Inhalational anesthetic-induced preconditioning (APC) has been shown to reduce infarct size and attenuate contractile dysfunction caused by myocardial ischemia. Only a few studies have reported the effects of APC on arrhythmias during myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury, focusing exclusively on reperfusion. Accordingly, the ai m of the present study was to examine the influence of APC on ventricular arrhythmias evoked by regional no-flow ischemia. APC was induced in adult male Wistar rats by 12-min exposures to two different concentrations (0.5 and 1.0 MAC) of isoflurane followed by 30-min wash-out periods. Ventricular arrhythmias were assessed in the isolated perfused hearts during a 45- min regional ischemia and a subsequent 15-min reperfusion. Myocardial infarct size was determined after an additional 45 min of reperfusion. The incidence, severity and duration of ventricular arrhythmias during ischemia were markedly reduced by APC. The higher concentration of isoflurane had a larger effect on the incidence of ventricular fibrillation than the lower concentration. The incidence of ventricular tachycardia and reversible ventricular fibrillation during reperfusion was also significantly reduced by APC; the same was true for myocardial infarct size. In conclusion, we have shown that preconditioning with isoflurane confers profound protection against myocardial is chemia- and reperfusion-induced arrhythmias and lethal myocardial injury., H. Říha ... [et al.]., and Obsahuje bibliografii a bibliografické odkazy
We examined the protective effect of radon inhalation on streptozotocin (STZ)-induced type-1 diabetes in mice. Mice inhaled radon at concentrations of 1000, 2500, and 5500 Bq/m3 for 24 hours before STZ administration. STZ administration induced characteristics of type-1 diabetes such as hyperglycemia and hypoinsulinemia; however, radon inhalation at doses of 1000 and 5500 Bq/m3 significantly suppressed the elevation of blood glucose in diabetic mice. Serum insulin was significantly higher in mice pre-treated with radon at a dose of 1000 Bq/m3 than in mice treated with a sham. In addition, superoxide dismutase activities and total glutathione contents were significantly higher and lipid peroxide was significantly lower in mice pre-treated with radon at doses of 1000 and 5500 Bq/m3 than in mice treated with a sham. These results were consistent with the result that radon inhalation at 1000 and 5500 Bq/m3 suppressed hyperglycemia. These findings suggested that radon inhalation suppressed STZ-induced type-1 diabetes through the enhancement of antioxidative functions in the pancreas., Y. Nishiyama, ... [et al.]., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
Self-organization in a polymer system appears when a balance is achieved between long-range repulsive and short-range attractive forces between the chemically different building blocks. Block copolymers forming supramolecular assemblies in aqueous media represent materials which are extremely useful for the construction of drug delivery systems especially for cancer applications. Such formulations suppress unwanted physicochemical properties of the encapsulated drugs, modify biodistribution of the drugs towards targeted delivery into tissue of interest and allow triggered release of the active cargo. In this review, we focus on general principles of polymer selforganization in solution, phase separation in polymer systems (driven by external stimuli, especially by changes in temperature, pH, solvent change and light) and on effects of copolymer architecture on the self-assembly process., M. Hrubý, S. K. Filippov, P. Štěpánek., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Nazerané z pohľadu svojich adresátov, ustanovujú extra inštitucionálne normatívne akty entít s medzinárodnoprávnym základom jednotné pravidlá určené k vnútroštátnej implementácii, ktoré sa vzťahujú na operátorov poskytujúcich určité služby s cezhraničným presahom, ktorý sú v postavení agentúr štátu, alebo ktorých činnosť je prinajmenšom štátom autorizovaná a štát na ňu dohliada.Medzinárodnoprávny akt môže túto hranicu záväznosti posunúť a adresátmi sekundárnych aktov sa môžu stať explicitne tiež jednotlivci. Iba výnimočne však nachádzame právnu normu s priamym a horizontálnym vnútroštátnym účinkom. Supranacionálna architektúra považuje túto pomknutú hranicu za modus ustálený. Finálny stav zodpovedajúci predstave načrtnutej Krabbem je dosiahnutý reťazením prvkov, ktoré sú v medzinárodnom práve prítomné u obvyklých inštitucionalizovaných systémov a doplnené prvkami odlišujúcimi.
Vymedzujúcim je usporiadanie autonómneho a systémovo uzatvoreného „nového“ právneho poriadku s podriadením sekundárnych aktov vlastnému referenčnému rámcu preskúmavania legality, ktorý nie je zbavený funkčných vzťahov so svojou podložnou vrstvou v podobe vnútroštátnych právnych poriadkov. and Viewed from the perspective of its addressees, extra institutional normative acts of the entities with international legal basis create uniform rules designated for domestic implementation, which applies to the operators providing certain services with cross-border overlap, which are in the
position of state agencies, or the activities which are at least authorized by the State and the State oversees them. International legal act may shift that limit of binding force and individuals may also explicitly become recipients of secondary acts .Only in exceptional cases, however, we find a rule with
direct and horizontal effect in national law.Supranational architecture regards this slided limit as a settled. The final state corresponding to the vision outlined by Krabbe is achieved by the chaining of elements which are common in international law and supplemented with differentiating components. The arrangement of autonomous and systemicaly closed „new“ legal order with the subordination of secondary acts is defined as well as its own reference framework of the review of legality and which is not devoid of functional relations with its national laws.
An exhibition, Bulgarian Codex Suprasliensis from the 1Gth Century in the Context of Byzantine-Slavic Mutual Relationships was organized by the Bulgarian Embassy in Prague and the ASCR. under the auspices of the President of the Academy of Sciences, Professor W.f.( Draho& at the seat of the ASCR in Prague. A unique exposition presented one of the oldest Old Slavic remembrances, Codex Suprasliensis. This venerable document was created in the 10' century at a religious center established by the disciples of Cyril and Methodius in the then capital of Bulgaria, Preslav. and it is written in the Glagolitic alphabet. and Václav Čermák.
Atrioventrikulární nodální re-entry tachykardie (AVNRT) je nejčastější formou supraventrikulární tachykardie (SVT), která se vyskytuje v těhotenství a po porodu. Nefarmakologická léčba zahrnuje použití dobře tolerovaných vagových manévrů (Valsalvův manévr, masáž karotid, ponoření obličeje do chladné vody). Adenosin a betablokátory jsou léky první linie k terminaci epizody SVT. Léčba těchto pacientek vyžaduje úzkou mezioborovou spolupráci gynekologa, internisty a intenzivisty. Ideálně by supraventrikulární dysrytmie měly být vyřešeny ještě před vlastní graviditou, například radiofrekvenční ablací. Symptomatická léčba malou dávkou betablokátoru je možná i v průběhu těhotenství., Atrioventricular nodal re-entrant tachycardia (AVNRT) is the most common supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) detected during pregnancy and labour. Non pharmacological treatment including vagal manoeuvres such as Valsalva manoeuvre, carotid massage and facial ice immersion are well tolerated and aid in diagnosis. Adenosine and beta-blocking agents are the first line drugs of choice to terminate an episode of SVT. The treatment requires interdisciplinary cooperation. Ideally, management of supraventricular arrhythmias should start before conception, for example by radiofrequency ablation. A small dose of beta-blocking agents can be used during pregnancy., Alena Derbak, Jaroslav Hojny, Ladislav Rychtárik, Jiří Štětka, and Literatura
Úvod: Monoklonální gamapatie nejistého významu (MGUS) je bezpříznakový a potenciálně maligní stav charakterizovaný nezhoubnou klonální proliferací plazmatických buněk secernujících monoklonální imunoglobulin (MIG, M-protein) detekovatelný v séru a/nebo v moči při absenci zhoubného lymfoproliferativního stavu. Je známo, že část jedinců s MGUS transformuje v některou z maligních forem monoklonálních gamapatií. Mezi známé faktory určující míru rizika progrese patří zejména kvantita, typ M-proteinu a poměr volných lehkých řetězců imunoglobulinu (VLŘ) umožňující účelnou stratifikaci jedinců s MGUS. Někteří autoři pokládají i za možný faktor progrese přítomnou supresi hladin polyklonálních imunoglobulinů. Cíl: Cílem studie bylo provedení pilotní analýzy hladin párů těžkých/lehkých řetězců imunoglobulinu (HLC) v souboru jedinců s MGUS a porovnání výsledků s hladinami M-proteinu vyšetřených gelovou elektroforézou. Dále pak provedení porovnání hladin polyklonálních imunoglobulinů a hladin alternativního páru HLC s cílem ověření stupně imunitní parézy v závislosti na rizikovosti MGUS. Metody: Analyzovaná sestava zahrnovala 148 vzorků sér od jedinců s MGUS (102 IgG, 28 IgA, 18 IgM typu), kteří byli v závislosti na hladinách, typu M-proteinu a hodnotě indexu VLŘ stratifikováni do 4 rizikových skupin (nízké, nízké-střední, vysoké-střední a vysoké riziko transformace). Pro stanovení hladin VLŘ, hladin polyklonálních imunoglobulinů a hladin HLC bylo využito platformy turbidimetru SPA Plus. Statistická analýza byla provedena pomocí Spearmanovy korelační analýzy a Mann-Whitneyeho U testu s Bonferroniho korekcí. Výsledky: Při porovnání hladin HLC byla v souboru IgG MGUS zjištěna silná korelace s hladinami M-proteinu jak v případě IgGκ (r = 0,698, p = < 0,0001), tak v případě IgGλ (r = 0,847, p = < 0,0001), součet obou párů izotypu IgG velmi silně koreloval s celkovými hladinami IgG v séru (r = 0,893, p = < 0,0001). Obdobné výsledky byly získány u MGUS s IgA izotypem MIG. V případě izotypového páru IgAκ byla zjištěna středně silná korelace s hladinami M-proteinu (r = 0,601, p = 0,018), v případě IgAλ pak silná korelace (r = 0,733, p = 0,004), přičemž součet obou HLC párů vykazoval velmi silnou korelaci s hladinami celkového IgA ( r = 0,941, p = < 0,0001). Při analýze jedinců s IgM typem byly taktéž zjištěny velmi silné korelace hladin IgMκ (r = 0,904, p = 0,001) resp. IgMλ (r = 0,783, p = 0,013) a hladin M-proteinu. Nejsilnější korelace byly opět zjištěny mezi součtem obou izotypových párů a celkových hladin IgM imunoglobulinu v séru (r = 0,967, p = < 0,0001). Při porovnání míry suprese hladin polyklonálních imunoglobulinů u jednotlivých rizikových tříd v souboru IgG MGUS byly zjištěny signifikantně vyšší hladiny IgA imunoglobulinu u jedinců s nízkým resp. nízkým středním rizikem ve srovnání se skupinou s vysokým středním rizikem (p = 0,0001 resp. p = 0,047). Při analýze skupiny MGUS s IgA izotypem byly zjištěny významně vyšší hladiny IgM imunoglobulinu u skupiny s nízkým středním rizikem nežli u jedinců s vysokým středním resp. vysokým rizikem (p = 0,035 resp. p = 0,017). V souboru IgG MGUS bylo rovněž provedeno porovnání hladin alternativních izotypových párů mezi jednotlivými rizikovými skupinami. U jedinců s dominantní sekrecí IgGκ byly zjištěny signifikantně vyšší hladiny alternativního páru IgGλ ve skupině nízkého a nízkého středního rizika nežli ve skupině vysokého středního rizika (p = 0,003 resp. p = 0,006). V případě dominantní sekrece IgGλ byly zjištěny významně vyšší hladiny IgGκ u jedinců s nízkým resp. nízkým středním rizikem nežli ve skupině s vysokým středním rizikem (p = 0,0006 resp. p = 0,009). Závěr: Analýza potvrdila velmi těsnou korelaci mezi hladinami M-proteinu a stanovením HLC, která se jeví jako pomocná ev. alternativní metoda stanovení M-proteinu s výhodou u atypických výsledků elektroforézy (zejména u IgA izotypu) či v případě velmi nízkých koncentrací M-proteinu s výhodou výpočtu indexu Igκ/Igλ. Odhalená souvislost míry imunosuprese v závislosti na rizikovosti MGUS a zejména jasně patrný přínos stanovení alternativního HLC páru přináší další aspekt k pochopení souvislosti biologie, chování a případné maligní evoluce MGUS s výhodou získání dobře měřitelného parametru. Využití platformy SPA Plus se jeví jako rychlé, efektivní, s vysokou výpovědní hodnotu a v neposlední řadě i s příznivými ekonomickými aspekty, Introduction: Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) indicates an asymptomatic and potentially malignant state characterised by benign clonal proliferation of plasma cells secerning (discharging) monoclonal immunoglobulin (MIG, M-protein) detectable in serum and/or urine in the absence of malignant lymphocyte proliferation. It has been observed that in some patients, MGUS transforms into one of the malignant forms of monoclonal gammopathy. The wellknown factors determining the risk degree of progression include in particular the quantity, M-protein type and the ratio of immunoglobulin free light chains (FLC) allowing the efficient stratification of MGUS patients. In addition, several authors consider the present suppression of polyclonal immunoglobulin levels to be a potential factor of progression. Aim: The study aimed at conducting a pilot analysis of levels of immunoglobulin heavy/light chains pairs (HLC) in a group of MGUS patients and at comparing the results with the M-protein levels detected by gel electrophoresis. Furthermore, the polyclonal immunoglobulin levels and the levels of HLC alternative pairs were to be compared with a view to verify the degree of immune paresis depending on the MGUS risk degree. Methods: The analysed set comprised 148 serum samples of MGUS patients (102 IgG, 28 IgA, 18 IgM type) who were stratified into 4 risk groups (low, low-intermediate, high-intermediate, and high risk of transformation) according to the levels, M-protein type and FLC index values. FLC levels, polyclonal immunoglobulin levels, and HLC levels were determined by means of the SPA Plus turbidimeter platform. In the statistical analysis, Spearmans rank correlation and Mann-Whitney U Test with Bonferroni correction were applied. Results: When comparing the HLC levels, the IgG MGUS group revealed strong correlation with M-protein levels both in the case of IgGκ (r = 0.698, p = < 0.0001), and in the case of IgGλ (r = 0.847, p = < 0.0001), the summation of both pairs of the IgG isotype correlated considerably with the total levels of IgG in serum (r = 0.893, p = < 0.0001). Similar results were acquired in MGUS with the IgA isotype of MIG. In case of the IgAκ isotype pair, medium-strong correlation with M-protein levels was detected (r = 0.601, p = 0.018), and strong correlation in case of the IgAλ (r = 0.733, p = 0.004), whereas the summation of both HLC pairs showed very strong correlation with levels of the total IgA (r = 0.941, p = < 0.0001). Moreover, analyses of IgM type patients revealed very strong correlation of IgMκ levels (r = 0.904, p = 0.001) or IgMλ (r = 0.783, p = 0.013) and M-protein levels. Again, the strongest correlation was found between the summation of both isotype pairs and the total levels of IgM immunoglobulin in serum (r = 0.967, p = < 0.0001). Comparison of the suppression degree of polyclonal immunoglobulin levels in individual risk classes in the IgG MGUS group brought significantly higher levels of IgA immunoglobulin in patients with low or low-intermediate risk as opposed to the group with high-intermediate risk (p = 0.0001 and p = 0.047 respectively). When analysing the MGUS group with IgA isotype, notably higher levels of IgM immunoglobulin were evident in the group with low-intermediate risk than in patients with high-intermediate or high risk (p = 0.035 and p = 0.017 respectively). In addition, the levels of alternative isotype pairs were compared among the individual risk groups of the IgG MGUS group. Patients with dominant IgGκ secretion showed significantly higher levels of the IgGλ alternative pair in the group of low and low-intermediate risk than in the group of high-intermediate risk (p = 0.003 and p = 0.006 respectively). In case of dominant IgGλ secretion, considerably higher IgGκ levels were detected in patients with low or low-intermediate risk than in the group of high-intermediate risk (p = 0.0006 and p = 0.009 respectively). Conclusion: The analysis confirmed a very close correlation between M-protein levels and HLC determination which appears to be an auxiliary or alternative method of M-protein determination with an advantage in case of atypical electrophoresis results (in particular in IgA isotypes) or by very low M-protein concentrations with the benefit of Igκ/Igλ index calculation. The discovered connection between the degree of immune suppression depending on the MGUS risk level and especially the clearly visible benefit of determining the alternative HLC pairs contributes with another aspect to understanding the links between the biology, behaviour, and the potential malignant evolution of MGUS with the advantage of obtaining a well-measurable parameter. The use of the SPA Plus platform seems to be fast, effective, with high prognostic value and, last but not least, even with favourable economic aspects., Pika T., Lochman P., Klincová M., Maisnar V., Tichý M., Zapletalová J., Sandecká V., Ščudla V., Hájek R., and Literatura 30
The effect of suramin, an inhibitor of G protein regulated signalling, was studied on the membrane currents induced by noxious heat and by capsaicin in cultured dorsal root ganglia neurones isolated from neonatal rats. Whole-cell responses induced by a heat ramp (24-52 °C) were little affected by suramin. The noxious heat-activated currents were synergistically facilitated in the presence of 0.3 µM capsaicin 13.2-fold and 6.3-fold at 40 °C and 50 °C, respectively. In 65% of neurones, the capsaicin-induced facilitation was inhibited by 10 µM suramin to 35±6 % and 53±6 % of control at 40 °C and 50 °C (S.E.M., n=15). Suramin 30 µM caused a significant increase in the membrane current produced by a nearly maximal dose (1 µM) of capsaicin over the whole recorded temperature range (2.4-fold at 25 °C and 1.2-fold at 48 °C). The results demonstrate that suramin differentially affects the interaction between capsaicin and noxious heat in DRG neurones and thus suggest that distinct transduction pathways may participate in vanilloid receptor activation mechanisms., V. Vlachová, A. Lyfenko, L. Vyklický, † R.K. Orkand., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Materials on the basis of cycloolefin copolymers (COC) are suitable for subchondral defect repairs. The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of surface modification of COC and COC/LLDPE blends on the viability and gene expression of chondrocytes. Human chondrocytes were incubated on the surface of the studied materials. Half of the materials were plasmatically modified with a subsequent type II collagen application. The gene expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP-1,-3,-13), pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1, TNF-alpha) and apoptotic molecules (BAX, Bcl-2) was evaluated using quantitative Taq-Man PCR after 48 h incubation. Chondrocyte viability was evaluated by the MTT test after 2, 4 and 8 days of incubation. The synthesis of MMPs was measured by ELISA assay in cell culture medium after 48 h of incubation. Chondrocytes incubated on plasmatically modified in contrast to unmodified materials demonstrated significantly increased gene expression of IL-1 (p<0.05), MMP-1 and MMP-3 (p<0.05 for both comparisons) as well as MMP-13 (p<0.001). Increased gene expression was confirmed by significantly increased production of active forms of particular MMPs into the cell culture medium. Unlike surface unmodified polymers, the modified materials showed timedependent reduction of chondrocyte viability. The gene expression of TNF-α and apoptotic molecules by chondrocytes was not significantly changed by different materials. Cycloolefin copolymers and their blends may represent suitable materials for tissue engineering, however, their surface modification followed by collagen type II application may, at least under in vitro conditions, reduce the viability of chondrocytes and induce their pro-destructive behavior. The potential benefit or disadvantage of surface modifications of materials for osteochondral defect repairs needs to be further elucidated., M. Polanská ... [et al.]., and Obsahuje bibliografii a bibliografické odkazy