Cholestasis assessment by activity of antioxidant enzymes and composition of plasma lipoproteins in patients with liver diseases]

23 patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) aged 60-82 years underwent transurethral resection (TUR) of the prostate in different periods after thermal treatment which had appeared uneffective or brought complications. In the performance of the endoscopic techniques we found macroscopic changes of the prostatic parts of the urethra and bladder cervix characteristic for certain thermal impact (energy, power, site of exposure). Intraoperative bleeding of prostatic tissue was also different depending primarily on the time which had passed after the thermal treatment. Minimal bleeding occurred at least 3 months after the thermotherapy. Thus, thermal treatment of the prostate can be used in combined treatment of BPH for reducing intra- and postoperative hemorrhage due to subsequent TUR. Among the methods of thermal therapy, transurethral microwave thermotherapy is preferable as minimally invasive and deeply penetrating into the depth of the prostatic gland with maximal effect. TUR of the prostate should be performed not earlier than 3 months after thermotherapy which is indicated only for patients at high risk of intraoperative hemorrhage because of unaffected circulation. Therefore, it is desirable to include transrectal dopplerography of the prostate to urological examination of BPH patients.     

Effects of support++ loads and stimulation of CNS on functional activity of somatotrops and thyreocytes in suspended rats

A total of 3305 ill children and adults treated for skeletal diseases and lesions underwent primary and follow-up radiation studies. Patients with spinal diseases amounted to 72%, of them 58% were found to have neurological diseases, 28% had articular diseases. The examination of patients involved X-ray tomography, contrast myelotomography, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging. Surgical and laboratory verifications of the diagnosis were made in 53% of adults and 78.5% of children. It is shown that there are difficulties in diagnosing and differentiating osteoarticular tuberculosis at present and X-ray tomography and contrast myelography are essential in diagnosing spinal diseases. Indications for computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, osteoscintigraphy and the sequence of their use in the diagnosis of diseases were defined. The paper emphasizes that an osteoarticulogist's assessment of complex data of radiation diagnosis is very important.     

Characterization of a collagenous cementum-derived attachment protein

We report further characterization of a cementum-derived protein that promotes the adhesion and spreading of periodontal cells. The cementum attachment protein (CAP) was extracted from bovine cementum, separated by diethylamino ethyl (DEAE)-cellulose chromatography, and purified by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and C18 reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography. The purified preparation contained a single protein band migrating with M(r) 56,000. It did not cross-react with polyclonal antibodies to osteopontin, vitronectin, or other attachment proteins. The attachment activity was resistant to chondroitinase ABC digestion. An internal amino acid sequence of six peptides was determined by microsequencing, and the peptide sequences were not present in other attachment proteins described in cementum. Four sequences contained Gly-X-Y repeats typical of collagen helix. One 17 amino acid peptide had 82% homology with a type XII collagen domain. However, bovine type XII collagen did not promote fibroblast attachment. Although another 19-amino-acid-long peptide had 95% homology to bovine alpha 1 [I], two other peptides were only 74% and 68% homologous, and the CAP was not recognized by anti-type I collagen antibody. The attachment activity of CAP was susceptible to bacterial collagenase. The CAP did not cross-react with antibodies to type V, XII, and XIV collagens. These data and our previous immunostaining data indicate that the CAP is not related to other collagens or attachment proteins and that it is a collagenous attachment protein localized in cementum.     

Structural organization of the mouse and human GALR1 galanin receptor genes (Galnr and GALNR) and chromosomal localization of the mouse gene

The neuropeptide galanin elicits a range of biological effects by interaction with specific G-protein-coupled receptors. Human and rat GALR1 galanin receptor cDNA clones have previously been isolated using expression cloning. We have used the human GALR1 cDNA in hybridization screening to isolate the gene encoding GALR1 in both human (GALNR) and mouse (Galnr). The gene spans approximately 15-20 kb in both species; its structural organization is conserved and is unique among G-protein-coupled receptors. The coding sequence is contained on three exons, with exon 1 encoding the N-terminal end of the receptor and the first five transmembrane domains. Exon 2 encodes the third intracellular loop, while exon 3 encodes the remainder of the receptor, from transmembrane domain 6 to the C-terminus of the receptor protein. The mouse and human GALR1 receptor proteins are 348 and 349 amino acids long, respectively, and display 93% identity at the amino acid level. The mouse Galnr gene has been localized to Chromosome 18E4, homoeologous with the previously reported localization of the human GALNR gene to 18q23 in the same syntenic group as the genes encoding nuclear factor of activated T-cells, cytoplasmic 1, and myelin basic protein.     

Spreading depression determines acute cellular damage in the hippocampal slice during oxygen/glucose deprivation

During ischaemia neurons depolarize and release the neurotransmitter L-glutamate, which accumulates extracellularly and binds to postsynaptic receptors. This initiates a sequence of events thought to culminate in immediate and delayed neuronal death. However, there is growing evidence that during ischaemia the development of spreading depression (SD) can be an important determinant of the degree and extent of ischaemic damage. In contrast, SD without metabolic compromise (as occurs in migraine aura) causes no discernible damage to brain tissue. SD is a profound depolarization of neurons and glia that propagates like a wave across brain tissue. Brain cell swelling, an early event of both the excitotoxic process and of SD, can be assessed by imaging associated intrinsic optical signals (IOSs). We demonstrate here that IOS imaging clearly demarcates the ignition site and migration of SD across the submerged hippocampal slice of the rat. If SD is induced by elevating [K+]O, the tissue fully recovers, but in slices that are metabolically compromised at 37.5 degrees C by oxygen/glucose deprivation (OGD) or by ouabain exposure, cellular damage develops only where SD has propagated. Specifically, the evoked CA1 field potential is permanently lost, the cell bodies of involved neurons swell and their dendritic regions increase in opacity. In contrast to OGD, bath application of L-glutamate (6-10 mM) at 37.5 degrees C evokes a non-propagating LT increase in CA1 that reverses without obvious cellular damage. Moreover, application of 2-20 mM glutamate or various glutamate agonists fail to evoke SD in the submerged hippocampal slice. We propose that SD and OGD together (but not alone) constitute a 'one-two punch', causing acute neuronal death in the slice that is not replicated by elevated glutamate. These findings support the proposal that SD generation during stroke promotes and extends acute ischaemic damage.     

Tumor efficacy and bone marrow-sparing properties of TER286, a cytotoxin activated by glutathione S-transferase

TER286 is a latent drug activated by human glutathione S-transferase (GST) isoforms P1-1 and A1-1 to produce a nitrogen mustard alkylating agent. M7609 human colon carcinoma, selected for resistance to doxorubicin, and MCF-7 human breast carcinoma, selected for resistance to cyclophosphamide, both showed increased sensitivity to TER286 over their parental lines in parallel with increased expression of GST P1-1. In primary human tumor clonogenic assays, the spectrum of cytotoxic activity observed for TER286 was both broad and unusual when compared to a variety of current drugs. In murine xenografts of M7609 engineered to have high, medium, or low GST P1-1, responses to TER286 were positively correlated with the level of P1-1. Cytotoxicity was also observed in several other cell culture and xenograft models. In xenografts of the MX-1 human breast carcinoma, tumor growth inhibition or regression was observed in nearly all of the animals treated with an aggressive regimen of five daily doses. This schedule resulted in a 24-h posttreatment decline in bone marrow progenitors to 60% of control and was no worse than for a single dose of TER286. These studies have motivated election of TER286 as a clinical candidate.     

Immunoproliferative small intestinal disease: a frequently missed diagnosis

Immunoproliferative small intestinal disease (IPSID) is a poorly recognized cause of malabsorption syndrome in India. Clinicopathological features of five patients with IPSID seen over a two-year period are described. Our data suggest that IPSID is commonly misdiagnosed as intestinal tuberculosis due to lack of awareness and reluctance to obtain small bowel biopsies. Empirical institution of anti-tubercular chemotherapy not only leads to delayed diagnosis but also possibly alters the natural history of the disease, resulting in an intermediate phase of amelioration followed by a terminal phase of lymphomatous transformation. The disease is therefore usually diagnosed at an advanced stage and hence is associated with a relatively poor outcome.