During the screening of apolipoprotein (apo) E gene polymorphism with PCR and subsequent restriction analysis, we have identified a female carrier with a mutant allele Arg136 ® Cys. This proband had normal lipid parameters and no history of coronary artery disease (CAD). We did not confirm the previously described connection between apo E Arg136 ® Cys mutation and elevated lipid levels. In the case of this mutation, other factors (environmental and/or genetic) are important for the development of lipid metabolism disorders., J. A. Hubáček, J. Piťha, Z. Škodová, R. Poledne., and Obsahuje bibliografii
a1_In the present paper we describe five tests, 3 of which were designed to be similar to tasks used with rodents. Results obtained from control subjects, patients with selective thermo-coagulation lesions to the medial temporal lobe and results from non-human primates and rodents are discussed. The tests involve memory for spatial locations acquired by moving around in a room, memory for objects subjects interacted with, or memory for objects and their locations. Two of the spatial memory tasks were designed specifically as analogs of the Morris water task and the 8-arm radial-maze tasks used with rats. The Morris water task was modeled by hiding a sensor under the carpet of a room (Invisible Sensor Task). Subjects had to learn its location by using an array of visual cues available in the room. A path integration task was developed in order to study the non-visual acquisition of a cognitive representation of the spatial location of objects. In the non-visual spatial memory task, we blindfolded subjects and led them to a room where they had to find 3 objects and remember their locations. We designed an object location task by placing 4 objects in a room that subjects observed for later recall of their locations. A recognition task, and a novelty detection task were given subsequent to the recall task. An 8-arm radial-maze was recreated by placing stands at equal distance from each other around the room, and asking subjects to visit each stand once, from a central point. A non-spatial working memory task was designed to be the non-spatial equivalent of the radial maze. Search paths recorded on the first trial of the Invisible Sensor Task, when subjects search for the target by trial and error are reported., a2_An analysis of the search paths revealed that patients with lesions to the right or left hippocampus or parahippocampal cortex employed the same type of search strategies as normal controls did, showing similarities and differences to the search behavior recorded in rats. Interestingly, patients with lesions that included the right parahippocampal cortex were impaired relative to patients with lesions to the right hippocampus that spared the parahippocampal cortex, when recall of the sensor was tested after a 30 min delay (Bohbot et al. 1998). No differences were obtained between control subjects and patients with selective thermal lesions to the medial temporal lobe, when tested on the radial-maze, the non-spatial analogue to the radial-maze and the path integration tasks. Differences in methodological procedures, learning strategies and lesion location could account for some of the discrepant results between humans and non-human species. Patients with lesions to the right hippocampus, irrespective of whether the right parahippocampal cortex was spared or damaged, had difficulties remembering the particular configuration and identity of objects in the novelty detection of the object location task. This supports the role of the human right hippocampus for spatial memory, in this case, involving memory for the location of elements in the room; learning known to require the hippocampus in the rat., V.D. Bohbot, R. Jech, E. Růžička, L. Nadel, M. Kalina, K. Štěpánková , J. Bureš., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Pulmonary hypertension resulting from chronic hypoxia is at least partly caused by the increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). The goal of the presented study was to investigate the dynamics and the site of production of ROS during chronic hypoxia. In our study Wistar rats were kept for 1, 4 and 21 days in an isobaric hypoxic chamber (FiO2=0.1), while controls stayed in normoxia. We compared NO production in expired air, plasma and perfusate drained from isolated rat lungs and measured superoxide concentration in the perfusate. We also detected the presence of superoxide products (hydrogen peroxide and peroxynitrite) and the level of ROS-induced damage expressed as the concentration of lipid peroxydation end products. We found that the production and release of ROS and NO during early phase of chronic hypoxia has specific timing and differs in various compartments, suggesting the crucial role of ROS interaction for development of hypoxic pulmonary hypertension., D. Hodyc ... [et al.]., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
Red palm oil (RPO) is a rich natural source of antioxidant vitamins, namely carotenes, tocopherols and tocotrienols. However, it contains approximately 50 % saturated fatty acids the regular consumption of which could negatively modify lipid profile. The aim of our study was to test whether 7 weeks of RPO supplementation (1 g/kg body weight/day) would affect blood glucose and lipid metabolism in adult male Wistar rats with altered thyroid status. We induced hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism in rats by oral administration of either methimazole or mixture of thyroid hormones. Different thyroid status (EU - euthyroid, HY - hypothyroid and HT - hyperthyroid) was characterized by different serum thyroid hormones levels (total and free thyroxine and triiodothyronine), changes in the activity of a marker enzyme of thyroid status - liver mitochondrial glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, and altered absolute and relative heart weights. Fasting blood glucose levels were higher in HT rats in comparison with EU and HY rats, but the changes caused by RPO supplementation were not significant. The achievement of the HY status significantly increased serum levels of total cholesterol, as well as with high-density lipoproteincholesterol and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol: 2.43±0.15, 1.48±0.09, 0.89±0.08 mmol/l, compared to EU: 1.14±0.06, 0.77±0.06, 0.34±0.05 mmol/l and HT: 1.01±0.06, 0.69±0.04, 0.20±0.03 mmol/l, respectively. RPO supplementation did not increase significantly levels of blood lipids but tended to increase glutathione levels in the liver. In conclusion, RPO supplementation did not induce the presumed deterioration of glucose and lipid metabolism in rats with three well-characterized alterations in thyroid status., H. Rauchová, M. Vokurková, S. Pavelka, I. Vaněčková, N. Tribulová, T. Soukup., and Seznam literatury
We tested the effects of epidermal growth factor (EGF) on Na+/H+ exchanger (NHE) activity using urogastrone for treatment of Wistar rats and rat kidney tissue slices. NHE activity was monitored in isolated kidney brush border membrane vesicles by following fluorescence quenching of acridine orange. A significant increase of NHE activity was detected as early as 5 min after addition of urogastrone to rat kidney slices in vitro. In Wistar rats treated with urogastrone we also found increased NHE activity (by about 12 %). Both changes of NHE activity were the result of a significant rise of Vmax value and an apparent decrease in Km value in in vitro experiments. The rise of NHE activity caused by urogastrone was sensitive to the inhibitors of transcription and translation. The presence of phosphatase inhibitor, NaF, elevated NHE activity of non-stimulated as well as of urogastrone-stimulated exchanger, suggesting that phosphorylation plays an important role in Na+/H+ exchange. Osmolarity of the medium seems to regulate NHE activity in such a manner that both hyper- and hypoosmolar conditions inhibited NHE activity. The absence of Ca2+ions produced a 60 % decrease of NHE activity. The chemical modification of histidine residues with diethyl pyrocarbonate or SH groups with N-ethylmaleimide inhibited NHE activity., K. Barišić, O. Karužić, J. Petrik, T. Ž. Grubišić., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Inactive forearm muscle oxygenation has been reported to begin decreasing from the respiratory compensation point (RCP) during ramp leg cycling. From the RCP, hyperventilation occurs with a decrease in arterial CO2 pressure (PaCO2). The aim of this study was to determine which of these two factors, hyperventilation or decrease in PaCO2, is related to a decrease in inactive biceps brachii muscle oxygenation during leg cycling. Each subject (n = 7) performed a 6-min two-step leg cycling. The exercise intensity in the first step (3 min) was halfway between the ventilatory threshold and RCP (170±21 watts), while that in the second step (3 min) was halfway between the RCP and peak oxygen uptake (240±28 watts). The amount of hyperventilation and PaCO2 were calculated from gas parameters. The average cross correlation function in seven subjects between inactive muscle oxygenation and amount of hyperventilation showed a negative peak at the time shift of zero (r = -0.72, p<0.001), while that between inactive muscle oxygenation and calculated PaCO2 showed no peak near the time shift of zero. Thus, we concluded that decrease in oxygenation in inactive arm muscle is closely coupled with increase in the amount of hyperventilation., H. Ogata, T. Arimitsu, R. Matsuura, T. Yunoki, M. Horiuchi, T. Yano., and Obsahuje bibliografii a bibliografické odkazy
We investigated ventilation (V . E) control factors during recovery from light impulse-like exercise (100 watts) with a duration of 20 s. Blood ions and gases were measured at rest and during recovery. V . E, end tidal CO2 pressure (PETCO2) and respiratory exchange ratio (RER) were measured continuously during rest, exercise and recovery periods. Arterial CO2 pressure (PaCO2 pre) was estimated from PETCO2 and tidal volume (VT). RER at 20 s of exercise and until 50 s during recovery was significantly lower than RER at rest. Despite no change in arterialized blood pH level, PaCO2 pre was significantly higher in the last 10 s of exercise and until 70 s during recovery than the resting value. V . E increased during exercise and then decreased during recovery; however, it was elevated and was significantly higher than the resting value until 155 s (p<0.05). There was a significant relationship between V . E and PaCO2 pre during the first 70 s of recovery in each subject. The results suggest that PaCO2 drives V . E during the first 70 s of recovery after light impulse-like exercise. Elevated V . E in the interval from 70 s until 155 s during recovery might be due to neural factors., R. Afroundeh, ... [et al.]., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
The influence of renal nerves on the effects of concurrent NO synthase inhibition (10 mg kg-1 b.w. i.v. L-NAME) and ETA/ETB receptor inhibition (10 mg kg-1 b.w. i.v. bosentan) on renal excretory function and blood pressure in conscious spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) was investigated. L-NAME increased blood pressure, urine flow rate, fractional excretion of sodium, chloride and phosphate in both normotensive Wistar rats and SHR with intact renal nerves (p<0.01). GFR or RBF did not change in any of the groups investigated. The effects of L-NAME on renal excretory function were markedly reduced by bosentan and the values returned to control level in the normotensive rats, while in SHR the values were reduced by bosentan, but they remained significantly elevated as compared to control level (p<0.05). The hypertensive response induced by L-NAME in SHR is partially due to activation of endogenous endothelins, but it does not depend on renal nerves. Chronic bilateral renal denervation abolished the effect of L-NAME on sodium and chloride excretion in normotensive rats, whereas it did not alter this effect in SHR. The participation of endogenous endothelins in changes of renal excretory function following NO synthase inhibition is diminished in SHR as compared to Wistar rats., R. Girchev, P. Markova., and Obsahuje bibliografii a bibliografické odkazy
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a life-threatening disease arising as a frequent complication of diabetes, obesity and hypertension. Since it is typically undetected for long periods, it often progresses to end-stage renal disease. CKD is characterized by the development of progressive glomerulosclerosis, interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy along with a decreased glomerular filtration rate. This is associated with podocyte injury and a progressive rise in proteinuria. As endothelin-1 (ET-1) through the activation of endothelin receptor type A (ETA) promotes renal cell injury, inflammation, and fibrosis which finally lead to proteinuria, it is not surprising that ETA receptors antagonists have been proven to have beneficial renoprotective effects in both experimental and clinical studies in diabetic and non-diabetic CKD. Unfortunately, fluid retention encountered in large clinical trials in diabetic CKD led to the termination of these studies. Therefore, several advances, including the synthesis of new antagonists with enhanced pharmacological activity, the use of lower doses of ET antagonists, the addition of diuretics, plus simply searching for distinct pathological states to be treated, are promising targets for future experimental studies. In support of these approaches, our group demonstrated in adult subtotally nephrectomized Ren-2 transgenic rats that the addition of a diuretic on top of renin-angiotensin and ETA blockade led to a further decrease of proteinuria. This effect was independent of blood pressure which was normalized in all treated groups. Recent data in non-diabetic CKD, therefore, indicate a new potential for ETA antagonists, at least under certain pathological conditions., I. Vaněčková, S. Hojná, M. Kadlecová, Z. Vernerová, L. Kopkan, L. Červenka, J. Zicha., and Seznam literatury
Antiorthostatic hindlimb suspension (unloading) decreased the resting membrane potential (RMP) of skeletal muscle fibers in fast extensor digitorum longus (EDL) and slow soleus (SOL) muscle of the rat by about 10 % within 7 days and more. Inactivation of the membrane Na+,K+-pump by ouabain brought about similar depolarization as unloading. The increased sodium permeability of the membrane was excluded as the major cause of this depolarization by experiments in which TRIS was substituted for Na+ in the medium. On the other hand, the decrease in the electrogenic participation of the Na+,K+-pump is apparently one of the causes of RMP decrease during hypogravity, in EDL muscle in particular., O. Tyapkina ... [et al.]., and Obsahuje seznam literatury