The effect of oral supplementation with glycosaminoglycans (GAG) and radical scavengers (vitamin E/selenium) on the regeneration of osteochondral defects was investigated in rabbits. After introduction of defined osteochondral defects in the knee joint, groups of ten animals were given a GAG/vitamin E/selenium mixture or a placebo (milk sugar) for 6 weeks. Following sacrifice, histological and histochemical analysis was performed. The amount of synovial fluid was increased in the placebo group, while the viscosity of the synovial fluid was significantly enhanced in the GAG group. The amount of sulfated GAG in the osteochondral regenerates (8.8±3.6 % vs. 6.0±5.6 %; p<0.03) was significantly higher in the GAG group. In both groups, the GAG amount in the cartilage of the operated knee was significantly higher than in the non-involved knee (p<0.05). Histological analysis of the regenerates in the GAG group was superior in comparison with the placebo group. For the first time, a biological effect following oral supplementation with GAG was demonstrated in healing of osteochondral defects in vivo. These findings support the known positive clinical results., M. Handl, E. Amler, K. Bräun, J. Holzheu, T. Trč, A. B. Imhoff, A. Lytvynets, E. Filová, H. Kolářová, A. Kotyk, V. Martínek., and Obsahuje bibliografii a bibliografické odkazy
Prague hereditary hypercholesterolemic (PHHC) rat – rat strain crossbred from Wistar rats – is a model of hypercholesterolemia induced by dietary cholesterol. Importantly, no bile salts and/or antithyroid drugs need to be added to the diet together with cholesterol to induce hypercholesterolemia. PHHC rats have only modestly increased cholesterolemia when fed a standard chow and develop hypercholesterolem ia exceeding 5 mmol/l on 2 % cholesterol diet. Most of the cholesterol in hypercholesterolemic PHHC rats is found in VLDL that become enriched with cholesterol (VLDL-C/VLDL-TG ratio > 1.0). Concurrently, both IDL and LDL concentrations rise without any increase in HDL. PHHC rats do not markedly differ from Wistar rats in the activities of enzymes involved in intravascular remodelation of lipoproteins (lipoprotein and hepatic lipases and lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase), LDL catabolism, cholesterol turnover rate and absorption of dietary cholesterol. The feeding rats with cholesterol diet results in development of fatty liver in spite of suppression of cholesterol synthesis. However, even though cholesterolemia in PHHC rats is comparable to human hypercholesterolemia, the PHHC rats do not develop atherosclerosis even after 6 months on 2 % cholesterol diet. Importantly, the crossbreeding experiments documented that hypercholesterolemia of PHHC rats is polygenic. To identify the genes that may be involved in pathogenesis of hypercholesterolemia in this strain, the studies of microarray gene expression in the liver of PHHC rats are currently in progress., J. Kovář ... [et al.]., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
Kryptor system was proven to be a rapid, standard method for pregnancy-associated plasma protein A and proform eosinophilic major basic protein (PAPP-A/proMBP) complex detection in coronary artery disease (CAD). No age and/or gender differences in 51 controls and 110 stable coronary artery disease (SCAD) patients were found. SCAD patients did not differ from controls and no difference in PAPP-A/proMBP levels with regards to the number of affected vessels was found. In 21 unstable angina pectoris (UAP), in 35 without and 66 with ST elevation acute myocardial infarctions (NSTEMI, STEMI respectively) patients PAPP-A/proMBP levels were increased (P=0.004 and P<0.0005, respectively). PAPP-A/proMBP levels did not correlate with cardiac troponin I (cTnI) in STEMI and NSTEMI patients. PAPP-A/ proMBP increase was more frequent than cTnI (P=0.036) within the early phase of STEMI. In NSTEMI patients PAPP-A/proMBP positivity was present in 50 % of cTnI negative cases. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis revealed the highest diagnostic accuracy of PAPP-A/proMBP (0.919) in STEMI cTnI positive cases. The highest specificity/sensitivity PAPP-A/proMBP levels for particular acute coronary syndrome (ACS) types were 10.65-14.75 mIU/l. Combination of PAPP-A/proMBP with cTnI increases their diagnostic efficacy within the early phase of ACS. Our results suggest that PAPP-A/proMBP complex is involved in processes preceding vulnerable plaque development in ACS., P. Hájek, M. Macek, M. Hladíková, B. Houbová, D. Alan, V. Durdil, J. Fiedler, M. Malý, P. Ošťádal, J. Veselka,A. Krebsová., and Obsahuje bibliografii a bibliografické odkazy
Over the last decade, C-reactive protein concentration analyzed by the high sensitivity method (hsCRP) has been proven as a marker of premature atherosclerosis. Concentration exceeding 2 mg/l represents an increased individual risk of myocardial infarction and stroke but strict application of this borderline is complicated by relations of CRP concentrations to other risk factors of cardiovascular diseases. In a large 1 % representative sample of the Czech population, a positive relation of hsCRP to BMI, a waist circumference and triglyceride concentration was documented. Substantial sex differences were found in its relationship to age. Whereas it is continuously increasing in men, this increase appears in women only after menopause. A substantial decrease of body weight and visceral fat volume by increased physical activity is accompanied by significant decrease of hsCRP in young obese women. This decrease was not related to a change of interleukin-6 concentration, although it is supposed to regulate CRP production. CRP concentration is partly under genetic control as a higher concentration in young siblings of probands with proved coronary atherosclerosis was documented. The participation of genes related to lipoprotein metabolism (genes for apolipoprotein CI and apolipoprotein E) influence hsCRP concentrations. We hypothesized that an increased concentration of hsCRP represents a certain marker of proinflammatory status related to central obesity and triglyceride metabolism and it might be related to individual properties of monocytes in atherogenesis., R. Poledne ... [et al.]., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
a1_Proteinase-activated receptor-2 (PAR-2) is a ubiquitous surface molecule participating in many biological processes. It belongs to the family of G protein-coupled receptors activated by the site-specific proteolysis of trypsin and similar proteases. Altered function of PAR-2 has been described in different malignant tumors. In the present study, we investigated the expression of PAR-2 in breast cancer surgical specimens and the role of trypsin in breast cancer cell line MDA MB-231 proliferation and metabolism. A total of 40 surgical samples of infiltrative ductal breast cancer and breast cancer cell line were included in this study. We analyzed PAR-2 expression by immunohistochemistry, RT-PCR and western blot. Activation of PAR-2 on cell line MDA MB-231 was measured using calcium mobilization assay determined by flow cytometry. MTT cell metabolism assay and cell count analysis were used to assess the trypsin influence on breast cancer cell line MDA MB-231 proliferation. Immunohistochemical examination showed the expression of PAR-2 in all samples of breast cancer surgical specimens and high levels of cell lines which was confirmed by RT-PCR and western blot., a2_Calcium mobilization assay corroborated the activation of PAR-2 on cell line MDA MB-231 either by trypsin or by an agonistic peptide. Cell metabolism assay and cell count analysis showed significant differences of proliferative activity of breast cancer cells dependent on the presence or absence of trypsin and serum in the culture medium. PAR-2 is expressed by high levels in infiltrative ductal breast cancer tissue specimens. PAR-2 is also strongly expressed in studied breast cancer cell lines. PAR-2 is activated by trypsin and also by agonistic peptide in the model of breast cancer cell line MDA MB-231. Activation of PAR-2 in vitro influences proliferative and metabolic activity of breast cancer cell line MDA MB-231. The action of trypsin is modified by the presence of serum which is a potential source of protease inhibitors., R. Matěj, P. Manďáková, I. Netíková, P. Poučková, T. Olejár., and Obsahuje biblografii a bibliografické odkazy
Arterial wall stiffness is considered an independent cardiovascular risk factor. Aim of this study was to evaluate relationship between clinical, 24-hour, average day-time and night-time blood pressure (BP) and measures of arterial stiffness assessed by pulse wave velocity (PWV) (using SphygmoCor applanation tonometer) in essential hypertension (severe-resistant (RH, n=29) and moderate hypertension (EH, n=35)) and in normotensive control subjects (n-29) (NCS) matched by age. After multiple regression analysis, PWV remains significantly correlated mainly with night-time pulse pressure and to a lesser extent with age. PWV was significantly higher in RH compared to moderate EH and NCS., J. Rosa, B. Štrauch, O. Petrák, T. Pikus, R. Holaj, T. Zelinka, D. Wichterle, J. Widimský Jr., and Obsahuje bibliografii a bibliografické odkazy
Neonatal exposure to hyperoxia alters lung development in mice. We tested if retinoic acid (RA) treatment is capable to affect lung development after hyperoxic injury and to maintain structural integrity of lung. The gene of vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) is one of the RA-responsive genes. Newborn BALB/c mice were exposed to room air, 40 % or 80 % hyperoxia for 7 days. One half of animals in each group received 500 mg/kg retinoic acid from day 3 to day 7 of the experiment. At the end of experiment we assessed body weight (BW), lung wet weight (LW), the wet-to-dry lung weight ratio (W/D) and the expression of mRNA for VEGF-A and G3PDH genes. On day 7 the hyperoxia-exposed sham-treated mice (group 80) weighed 20 % less than the room air-exposed group, whereas the 80 % hyperoxic group treated with RA weighed only 13 % less than the normoxic group. W/D values in 80 and 80A groups did not differ, although they both differed from the control group and from 40 groups. There was a significant difference between 40 and 40A groups, but the control group was different from 40 group but not from 40A groups. The 80 and 80A groups had mRNA VEGF-A expression lowered to 64 % and 41 % of the control group. RA treatment of normoxic and mild hyperoxic groups increased mRNA VEGF-A expression by about 50 %. We conclude that the retinoic acid treatment of newborn BALB/c mice exposed for 7 days to 80 % hyperoxia reduced the growth retardation in the 80 % hyperoxic group, reduced the W/D ratio in the 40 % but not in the 80 % hyperoxic group. Higher VEGF-A mRNA expression in the 80 % hyperoxic group treated with RA was not significant compared to the 80 % hyperoxic group., M. Zimová-Herknerová, J. Mysliveček, P. Potměšil., and Obsahuje bibliografii a bibliografické odkazy
Chronic heart failure has become a significant health problem. Cardiac surgery has an important role in the treatment of patients with heart failure. There are traditional surgical techniques in cardiac surgery – coronary revascularization, valve surgery, ventricular reconstructive surgery as well as new surgical techniques – cardiac support device (CorCap), mechanical circulatory support and resynchronization therapy. Cardiac surgery has a definitive role in the treatment algorithm for chronic heart failure., J. Pirk., and Obsahuje seznam literatury