anti-IgE+IL-3 (interleukin-3) or ryegrass. The effect of cromoline Na (CrS) on histamine release from basophils to the same stimuli was compared. NS did not affect histamine release from basophils following anti-IgE alone or together with IL-3, but augmented the release following ryegrass. CrS did not affect histamine release after the same three stimuli. We concluded that NS and CrS do not affect bronchial asthma through direct inhibition of histamine release from basophils. Their action may be via an indirect effect on histamine-releasing factor.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

A comparison of the inhibitory effect of cromoline and nedocromil Na on histamine release from airway metachromatic cells and from peripheral basophils.

Metachromatic cells are increased in the airways of asthmatic patients. We obtained metachromatic cells from asthmatic airways using an induced sputum technique. The histamine release following ConA, anti-IgE and anti-IgE + IL3 from those cells were evaluated before and following the addition of cromoline Na and nedocromil Na. Metachromatic cells had a higher rate of spontaneous histamine release when compared to peripheral basophils. Cromoline Na and nedocromil Na inhibited histamine release from triggered metachromatic cells but not from peripheral basophils. It is concluded that airway metachromatic cells from asthmatics behave differently than peripheral basophils.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

The importance of the pecan tree pollen in allergic manifestations.

BACKGROUND: Pecan tree pollen is considered to be highly allergenic. However, no specific scientific data about its role in causing allergic diseases are available. OBJECTIVE: To study the role of pecan tree pollen in the development of allergy. METHODS: The presence of pecan tree pollen was determined by weekly and monthly counting of airborne grains. The incidence of pecan tree pollen atopy and clinical manifestations were studied in 395 participants, aged 4-70 years, who comprised 78.2% of the whole eligible population of a rural community. The participants were skin tested for different extracts of allergens, completed detailed questionnaires, and their medical files were evaluated. RESULTS: During May, pecan tree pollen grains comprised 70% of the total airborne grains. A positive skin-prick test (SPT) to pecan was shown by 46 (11.6%) participants, constituting 25.4% of the atopic population. Of those who were found atopic to one or more allergens 50.3% had symptoms, whereas the parallel figure for those atopic to pecan pollen was 76.1% (P < 0.005); 58.7% of the pecan atopic participants had hay fever, 43.5% had asthma, and 31.5% had both hay fever and asthma. Among pecan atopic participants the incidence of hay fever increased with age (P = 0.05), while the incidence of bronchial asthma, as a sole manifestation of allergy, decreased in the > 17-year-old age group (P < 0.01). Of the pecan atopics 65.2% had clinical symptoms coinciding only with the pecan pollen season and an additional 10.9% had perennial symptoms. CONCLUSION: Pecan tree releases highly allergenic pollen grains, which are correlated to the incidence of hay fever in the exposed population. The contribution of pecan tree pollen to the symptoms was highly significant after discounting olive and cypress trees that also pollinate in the spring. In children, the pecan tree constitutes a possible etiologic agent for the development of asthma.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Changes in sensitivity to methacholine after inhalation with distilled water: the role of the bronchoconstrictive response.

The inhalation of distilled water can induce bronchoconstriction and a transient increase in sensitivity to methacholine in asthmatics. The purpose of this study was to determine the role of the induced bronchoconstriction in the increased sensitivity to methacholine which follows the challenge with distilled water. Eighteen asthmatic children (age 9-17 yrs) were challenged by inhalation of distilled water. Bronchial responsiveness, the provocative concentration of methacholine producing a 20% decrease in forced expiratory volume in one second (PC20), was determined before inhalation of distilled water, and 1.5 and 24 h thereafter. Following inhalation of distilled water, eight patients (Group I) had a greater than 15% decrease in FEV1 (mean 23%); whereas, in the remaining 10 (Group II) the decrease was less than 7% (mean 1%). PC20 to methacholine, geometric mean and 95% confidence interval (CI), decreased transiently only at 1.5 h following inhalation of distilled water. The decrease was from 0.78 mg.ml-1 (95% CI 0.11-5.54 mg.ml-1) at baseline to 0.25 mg.ml-1 (95% CI 0.03-2.14 mg.ml-1) after challenge in Group I; and from 2.67 mg.ml-1 (95% CI 0.35-20.34 mg.ml-1) at baseline to 0.72 mg.ml-1 (95% CI 0.18-14.87 mg.ml-1) after challenge in Group II. The transient increase in sensitivity to methacholine observed following inhalation of distilled water occurred independently of the bronchoconstrictive response. This finding may have important clinical implications when hypo-osmolar solutions are used for delivery of drugs.

Adolescent↗