The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of exposure to
30 daily whole body cryostimulation (WBC) on lipid metabolic
parameters and serum HSP-70 concentration. The study involved
45 volunteers, homogeneous in terms of diet and daily physical
activity. Blood samples were collected before and after the 10th,
the 20th, and the 30th session and one month after the
intervention. Total cholesterol, HDL, TG concentrations and
Apolipoprotein A-I, ApoB and HSP-70 protein levels were
determined in serum. Additionally, the LI (Lipid Index) and the
LDL level were calculated. During exposure, positive changes in
the lipid profile that included a decrease in the TCh, initiated
after the 20th WBC session with a simultaneous decrease in
TG and LDL levels, and an increase in the HDL concentration
were observed. These changes were accompanied by
a downward trend in the ApoB concentration and a decrease in
the ApoB:ApoA-I ratio after 30 sessions. The nature of these
changes persisted for a month after the exposure. The obtained
results indicate metabolic benefits that result from prolonged
exposure to cryogenic temperatures, confirming the postulate of
using WBC in the regulation of lipid metabolism and the
prevention of cardiovascular diseases.
The objective of this work was to compare the effect of selected feed mixtures on the duodenal morphology. One-hundred-four rats of the Wistar strain were divided to thirteen groups per eight rats. The experiment started in 35-day-old rats after birth and lasted for 32 days. The groups (A-M) were fed by commercial diet, 85 % wheat and 15 % oat diet, 85 % wheat and 15 % triticale, 85 % wheat and 15 % barley, 85 % wheat and 15 % amaranth, 85 % wheat and 15 % lantern, 85 % wheat and 15 % buckwheat, 100 % wheat, 100 % white lupine, 100 % flock peas – variety Garden, 100 % native peas – variety Garden, 100 % native peas – variety Zekon or 100 % extruded peas – variety Zekon diet, respectively. Samples from the duodenum were taken. The height of the villi and the depth of the crypts were measured. The tallest villi were measured in group F (474.33±114.36 µm) and the shortest villi were observed in group B (294.08±88.52 µm). The deepest crypts were measured in group K (166.41±35.69 µm) and the shallowest crypts were observed in group E (77.85±17.61 µm). The work documents that gluten-free and classical cereals combination can be a better choice for people who want to limit the gluten content of the diet.
A significant factor in the development of hypertension may be excessive vasoconstriction within the renal medulla. This study therefore investigated the role of superoxide dismutase (SOD) in the regulation of renal medullary and cortical blood perfusion (MBP and CBP, respectively) in both stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP) and normotensive Wistar rats. CBP and MBP were measured before and after intra-renal infusion of the SOD inhibitor, diethyldithio-carbamic acid (DETC). Under basal conditions, mean arterial pressure was significantly greater in SHRSP than Wistar rats, but both MBP and heart rate (HR) were significantly lower in SHRSP relative to Wistar rats (P<0.05, n=7 in both groups). Infusion of DETC (2 mg/kg/min) into the cortico-medullary border area of the kidney significantly decreased MBP in the SHRSPs (by 28±3 %, n=7, P<0.05), indicating a greater vasoconstriction within this vascular bed. However, DETC also significantly decreased MBP in Wistar rats to a similar extent (24±4 %, n=7, P<0.05). These results suggest that superoxide anions play a significant role in reducing renal vascular compliance within the renal medulla in both normotensive and hypertensive animals, although the responses are not greater in the hypertensive relative to the control animals., A. F. Ahmeda, M. G. Rae, L. M. Anweigi, M. F. Al Otaibi, A. A. Al-Masri, E. J. Johns., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with increased concentration of intracellular calcium, which is pathological and may lead to irreversible damage of cell functions and structures. The aim of our study was to investigate the impact of 6 months vitamin D3 supplementation (14 000 IU/week) on free cytosolic calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) and on the plasma membrane calcium ATPase (PMCA) activity of patients with CKD stage 2-3. PMCA activity of patients was also compared to that of healthy volunteers. Vitamin D3 supplementation of CKD patients resulted in the decrease of [Ca2+]i (119.79±5.87 nmol/l vs. 105.36± 3.59 nmol/l, n=14, P<0.001), whereas PMCA activity of CKD patients (38.75±22.89 nmol Pi/mg/h) remained unchanged after vitamin D3 supplementation (40.96±17.74 nmol Pi/mg/h, n=14). PMCA activity of early stage CKD patients before supplementation of vitamin D3, was reduced by 34 % (42.01±20.64 nmol Pi/mg/h) in comparison to healthy volunteers (63.68±20.32 nmol Pi/mg/h, n=28, P<0.001). These results indicate that vitamin D3 supplementation had a lowering effect on [Ca2+]i and negligible effect on PMCA activity in CKD patients., M. Morvová Jr., I. Lajdová, V. Spustová, M. Zvarík, L. Šikurová., and Obsahuje bibliografii
The binding of high-mobility group box-1 (HMGB-1) to the membrane receptor for advanced glycation end-products (mRAGE) is a key early mediator of non-infectious inflammation and its triggers include ischaemia/hypoxia. The effects of acute hypoxia on soluble RAGE (sRAGE) are unknown. Fourteen healthy adults (50 % women; 26.6±3.8 years) were assessed at baseline normoxia (T0), followed by four time-points (T90, 95, 100 and 180 min) over three hours of continuous normobaric hypoxia (NH, 4,450 m equivalent) and again 60 min after return to normoxia (T240). A 5-min exercise step test was performed during NH at T90. Plasma concentrations of HMGB-1, sRAGE VCAM-1, ICAM-1, VEGF IL-8 and IL-13 were measured using venous blood. Arterial and tissue oxygen saturations were measured using pulse oximetry (SpO2) and near-infrared spectroscopy (StO2), respectively. NH led to a significant reduction in SpO2, StO2, sRAGE and VEGF, which was compounded by exercise, before increasing to baseline values with normoxic restoration (T240). NH-exercise led to a paired increase in HMGB-1. sRAGE inversely correlated with HMGB-1 (r=-0.32; p=0.006), heart rate (r=-0.43; p=0.004) but was not linked to SpO2 or StO2. In conclusion, short-term NH leads to a fall in sRAGE and VEGF concentrations with a transient rise post NH-exercise in HMGB-1.
In cardiac surgical patients we investigated the effects of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) with a hollow fiber membrane oxygenator on blood clotting measured by thromboelastography (TEG). We found only a minimal change in the strength of blood clot described either by the TEG parameter MA (maximum amplitude) or by the shear modulus G calculated from MA. After CPB there was also a significant tendency towards hypercoagulation as defined by shortened parameters R, K and increased ?-angle. After comparison with published data obtained in cardiac surgical patients using a bubble oxygenator we conclude that currently used extracorporeal technology exerts a less negative influence on blood clotting than had been conceived previously., M. Horáček, K. Cvachovec., and Obsahuje bibliografii
The effects of condensed tannins (CTs) extracted from five species of plants on egg hatching and larval development of Teladorsagia circumcincta (Stadelmann, 1894) (syn. Ostertagia circumcincta) were evaluated using in vitro bioassays. The extracts of CTs were obtained from Lotus pedunculatus (LP), Lotus corniculatus (LC), Dorycnium pentaphyllum (DP), Dorycnium rectum (DR) and Rumex obtusifolius (RO). The results of egg hatching assay showed that about 53%, 68%, 51%, 60% and 46% of the eggs hatched when in vitro incubations contained 900 mg/ml of CTs from LP, LC, DP, DR and RO, respectively (P< 0.001 relative to control incubation), while in control incubations (no CT added) 87% of the eggs hatched. In the larval development assay, development was allowed to proceed for 7 days, by which time 89% of the hatched larvae in control wells (no CTs) had reached the infective third stage (L3). In incubations containing 200 mg CT from LP, LC, DP, DR and RO/ml, about 8%, 15%, 14%, 8% and 4% of the eggs attained full development to L3 larvae, respectively (P< 0.001 relative to control incubation). Only 1% of the eggs were able to develop to L3 larvae in incubations containing 400 mg CT extracted from LC/ml, whilst in the incubations containing the same concentration of other CTs the eggs were not able to develop to L3 larvae. It seems that CTs are not only slowing down the larval development but also kill the undeveloped larvae. At 400 mg/ml, for example, CT from LP, LC, DP, DR and RO killed 67%, 48%, 68%, 93% and 91% of first-stage (L1) and second-stage (L2) larvae, respectively. This study shows that CTs are able to disrupt the life cycle of nematodes.
The present study investigated the effects of head cooling during endurance cycling on performance and the serotonergic neuroendocrine response to exercise in the heat. Subjects exercised at 75 % VO2max to volitional fatigue on a cycle ergometer at an ambient temperature of 29±1.0 °C, with a relative humidity of approximately 50 %. Head cooling resulted in a 51 % (p<0.01) improvement in exercise time to fatigue and Borg Scale ratings of perceived exertion were significantly lower throughout the exercise period with cooling (p<0.01). There were no indications of peripheral mechanisms of fatigue either with, or without, head cooling, indicating the importance of central mechanisms. Exercise in the heat caused the release of prolactin in response to the rise in rectal temperature. Head cooling largely abolished the prolactin response while having no effect on rectal temperature. Tympanic temperature and sinus skin temperature were reduced by head cooling and remained low throughout the exercise. It is suggested that there is a co-ordinated response to exercise involving thermoregulation, neuroendocrine secretion and behavioural adaptations that may originate in the hypothalamus or associated areas of the brain. Our results are consistent with the effects of head cooling being mediated by both direct cooling of the brain and modified cerebral artery blood flow, but an action of peripheral thermoreceptors cannot be excluded., L. Ansley, G. Marvin, A. Sharma, M. J. Kendall, D. A. Jones, M. W. Bridge., and Obsahuje bibliografii a bibliografické odkazy