Twelve neuroactive and neuroprotective steroids, androgens and androgen precursors i.e. 3a,17b-dihydroxy-5a-androstane, 3a-hydroxy-5a-androstan-17-one, 3a-hydroxy-5b-androstan-17-one, androst-5-ene-3b,17b-diol, 3b,17a-dihydroxy-pregn-5-en-20-one (17a-hydroxy-pregnenolone), 3b-hydroxy-androst-5-en-17-one (dehydroepiandrosterone, DHEA), testosterone, androst-4-ene-3,17-dione (androstenedione), 3a-hydroxy-5a-pregnan-20-one (allopregnanolone), 3b-hydroxy-pregn-5-en-20-one (pregnenolone), 7a-hydroxy-DHEA, and 7b-hydroxy-DHEA were measured using the GC-MS system in young men before and after ejaculation provoked by masturbation. The circulating level of 17a-hydroxypregnenolone increased significantly, whereas the levels of other circulating steroids did not change at all. This fact speaks against the hypothesis that a decrease in the level of neuroactive steroids, e.g. allopregnanolone, may trigger the orgasm-related increase of oxytocin as it was reported by other authors.
Increases in resting energy expenditure (REE) likely contribute to weight loss in various chronic diseases. In chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), relationships between the ventilatory impairment and increased REE, and between disturbances in adipokines and weight loss were previously described. Therefore, we investigated serum levels and adipose tissue expression of leptin and adiponectin, and their relationships to REE in patients with COPD. In 44 patients with stable COPD (38 male; age 62.3±7.2 years), REE was assessed using indirect calorimetry. Subcutaneous adipose tissue samples were analyzed using realtime PCR. From underweight [n=9; body mass index (BMI) <20.0 kg.m−2 ], to normal weight-overweight (n=24, BMI=20.0- 29.9 kg.m−2 ) and obese patients (n=11; BMI≥30 kg.m−2 ), REE adjusted for body weight decreased (32.9±6.1 vs. 26.2±5.8 vs. 23.9±6.6 kcal.kg−1 .24 h−1 , p=0.006), serum levels and adipose tissue expression of leptin increased (p<0.001 for both), and serum and adipose tissue adiponectin decreased (p<0.001; p=0.004, respectively). REE was inversely related to serum and adipose tissue leptin (R=−0.547, p<0.001; R=−0.458, p=0.002), and directly to serum adiponectin (R=0.316, p=0.039). Underweight patients had increased REE compared to normal weight-overweight patients, in association with reductions in serum and adipose tissue leptin, and increased serum adiponectin, suggesting a role of adipokines in energy imbalance in COPD-related cachexia, M. Brúsik ... [et al.]., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
Selective serotonine reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) are believed to be less dangerous in the treatment of depressive disorder in comparison with tricyclic antidepressants (TCA) due to their relative lack of cardiotoxicity. Thus, we investigated the effect of citalopram (SSRI) on membrane electrophysiology in rat cardiomyocytes in tissue culture. The results were compared with those from amitriptyline (TCA). The whole-cell configuration patch-clamp technique was used. Both citalopram and amitriptyline exhibited the concentration-dependent inhibition of the L-type calcium channel current (ICa). Citalopram in concentrations of 3 mM and 10 mM inhibited peak calcium current by 2.7 % and 8 %, respectively. We demonstrated the same potency of citalopram and amitriptyline to inhibit ICa. These observations led us to conclude that citalopram and amitriptyline are drugs, which exhibit a similar potency for causing concentration-dependent inhibition of ICa., J. Hamplová-Peichlová, J. Krůšek, I. Paclt, J. Slavíček, V. Lisá, F. Vyskočil., and Obsahuje bibliografii
The article deals with the question how EU anti-discrimination law and migration law are inter- related. The concept of fundamental market freedoms and the prohibition of discrimination based on na- tionality have approximated the status of state nationals and Union citizens. General human rights law, on the other hand, has strengthened the legal status of third-country nationals, also in the field of migration law. The combination of both approaches in the light of current anti-discrimination directives and activist human rights jurisprudence may lead to confusion.