1.To kill a mocking bird flu?
Vincent T K CHOW ; Paul A TAMBYAH ; Kee Tai GOH
Annals of the Academy of Medicine, Singapore 2008;37(6):451-453
2.Preventive effect of tacrolimus on patients with post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography pancreatitis
Harshavardhan RAO B. ; Paul K. VINCENT ; Priya NAIR ; Anoop K. KOSHY ; Rama P. VENU
Clinical Endoscopy 2022;55(5):665-673
Background/Aims:
In patients undergoing endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), calcineurin activates zymogen, which results in pancreatitis. In this study, we aimed to determine the efficacy of tacrolimus, a calcineurin inhibitor, in preventing post-ERCP pancreatitis (PEP).
Methods:
This was a prospective pilot study in which patients who underwent ERCP received tacrolimus (4 mg in two divided doses); this was the Tac group. A contemporaneous cohort of patients was included as a control group. All patients were followed-up for PEP. PEP was characterized by worsening abdominal pain with an acute onset, elevated pancreatic enzymes, and a duration of hospital stay of more than 48 hours. Serum tacrolimus levels were measured immediately before the procedure in the Tac group.
Results:
There were no differences in the baseline characteristics between the Tac group (n=48) and the control group (n=51). Only four out of 48 patients (8.3%) had PEP in the Tac group compared to eight out of 51 patients (15.7%) who had PEP in the control group. The mean trough tacrolimus level in patients who developed PEP was significantly lower (p<0.05).
Conclusions
Oral tacrolimus at a cumulative dose of 4 mg safely prevents PEP. Further randomized controlled studies are warranted to establish the role of tacrolimus in this context.
3.Identification of new genetic risk factors for prostate cancer.
Michelle GUY ; Zsofia KOTE-JARAI ; Graham G GILES ; Ali Amin Al OLAMA ; Sarah K JUGURNAUTH ; Shani MULHOLLAND ; Daniel A LEONGAMORNLERT ; Stephen M EDWARDS ; Jonathan MORRISON ; Helen I FIELD ; Melissa C SOUTHEY ; Gianluca SEVERI ; Jenny L DONOVAN ; Freddie C HAMDY ; David P DEARNALEY ; Kenneth R MUIR ; Charmaine SMITH ; Melisa BAGNATO ; Audrey T ARDERN-JONES ; Amanda L HALL ; Lynne T O'BRIEN ; Beatrice N GEHR-SWAIN ; Rosemary A WILKINSON ; Angela COX ; Sarah LEWIS ; Paul M BROWN ; Sameer G JHAVAR ; Malgorzata TYMRAKIEWICZ ; Artitaya LOPHATANANON ; Sarah L BRYANT ; null ; null ; null ; Alan HORWICH ; Robert A HUDDART ; Vincent S KHOO ; Christopher C PARKER ; Christopher J WOODHOUSE ; Alan THOMPSON ; Tim CHRISTMAS ; Chris OGDEN ; Cyril FISHER ; Charles JAMESON ; Colin S COOPER ; Dallas R ENGLISH ; John L HOPPER ; David E NEAL ; Douglas F EASTON ; Rosalind A EELES
Asian Journal of Andrology 2009;11(1):49-55
There is evidence that a substantial part of genetic predisposition to prostate cancer (PCa) may be due to lower penetrance genes which are found by genome-wide association studies. We have recently conducted such a study and seven new regions of the genome linked to PCa risk have been identified. Three of these loci contain candidate susceptibility genes: MSMB, LMTK2 and KLK2/3. The MSMB and KLK2/3 genes may be useful for PCa screening, and the LMTK2 gene might provide a potential therapeutic target. Together with results from other groups, there are now 23 germline genetic variants which have been reported. These results have the potential to be developed into a genetic test. However, we consider that marketing of tests to the public is premature, as PCa risk can not be evaluated fully at this stage and the appropriate screening protocols need to be developed. Follow-up validation studies, as well as studies to explore the psychological implications of genetic profile testing, will be vital prior to roll out into healthcare.
Genetic Predisposition to Disease
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genetics
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Genetic Testing
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Humans
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Kallikreins
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genetics
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Male
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Membrane Proteins
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genetics
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Prostatic Neoplasms
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diagnosis
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genetics
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Prostatic Secretory Proteins
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genetics
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Protein-Serine-Threonine Kinases
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genetics
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Risk Factors