Preservation of vascular endothelial repair in mice with diet-induced obesity.

INTRODUCTION: Preservation of structural integrity of the endothelial monolayer and maintenance of endothelial cell function are of critical importance in preventing arterial thrombosis, restenosis and atherosclerosis. Obesity has been intimately linked with endothelial dysfunction, and reports of reduced abundance and functional impairment of circulating progenitor cells in obesity have led to the suggestion that defective endothelial repair contributes to obesity-related cardiovascular disease. METHODS: C57BL/6 mice were fed a high-fat diet for either 3 or 6 months to induce obesity; metabolic phenotyping was then carried out before femoral artery wire injury was performed. Endothelial regeneration was then quantified. Mononuclear cells and myeloid angiogenic cells were cultured and characterized for pro-angiogenic properties. RESULTS: No impairment of endothelial regeneration following mechanical endothelial injury in diet-induced obese mice when compared with chow-fed controls was observed, despite the induction of an adverse metabolic phenotype characterized by glucose intolerance and insulin resistance. Dietary-obese mice had increased numbers of circulating myeloid angiogenic cells, which retained normal functional properties including intact paracrine angiogenic effects. CONCLUSION: Preserved endothelial regeneration despite metabolic dysregulation in dietary obese mice suggests that compensatory mechanisms mitigate the deleterious influence of insulin resistance on endothelial repair in obesity.

[Lipids peroxidation system in oral fluid of pregnant women with inflammatory periodontal disease at different gestation stages]. / Sostoyanie sistemy perekisnogo okisleniya lipidov rotovoi zhidkosti u zhenshchin s vospalitel'nymi zabolevaniyami parodonta v raznye periody beremennosti.

Oxidative stress was assessed in 30 pregnant women with inflammatory periodontal disease and 20 healthy non-pregnant women. An increase of lipids peroxidation intensity and decrease of antioxidative enzymes was revealed. These changes progressed during the course of gestation reaching its peak in the III trimester and were associated with the clinical signs of periodontal disease.

The Eurasian heartland: a continental perspective on Y-chromosome diversity.

The nonrecombining portion of the human Y chromosome has proven to be a valuable tool for the study of population history. The maintenance of extended haplotypes characteristic of particular geographic regions, despite extensive admixture, allows complex demographic events to be deconstructed. In this study we report the frequencies of 23 Y-chromosome biallelic polymorphism haplotypes in 1,935 men from 49 Eurasian populations, with a particular focus on Central Asia. These haplotypes reveal traces of historical migrations, and provide an insight into the earliest patterns of settlement of anatomically modern humans on the Eurasian continent. Central Asia is revealed to be an important reservoir of genetic diversity, and the source of at least three major waves of migration leading into Europe, the Americas, and India. The genetic results are interpreted in the context of Eurasian linguistic patterns.

Risk factors and seroprevalence of hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus, and human immunodeficiency virus infection in uzbekistan.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to elucidate the seroprevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in Uzbekistan and to explore whether there is a correlation between those blood-borne agents and socioeconomic risk factors. METHODS: One thousand nine hundred and eighteen subjects were studied. The subjects were divided into a low-risk group, a high-risk group and a patient group. Sera were tested for HBV surface antigen (HBsAg), anti-HCV, and anti-HIV. RESULTS: The seroprevalence of HBsAg, anti-HCV, and anti-HIV in the general population was 13.3, 13.1 and 0%, respectively. The anti-HCV infection rate was significantly higher in intravenous drug users (62.7%) than in prostitutes (9.2%), homosexuals (11.1%), and medical laboratory employees (12.5%) (p < 0.01). In the low-risk group, positivity for anti-HCV increased with age from 2.2% in the 15- to 20-year-olds up to the highest rate of 17.6% in the 31- to 40-year-olds; the positivity then decreased to 0% in the group over 60 years of age. In the high-risk group, the positivity for anti-HCV in the age groups under 40 years was approximately 30% and significantly higher than in the low-risk group (p < 0.01). Risk factors for transmission of HCV were medical treatment in the low-risk group, drug abuse in the high-risk group, and both in the patient group. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that the seroprevalence of HBV and HCV infection is high, whereas HIV infection is yet uncommon in Uzbekistan.