RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Proteolysis and oxidant injury are important mechanisms of injury in thermal burns. The glycoprotein ulinastatin has antiprotease and free radical-scavenging properties and therefore could be useful in the treatment of these injuries. OBJECTIVE: To determine the free radical-scavenging effects of ulinastatin on rats with thermal injury. DESIGN: An experimental study. MATERIALS AND INTERVENTIONS: Sixteen rats with a 70% surface area immersion scald were treated intravenously for 3 hours; immediately after injury, the rats were treated with ulinastatin, 100,000 U/kg, in lactated Ringer's injection. Sixteen control rats were also scalded but were given only lactated Ringer's injection. Sixteen additional sham control rats were immersed in 37 degrees C water and given ulinastatin. MEASUREMENTS: Levels of malondialdehyde, superoxide dismutase, lactate, and pyruvate in skin, along with the water content of the skin, were measured before injury and at intervals thereafter in six rats from each group. RESULTS: The mortality rate was 50% at 72 hours and 90% at 14 days in scalded control rats, but it was 0% at 72 hours and 20% at 14 days in the treated rats (P < .01). Levels of malondialdehyde and superoxide dismutase in the skin and the lactate-pyruvate ratio all remained at the same values (as those before scalding) in treated rats but rose in the skin of scalded control rats (P < .05 for each). The water content of scalded skin gradually increased after injury in all groups, but at 3 hours, the scalded skin in treated rats contained less water than that in scalded control rats (P < .05). CONCLUSION: Ulinastatin may have a therapeutic role in treating thermal injuries.
Asunto(s)
Quemaduras/mortalidad , Glicoproteínas/uso terapéutico , Inhibidores de Tripsina/uso terapéutico , Animales , Agua Corporal/metabolismo , Quemaduras/tratamiento farmacológico , Quemaduras/metabolismo , Lactatos/metabolismo , Malondialdehído/metabolismo , Estrés Oxidativo , Piruvatos/metabolismo , Ácido Pirúvico , Ratas , Ratas Wistar , Piel/química , Superóxido Dismutasa/metabolismoRESUMEN
A 20-year-old woman with a primary angiosarcoma of the right atrium is reported. The patient had a cardiorespiratory arrest due to cardiac tamponade with bloody pericardial effusion. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a tumor, which was corroborated by selective coronary angiography. Open-heart surgery was performed. The tumor relapsed however, and she died four months after operation. The tumor was undetectable by echocardiography, but MRI demonstrated a heterogeneous mass with focal areas of high- and low-signal intensity in the right atrium, suggesting that MRI may allow characterization of cardiac tumors.