Fast simultaneous assessment of renal and liver function using polymethine dyes in animal models of chronic and acute organ injury.

Simultaneous assessment of excretory liver and kidney function is still an unmet need in experimental stress models as well as in critical care. The aim of the study was to characterize two polymethine-dyes potentially suitable for this purpose in vivo. Plasma disappearance rate and elimination measurements of simultaneously injected fluorescent dyes DY-780 (hepato-biliary elimination) and DY-654(renal elimination) were conducted using catheter techniques and intravital microscopy in animals subjected to different organ injuries, i.e. polymicrobial sepsis by peritoneal contamination and infection, ischemia-reperfusion-injury and glycerol-induced acute kidney-injury. DY-780 and DY-654 showed organ specific and determined elimination routes in both healthy and diseased animals. They can be measured simultaneously using near-infrared imaging and spectrophotometry. Plasma-disappearance rates of DY-780 and DY-654 are superior to conventional biomarkers in indicating hepatic or kidney dysfunction in different animal models. Greatest impact on liver function was found in animals with polymicrobial sepsis whereas glomerular damage due to glycerol-induced kidney-injury had strongest impact on DY-654 elimination. We therefore conclude that hepatic elimination and renal filtration can be assessed in rodents measuring plasma-disappearance rates of both dyes. Further, assessment of organ dysfunction by polymethine dyes correlates with, but outperforms conventional biomarkers regarding sensitivity and the option of spatial resolution if biophotonic strategies are applied. Polymethine-dye clearance thereby allows sensitive point-of-care assessment of both organ functions simultaneously.

[Temporomandibular disorders: quality assessment of patient information on the world wide web]. / Myoarthropathien des Kausystems: Beurteilung der Qualität von Patienteninformationen im Weltweiten Netz.

AIM: Assessing of the methodological and medical-scientific quality of the German information on temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) provided then the World Wide Web (WWW). METHODS: The investigation was carried out with selected search machines (subject and index catalogues) as well as health portals. The search strategy involved the option "simple search" and the keyword "Kiefergelenk" ("temporomandibular joint"). The methodological quality was assessed using the DISCERN instrument. To assess the medical-scientific quality, a brief questionnaire based on comparisons with the current state of the scientific literature on TMDs was used. RESULTS: Twenty-seven of the 47 identified websites are longer than half a printed page (1/2 p). The methodological quality of all websites ranges between "low" and "moderate"; it is higher for information > 1/2 p. There is no clear relationship between methodological (DISCERN) and medical-scientific quality. For example, only five of seven websites with acceptable medical-scientific quality reach a moderate methodological quality, whereas the remaining two of these publications have a low methodological quality. CONCLUSIONS: There is a discrepancy between quantity and quality of the available information on TMDs. In general, there is a lack of evidence-based high-quality information for patients seeking information related to TMDs in the WWW. The available data suggests that TMD patients are not constantly provided with information regarding to the latest developments in research. Therefore, measures to improve the quality of care of these patients are necessary.