Asthma in patients with the syndrome of undifferentiated dysplasia of connective tissue: peculiarities of the course or mutually aggravating mechanisms?

OBJECTIVE: Aim: To analyse laboratory and biochemical features of the severe persistent course of asthma in patients with undifferentiated connective tissue dysplasia (UCTD) syndrome, and their phenotypic and visceral stigmas of dysembryogenesis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Materials and Methods: We enrolled 60 male patients with asthma, aged from 23 to 62 years (mean age (46.83 ±0.85) years): 30 patients with the background of UCTD, and 30 - without UCTD. We analysed clinical, somatometric, surveying (original questionnaire based on the phenotypic map of Glesby), instrumental (spirography, echocardiography, endoscopy, esophagofibrogastroduodenoscopy) and laboratory (including eosinophilic granulocytes and aldosterone levels) data. RESULTS: Results: Correlations were found in men with UCTD between the number of UCTD markers and rate of earlobe diagonal fold (r=+0.75; р<0.05), asthenic constitution (r=+0.72; р<0.05), easy bruising (r=+0.7; p<0.05) and straight abdominal line hernia (r=+0.52; p<0.05). Average aldosterone serum level in patients with UCTD (176,10 ±11,22) was significantly higher than in those without UCTD (142,77 ±9,43), (p<0.05), as well as average eosinophils levels (1.3 ±0.25 vs. 0.57 ±0.12, p<0.05). In the absolute majority of patients with UCTD (93.3%) asthma onset was confirmed after pneumonia, and their age of asthma manifestation was significantly higher (37.2 ±1.21) than in patients without UCTD (21.4 ±1.13). Also, in patients with UCTD there was a high number of severe exacerbations during the last year (2.7 ±0.12 per year) on the background of high doses of combined inhaled glucocorticosteroids use. CONCLUSION: Conclusions: Identified "phenotypic profile", clinical and biochemical features of patients with asthma on the background of UCTD syndrome, which determine the severe course and early formation of asthma complications, will further accelerate the diagnosis of this asthma phenotype and improve approaches to the selection of treatment regimens for these patients.

Multiple myeloma: challenges of differential diagnosis (clinical case).

The objective of our study was to interpret and discuss atypical multiple myeloma case. The article describes the case of clinical observation of a patient K, in which manifestations of chronic kidney disease and circulatory failure prevailed in clinical picture of the disease. The authors recommended an X-ray examination of skull and pelvic bones as a screening method suitable for elderly people with symptoms of chronic renal insufficiency and chronic bone and muscle pain resistant to treatment.

The relationship between homocysteine level and vitamins B12, B9 and B6 status in patients with chronic kidney disease.

OBJECTIVE: Introduction: According to present knowledge, hyperhomocysteinemia is one of the risk factors of cardio-vascular pathology. Patients with chronic kidney disease are known to develop hyperhomocysteinemia more often than those in general population. Іmportant cause of hyperhomocysteinemia is the deficiency of vitamins В6, В9 and В12 that are involved in homocysteine metabolism. Vitamins deficiency, we believe, can be one of the causes of hyperhomocysteinemia in the patients with chronic renal failure. The aim: To analyze the plasma homocysteine level in patients with chronic kidney disease and its assosiation with the levels of vitamins B6, B9, B12 in Ukraine. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Materials and methods: The study involved 148 persons with different stagesis of chronic kidney disease who underwent immunoenzyme determination of total plasma homocysteine, B9, cobalamin and vitamin В6 status. RESULTS: Results: It was found that in ukrainian patient population with chronic kidney disease 58.7% of patients have hyperhomocysteinemia. Homocysteine level was shown to increase with the increase of chronic kidney disease stage. Supply of vitamins В6, В9 та В12 in the patients with chronic kidney disease was lower than in apparently healthy persons, but there was significant decrease of folic acid level proportionally to the increase of chronic kidney disease stage. There was close relationship between homocysteine level and folic acid status in the patients with chronic kidney disease, but it appeared to be independent on cobalamin and pyridoxin status. CONCLUSION: Conclusions: The obtained data are promising for finding effective means of correction of hyperhomocysteinemia in patients with chronic kidney disease by normalizing the vitamin status of such patients.