Nitroxide synthase activities at different stages of adjuvant arthritis.

The location and activities of nitric oxide synthases in synovial cells during different stages of inflammatory process were studied by the immunocytochemical method in animals with experimental rheumatoid arthritis. Direct involvement of the NOergic mechanisms in the development of adjuvant arthritis was demonstarted.

Nitroxide synthase activity as a marker of early stages of experimental cartilage dysmetabolism.

Time course of nitroxide synthase activity in the knee joint cartilage was studied in animals with experimental anterior instability of the knee joint. A significant increase in nitroxide synthase activity in chondrocytes was paralleled by a progressive decrease in glycosaminoglycan content in the cartilaginous matrix and subsequent destruction of the cartilage cytoarchitectonics.

[NADPH-diaphorase topochemistry in human and rat knee joint structures and its changes in experimental arthritis]. / Topokhimiia NADPH-diaforazy v strukturakh kolennogo sustava cheloveka i krys i ee izmeneniia pri éksperimental'nom artrite.

Using the histochemical demonstration of NADPH-diaphorase (NADPH-d) activity, the distribution of constitutive nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activity was studied in the cartilage and synovium of healthy man and rats and in experimental arthritis. Arthritis was induced in rats by the injection of complete Freund's adjuvant; the material was studied at days 7, 14, 30 and 60 of inflammation. NADPH-d activity was different in man and rat. In human cartilage NADPH-d-positive chondrocytes were absent, whereas in synovium synovial lining cells and endothelial cells of microvessels were marked. In rats of control group and in those treated with adjuvant, high activity of the enzyme was demonstrated in the cytoplasm of proliferating chondroblasts situated in the marginal zone of the cartilage, and in chondrocytes, that formed the isogenous groups in its deep portions. In rat synovium, besides synovial lining and endothelial cells, fibroblasts were also stained. At experimental days 7 and 14 the number of the marked cells with predominantly high enzyme activity increased on the average by approximately 30.4%. This parameter decreased significantly, approaching the control level at day 30, while at day 60 of adjuvant arthritis NADPH-d positive cells were not detected. Heterotopic localization of constitutive NOS indicates that NO is unequally involved in arthritis development in man and rat. The dynamics of enzyme activity depends on the stage of inflammation and determines the specific effect of NO on target cells.

Apoptosis as a mechanism of autoimmune inflammation in human knee joint.

Apoptosis in the cartilage and synovial membrane of the knee joint in patients with rheumatoid arthritis was studied using the immunocytochemical TUNEL method. The degree of apoptosis correlated with the duration of inflammation. The process predominated in the chondroblast population, lymphocytic infiltration, and synovial membrane fibroblasts.

The disablement process in patients with pulmonary disease.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The purposes of this study were (1) to describe the disabilities of patients with pulmonary disease and (2) to examine the relationships among impairments, functional limitations, and disability, as described by the disablement process model. SUBJECTS: Subjects were 154 patients with chronic pulmonary disease (64% female, 36% male; mean age = 59 years, SD = 14, range = 24-86). METHODS: Information was abstracted from physical therapy records, including measurements of pulmonary impairment, 6-minute walk distance (6MWD), and Functional Status Questionnaire (FSQ) scores. Multivariate analyses were used to examine the relationships among measurements of impairment, 6MWD, and FSQ scores. RESULTS: Mean FSQ scores ranged from 52.6 for instrumental activities of daily living to 83.3 for basic activities of daily living, where 100 represents the highest level of ability. Fifty percent of patients were not working because of health problems. Percentage of predicted 1-second forced expiratory volume (FEV1), oxyhemoglobin saturation, and the ratio of FEV1 to forced vital capacity were related to 6MWD but not to FSQ scores. The 6MWD was associated with scales of the FSQ, including basic activities of daily living (R2 = .24), instrumental activities of daily living (R2 = .35), and social activity (R2 = .26). CONCLUSION AND DISCUSSION: Patients entering a pulmonary rehabilitation program have clinically important disabilities. The results support the use of the disablement process model and suggest that different and important information is obtained from measurements of impairment, functional limitation, and disability in patients with pulmonary disease.

Identification of a human CD36 isoform produced by exon skipping. Conservation of exon organization and pre-mRNA splicing patterns with a CD36 gene family member, CLA-1.

During an examination of different cell types for CD36 mRNA splice variants, a partial cDNA from HEL cells was isolated and characterized. This CD36 cDNA had a 309-base pair deletion following the region encoding the first putative transmembrane domain of CD36. The open reading frame of the deleted CD36 cDNA was retained and was predicted to yield a protein lacking 103 amino acid residues. The presence of this variant was confirmed in RNA pools from placental tissue by a reverse transcriptase-coupled polymerase chain reaction assay. Comparison of the HEL CD36 cDNA with the genomic sequence revealed that the mRNA represented by this variant CD36 cDNA was produced by a pre-mRNA splicing reaction that excluded exons 4 and 5. Transient expression of the variant CD36 cDNA in COS-1 cells showed that CD36 immunoreactive protein was expressed on the cell surface but lacked an antigenic epitope defined by amino acid residues 41-143. This cell surface glycoprotein (M(r) approximately 57,000) was of identical molecular weight as a CD36 isoform observed on the surface of HEL cells. The exclusion of exons during CD36 pre-mRNA processing appears to be conserved within one other CD36 gene family member, CLA-1.

Group/audiovisual instruction for patients with diabetes. Learning achievements and time economics.

Patients with diabetes receiving instruction in group classes utilizing audiovisual teaching techniques achieved significantly higher post-test scores than those taught individually in the traditional bedside manner. In addition to the significantly greater learning, the dietitian's time was reduced by 100 per cent, based on classes of eight patients. The study was conducted by randomly allocating forty-five qualified patients to control or experimental groups, pre-testing them using a questionaire-interview, giving bedside or class dietary instruction, and post-testing, using the same questionaire. Various personal characteristcs of the participants, as well as data relating to the diabetic state, were also examined for possible relationships to test scores and to one another.