T-cell subsets and expression of integrins in peripheral blood of patients with migraine.

Neurogenic inflammation is considered as an animal model of human migraine attacks. Using flow cytometry, we examined T-cell subsets and their integrin expression in the peripheral blood of 32 migraine patients in order to evaluate a possible inflammatory process in humans, as postulated in the migraine animal model. Our results show that migraine patients have a significant increased proportion of T-helper (47.4 +/- 6.3% vs 43.2 +/- 5.8%; p < 0.01) and T-helper memory cells (23.6 +/- 5.9 vs 20.3 +/- 6.5%; p < 0.01). Moreover, the 22 migraine patients without aura also exhibited an increase of LFA-1 expression of T-helper cells (34.7 +/- 11.5%) compared to the 35 controls (27.5 +/- 12.0%; p < 0.01). These preliminary results support the hypothesis that immunological mechanisms (such as an enhanced lymphocyte endothelium interaction) could be part of the migraine pathophysiology in humans.

Red cell sodium-lithium countertransport and blood pressure in children with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

Sodium-lithium countertransport and blood pressure responses, maximal elevated plasma norepinephrine concentrations induced by acute physical work load and the carbohydrate metabolic state were analyzed in 40 children suffering from insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM). Patients were selected according to the duration of the disease to get a horizontal insight into the progression of the diabetes. Sixteen healthy children served as controls. Sodium-lithium countertransport (Na-Li CT) was 281 +/- 64 mumol/l red blood cells (RBC) per hour in the control group. Na-Li CT was elevated in all diabetic groups (newly diagnosed: 455 +/- 48; diabetics for 5-7 years: 495 +/- 48; diabetics for 10-13 years: 470 +/- 36). Plasma norepinephrine concentration increased during physical exercise, the elevation was more pronounced in diabetic children being 13.5 +/- 10.4, 10.1 +/- 5.0 and 12.3 +/- 5.4 nmol/l in the three diabetic groups, respectively, which differed significantly from that of controls (7.94 +/- 2.9; P < 0.01). Systolic blood pressure increased significantly during physical exercise in each group. However, maximal elevated systolic blood pressure was higher in children who had diabetes for more than 10 years than in controls (158 +/- 11 vs. 137 +/- 9.7 mmHg; P < 0.001). Na-Li CT correlated positively with the maximal systolic blood pressure measured during physical exercise in those diabetic children who suffered from diabetes for more than 5 years. High activity of Na-Li CT in combination with elevated blood pressure and high plasma concentration of norepinephrine induced by acute physical exercise may represent a risk of renal/vascular complications in patients suffering from IDDM.