Current knowledge suggests a complex role of C-peptide in human physiology, but its mechanism of action is only partially understood. The effects of C-peptide appear to be variable depending on the target tissue, physiological environment, its combination with other bioactive molecules such as insulin, or depending on its concentration. It is apparent that C-peptide has therapeutic potential for the treatment of vascular and nervous damage caused by type 1 or late type 2 diabetes mellitus. The question remains whether the effect is mediated by the receptor, the existence of which is still uncertain, or whether an alternative non-receptor-mediated mechanism is responsible. The Institute of Endocrinology in Prague has been paying much attention to the issue of C-peptide and its metabolic effect since the 1980s. The RIA methodology of human C-peptide determination was introduced here and transferred to commercial production. By long-term monitoring of C-peptide oGTT-derived indices, the Institute has contributed to elucidating the pathophysiology of glucose tolerance disorders. This review summarizes the current knowledge of C-peptide physiology and highlights the contributions of the Institute of Endocrinology to this issue., Daniela Vejrazkova, Marketa Vankova, Petra Lukasova, Josef Vcelak, Bela Bendlova., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Iodine is essential in the biosynthesis of thyroid hormones that affect metabolic processes in the organism from the prenatal state to the elderly. The immediate indicator of iodine intake is the concentration of iodine in urine, but the indicator of iodine intake in the longer term of several months is thyroglobulin (Tg). Tg negatively correlated with increasing intake of iodine in population that do not suffer from thyroid disease, while a more than adequate to excessive iodine intake leads to an increase in Tg. The dependence of Tg on iodine can be described by a U-shaped curve. Thyroglobulin in serum is elevated in thyroid disease mainly in hyperthyroidism (diagnosis E05 of WHO ICD-10 codes) and in goiter (diagnosis E04 of WHO ICD-10 codes). Tg values decrease below 20 µg/l after effective treatment of patients with thyroid disease. Thyroglobulin may thus be an indicator of thyroid stabilization and the success of the thyroid gland treatment., Radovan Bílek, Marcela Dvořáková, Tereza Grimmichová, Jan Jiskra., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Leptin-melanocortin pathway plays an essential role in the body weight regulation. Enhanced melanocortin signaling in the hypothalamus results in both decreased food intake and increased energy expenditure. The discovery of monogenic obesities with dysfunction of melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) greatly contributed to understanding of energy balance regulation. This review presents phenotypical characterization and prevalence of the MC4R gene mutations. Genome-wide association studies revealed that MC4R gene is significantly related not only to monogenic obesities but also to common obesity. An interaction of variants in the MC4R gene with fat mass and obesity associated (FTO) gene significantly increases the risk for obesity, particularly in adolescence. On the other hand, about 15 % of the MC4R gene variants result in a gain of function that protects against obesity and is associated with favorable metabolic profile. Long-term attempts to activate the MC4R have recently been finalized by a discovery of setmelanotide, a novel specific MC4R agonist that is devoid of untoward cardiovascular side-effects. The employment of specific MC4R agonists may open new horizons not only in the treatment of rare monogenic obesities but also in some common obesities where stimulation of MC4R could be achieved., Vojtěch Hainer, Irena Aldhoon Hainerová, Marie Kunešová, Radka Taxová Braunerová, Hana Zamrazilová, Běla Bendlová., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Midazolam is a short acting sedative with small number of adverse effects. Administered orally, it is currently the most common form of conscious sedation in children. The objective of this paper is to describe effect of midazolam administered to children during dental treatment on their vital signs, and to monitor changes in children’s behavior. We described values of vital signs and behavior in 418 sedations conducted in 272 children between 1-12 years of age. To achieve the following results, we used data from 272 all first-time sedations. After administration of midazolam arterial blood pressure and blood oxygen saturation decreased by values which were not clinically significant. The heart rate increased, with values staying within the limits of physiological range. The speed of onset of midazolam’s clinical effects depends on age and dose. The lower age and dose correlated with the higher behavior score. The effectiveness of midazolam treatment is 97.8 %. Unwillingness of child to receive midazolam is predictor for disruptive behavior during sedation. 1.8 % of all sedation cases showed paradoxical reactions. The administration of midazolam in dose of 0.5 mg per 1 kg of child’s body weight is safe and could be recommended for dental treatment in pediatric dentistry., Jana Vasakova, Jana Duskova, Jitka Lunackova, Klara Drapalova, Lucie Zuzankova, Luboslav Starka, Michaela Duskova, Zdenek Broukal., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is one of the leading causes of death among adults in older age. Understanding mechanisms how organism responds to ischemia is essential for the ischemic patient’s prevention and treatment. Despite the great prevalence and incidence only a small number of studies utilize a metabolomic approach to describe AMI condition. Recent studies have shown the impact of metabolites on epigenetic changes, in these studies plasma metabolites were related to neurological outcome of the patients making metabolomic studies increasingly interesting. The aim of this study was to describe metabolomic response of an organism to ischemic stress through the changes in energetic metabolites and aminoacids in blood plasma in patients overcoming acute myocardial infarction. Blood plasma from patients in the first 12 h after onset of chest pain was collected and compared with volunteers without any history of ischemic diseases via NMR spectroscopy. Lowered plasma levels of pyruvate, alanine, glutamine and neurotransmitter precursors tyrosine and tryptophan were found. Further, we observed increased plasma levels of 3-hydroxybutyrate and acetoacetate in balance with decreased level of lipoproteins fraction, suggesting the ongoing ketonic state of an organism. Discriminatory analysis showed very promising performance where compounds: lipoproteins, alanine, pyruvate, glutamine, tryptophan and 3-hydroxybutyrate were of the highest discriminatory power with feasibility of successful statistical discrimination., Martin Petras, Dagmar Kalenska, Matej Samos, Tomas Bolek, Miroslava Sarlinova, Peter Racay, Erika Halasova, Oliver Štrbák, Jan Stasko, Ludovit Musak, Michaela Skorvanova, Eva Baranovicova., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Extreme or unaccustomed eccentric exercise can cause exerciseinduced muscle damage, characterized by structural changes involving sarcomere, cytoskeletal, and membrane damage, with an increased permeability of sarcolemma for proteins. From a functional point of view, disrupted force transmission, altered calcium homeostasis, disruption of excitation-contraction coupling, as well as metabolic changes bring about loss of strength. Importantly, the trauma also invokes an inflammatory response and clinically presents itself by swelling, decreased range of motion, increased passive tension, soreness, and a transient decrease in insulin sensitivity. While being damaging and influencing heavily the ability to perform repeated bouts of exercise, changes produced by exercise-induced muscle damage seem to play a crucial role in myofibrillar adaptation. Additionally, eccentric exercise yields greater hypertrophy than isometric or concentric contractions and requires less in terms of metabolic energy and cardiovascular stress, making it especially suitable for the elderly and people with chronic diseases. This review focuses on our current knowledge of the mechanisms underlying exerciseinduced muscle damage, their dependence on genetic background, as well as their consequences at the structural, functional, metabolic, and clinical level. A comprehensive understanding of these is a prerequisite for proper inclusion of eccentric training in health promotion, rehabilitation, and performance enhancement., Andraž Stožer, Peter Vodopivc, Lidija Križančić Bombek., and Obsahuje bibliografii
In as early as 1997, the World Health Organization officially recognized obesity as a chronic disease. The current epidemic of obesity and overweightness has aroused great interest in the study of adipose tissue formation. The transcription factor peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) binds to the target gene promoter regulatory sequences, acting as a key factor in regulating the differentiation of preadipocytes in the adipose tissue, and plays an important role in regulating the adipocyte metabolism. A further understanding of the structure and expression characteristics of PPARγ, in addition to its mechanisms of action in adipocyte differentiation, may be applied to control obesity and prevent obesity-related diseases. In this article, recent studies investigating the effect of regulating PPARγ on adipocyte differentiation are reviewed. In particular, the structural characteristics, expression patterns, and molecular mechanisms of PPARγ function in adipocyte differentiation are considered., Hui Wu, Xiaohua Li, Chunyan Shen., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Peripheral insulin resistance is associated with decreasing adiponectin and increasing leptin plasma levels, and also with cognitive decline. The effects of adipokines on brain function have been published from both animal and human studies. In particular, the influence of leptin and adiponectin on the development of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) has been extensively investigated. However, the association between adipsin and AD is as yet unknown. In 37 patients with AD and 65 controls that followed the same study protocol, we tested whether adiponectin, leptin, and adipsin could be used as biomarkers in the early stages of AD. In contrast with conclusions of cognition studies in insulin resistant states, our study found a correlation of impaired neuropsychological performance with increasing adiponectin and decreasing leptin in AD patients. Nevertheless, no significant differences between patients and controls were found. AD women had significantly increased adipsin compared to controls, and there was a positive correlation of adipsin with age and disease duration. Although adipokines do not appear to be suitable biomarkers for early AD diagnosis, they certainly play a role in the pathogenesis of AD. Further studies will be needed to explain the cause of the adipokine “breaking point” that leads to the pathogenesis of overt AD., Markéta Vaňková, Gabriela Vacínová, Josef Včelák, Daniela Vejražková, Petra Lukášová, Robert Rusina, Iva Holmerová, Eva Jarolímová, Hana Vaňková, Běla Bendlová., and Obsahuje bibliografii
The aim of this study was to assess the effects of radiofrequency electromagnetic field (RF EMF) on heart rate variability (HRV) in rabbits with intensity slightly exceeding the limits for occupations. Totally 21 New Zealand white rabbits divided into two groups were used in this double-blind study. The first group of animals without general anesthesia was subjected to HRV examination under exposure to a device generated RF EMF source (frequency 1788 MHz, intensity 160 V/m, lasting 150 min.). The second group (premedications + α chloralose mg/kg) underwent the same protocol under the exposure to the real RF EMF signal from the base stations of mobile providers (frequency range 1805 - 1870 MHz - corresponding to the downlink signal of Slovak mobile providers, 160 V/m, 150 min., respectively). Individual 5-min records were used to analyze the HRV parameters: heart rate and root Mean Square of the Successive Differences (rMSSD) for time domain analysis and spectral powers in the low (LF-VFS) and high frequency (HF-VFS) bands for frequency domain analysis. Our study revealed the increased in HRV parameters (HF-HRV, rMSSD) associated with lower heart rate indicating increased cardiac vagal control under the exposure to RF EMF in experimental methods., Jakub Misek, Marcel Veterník, Ingrid Tonhajzerova, Viera Jakusova, Ladislav Janousek, Jan Jakus., and Obsahuje bibliografii