medpundit |
||
|
Monday, July 11, 2005The research may have wider implications for a type of lung failure known as acute respiratory distress syndrome, Penninger reported in a communication to the journal Nature. It can occur in cases such as sepsis, aspiration of gastric contents, pneumonia and both avian and human influenza. What those diseases have in common is a type of lung failure. Penninger and colleagues report in Monday's issue of Nature Medicine that, working in mice, they found that angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is a crucial receptor for the SARS virus. The result is disruption of the body's protective renin-angiotensin system, leading to respiratory distress syndrome as fluids seep into the air sacks. The renin-angiotensin system uses enzymes to regulate sodium balance, fluid volume and blood pressure. This is encouraging, because we have drugs to inhibit ACE-2. Background information on the renin-angiotensin system here and here. posted by Sydney on 7/11/2005 08:51:00 AM 0 comments 0 Comments: |
|