[Development of sarcoidosis after successful treatment of Cushing's disease].

Cushing's disease is a rare severe neuroendocrine disorder caused by chronic overproduction of adrenocorticotropic hormone by a pituitary tumor. Supraphysiological concentrations of cortisol in endogenous hypercortisolism have an immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory effect similar to therapy with systemic glucocorticosteroids. This may reduce the activity of the patient's concomitant autoimmune inflammatory diseases. On the other hand, a decrease in cortisol levels during treatment for Cushing's disease may be associated with a reactivation of the immune system that pose a risk of onset or recurrence of an autoimmune disorder. We present our own clinical case demonstrating the development of sarcoidosis after surgical treatment of Cushing's disease.

[Panhypopituitarism as the first manifestation of sarcoidosis: case report].

Sarcoidosis is a systemic inflammatory disease of unknown etiology characterized by the formation of noncaseating granulomas in various organs and tissues and the activation of T-cells at the site of granulomatous inflammation with the release of various chemokines and cytokines [1]. The incidence on average ranges from 10 to 20 per 100,000 population [2]. Most often in patients with sarcoidosis, lesions of the lungs and intrathoracic lymph nodes are detected. Significantly less often (in about 5-20% of patients) damage to the nervous system is noted [6,7,9]. In 9-18% of patients with neurosarcoidosis, involvement of the pituitary gland, pituitary infundibulum and hypothalamus is found, which is manifested by a variety of clinical symptoms [8,10]. We observed a patient with sarcoidosis whose disease debuted with clinical symptoms of hypogonadism, followed by the development of signs of secondary hypothyroidism, adrenal insufficiency, and diabetes insipidus, which was initially regarded as panhypopituitarism against the background of a hypothalamic lesion of unknown origin. Later, additional examination revealed signs of intrathoracic lymphadenopathy and focal changes in the lung parenchyma on CT, as well as skin lesions. Despite the biochemical compensation of hypopituitarism, the clinical efficacy of hormonal therapy with cabergoline, testosterone, hydrocortisone and levothyroxine sodium was insufficient, and the patient's condition improved after the addition of immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory therapy with methotrexate and methylprednisolone.

Reactivity of skin microcirculation as a biomarker of cardiovascular events. Pilot study.

BACKGROUND: The role of microcirculatory disorders is progressively being accepted in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of current study is to assess whether we can consider skin microcirculation disorders as a biomarker of cardiovascular events. METHODS: Group 1 consisted of healthy volunteers (n = 31); group 2 (n = 42) consisted of patients with diseases that increase the risk of cardiovascular events; group 3 (n = 39) included patients with the history of cardiovascular events. Skin microcirculation measurement was performed using laser Doppler flowmetry during the heating test. RESULTS: LDF parameters reflecting the rapid response of microcirculation to heating ("Slope 120 s" and "Slope 180 s") significantly differed in three groups (p <  0.05). A decrease in the "Slope 180 s" parameter less than 0.5 PU/s is associated with cardiovascular events (sensitivity 69.2%, specificity 66.7%; the area under the ROC curve, 0.667; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.545-0.788, p = 0.01). Multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that "Slope 180 s≤0.5 PU/s" was significantly related to cardiovascular events (adjusted odds ratio = 3.9, p = 0.019, CI 95% 1.2-12). CONCLUSIONS: Reduced reactivity of the skin microcirculation may be useful as a biomarker of severe damage to the cardiovascular system and is promising as a risk factor for cardiovascular events.

[Cases of atypical pulmonary diseases under influence of industrial aerosols].

The article includes discharge epicrises of patients working in contact with quartz-containing dust, welding aerosol, cotton dust, irritant gases emitted in wood burning. Description covers cases of lung fibrosis, idiopathic interstitial pneumonia, systemic vasculitis with lungs involvement, sarcoidosis. The authors suggest that further accumulation of materials, further investigations of lung tissue state, epidemiologic studies will help to widen the list of occupational pulmonary diseases.

[Change in the blood cytokine spectrum in patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis].

AIM: To assess cytokine spectrum changes in different types of pulmonary sarcoidosis (PS). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Twenty-seven PS patients without signs of pulmonary fibrosis and 14 patients with sarcoidosis complicated by pulmonary fibrosis were examined. Baseline serum Th1 and Th2 cytokine concentrations were studied. A control group comprised 30 healthy donors. RESULTS: A higher interleukin (IL)-4/IL-2 ratio was found in the peripheral blood of the patients with pulmonary fibrosis-complicated sarcoidosis than in the other patients (326.4 +/- 122.6 and 88.2 +/- 28.6%, respectively; p = 0.002). The sarcoidosis patients with signs of pulmonary fibrosis and no symptoms of disease inflammatory activity had elevated blood IL-1 levels whereas an IL-1 receptor antagonist was decreased. CONCLUSION: In the patients with PS, the development and progression of pulmonary fibrosis occur with a shift in the Th1/Th2 balance towards Th2, which manifests itself as a higher IL-4/IL-2 ratio in the peripheral blood. At the same time, the signs of systemic inflammatory activity remain.

[Sarcoidosis: problems in classification].

In this article the authors discuss the issues related to assessment of activity and severity of sarcoidosis, course and radiographic manifestations of this disease. Problems in defining of different forms of sarcoidosis resulted in suggestion of new version of classification.

[Investigation of lymphocytes activation using a method of coherent phase microscopy].

Investigation of initial stages of T-lymphocytes activation was performed by coherent phase microscopy (CPM) based on the measurements of phase thickness and diameter of the cell and its organelles. Lymphocytes where activated in two ways: by addition of 2 10-6 g/ml phytohemagglutinin (PHA) and with He-Ne laser (lambda = 633 nm, 10-3 W) radiation. It was shown that phase thickness is proportional to refractivity (difference between refractive indices of an object and the surrounding medium) and geometrical thickness. Phase thickness decreased during activation independently of the nature of the stimuli. Phase thickness in healthy donors was 220 + 60 nm; decreased to 110 + 30 nm 1 h after addition of PHA. The same values were achieved 30 min after stimulation with the He-Ne laser. Characteristic changes in phase thickness in the nucleus and nucleolus were observed after lymphocytes were stimulated with the laser.

[Differential diagnosis of diffuse interstitial pulmonary diseases].

Classification, differential diagnosis and treatment of diffuse interstitial pulmonary diseases are considered. Data on their X-ray (computed tomographic) and morphological manifestations are presented along with analysis of efficiency of pathogenetic (anti-inflammatory and antifibrotic) therapy.

[Mini-invasive methods for diagnosis of diffuse interstitial lung disease].

The paper specifies a place of various invasive diagnostic methods in suspected diffuse interstitial lung disease. It considers the problems associated with transbronchial, video-assisted thoracoscopic, and open biopsy of lung tissue and intrathoracic lymph nodes in this pathology and analyzes the informative value and safety of these methods, as well as indications for and contraindications to their use.

[Current trends in pharmacotherapy of prostatic adenoma: role of a new alpha-adrenoblocker kamiren XL in the treatment of this disease].

The aim of our study was assessment of clinical efficacy and safety of a new alpha-adrenoblocker kamiren XL in patients with prostatic adenoma (PA) with or without acute retention of urine (ARU). Seventy PA patients were divided into two groups. Group 1 (n = 35) patients had no ARU. They received kamiren XL in a dose 4 mg/day for 1 month. Group 2 (n = 35) patients received the same doses of kamiren XL in addition to urethral catheterization for 3-7 days. In group 1 efficacy of the pharmacotherapy reached 91.4%. Overall symptoms score fell by 45.2% (from 18.5 +/- 6.9 to 10.2 +/- 5.9), quality of life--by 36.5% (from 3.7 +/- 1.5 to 2.4 +/- 1.4), volume of residual urine diminished by 54.9% (from 35.2 +/- 42.1 to 15.9 +/- 24.4 ml), Qmax rose by 37.7% (from 9.6 +/- 2.7 to 13.3 +/- 4.6 ml/s). Side effects (weakness--11.4%, vertigo--8.6%, sleepiness--5.7%) were registered in 5 (14.3%) patients. The drug produced significant changes neither in systolic, diastolic blood pressure nor heart rate. In group 2 urination resumed in 25 (71.4%) patients. Of them, 45.7% patients considered their voiding satisfactory, control ultrasound investigation detected that their residual urine was less than 50 ml while Qmax was over 5 ml/s. Difficulties in urination were experienced by 25.7% patients who demonstrated residual urine in the range 10-210 ml and Qmax under 5 ml/s. Side effects were seen in 14.3% patients. Thus, alpha-adrenoblocker kamiren XL (doxasozine retard) is a highly effective and safe drug for treatment of PA patients including those with ARU.

[Roentgenological semiotics of sarcoidosis].

The aim of this review was to summarize semiotics of X-ray and CT-observable manifestations of intrathoracic sarcoidosis and clarify the role of conventional X-ray examination and CT (including high resolution CT) in the diagnosis of this disease and its complications. Also analysed are changes in pulmonary parenchyma compared with those detected in morphological studies.

[Ventilatory and gas exchange functions of the lungs in occupational and other pulmonary diseases].

AIM: To study lung ventilation and gas exchange in interstitional and obstructive diseases of dust-induced and non-occupational origin for correction of pulmonary diseases. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Diffuse lung capacity (Erich Jaeger unit) and biomechanical properties of the ventilation system (total plethysmography on the bodyplethysmograph made by Erich Jaeger) were investigated in 132 patients including 87 with occupational dust-induced pulmonary diseases (pneumoconiosis, dust bronchitis, exogenic allergic alveolitis, bronchial asthma) and 45 patients with non-occupational diseases: sarcoidosis (n = 28), exogenic allergic alveolitis (n = 10) and bronchial asthma (n = 7). RESULTS: The changes were of the same type but different severity. Diffuse capacity was subnormal in all the groups, most of all in patients with exogenic allergic alveolitis and sarcoidosis of stage 2-4. In patients with occupational diseases DLCO was reduced, residual volume, total lung capacity were elevated, they had hypoxemia. CONCLUSION: The changes in patients with dust-induced diseases of the lungs may be interpreted primarily as disorders of distribution, imbalance between ventilation and perfusion. Diffusion disorders in patients with alveolitis and sarcoidosis correlated with changes in alveolar-capillary membrane.

Correlation between the results of glucocorticoid therapy and in vitro effect of glucocorticoids on monocytes in asthma.

The effects of glucocorticoids on monocyte morphology and function in vitro and the results of high-dose budesonide therapy in patients with non-severe bronchial asthma were analyzed. Before therapy with inhalation glucocorticosteroid (budesonide) characteristics of blood monocytes and the effects of different concentrations of prednisolone on these cells were studied in vitro by luminol-dependent chemiluminescence and computer-assisted phase-interference microscopy. High sensitivity of patients to budesonide was associated with pronounced in vitro inhibitory effect of prednisolone on monocyte activity, which was not observed in cases with delayed effects of therapy. Pronounced inhibitory effects of glucocorticoids on monocytes in vitro were observed in patients both resistant and highly sensitive to glucocorticoid therapy. Hence, the resistance of patients with non-severe asthma to high-dose budesonide therapy is not related to the weakening of the inhibitory effect of glucocorticoids on monocyte activity.

[Prognostic criteria of efficacy of inhalation glucocorticosteroids in non-severe bronchial asthma]. / Prognosticheskie kriterii éffektivnosti ingaliatsionnykh gliukokortikosteroidov pri netiazheloi bronkhial'noi astme.

The aim of the study was to evaluate efficacy of inhalation glucocorticosteroid (GCS) drugs in patients with persisting bronchial asthma (BA) previously steroid untreated and identify factors influencing the results of GCS therapy. 67 patients with non-severe BA given long-term theophilline with inadequate effect received inhalation GCS drug budesonid which produced a complete clinical effect (group 1), a delayed effect (group 2) or no effect (group 3). The above groups were compared by clinico-anamnestic data, functional respiration parameters, chemiluminescence of mononuclear cells of the peripheral blood measured before therapy with budesonide. The discriminant analysis estimated the minimal set of the initial parameters by which the groups differ. The regression model was used to calculate an individual prognostic index of probable treatment efficacy for each patient. The results of the study agree with the view on BA as a multistage disease in which chronic persisting inflammation provokes progressive remodeling of the respiratory tracts and formation of pathophysiological disorders resistant to glucocorticoids. It is necessary to use inhalation GCS drugs early in persistent BA. They are strictly indicated if BA patients need regular daily intake of short-term beta 2-agonists.

[Evaluation of the efficacy of inhaled glucocorticosteroids in mild bronchial asthma]. / Otsenka éffektivnosti ingaliatsionnykh gliukokortikosteroidov pri netiazheloi bronkhial'noi astme.

AIM: To develop a procedure for evaluating the efficacy of antiinflammatory agents in mild persistent bronchial asthma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 76 patients with mild bronchial asthma were given long acting theophylline. If a complete clinical and functional effect was absent, the inhaled glucocorticosteroid budesonide was added to the therapy. Before and after therapy, the forced expiratory volume per second and forced vital capacity (FVC) were measured many times within 24 hours, by using two procedures: 1) that involving morning and diurnal tests using short acting beta 2-agonists and 2) that without a bronchodilator. The time of onset of the plateau of values of different functional indices obtained during monitoring and their dispersion in the stable state were automatically calculated. The reliability of indices for evaluating the efficiency of antiinflammatory therapy was compared. RESULTS: There were great differences in the patients' response to therapy: a complete clinical and functional effect of therapy with long acting theophylline alone (n = 9) and in combination with budesonide (n = 56). Moreover, therapy-resistant patients (n = 11) were identified. When a complete therapeutic effect was achieved, the clinical symptoms of the disease disappeared before the onset of the plateau of values of the most reliable functional indices. A comparative analysis of the indices has indicated that the ratio of the morning value of FVC measured just after awakening to its best personal value throughout the study was most convenient for the patients and reliable. CONCLUSION: The authors propose to use the index "ratio of the morning value of FVC measured just after awakening to its best personal value the percentage", by calculating the dispersion of this index, which characterizes the steady state of the expiratory respiratory system in order to evaluate the efficiency of antiinflammatory therapy for bronchial asthma and to solve other problems that require functional monitoring.