C-reactive protein (CRP) is a marker of arterial inflammation while lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) is related to plaque instability. The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation between the risk of unstable plaque presenting as acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and Lp-PLA2, and to assess the influence of statins on interpretation of Lp-PLA2. A total of 362 consecutive patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with acute chest pain suggestive of ACS were evaluated by cardiologists as STEMI, NSTEMI, or unstable angina, and non- ACS. Serum biomarkers measured on admission: troponin I, Creactive protein (Abbott), and Lp-PLA2 (DiaDexus). Four groups were defined according to the final diagnos-; non- ACS/statin+. Lp-PLA2 was highest in ACS/statin- group; statins decreased Lp-PLA2 both in ACS and non-ACS of about 20 %. Lp- PLA2 was higher in ACS patients in comparison with non-ACS patients group without respect to statin therapy (p<0.001). Lp- PLA2 predicted worse outcome (in terms of acute coronary syndrome) effectively in patients up to 62 years; limited prediction was found in older patients. C-reactive protein (CRP) failed to discriminate four groups of patients. Statin therapy and age should be taken into consideration while interpreting Lp-PLA2 concentrations and lower cut-off values should be used for statintreated persons., J. Franeková, J. Kettner, Z. Kubíček, A. Jabor., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Catecholaminergic system plays an important role in hypertension development. The available results on mRNA expression of catecholaminergic system genes in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) are often contradictory. One of the possible causes might be the use of various reference genes as internal controls. In the present study, we searched for suitable reference genes in adrenal medulla or sympathetic ganglia of SHR and Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats, which would enable reliable comparison of mRNA expression between these two strains. The mRNA expression was measured by quantitative real-time PCR in adrenal medulla and superior cervical ganglia of 4-week-old or 24-week-old SHR and WKY rats. We evaluated 12 reference genes by three software tools (Normfinder, BestKeeper, geNorm) and compared them for the standardization of mRNA expression. Combination of reference genes Hprt1 and Ywhaz in adrenal medulla and Gapdh and 18S in sympathetic ganglia were chosen as the best ones. 18S was found as applicable reference gene in both tissues. We found many alterations in expression of catecholaminergic system genes in adrenal medulla and sympathetic ganglia of SHR. The usage of the most or the least stable reference gene as internal control changed results moderately in sympathetic ganglia but seriously in adrenal medulla. For example, tyrosine hydroxylase (Th) gene was underexpressed in adrenal medulla of adult SHR using the appropriate reference gene but unchanged after the standardization to the least stable reference gene. Our results indicate the importance of appropriate internal control. The suitability of reference genes should be checked again in the case of change in experimental conditions., A. Vavřínová, M. Behuliak, J. Zicha., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Adenine-induced model of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a widely used model especially in studies testing novel nephroprotective agents. We investigated the effects of adenineinduced CKD in rats on the activities of some xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes in liver and kidneys, and on some in vivo indicators of drug metabolism (viz pentobarbitone sleeping time, and plasma concentration of theophylline 90 min post administration). CKD was induced by orally feeding adenine (0.25 % w/w) for 35 days. Adenine induced all the characteristics of CKD, which was confirmed by biochemical and histological findings. Glutathione concentration and activities of some enzymes involved in its metabolism were reduced in kidneys and livers of rats with CKD. Renal CYP450 1A1 activity was significantly inhibited by adenine, but other measured isoenzymes (1A2, 3A4 and 2E1) were not significantly affected. Adenine significantly prolonged pentobarbitone-sleeping time and increased plasma theophylline concentration 90 min post administration. Adenine also induced a moderate degree of hepatic damages as indicated histologically and by significant elevations in some plasma enzymes. The results suggest that adenine-induced CKD is associated with significant in vivo inhibitory activities on some drug-metabolizing enzymes, with most of the effect on the kidneys rather than the liver., M. Al Za’abi, A. Shalaby, P. Manoj, B. H. Ali., and Obsahuje bibliografii
For an ordered set W = {w1, w2, . . . , wk} of vertices in a connected graph G and a vertex v of G, the code of v with respect to W is the k-vector cW (v) = (d(v, w1), d(v, w2), . . . , d(v, wk)). The set W is an independent resolving set for G if (1) W is independent in G and (2) distinct vertices have distinct codes with respect to W. The cardinality of a minimum independent resolving set in G is the independent resolving number ir(G). We study the existence of independent resolving sets in graphs, characterize all nontrivial connected graphs G of order n with ir(G) = 1, n − 1, n − 2, and present several realization results. It is shown that for every pair r, k of integers with k ≥ 2 and 0 ≤ r ≤ k, there exists a connected graph G with ir(G) = k such that exactly r vertices belong to every minimum independent resolving set of G.
We show that the index defined via a trace for Fredholm elements in a Banach algebra has the property that an index zero Fredholm element can be decomposed as the sum of an invertible element and an element in the socle. We identify the set of index zero Fredholm elements as an upper semiregularity with the Jacobson property. The Weyl spectrum is then characterized in terms of the index., Jacobus J. Grobler, Heinrich Raubenheimer, Andre Swartz., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
By a ternary structure we mean an ordered pair (X0, T0), where X0 is a finite nonempty set and T0 is a ternary relation on X0. By the underlying graph of a ternary structure (X0, T0) we mean the (undirected) graph G with the properties that X0 is its vertex set and distinct vertices u and v of G are adjacent if and only if {x ∈ X0 ; T0(u, x, v)}∪{x ∈ X0 ; T0(v,x,u)} = {u, v}. A ternary structure (X0, T0) is said to be the B-structure of a connected graph G if X0 is the vertex set of G and the following statement holds for all u, x,y ∈ X0: T0(x, u, y) if and only if u belongs to an induced x − y path in G. It is clear that if a ternary structure (X0, T0) is the B-structure of a connected graph G, then G is the underlying graph of (X0, T0). We will prove that there exists no sentence σ of the first-order logic such that a ternary structure (X0, T0) with a connected underlying graph G is the B-structure of G if and only if (X0, T0) satisfies σ.
The inertia set of a symmetric sign pattern $A$ is the set $i(A)=\lbrace i(B) \mid B=B^T \in Q(A)\rbrace $, where $i(B)$ denotes the inertia of real symmetric matrix $B$, and $Q(A)$ denotes the sign pattern class of $A$. In this paper, a complete characterization on the inertia set of the nonnegative symmetric sign pattern $A$ in which each diagonal entry is zero and all off-diagonal entries are positive is obtained. Further, we also consider the bound for the numbers of nonzero entries in the nonnegative symmetric sign patterns $A$ with zero diagonal that require unique inertia.
A decrease in quality and quantity of sleep has a negative impact on efficiency during wakefulness, which shows particularly in case of people who interact with technological systems, for example system operators, vehicle drivers, etc. Day sleep can positively influence the following vigilance but in the time immediately after the sleep, the psychomotor performance is influenced by sleep inertia whose intensity depends on time and length of sleep.
The aim of the study was to compare day psychomotor performances of people suffering from sleep disorders and a control group of healthy people, and to test the hypothesis that a short, 15 minute long sleep causes more important sleep inertia at 3 p.m. than at 1 p.m.
Sleepiness was objectively evaluated on a group of 35 tested probands, consisting of 29 patients (13 women and 16 men) with given excessive daytime sleepiness accompanying sleep disorder, and of a control group of 6 healthy subjects, with help of Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT) and subjectively with help of Alertness Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Psychomotor performance was examined by Psychomotor Vigilance Task (PVT).
We found out an unimportant difference in the intensity of sleep inertia after a sleep at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. We proved significant prolongation of a reaction time and an increase in number of lapses on the group with pathologically shortened sleep latency in MSLT compared to the group with the normal sleep latency. Our work also shows the difference between the subjective and objective evaluation of sleepiness of subjects. Our results show that the prolonged reaction time and increase in number of lapses of the patient group are significant in all PVT examinations compared to the control group. Further, it is obvious that the PVT test is a more sensitive method for judging psychomotor performance and indirectly for judging sleepiness than the MSLT.
These facts seem to be important especially from the two following reasons:
- They can be a help for recommendation of improved regime for driver relaxation.
- They can help in search for deeper understanding of mechanisms of attention decreases.
This research is a follow-up to the previous research which was dealing with the creation of the simulation of the vocal cords function using FEM. This paper focuses on how the vocal cords function is affected by Bernoulli's effect, while using model [1] is used. It is well known, that Bernoulli's effect is connected with the suction in the air space between the vocal cords. This is caused by the high air flow in glottis. The fastest and easiest way how to eliminate the influence of this effect is the change of every negative air pressure on the vocal cords to zero (i.e. the pressure applied as the loads on the vocal cords). Authors of some vocal cords models presume that Bernoulli's effect is the main force causing vocal cords vibrations. Changing the negative pressures to zero should cause that the vocal cords would not vibrate. However, the results of this research show the opposite. and Obsahuje seznam literatury