Significance of the neutrophil myeloperoxidase index in patients with atherosclerotic diseases.

The pattern of changes in the neutrophil myeloperoxidase (MPO) levels in various atherosclerotic conditions was analyzed by assessing the mean myeloperoxidase index (MPXI), which is calculated during the routine complete blood count (CBC) performed using the flow-cytochemistry blood autoanalyzer ADVIA120/2120 (Siemens), and plasma MPO concentrations. MPXI values of ischemic heart disease (IHD) patients did not differ from those of healthy volunteers. However, MPXI values of IHD patients with arteriosclerosis obliterans (ASO) (-6.1 ± 1.8) were significantly lower than those of IHD patients without ASO (0.8 ± 0.5). In contrast, the MPO values in IHD patients with ASO were significantly elevated. In subjects without IHD, while the MPXI values in mild cases of ASO (Fontaine's stages I/II, 3.4 ± 0.8) were significantly higher than those of healthy volunteers (0.4 ± 0.4), the values of those with severe ASO (stages III/IV, 0.3 ± 0.8) were significantly lower than those of mild cases. However, when ASO patients developed IHD, the MPXI values dramatically decreased (stages I/II, -7.3 ± 1.9; stages III/IV, -5.2 ± 1.6). These results indicate that MPXI is elevated in mild, but not in severe, ASO cases, and that MPXI decreases dramatically when ASO patients develop IHD. MPXI may constitute an informative independent biomarker for diagnosis and follow-up of IHD complicated by ASO.

Effects of reduced food intake on toxicity study parameters in rats.

This study comprehensively describes the effects of various levels of food reduction on a wide range of toxicological parameters in dietary-optimized rats (fed with approximately 75% of ad libitum food consumption daily; 16 g and 22 g/day for females and males, respectively) that has been established as a nutritionally appropriate and well-controlled animal model in conducting toxicity studies. Toxicological parameters, including general condition, ophthalmology, clinical pathology and anatomic pathology, were examined in dietary-optimized Crl:CD(SD) female and male rats fed 16 g and 22 g/day (control), 12 g and 17 g/day (75% group), 8 g and 11 g/day (50% group), or 4 g and 6 g/day (25% group), respectively for 2 weeks. There was mortality and morbidity including reddish urine in 25% group females. The reddish urine was identified as "hemoglobinuria" that resulted from extra/intra-vascular hemolysis induced by severe food reduction. Hemoconcentration, decreased leukocytes and platelets, decreases in nutritional elements (serum glucose, protein, and lipids), increased aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase, imbalanced electrolytes, and/or decreased urinary pH were observed in all restriction groups. Histopathologically remarkable changes included erythrophagocytosis in the spleen/liver and renal tubular necrosis with hyaline cast/droplets in 25% group; in addition to bone marrow depletion, lymphoid depletion in thymus/spleen/lymph node, and/or decreased secretion in the prostate/seminal vesicle in all restriction groups. Most of these changes were considered attributable to nutritional deficiency, dehydration, accelerated protein catabolism, stress and/or hemolysis secondary to severe food reduction. These results will enable toxicologists to help distinguish primary drug-induced effects from secondary changes associated with decreases in food consumption.