Ethanol and oxidative stress.

This article represents the proceedings of a workshop at the 2000 ISBRA Meeting in Yokohama, Japan. The chair was Albert Y. Sun. The presentations were (1) Ethanol-inducible cytochrome P-4502E1 in alcoholic liver disease, by Magnus Ingelman-Sundberg and Etienne Neve; (2) Regulation of NF-kappaB by ethanol, by H. Matsumoto, Y. Nishitani, Y. Minowa, and Y. Fukui; (3) Chronic ethanol consumption increases concentration of oxidized proteins in rat liver, by Shannon M. Bailey, Vinood B. Patel, and Carol C. Cunningham; (4) Antiphospholipids antibodies and oxidized modified low-density lipoprotein in chronic alcoholic patients, by Tomas Zima, Lenka Fialova, Ludmila Mikulikova, Ptr Popov, Ivan Malbohan, Marta Janebova, and Karel Nespor; and (5) Amelioration of ethanol-induced damage by polyphenols, by Albert Y. Sun and Grace Y. Sun.

[ELISA in the determination of antiphosphatidylserine antibodies]. / Metoda ELISA pro stanovení antifosfatidylserinových protilátek.

Antiphospholipid antibodies (APA) are a group of antibodies against various phospholipid antigens. In order to extend the spectrum of examined specificities of antiphospholipid antibodies the authors elaborated an ELISA method for assessment of antiphosphatidyl serine antibodies (APSA). As antigen they used phosphatidyl serine isolated from the white matter of cattle brain. The ELISA method was tested by examining APSA in 12 patients with rheumatic diseases, 24 women with reproductive disorders and 50 patients with testicular tumours and the results were compared with examinations of anticardiolipin antibodies. The concurrent presence of both types of antibodies was recorded in 20.8% women with reproductive disorders and in 14% of the patients with testicular tumours. In these groups antiphosphatidyl serine antibodies were found more frequently.

Prenatal biochemical diagnostics of inborn developmental defects.

Screening of pathological pregnancies with the use of biochemical markers determined in maternal serum is now widely accepted as a useful procedure. In our experience, the main contribution is a finding of abnormal values of one or more of the markers, which will advise gynecologist upon a possibility of a risk pregnancy.

Biochemical screening of congenital developmental abnormalities using determination of fetoplacental antigens.

In a prospective study of screening of maternal serum levels of alpha-1-fetoprotein (MS AFP) and trofoblast-specific beta-1-glycoprotein (MS SP1) were examined in samples from pregnant women between the 16th and 18th week of pregnancy. We detected 8 fetuses with chromosomal aberation, 8 fetuses with neural tube defects and 10 fetuses with inborn cardial defects. Our study confirms higher MS SP1 levels in women with fetuses with chromosomal aberation, while MS AFP's tendency is to decrease. When combining MS SP1 + MS AFP + age of mother (over 35), 75% of fetuses with chromosomal aberation were detected. In women with neural tube defect 75% fetuses were detected by MS AFP + MS SP1 combination.

[The relation of nucleoli to precancerous conditions of the cervix]. / Vztah nukleolu k prekancerózám cervixu.

Oestrogens act at the nuclear level. To these steroids also a cancerogenic effect is ascribed. By staining for nuclear structures according to Smetana and Busch the authors proved morphological structures of the nucleolus in vaginal epithelia and in cells from cervical lesions. This applies to solid nucleoli -- which are active, annular nucleoli which are resting and nucleoli which have completed their activity -- micronucleoli. Hyperoestrogenic women have in their vaginal epithelia of the upper third of the vagina more active nucleoli (11.4%) than hypooestrogenic women (2.1%). Women suffering from cervical carcinoma during the menopause have more active nucleoli in the vaginal epithelia (30.8%), as compared with healthy hyperoestrogenic women of productive age. Patients during the menopause with grade III dysplasias have fewer active nucleoli in cervical epithelia than women with cervical cancer (25.0%), however, as compared with hyperoestrogenic women of productive age, much more. A large number of active nucleoli was proved by staining by Smetana's method also in cells taken from cervical lesions carcinoma type and grade III dysplasia in postmenopausal patients. Evaluation of morphological changes of the nucleoli suggests their activity, the activity of the whole nucleolus and is a sensitive indicator of the activity of the whole cell.

Nucleoli in vaginal cells of hyperestrogenic and hypoestrogenic women.

Nucleoli classified according to their functional morphology were investigated in the vaginal cells of 38 hypoestrogenic and 29 hyperestrogenic women to study the effect of estrogen on these cells. While the cells from hyperestrogenic patients were characterized by the presence of a larger number of compact (active) and ring-shaped (less active/resting) nucleoli, vaginal cells from hypoestrogenic women were characterized by the presence of a larger number of micronucleoli (inactive nucleoli).