Placental mitochondrial DNA and respiratory chain enzymes in the etiology of preeclampsia

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the occurrence of the most common mutations and deletions in mitochondrial DNA and deficiencies in the enzyme complexes of the mitochondrial respiratory chain in placentas from preeclamptic women. METHODS: Mitochondria were isolated from the placentas of 17 preeclamptic or 25 control women, and the activities of mitochondrial respiratory chain complexes were measured. Deletions and three common point mutations of mitochondrial DNA were searched for by the Southern blot and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods from the same placentas. RESULTS: Mean (+/- standard deviation) mitochondrial respiratory chain enzyme complex activities in placentas on protein basis (nmol/min/mg of protein) were similar in preeclamptics and controls (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, reduced form-ubiquinone oxidoreductase 25.84 +/- 9.29 versus 31.02 +/- 7.52; nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, reduced form-cytochrome-c oxidoreductase 77.88 +/- 42.24 versus 104.06 +/- 56.73; succinate-cytochrome-c oxidoreductase 57.90 +/- 13.83 versus 64.44 +/- 20.16; cytochrome-c oxidase 106.43 +/- 35.46 versus 128.37 +/- 48.64, respectively) and they were similar also when referenced to the mitochondrial marker enzyme citrate synthase. The sample sizes in both patient and control groups were found to be large enough by post hoc test. Large-scale deletions or the common 5-kb and 7.4-kb deletions were not detected, even at the sensitivity level of PCR. The three most common point mutations were not found in either control or preeclamptic placental samples. CONCLUSION: Common mitochondrial DNA mutations seem to play no major role in the universal etiology of preeclampsia, as assessed by analysis of the mitochondrial genome and respiratory chain enzyme activities in vitro. This does not exclude possible alterations in the energy state of the preeclamptic placenta.     

'Public health status and perspectives' 1997. II. Developments in health status]

As a part of the report 'Public health status and forecasts' 1997 recent developments in the health status of the Dutch population and its determinants are described. Developments until the year 2015 are forecast on the basis of expected demographic and epidemiologic trends, according to expert opinions. Important findings are the unfavourable trends in lifestyle factors in adolescents and the expected increase by 25-60% in 2015 of the prevalence of diseases of old age like cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus, dementia, chronic nonspecific lung diseases, visual and hearing impairments and diseases of the locomotor system.     

Effects of vitamin E and C supplementation on oxidative stress and viral load in HIV-infected subjects

OBJECTIVES: The HIV-infected population is known to be oxidatively stressed and deficient in antioxidant micronutrients. Since in vitro replication of HIV is increased with oxidative stress, this study assessed the effect of antioxidant vitamin supplementation on lipid peroxidation, a measure of oxidative stress, and viral load in humans. DESIGN: A randomized placebo-controlled, double-blind study. METHODS: Forty-nine HIV-positive patients were randomized to receive supplements of both DL-alpha-tocopherol acetate (800 IU daily) and vitamin C (1000 mg daily), or matched placebo, for 3 months. Plasma antioxidant micronutrient status, breath pentane output, plasma lipid peroxides, malondialdehyde and viral load were measured at baseline and at 3 months. New or recurrent infections for the 6-month period after study entry were also recorded. RESULTS: The vitamin group (n = 26) had an increase in plasma concentrations of alpha-tocopherol (P < 0.0005) and vitamin C (P < 0.005) and a reduction in lipid peroxidation measured by breath pentane (P < 0.025), plasma lipid peroxides (P < 0.01) and malondialdehyde (P < 0.0005) when compared with controls (n = 23). There was also a trend towards a reduction in viral load (mean +/- SD changes over 3 months, -0.45 +/- 0.39 versus +0.50 +/- 0.40 log10 copies/ml; P = 0.1; 95% confidence interval, -0.21 to -2.14). The number of infections reported was nine in the vitamin group and seven in the placebo group. CONCLUSION: Supplements of vitamin E and C reduce oxidative stress in HIV and produce a trend towards a reduction in viral load. This is worthy of larger clinical trials, especially in HIV-infected persons who cannot afford new combination therapies.     

Low nutritional quality of unconventional tropical crop seeds in rats

As the search for alternative sources of food to alleviate hunger continues, this study was undertaken to determine the biological value in growing rats (BV) of proteins of some lesser known tropical seeds gathered in Nigeria. Antinutritional factors (trypsin inhibitors, phytic acid, oxalate, tannin, alkaloids) and amino acid compositions were also determined, and protein digestibility-corrected amino acid score (PDCAAS) was calculated using the amino acid requirement pattern of the preschool child and individual seed-specific correction factors for crude protein. A rat growth and balance study was conducted to determine digestibility, nitrogen-, and energy balance by feeding as the only unsupplemented protein source milled and heat-treated seeds of Adansonia digitata (Bombacaceae) and Prosopis africana, Lonchocarpus sericeus, Enterolobium cyclocarpium, Sesbania pachycarpa and Pterocarpus osun (Leguminosae) in comparison to casein fortified with methionine (control). Diets containing P. africana and L. sericeus seeds caused poor feed intake and weight loss in rats and were excluded from the nitrogen-balance test. Among the seed samples, S. pachycarpa followed by A. digitata showed the most advantageous nutritional quality [amino acid composition, digestibility, BV and net protein utilization (NPU)]. True digestibility was 82.9 and 74.5 vs. 98.5, BV was 64.6 and 70.0 vs. 90.4, and NPU was 53.5 and 52.1 vs. 89.0 for S. pachycarpa and A. digitata vs. casein (control), respectively. In terms of PDCAAS, lysine was the first limiting amino acid for S. pachycarpa (88%) and for A. digitata (58%). The PDCAAS of all essential amino acids was below 100% for E. cyclocarpium (e.g., cysteine + methionine: 37%) and for P. africana (e.g., threonine: 46%, except valine and a very high content of cysteine and methionine). In conclusion, all seeds tested in the rat balance trial were of inferior quality compared to casein. Before these tropical seeds could be used as food components or feed supplements, safety studies and proper processing to remove antinutritional factors and possible toxic constituents were required.     

Oligomers of the Cdc7/Dbf4 protein kinase exist in the yeast cell

1. The amnesia induced by various stress stimuli through hypoxia and cerebral ischemia was evaluated by the shortening of the response latency in a step-through task in mice. 2. The hypoxia-induced amnesia was reduced by cromakalim, a K+ channel opener (KCO), given 10 min before or immediately after the hypoxic treatment. 3. Similarly, the ischemia-induced amnesia was also reduced by cromakalim given 30 min before the occlusion. 4. In ischemic-induced amnesic mice, pyknotic cells, indicating the condensation of chromatin, were observed histochemically at the dentate gyrus granule cells in hippocampal regions 96 hr after ischemic treatment. In addition, cromakalim inhibited the induction of pyknotic cells. 5. These results suggest that KCOs might produce prophylactically neuroprotective effects against hypoxia- and cerebral ischemia-induced amnesia.     

Combined treatment of purulent complications of diabetes mellitus]

The results of treatment of 132 patients with the type I diabetes mellitus of middle end critical severity, trophic disorders and purulent-necrotic complications were analysed. Clinical efficacy of intravascular laser irradiation of blood, the prolongated medicinal intraarterial infusion, antioxidant therapy were established.     

Antibiotic resistance in bacterial urinary tract infections, 1991 to 1997

This study assessed changing patterns of antibiotic resistance in Escherichia coli urinary tract infections at a university student health center during three periods: the first 6 months each of 1991, 1994, and 1997. Urine culture and sensitivity results were taken from available medical records of female patients having urine cultures during the three periods (1991, n = 739; 1994, n = 938; 1997, n = 863); age and ethnicity were also noted. In E. coli isolates (the majority of positive cultures), resistance to four antibiotics changed significantly: ampicillin (30% to 45% to 39%), carbenicillin (29% to 42% to 39%), tetracycline (29% to 40% to 23%), and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (15% to 32% to 15%). The results raise questions regarding the future clinical reliability of several commonly used antibiotics in the treatment of urinary tract infection.     

Isolation of putative plant transcriptional coactivators using a modified two-hybrid system incorporating a GFP reporter gene

Liver and spleen volumes and serum concentrations of nitrate (the end-product of NO in vivo), albumin, gamma-globulin, protein, creatine and urea were measured during the course of progressive infections with Leishmania infantum MON-1 (MHOM/PR/93/CRE29) in 10 Syrian golden hamsters. Each hamster was infected by intraperitoneal injection with 4 x 10(7) promastigotes. Five of the infected animals were treated, with 6 mg liposomal amphotericin B (L-AmB)/kg given by intracardiac injection, on day 107 post-infection (p.i.). Compared with those in the uninfected hamsters used as controls, the liver volumes in the infected animals became significantly enlarged by day 40 p.i. (38% larger than the controls; P < 0.001) whereas significant enlargement of the spleen was first detected on day 72. Each infected animal had detectable serum levels of antileishmanial antibodies on day 72. There were significant elevations in gamma-globulin concentration as early as day 40 (P < 0.05) but significant falls in albumin concentrations were only detected from day 107 (P < 0.001). Nitrate, creatinine and urea concentrations remained unchanged during the course of infection, even after L-AmB treatment. Serum nitrate levels were not enhanced by L. infantum infection nor by the L-AmB treatment which induced a 98.2% decrease in parasite burden. The lack of NO production in visceral leishmaniasis, with or without L-AmB treatment, points to the unresponsiveness of inducible nitric oxide synthase in this rodent model.     

Prions and neurodegenerative human diseases

The aim of our investigations was to elucidate some immune aspects of combination of caries and periodontitis with periodic disease (PD), also known as familial Mediterranean fever. In this regard in patients with active and non-active stage of PD we have studied dynamic changes of concentration of secretory immunoglobulin A (SIgA) in saliva and phagocytic activity of neutrophils derived from gum blood. It has been shown that in patients with PD these indices of local immunity of oral cavity had tendency to a decrease especially in case of PD and periodontitis combination. Disturbances of local immunity was significant in active stage of PD. Based on the obtained data and analysis of latest literature data we suppose that above mentioned changes in local immunity depended on the exhaustion of adaptive properties of patients' local immunity more pronounced in case of chronic inflammation and infection foci formation in oral cavity.