Echocardiographic assessment of right ventricle adaptation to endurance training in young rowers - speckle tracking echocardiography.

The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between the degree of cardiorespiratory fitness and the function of the right ventricle (RV). 117 rowers, age 17.5±1.5 years. All subjects underwent cardiopulmonary exercise. Standard echocardiography and 2D speckle tracking echocardiography with evaluation of longitudinal strain in each segment of the RV (basal - RVLS-B; mid - RVLS-M, apical - RVLS-A) and global RV free-wall strain (RVLS-G) were performed. RVLS-B values were lower compared to the RVLS-M (-25.8±4.4 vs -29.3±3.5; p<0.001) and RVLS-A values (-25.8±4.4 vs -26.2±3.4; p=0.85). Correlations between VO2max and RVLS were observed in men: RVLS-G strain (r = 0.43; p <0.001); RVLS-B (r = 0.30; p = 0.02); RVLS-M (r = 0.38; p = 0.02). A similar relationship was not observed in the group of women. The strongest predictors corresponding to a change in global and basal strain were VO2max and training time: RVLS-G (VO2max: ß = 0.18, p = 0.003; training time: ß = -0.39; p = 0.02) and RVLS-B (VO2max: ß = 0.23; p = 0.0001 training time: ß = -1.16; p = 0.0001). The global and regional reduction of RV systolic function positively correlates with the level of fitness, and this relationship is observed already in young athletes. The character of the relationship between RV deformation parameters and the variables that determine the physical performance depend on gender. The dependencies apply to the proximal fragment of the RV inflow tract, which may be a response to the type of flow during exercise in endurance athletes.

ALA-induced photodynamic effect on vitality, apoptosis, and secretion of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) by colon cancer cells in normoxic environment in vitro.

BACKGROUND: Cancer therapy is often based on combination of conventional methods of cancer treatment with immunotherapy. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is one of the immunomodulating methods used in oncology. We examined how PDT influences the secretory activity of colon cancer cells in vitro, especially the secretion of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in aerobic conditions. METHODS: We used two cancer cell lines with different malignancy potentials: a metastatic SW620 line and a non-metastatic SW480 line. In the first stage of the experiment, we exposed each cell line to three different concentrations of photosensitizer's precursor: 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) and varying levels of light radiation, after which we assessed cell viability and apoptosis induction in these lines, using the MTT and LDH assays. Then, we determined the secretion of VEGF by these cells in aerobic conditions and under the ALA-PDT parameters at which cells presented the highest viability. RESULTS: Photodynamic treatment with ALA did not influence on VEGF secretion by the non-metastatic SW480 cells, but caused a decrease in VEGF secretion by the metastatic SW 620 cell line by 29% (p<0.05). SW 620 cell line secreted more actively VEGF than the SW480 cells, both before and after photo dynamic therapy (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The outcome of this in vitro study presented a beneficial effect of ALA-PDT, resulting in a decrease of VEGF secretion in the more malignant SW620 cell lines. Further studies should be considered to confirm the clinical relevance of this finding.

White blood cell count and haematocrit as predictors of coronary recurrence after myocardial infarction.

Baseline white blood cell count (WCC) and haematocrit were examined in relation to recurrent coronary events and to all-cause mortality in 2026 persons enrolled in the first Persantin-Aspirin Reinfarction Study (PARIS-1) 2-60 months after myocardial infarction. WCC was strongly related to coronary recurrence (relative risk 3.5 for men with WCC greater than or equal to 9 X 10(9)/l vs men with WCC less than 5 X 10(9)/l) and total mortality (relative risk 2.6). No such relationships were found for haematocrit. WCC correlated also with cigarette-smoking, diuretic use, serum cholesterol and uric acid; however, the associations with coronary recurrence and total mortality persisted on multiple linear and logistic regression analysis including these variables and treatment group (p less than 0.001). WCC is therefore an easily-measured prognostic variable in survivors of myocardial infarction. Furthermore, we suggest that white blood cells may promote myocardial ischaemia by capillary plugging and/or release of toxic oxygen metabolites.

Immunological parameters and respiratory functions in patients suffering from atopic bronchial asthma after intravenous treatment with salmon calcitonin.

This study reports the effect of salmon calcitonin on airway function and peripheral blood parameters in asthmatic subjects. The premise for the study is that calcitonin is given to asthmatics that require systemic corticosteroids as a way to counter problems with calcium balance and osteoporosis, and that it has an immunosuppressive effect. Salmon calcitonin (100 IU) was administered to 18 patients with atopic bronchial asthma, and the following spirometric parameters were evaluated: forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1), peak respiratory flow rate (PEFR) and forced expiratory flow rates at 25%, 50% and 75% of the forced vital capacity (FEF25%, FEF50% and FEF75%). Calcitonin significantly decreased the levels of FVC and FEV1 by 20 min after starting the infusion. The effect of 500 mg aminophylline, used as a reference drug in this study, was much more profound, with a significant increase in all investigated parameters. Also, the effect of salmon calcitonin on some immune parameters (white blood cell count, number of eosinophils, serum levels of immunoglobulins IgG, IgM and IgA, and serum levels of lymphocytes subpopulations CD3, CD4, CD8 and CD19) was determined in another group of 30 patients suffering from atopic bronchial asthma. Calcitonin at a dose of 100 IU/day subcutaneously for 3 days did not alter the immune parameters studied, thus rendering it safe for such and similar treatment schedules in a variety of medical conditions.

Inhibition of nitric oxide (NO.) production in murine macrophages by flavones.

The effect of flavone (2-phenylbenzopyran-4-one) and three amino-substituted flavones on the production of nitrite by murine activated peritoneal macrophages was studied in vitro. Activated peritoneal macrophages obtained from mice pre-treated with concanavalin A (Con A) (in vivo), after exposure in vitro to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) at a concentration of 100 ng/ml, produced nitrite (20.3 +/- 2.5 nmol/10(6) cells), as measured after 24 hr by the Griess reaction. Stimulation of production of nitrite was inhibited by NG-monomethyl-L-arginine, suggesting that nitrite was formed via nitric oxide (NO.) as a product of metabolism of arginine. Stimulation was inhibited by flavone and the aminoflavones (20-100 microM). 3'-amino-4'-hydroxyflavone was the most potent inhibitor of nitrite production. Genistein (5,7-dihydroxy- 3-(4-hydroxy-phenyl)-4H-1-benzopyran-4-one) also inhibited production of nitrite, by a mechanism that appears not to involve protein tyrosine kinases. These results suggest that the flavones can modulate the immune responses and the inflammatory reactions by controlling production of nitric oxide.

Comparison of eligible randomized patients with two groups of ineligible patients: can the results of the VA Total Parenteral Nutrition clinical trial be generalized?

The recently reported VA Cooperative Study "A Randomized Clinical Trial of Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN) in Malnourished Surgical Patients" randomized 395 pre-operative patients to TPN treatment or control. The study concluded that the use of perioperative TPN should be limited to the most severely malnourished patients. The study also followed 233 patients eligible for the study who refused to give informed consent for randomization (Eligible Refusers) as well as 1220 patients who were ineligible because they were not sufficiently malnourished (Index Group). Patients in the Index Group were determined to be significantly healthier than those in the two eligible groups of patients. Those in the Eligible Refuser group were shown to be slightly less malnourished than the Randomized Patients. The 395 patients randomized to the study (Randomized Patients) showed the highest rate of septic complications at 30 days and at 90 days (10% and 13% respectively) with rates for the Eligible Refusers slightly lower (8% and 9%) and Index Group rates still lower (4% and 4%). Nonseptic complication rates showed the same pattern (19% and 22% for the Randomized group, 12% and 12% for Eligible Refusers, and 10% and 10% for the Index Group). Because (a) the beneficial effect of TPN is attained only in severely malnourished patients, (b) there is increased risk of septic complications with TPN use in patients not severely malnourished, (c) Index Group patients, and presumably the population of patients from which they are drawn, are not severely malnourished, it follows that unless specifically indicated, TPN should not be used in nonseverely malnourished patients.

The effects of taxol (paclitaxel) on chemiluminescence of neutrophils, macrophages and J.774.2 cell line.

Taxol (paclitaxel) is a chemotherapeutic diterpene with promising anticancer activity that blocks cell division by preventing microtubule depolymerization. Furthermore, recent studies have shown that taxol has other intracellular effects that may contribute to its effect, particularly in macrophages. The signal transduction mechanisms by which taxol stimulates macrophages to anticancer activity are not clear. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of taxol on chemiluminescence (an indicator of the production of free radicals) of neutrophils, macrophages and murine macrophage J.774.2 cells. The chemiluminescence was measured in the presence of taxol and/or phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) as a stimulant. Taxol stimulated chemiluminescence (without PMA) of neutrophils and macrophages but not of J.774.2 cells, and modulated chemiluminescence of the cells stimulated with PMA.

Free radical scavenging by ethanol extract of propolis.

The free radical scavenging ability of an ethanolic extract of propolis (EEP) was demonstrated by electron spin resonance spectroscopy, when 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) was treated with increasing concentrations of EEP. It was shown that the DPPH signal intensity was inversely related to the EEP concentration and to the reaction time. It is assumed that the ability of components in EEP to donate a hydrogen atom is responsible for the lowering of the DPPH-EEP signal, and reflect the anti-oxidative nature of EEP.

Reduction of pesticide residues on produce by rinsing.

In 1997 this laboratory initiated a research program with the objective of examining the effect that rinsing of produce with tap water would have on pesticide residues. Samples were obtained from local markets and/or grown at our experimental farm. Because approximately 35% of produce from retail sources contains pesticide residues, growing and treating produce at an experimental farm had the advantage that all such samples contain pesticide residues. Pesticides were applied under normal field conditions to a variety of food crops and the vegetation was allowed to undergo natural weathering prior to harvest. The resulting samples contained field-incurred or "field-fortified" residues. This experimental design was employed to mimic as closely as possible real world samples. Crops were treated, harvested, and divided into equal subsamples. One subsample was processed unwashed, whereas the other was rinsed under tap water. The extraction and analysis method used was a multi-residue method developed in our laboratory. Twelve pesticides were included in this study: the fungicides captan, chlorothalonil, iprodione, and vinclozolin; and the insecticides endosulfan, permethrin, methoxychlor, malathion, diazinon, chlorpyrifos, bifenthrin, and DDE (a soil metabolite of DDT). Statistical analysis of the data using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test showed that rinsing removed residues for nine of the twelve pesticides studied. Residues of vinclozolin, bifenthrin, and chlorpyrifos were not reduced. The rinsability of a pesticide is not correlated with its water solubility.

Structure-activity relationship in the ability of flavonols to inhibit chemiluminescence.

Fourteen flavonoids were evaluated for their ability to inhibit chemiluminescence, either of neutrophils that had been briefly exposed to both luminol and phorbol-myristate acetate or to an enzymatic system with H2O2, luminol and horseradish peroxidase. Using chemiluminescence as the quantitative parameter, it can be concluded that the hydroxyl group in position 3 of the flavonols is vital for their inhibitory effect, and that two hydroxyl groups on the phenyl ring are optimal for such an effect. It was also noted that the C2-C3 double bond is essential for the flavonols' anti-oxidative effect. It is suggested that the ability of flavonols to suppress chemiluminescence is reciprocally correlated with their lipophilicity.

Effects of ethanol extract of propolis (EEP) and its flavones on inducible gene expression in J774A.1 macrophages.

Propolis, a bee-hive product, has been used in folk medicine for centuries, and recently in modern medicine as an anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory agent. These activities would be mainly due to phenolic compounds such as flavonoids, especially flavone derivatives. The present study examined the effect of ethanol extract of propolis (EEP) and selected flavone derivatives (chrysin, galangin, kaempferol and quercetin) on interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) gene expression in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced J774A.1 macrophages. Treatment of cells with EEP significantly suppressed both IL-1beta mRNA (P<0.02) and iNOS mRNA (P<0.001) expression. The concentrations of cytokine in cell culture supernatants and cell lysates and nitric oxide (NO) generation were reduced in a dose-dependent manner. The tested phenolic compounds significantly decreased the IL-1beta mRNA level and IL-1beta protein concentration (P<0.05) (excluding galangin), iNOS mRNA level and NO production (P<0.001). The most potent inhibitor of the IL-1beta synthesis and NO generation was chrysin. These results indicate that EEP exerts its inhibitory effect on the IL-1beta and iNOS gene expression in J774A.1 macrophages at the transcriptional level. Tested flavone derivatives contribute to the anti-inflammatory activity of propolis.

Inhibition of neutrophils' chemiluminescence by ethanol extract of propolis (EEP) and its phenolic components.

Ethanol extract of propolis (EEP), a natural beehive product, has been known for centuries for a variety of beneficial traditional medical properties, among which an anti-inflammatory effect is a major one. Now that most of its components have been isolated and recently identified, we tested 19 of them (all phenolic compounds) for their degree of anti-inflammatory activity. This was performed by evaluating the luminol-enhanced chemiluminescence, formed after their scavenging free radicals, generated by neutrophils that had been stimulated by phorbol myristate acetate. Caffeic-acid-phenylethyl-ester abolished the chemiluminescence completely at a concentration of 10 microM, while three flavone derivatives and three flavonols (galangin, kaempferol and kaempferid) diminished this chemiluminescence by 73-93% at the same concentration. These results indicate that some of the phenolic components of the ethanol extract of propolis are its active components in exerting its renowned anti-inflammatory activity.

Modulating luminol-dependent chemiluminescence of neutrophils by flavones.

The effect of 14 flavones on luminol-dependent chemiluminescence of neutrophils was studied in vitro. Chemiluminescence was used in this study as an indicator for the production of a reactive oxygen species by neutrophils, stimulated by phorbol myristate acetate. While flavone-8-acetic acid, and most of the compounds tested, inhibited chemiluminescence, flavone and its 5-hydroxy-7-methoxy derivatives enhanced it by up to 150%. The most active inhibitors of photon emission were the glycosides. These results indicate that lipophilicity and some structural determinants modulate the chemiluminescent capacity of neutrophils.

Effect of cinnamic and acrylic acids' derivatives on luminol-enhanced chemiluminescence of neutrophils.

Fourteen derivatives of cinnamic and acrylic acids were evaluated for their ability to modulate chemiluminescence, evoked by neutrophils that had been exposed to luminol and phorbol-myristate-acetate. Compounds with one or two hydroxyl groups on the phenyl ring demonstrated significant inhibition of the chemiluminescence, but this inhibition was diminished by methoxylation. Saturation of the double bond in the aliphatic chain of cinnamic acid at C6-enhanced the chemiluminescence to a small degree. All three acrylic acid derivatives demonstrated a marked inhibition of the luminol chemiluminescence, indicating that characteristics of the heterocyclic ring is of utmost importance in this activity.

Antitumoral effect of bleomycin+dolomite combination treatment, in mice bearing Ehrlich ascites carcinoma.

Dolomite, a mineral composed of magnesium and calcium carbonates, potentiates the antitumoral activity of bleomycin: While 40 days after inoculation, no mice survived the Ehrlich ascites tumor burden, 44% of them survived it after bleomycin treatment, and 63% after a simultaneous treatment of bleomycin and dolomite. The beneficial antitumor effect of dolomite is probably related to its high content (12.8%) of magnesium.

Antitumoral property of ethanolic extract of propolis in mice-bearing Ehrlich carcinoma, as compared to bleomycin.

Antitumoral effect of ethanolic extract of propolis (EEP) was demonstrated in mature mice-bearing Ehrlich carcinoma. Survival rate after EEP treatment was compared to that of bleomycin, given alone or in combination every two days for 36 days and followed up for 14 additional days. The survival rate at 50 days was 55% after EEP and 40% after bleomycin, while all the mice-treated with EEP + bleomycin combination demonstrated shorter survival than the controls. It is concluded that while the in vivo activity of bleomycin is reduced in the presence of cytochrome-C-reductase inhibitors (like some of the EEP components are), the antitumoral property of EEP in the tumored animal model studied is significant and lasting.

The ability of ethanolic extract of propolis (EEP) to protect mice against gamma irradiation.

Ethanolic extract of propolis (EEP) was tested as a protective agent against gamma irradiation in mice. The mice were exposed to 6 Gy gamma irradiation from a 60Co source, and were treated intraperitoneally with EEP, administered before and after their irradiation. While the non-treated mice expired within 12 weeks, the mice that received a series of EEP treatments survived the irradiation, and their leucocyte count as well as their spleens' plaque-forming activity returned to normal. It is suggested that an antioxidant and a free radical scavenger in the EEP are responsible for the radiation protective effect of the extract of this natural product.

Modulation of cell-mediated immunity by lithium chloride.

Immunomodulation of cell-mediated immunity was studied in mice treated with either lithium chloride (LiCl), anti-CD8 monoclonal antibody or their combination. While 6-day LiCl treatment decreased the ability of their splenocytes to induce a local graft-versus-host reaction--anti-CD8 abolished this effect. The proliferative response of spleen cells from those three groups of mice to concanavalin A stimulation in vitro was significantly increased. The natural killer (NK) cell toxicity of the mice was decreased by over 43% after the 6-day LiCl treatment, but was x 2.5 higher then the control value after a longer 21-d treatment. These results indicate that the immunomodulatory capacity of lithium is dependent on the type of cell population studied, and on the schedule of administration.

[Evaluation of selected immunological parameters in alcohol dependence syndrome]. / Ocena wybranych parametrów immunologicznych u pacjentów z zespolem zaleznosci alkoholowej.

In 28 patients with alcohol dependence syndrome (ADS) the study of selected immunological parameters (percentage of peripheral blood lymphocytes CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, CD19+; lymphocyte transformation without and with phytohemagglutinin (PHA), concanavalin A (Con A), pokeweed mitogen (PWM); chemiluminescence of peripheral blood granulocytes stimulated with phorbol myristate acetate (PMA)) and Instytut Mérieux' skin tests (Multitest CMI) were performed. The results of immunological parameters were connected with activity of liver enzymes (aspartate aminotransferase (ASP), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT). The differences of reactivity of immune system in the tested groups of patients were observed.

[Evaluation of selected immunological and biochemical parameters of blood in alcohol dependency]. / Ocena wybranych parametrów immunologicznych i biochemicznych krwi w zespole zalenosci alkoholowej.

The aim of this study was evaluation of selected immune humoral indicators in connection with biochemical parameters of blood in 28 alcohol dependent men. Increased activity of liver enzymes: AspAT in 53,6% of patients, A1AT in 46,4%, GGTP in 25% were found. Macrocytosis in 29% of patients was observed. There were also abnormal changes of immune proteins concentration: IgM, IgG, IgA, C3, C4 respectively in 60,7%, 46,4%, 21,4%, 42,9%, 10,7% of patients. In the group of patients with normal values of AspAT, GGTP, MCV; abnormal levels of humoral indicators concentration were observed. The correlation between immune proteins concentration and biochemical parameters was not found. The authors conclude that changes of determined immunological parameters may be used as prognostic indicators in disturbances in the alcoholics' immunity system.