Paraoxonase 1: The Lectin-Like Oxidized LDL Receptor Type I and Oxidative Stress in the Blood of Men with Type II Obesity.

OBJECTIVES: Obesity has serious consequences such as the onset of metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, atherosclerosis, or cardiovascular complications. The aim of this study was to evaluate the levels of paraoxonase 1 (PON1), lectin-like oxidized LDL receptor-1 (LOX-1), antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx)), and lipid peroxidation processes in the course of obesity. METHODS: 28 men took part in the experiment. Fourteen of them were obese; the control group consisted of 14 physically active men without obesity features. The concentrations of malondialdehyde (MDA), PON1, LOX-1, and tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) as well as the activities of erythrocytic SOD, CAT, and GPx were determined in the study. RESULTS: Statistically significant higher MDA, LOX-1, and TNFα levels were observed in obese subjects. Conversely, lower concentrations of PON1 in obese men were found. CONCLUSIONS: An imbalance in oxidation-reduction processes accompanies obesity. Moreover, inflammatory cytokines and atherosclerotic complications are involved in the obesity process. The obtained results suggest that the studied parameters may be independent prognostic markers preceding the development of cardiovascular and metabolic complications in people afflicted with type II obesity.

The effect of nitric oxide donors and L-arginine on the gastric electrolyte barrier.

The potential difference across the stomach wall (PD) is determined by the gastric mucosal barrier. The decrease in the PD evoked by "the barrier breakers", e.g. aspirin, ethanol or bile acids is believed as a sensitive index of the mucosal damage. The effect of glyceryl trinitrate (GTN), isosorbide dinitrate (IDN) and molsidomine (MOL)--all exogenous donors of nitric oxide (NO), as well as L-arginine (L-ARG), which is a substrate for NO-synthase and Nomega-nitro-L-arginine (L-NNA), a non-selective NO synthase inhibitor on the gastric electrolyte barrier were studied against the gastric damage induced by ethanol. All NO donors given intragastrically alone caused only moderate, not significant changes in the PD and failed to affect the mucosal barrier, while L-NNA slightly decreased the PD. The NO donors and L-arginine applied as pretreatment prior to ethanol resulted in diminishing of its damaging action that was similar for all these drugs, while L-NNA intensified both the injury and the drop in the PD values caused by ethanol. In summary, our results showed the protective effect of endogenous nitric oxide from L-ARG and that originating from GTN, MOL and IDN on the gastric electrolyte barrier, supporting involvement of nitric oxide in the mechanism of gastric protection in the stomach.

A case of a postmenopausal ruptured pyosalpinx. A rare finding at laparotomy for an acute abdomen.

A case is described of an 84-yr-old woman with a ruptured tubo-ovarian abscess. This condition, which is rare in postmenopausal women, is usually diagnosed during laparotomy. Neither the medical history, nor the physical examination, nor the laboratory examination gives specific clues concerning the right diagnosis. The treatment is primarily a surgical one and consists principally of an abdominal hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oopherectomy.

[Changes in electrical potentials of gastric mucosa during various types of experimental hypoxia]. / Zmiany potencjalów elektrycznych blony sluzowej zoladka w warunkach doswiadczalnej hipoksji wywolanej róznymi czynnikami.

In experiments performed on anaesthetized male and female Wistar rats the effects of different types of hypoxia on the electrical potential difference (PD) between the inner and the outer sides of the gastric wall were examined. The PD was determined by mean of the Digital Multimeter VC-10T, Unitra, and the calomel electrodes connected with the KCl-agar bridges. There were four series of experiments carried out in which hypoxia was produced by: I--low atmospheric pressure (hypobaric hypoxia) corresponding with the altitudes of 2500, 5500, 8500 and 10,500 m above sea level, II--1 min. nitrogen breathing (anoxic anoxia), III--bleeding ca. 1% of the body weight (anemic hypoxia), IV--the gastric vessels ligation (ischemic hypoxia). There were also performed the adequate control experiments of each series. In all types of hypoxia (I--IV) a decrease in the PD was observed. The value and rate of this decrease were dependent on the type, grade, duration and rate of hypoxia. In the conditions of the hypobaric hypoxia simulated altitude 10,500 m only evoked the statistically significant PD drops, by 31%. The nitrogen breathing caused the PD decrease by 23% and the anemic hypoxia by 18%. In the ischemic hypoxia the total disappearance of the potential difference (PD = 0 mV) was observed. In the control experiments small non significant fluctuations, not exceeding 4%, occurred only. The decrease in the PD of the gastric wall observed during hypoxia could be explained by the changes in the membrane transport e.g. the back-diffusion of Na+, Cl-, and H+ ions.

Vascular patterns in superficial lymphomatous lymph nodes: A detailed sonographic analysis().

PURPOSE: To identify the vascular patterns found in superficial lymph nodes with histologically confirmed lymphomatous involvement and to determine their value in the sonographic diagnosis of lymphadenopathy. METHODS AND MATERIALS: The study involved the prospective classification of vascular patterns observed during power Doppler and/or color Doppler studies of superficial lymph nodes scheduled for resection. Forty patients (27 men and 13 women, aged 22-84 years; mean age: 58 years) with pathologically proven lymphoma were selected for this study (26 cervical, 13 axillary and 1 inguinal). RESULTS: A longitudinal vessel with or without branches (pattern I) was found in 14 lymphomatous nodes. Six contained short vessel segments distributed in the hilum area or centrally (pattern II), five had multiple vessels, partially branching, entering the node in a few rows from its longitudinal side (pattern III), seven presented multiple vessels that branched irregularly or chaotically with avascular areas (pattern IV), and eight had a peripheral vessel distribution (pattern V). Therefore, 50% of the lymphomatous nodes had vascular patterns regarded as characteristic of reactive lymph nodes (patterns I and II), and 37.5% had patterns normally described in lymph nodes with metastatic involvement (patterns IV and V); other lymphomatous lymph nodes had ambiguous vascular patterns that have not been previously classified (pattern III). CONCLUSION: The angioarchitecture of superficial lymphomatous lymph nodes varies widely and is difficult to classify. It may resemble that reported in normal or reactive lymph nodes or patterns that are associated with metastases. The finding of a normal or benign vascular pattern in a lymph node with suspected lymphomatous involvement does not eliminate the need for a diagnostic biopsy.

Napoleon Cybulski--Polish pioneer in developing of the device for measuring blood flow velocity.

Napoleon Cybulski (1854-1919) was the most prominent Polish physiologist who chaired the Department of Physiology at the Faculty of Medicine of Jagiellonian University between 1885 and 1919. One of his greatest achievements was the construction of a device for precise measurements of blood movement in the vessels - the photohemotachometer, which provided a better insight into the physiology and pathophysiology of the circulatory system. In the field of endocrinology Cybulski together with Szymonowicz, found out that adrenal extracts contain biologically active substances that elevate blood pressure. He was also a constructor of an extremely clever microcalorimeter to measure the quantity of heat produced during isolated muscle contraction. He applied, for the first time, condensator discharges to stimulate nerves and analyzed changes in the excitability of the muscles. Cybulski proved that the cause of the electrical excitability of tissue depends on the electrical energy and the time of its duration. Together with Beck, he performed the experiments on the sensory centers in the central nervous system by means of the observations of the electrical evoked potentials. They discovered the continuous electrical oscillations in the brain - the brain waves and recorded the negative electrical potentials in certain brain areas induced by sensory impulses coming from the periphery. Using this technique Beck and Cybulski localized various centers in the brain of dogs and Macaccus rhesus monkeys. The names of Beck and Cybulski were quoted in many publications on neurophysiology and electroencephalography. The present paper describes Napoleon Cybulski as a constructor of an original instrument for studying the movement of blood under various experimental conditions an emphasizes the contribution of this invention to the development of physiology.

3D ultrasound examination of the superficial lymph nodes--does it provide additional information?

PURPOSE: To compare the appearance of superficial lymph nodes on standard two-dimensional (2D) ultrasound examination and on three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound examination. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty two lymph nodes (35 cervical, 16 axillary, 1 inguinal) in 52 patients were examined with ultrasound in 3D mode. In standard 2D grey-scale examination and on a C-plane of 3D mode (parallel to the surface of the probe), the shape of a lymph node and its hilum were assessed. Final histopathological diagnoses included 36 lymphomas, 11 reactive or inflammatory lymph nodes, 3 metastases and 2 plasmocytoma infiltrations. RESULTS: The appearance of hilums and lymph nodes as a whole changed on a C-plane of 3D mode (as compared with 2D presentation) in 28 % and 37 %, respectively. The differences in lymph node shape on 2D and 3D ultrasound were apparent in a comparable percentage of reactive lymph nodes (45 %) and lymphomatous lymph nodes (39 %). The differences in lymph node hilum shape on 2D and 3D ultrasound applied to 56 % of reactive lymph nodes and 20 % of lymphomatous lymph nodes. CONCLUSION: Three-dimensional imaging on a C-plane (parallel to the surface of the probe) may supply the examiner with different information concerning the shape of the lymph node and its hilum in comparison to standard 2D ultrasound. Changes in the shapes of hilum and lymph node occurred in reactive or inflamed lymph nodes as well as in lymphomas. Clinical significance of this fact demands further investigation.

Sphincterotomy.

As a supplement to a theoretical study published in 1966, we now report the indications and results in nine cases, seen over a period of five years, in which papillotomy or a short sphincterotomy was performed for cholelithiasis. In six cases, the indication was based on the presence of low-seated calculi in the common bile duct or in the papilla, which calculi could not be removed via the supraduodenal choledochotomy; in two cases it was based on the presence of a stenosis of the papilla without choledocholithiasis. In seven patients the postoperative course was uneventful. One woman exhibited a complication not connected with the bile-duct operation, and one other patient showed leakage of the suture line in the duct, a complication that may also occur after simple choledochotomy and which accordingly is not attributable to the additional sphincterotomy. All the patients have remained symptom-free during the follow-up period. These results confirm the data in the international literature and prove that for the limited range of indications mentioned, sphincterotomy may be performed if it is considered necessary.

The effect of ethanol-caffeine interaction on the gastric mucosal barrier.

Potential difference across the stomach wall (PD) is determined by the gastric mucosa electrolyte barrier. The decrease in the PD caused by the "barrier breakers" e.g. aspirin, alcohol and cholic acids is a sensitive index of mucosal damage. We studied the effect of interaction between alcohol and caffeine on the PD in the anesthetized rats. The intragastric administration of 1 ml of 40 vol.% ethanol solution decreased the PD by 39%, of 10 mg of caffeine sodium benzoate by 22% and the simultaneous administration of alcohol and caffeine by 53%. These results indicate that caffeine may enhance the damaging effect of alcohol on the gastric mucosal barrier.

The effect of L-amino acids given intravenously on gastric secretion stimulated by pentagastrin in dogs.

L-Amino acid solution given intravenously in Heidenhain pouch dogs resulted in marked changes of both basal and pentagastrin-stimulated gastric secretions. During a 1-hour amino acid infusion, a significant augmentation of pentagastrin-induced secretion was observed. A significant increase of secretion during amino acid infusion was also found in dogs not infused with pentagastrin. Absolute values of HCl output were much higher in dogs in which secretion was stimulated by a combination of pentagastrin and amino acids than by amino acids alone. This increase was followed by a fall of gastric secretion in response to pentagastrin.

Interference of psychotropic drugs with the injuring action of ethanol on gastric mucosal barrier.

The aim of this study was to establish whether some psychotropic drugs, applied to patients under influence of alcohol, may potentiate its damaging action on gastric mucosal barrier. A sensitive index of such damage is a decline of the potential difference (PD) across the stomach wall. The experiments were carried out on Wistar rats of either sex, anesthetized with urethane-chloralose. The PD values were assayed with an apolarization method. The investigated solutions were administered intragastrically by gavage. Ethanol at a concentration of 40% v/v depressed PD by 39%. The investigated psychotropic drugs did not change PD by themselves but given in combination with ethanol caused significant decline of PD: diazepam (0.4 mg/kg) by 58%, chlorpromazine (6.7 mg/kg) by 59%, imipramine (2 mg/kg) by 48%, amitriptyline (4 mg/kg) by 49%, phenytoin (4 mg/kg) by 53%, pyridinol (0.3 mg/kg) by 58%. Intragastric administration of water did not change PD. The results indicate that while psychotropic drugs given alone do not affect significantly the gastric mucosal barrier, they may potentiate the damaging action of ethanol on this barrier.