The aim of this study was to find the principal parameters of surface tension of the blood and verify its possible correlation with some of the commonly assessed laboratory indicators that are affected by diseases with the expected possible changes in the surface tension of the blood. The surface tension of the blood was assessed in 150 patients. At the same time, the basic biochemical and hematological parameters were determined in these patients. The results have shown a close correlation between the surface blood tension and the activity of plasma gamma-glutamyltransferase. We assume that this relationship is based on the changes in concentration of bile acids in the blood during liver or bile duct afflictions., A. Kratochvíl, E. Hrnčíř., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Plasma carnitine levels were measured in two alternative nutrition groups - strict vegetarians (vegans) and lactoovovegetarians (vegetarians consuming limited amounts of animal products such as milk products and eggs). The results were compared to an average sample of probands on mixed nutrition (omnivores). Carnitine levels were correlated with the intake of essential amino acids, methionine and lysine (as substrates of its endogenous synthesis), since the intake of carnitine in food is negligible in the alternative nutrition groups (the highest carnitine content is in meat, lower is in milk products, while fruit, cereals and vegetables contain low or no carnitine at all). An average carnitine level in vegans was significantly reduced with hypocarnitinemia present in 52.9 % of probands. Similarly, the intake of methionine and lysine was significantly lower in this group due to the exclusive consumption of plant proteins with reduced content of these amino acids. Carnitine level in lactoovovegetarians was also significantly reduced, but the incidence of values below 30 m mol/l was lower than in vegans representing 17.8 % vs. 3.3 % in omnivores. Intake of methionine and lysine was also significantly reduced in this group, but still higher compared to vegans (73 % of protein intake covered by plant proteins). Significant positive correlation of carnitine levels with methionine and lysine intake in alternative nutrition groups indicates that a significant portion of carnitine requirement is covered by endogenous synthesis. Approximately two thirds of carnitine requirement in omnivores comes from exogenous sources. The results demonstrate the risks of alternative nutrition with respect to the intake of essential amino acids, methionine and lysine, and with respect to the intake and biosynthesis of carnitine., M. Krajčovičová-Kudláčková, R. Šimončič, A. Béderová, K. Babinská, I. Béder., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Insulin resistance associated with dyslipidemia enhances cardiovascular risk. Several atherogenic indexes have been suggested to give more precise information about the risk. The aim of our study was to estimate, which atherogenic index correlates better with parameters of insulin resistance. Furthermore, we compared the parameters of lipid metabolism and insulin resistance between smokers and non-smokers. In our cross-sectional study we enrolled 729 patients with dyslipidemia which were divided into two groups - non-smokers (586) and smokers (143). We measured lipid profile, parameters of insulin resistance (fasting glycemia, insulin, HOMA-IR, C-peptide, proinsulin) and calculated atherogenic indexes - atherogenic index of plasma (log (TAG/HDL-C), AIP), ApoB/ApoA1 index and nonHDL-C. AIP was found out to show stronger correlations with parameters of insulin resistance (p<0.001, correlation coefficients ranging between 0.457 and 0.243) than other indexes (ApoB/ApoA1 or nonHDL cholesterol). AIP correlated with parameters of insulin resistance both in smokers and nonsmokers, but after adjustment (for age, body mass index, waist circumference) persisting only in non-smokers. Smokers had a wider waist circumference and a proatherogenic lipid profile. Smoking increases the risk of developing metabolic syndrome. AIP can be used in daily praxis for predicting insulin resistance in patients with dyslipidemia, predominantly in non-smokers., L'. Cibičková, D. Karásek, K. Langová, H. Vaverková, J. Orság, J. Lukeš, D. Novotný., and Obsahuje bibliografii
a1_Focal cerebral contusion can be dynamic and expansive. It has been proved that subsequent expansive contusion is caused by brain parenchyma damage, especially BBB damage. We investigated a group of patients with traumatic brain injury. The patients (n=18) were divided in to group I (n=7) of patients submitted to neurosurgery due to expansive contusion, and group II (n=11) of patients without surgery. Serum concentrations of NSE and S-100B protein were measured by electrochemiluminescence immunoassay, interleukin-6 (IL-6) was measured by chemiluminescent sequential immunometric assay and matrix metalloproteinases (MMP-9, MMP-2) were measured by immunoassays. Cortical biopsy specimens of brain were investigated by electron microscopy in patients with trauma brain injury submitted to neurosurgery. Biochemical investigation from first day up to third day after traumatic brain injury proved increased values of IL-6 (302.2±119.9 vs. 59.6±11.9 ng/l, p<0.02) and S-100B protein (3.064±1.064 vs. 0.649±0.182 μ g/l, p<0.05) in patients with expansive lesion compared to patients without expansive contusion. Significantly higher levels of MMP-9 (150.4±28.46 vs. 74.11±13.16 ng/l, p<0.05) and of MMP-2 (814.5±126.3 vs. 523.1±25.28 ng/l, p<0.05) were found during first 3 days after admission in group I compared to group II. MMP-9 has also elevated in group II from lower values after admission (74.11±13.16 ng/l) up to high levels on the 10th day of hospitalization (225.1±49.35 ng/l )., a2_Ultrastructural investigation of endothelial cells and surrounded tissue revealed perivascular hemorrhage, increased pinocytic activity of endothelial cells, and cytotoxic edema of astroglial cells. Multivesical bodies were disclosed inside the endothelial cells. Higher levels of serum protein S-100B and IL-6 correlated with ultrastructural changes of endothelial cells, and with inflammatory response following TBI, respectively., D. Vajtr ... [et al.]., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
a1_Both divisions of the autonomic nervous system are involved in regulation of urinary bladder function. Several substances, other than noradrenaline and acetylcholine, seem to play important roles in physiology and pathophysiology of lower urinary tract. In the current study, we aimed to examine if there exist interplays between nitric oxide (NO) and autonomic transmitters and if such interactions vary in different parts of the urinary bladder in healthy and cyclophosphamide (CYP)-induced cystitic rats; when administered to the animals (100 mg/kg; i.p.), the cytotoxic CYP metabolite acrolein induces bladder inflammation. In the current study a series of in vitro functional studies were performed on detrusor muscle strip preparations. Stimulation with electrical field stimulation (EFS), methacholine, adenosine 5´-triphosphate (ATP), and adrenaline evoked contractile responses in isolated bladder preparations that were significantly reduced in cyclophosphamide (CYP)-treated rats. While the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor N ω -nitro-L-arginine (L-NNA; 10-4 M) did not affect contractile responses in normal, healthy strip preparations, it significantly increased the contractile responses to EFS, methacholine and adrenaline, but not to ATP, in the bladders from the CYP-treated rats. In the CYP-treated rats, the ATP-evoked relaxatory part of its dual response (an initial contraction followed by a relaxation) was 6-fold increased in comparison with that of normal preparations, whereas the isoprenaline relaxation was halved in the CYP-treated. While L-NNA (10-4 M) had no effect on the isoprenaline-evoked relaxations, it reduced the ATP-evoked relaxations in strip preparations from the bladder body of CYP-treated rats., a2_Stimulation of β2- and β3-adrenoceptors evoked relaxations and both responses were reduced in cystitis, the latter to a larger extent. In the trigone, the reduced ATP-evoked contractile response in the inflamed strips was increased by L-NNA, while L-NNA had no effect on the ATP-evoked relaxations, neither on the relaxations in healthy nor on the larger relaxations in the inflamed trigone. The study shows that both contractile and relaxatory functions are altered in the state of inflammation. The parasympathetic nerve-mediated contractions of the body of the bladder, evoked by the release of ATP and acetylcholine, were substantially reduced in cystitis. The relaxations to β-adrenoceptor and purinoceptor stimulation were also reduced but only the ATPevoked relaxation involved NO., R. Veselá ... [et al.]., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
The aim of this study was to evaluate myofibrillar creatine kinase (EC 2.7.3.2) activity on the background of the effect of substrate channeling by myosin ATPase and to compare it with creatine kinase (CK) activity of whole skinned fibers. In order to assess CK activity, skinned fibers were prepared from the rat psoas major muscles defined by light microscopy. The activity in permeabilized fibers after treatment with saponin, Triton X-100 and Ca2+-free medium reached 2.80, 6.97 and 3.32 m mol ATP min-1 mg-1 protein, respectively, when a coupled enzyme assay system with external hexokinase and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase was used. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed a possible interference among activities of sarcolemmal, sarcoplasmic, myofibrillar and mitochondrial CK from persisting structures. For evaluation of the myofibrillar CK itself, a pure myofibrillar fraction was prepared. Fraction purity was confirmed by TEM and by enzymatic assays for marker enzymes. Two procedures, i.e. the coupled enzyme assay and the evaluation of phosphocreatine (Pcr) concentration before and after the CK reaction, were used for measurement of CK activity in this fraction. The procedures resulted in 3.2 nmol ATP min-1 mg-1 protein and 7.6 nmol PCr min-1 mg-1 protein, respectively. These alternative approaches revealed a discrepancy between the reacting portions of Pcr by more than 50 % , which provides information about the size of the effect, generally described as substrate channeling., M. Gregor, J. Mejsnar, A. Janovská, J. Žurmanová, O. Benada, B. Mejsnarová., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Hypertension is one of the major risk factor of cardiovascular diseases, but after a century of clinical and basic research, the discrete etiology of this disease is still not fully understood. One reason is that blood pressure is a quantitative trait with multifactorial determination. Numerous genes, environmental factors as well as epigenetic factors should be considered. There is no doubt that although the full manifestation of hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases usually occurs predominantly in adulthood and/or senescence, the roots can be traced back to early ontogeny. The detailed knowledge of the ontogenetic changes occurring in the cardiovascular system of experimental animals during particular critical periods (developmental windows) could help to solve this problem in humans and might facilitate the age-specific prevention of human hypertension. We thus believe that this approach might contribute to the reduction of cardiovascular morbidity among susceptible individuals in the future., J. Kuneš, ... [et al.]., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
In this work, we evaluated the effect of adaptation to heat on the fall of blood pressure (BP) induced by heat shock (HS) and the interrelation between nitric oxide (NO) and heat shock protein, HSP70. Experiments were carried out on Wistar rats. It was shown that HS resulted in a generalized and transient increase in NO production (the electron paramagnetic resonance method) and a fall of BP from 113± 3 to 88± 1 mm Hg (?<0.05). Adaptation to heat itself did not affect BP, but completely prevented the NO overproduction and hypotension induced by HS. The adaptation simultaneously increased the brain NO-synthase content and induced HSP70 synthesis (the Western blot analysis) in various organs. Both the antihypotensive effects of adaptation and HSP70 accumulation were completely prevented by L-NNA, an inhibitor of NO synthesis, or quercetin, an inhibitor of HSP70 synthesis. The data suggest that adaptation to heat stimulates NO synthesis and NO activates synthesis of HSP70. HSP70, which hampers NO overproduction, thus restricts the BP fall induced by heat shock., I. Yu. Malyshev, L.A. Bayda, A.I. Trifonov, N.P. Larionov, L.D. Kubrina, V.D. Mikoyan, A.F. Vanin, E.B. Manukhina., and Obsahuje bibliografii
The aim of this study was to determine the effect of chronic crowding on the cardiovascular system of Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats. Rats were randomly divided into the control (480 cm2 per rat) or crowded (200 cm2 per rat) group for eight weeks. Body weight, blood pressure (BP), heart rate and plasma nitrate/nitrite levels of the crowded rats were not different from controls at the end of the experiment. Plasma corticosterone exhibited an increasing trend (5.7±1.8 vs. 12.6±3.7 ng/ml, p=0.08) while blood glucose was significantly reduced in the crowded rats in comparison with the controls. Nitric oxide (NO) synthase activity and nitrate/nitrite levels of the crowded rats were significantly elevated in the aorta by ∼80 % and ∼20 %, respectively, but unchanged in the left ventricle. Moreover, acetylcholine-induced relaxation was significantly increased in the crowded rats in both the femoral artery (61±5 % vs. 76±5 %, p<0.001) and mesenteric artery (51±6 % vs. 72±7 %, p<0.001). In conclusion, results suggest that chronic crowding may increase vasorelaxation and vascular NO production in normotensive rats. This may be considered as an adapting mechanism preventing the development of the stress-related elevation of BP. Additionally, results also suggest caution in the housing of rats because an inappropriate crowding may affect results of the experiment significantly., I. Bernátová, A. Púzserová, J. Navarová, Z. Csizmadiová, M. Zeman., and Obsahuje bibliografii a bibliografické odkazy
Each artery conduces blood (conduit function, CF) and smoothes out the pulsatility (buffering function, BF), while keeping its wall protected against the high oscillations of the pulse waves (damping function, ξ). These functions depend on each segment viscoelasticity and capability to store and dissipate energy. When a graft/prosthesis is implanted, the physiological gradual transition in the viscoelasticity and functionality of adjacent arterial segments is disrupted. It remains to be elucidated if the cryografts would allow keeping the physiological biomechanical transition. The aim of this study was to evaluate the cryografts capability to reproduce the functional, energetic and reflection properties of patients’ arteries and fresh homografts. Common carotid’s pressure, diameter and wall-thickness were recorded in vivo (15 patients) and in vitro (15 cryografts and 15 fresh homografts from donors). Calculus: elastic (Epd) and viscous (Vpd) indexes, CF, BF, dissipated (WD) and stored (WPS) energy and ξ. The graft-patient’s artery matching was evaluated using the reflection coefficient (Γ) and reflected power (WΓ). Cryografts did not show differences in Epd, Vpd, BF, CF, WD, WPS, and ξ, in respect to fresh homografts and patients’ arteries, ensuring a reduced Γ and WΓ. Cryografts could be considered as alternatives in arterial reconstructions since they ensure the gradual transition of patients’ arteries biomechanical and functional behavior., D. Bia, J. G. Barra, R. L. Armentano, Y. Zócalo, H. Pérez, M. Saldíaz, I. Álvarez, E. I. Cabrera Fischer., and Obsahuje bibliografii a bibliografické odkazy