Serum laboratory markers for noninvasive diagnosis and monitoring of liver fibrogenesis in patients with chronic liver diseases.

Progressive hepatic fibrosis with the development of cirrhosis is a feature of almost all chronic liver diseases. Liver biopsy remains to be the gold standard for the diagnosis and staging of liver fibrosis. Laboratory tests for noninvasive diagnosis of liver fibrosis have been studied extensively in the past years. Many different parameters including circulating products of collagen synthesis or degradation, enzymes involved in collagen biosynthesis, extracellular matrix glycoproteins and proteoglycans or matrix-degrading enzymes and their inhibitors have been evaluated. Unfortunately, none of the currently used serum markers of liver fibrosis are sensitive and specific enough for accurate staging and monitoring of liver fibrogenesis. The review summarizes current information on laboratory tests used for noninvasive diagnosis and monitoring of liver fibrosis. (Tab. 1, Ref. 29.)

Serum cholinesterase activity and proteosynthetic function of liver in patients with diabetes mellitus.

INTRODUCTION: Diabetes mellitus is associated with a lot of changes in intermediary metabolism and several authors reported on higher frequency of liver diseases in patients with diabetes. AIM OF THE STUDY: Was to establish the changes of blood serum cholinesterase, prealbumin and albumin, parameters which are accepted as an index of liver proteosynthetic function, in patients with diabetes mellitus. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study group consisted of 207 patients with diabetes mellitus (83 patients with type I and 124 patients with type II diabetes mellitus). Control group consisted of 179 healthy subjects. The activity of cholinesterase was assayed by the kinetic method, concentrations of prealbumin and albumin were determined immunochemically. RESULTS: Activity of serum cholinesterase was significantly higher in group of patients with diabetes mellitus than in control group (65.05 vs 73.33 microkat/l). The concentration of prealbumin was lower in blood serum of patients with diabetes than in controls (308.10 vs 285.85 mg/l). Serum levels of albumin were not different in both studied groups. After dividing of patients according to the type of diabetes, 80 % of abnormal values of cholinesterase and prealbumin were present in patients with type II diabetes. CONCLUSIONS: The results of our study showed abnormal values of determined liver tests approximately in 22 % of patients with diabetes mellitus. The character of laboratory changes--increased activity of cholinesterase, decreased concentration of prealbumin and normal levels of albumin, suggests development of liver steatosis in these patients. The most of pathological findings were in patients with diabetes type II (Tab. 3, Ref. 20).

[Qualitative characteristics of selected species of the genus Echinacea Moench]. / Stúdium kvalitatívnych vlastností vybraných druhov rodu Echinacea Moench.

The paper examined the effect of production-technological conditions in relation to the ontogenetic stage of plants in three different species of the genus Echinacea Moench., comparing the species Echinacea purpurea, Echinacea atrorubens, and Echinacea pallida. It also examined the differences in the content of essential oil in different plant organs and evaluated the representation of individual components in the essential oils of the species under study at the stage of the optimal maturity for collection.

[Changes in the relative levels of fatty acids in blood and myocardium in the Prague breed of rats with hereditary hypercholesteremia after administration of slow calcium channel blockers]. / Zmeny v relatívnom zastúpení mastných kyselín séra a myokardu prazských hereditárnych hypercholesterolemických potkanov po podaní blokátorov pomalých vápnikových kanálov.

The present paper describes the effect of six-week oral administration of verapamil and diltiazem (1 mg.kg-1 of weight two times daily in 12 hour intervals) on the content of fatty acids of the serum and myocardium of PHHC rats. A cholesterol diet changes the content of fatty acids of the serum and myocardium of PHHC rats in comparison with control rats without the cholesterol diet. A significant decrease in the content of palmitic acid, a decrease in the content of stearic acid, linoleic acid and arachidonic acid and a significant increase in the content of oleic acid were observed in the serum. Long-term administration of the slow calcium channel blockers produces another decrease in the content of the bound form of arachidonic acid. Changes in the representation of other fatty acids are not marked. Long-term administration of a cholesterol diet produces an increase in the content of palmitic acid and stearic acid and a decrease in the content of oleic acid, linoleic acid and arachidonic acid in the myocardium. Administration of verapamil results in a modification of the above-mentioned changes in all parameters excepting the content of arachidonic acid, the content of which was decreased in an even more marked manner. Administration of diltiazem produced an accumulation of both saturated and mono-unsaturated fatty acids (palmitic, stearic and oleic acids) and produced a significant decrease in the content of linoleic acid and mainly the bound form of arachidonic acid.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

[Modification of the composition of the hypertrophic myocardium by beta adrenergic blockade]. / Modifikácia zlozenia hypertrofovaného myokardu betaadrenergickou blokádou.

Adaptation of the rabbit heart to volume load of the left ventricle is characterized by hypertrophic growth. This process involves an increase in the mass and changes in the composition of the myocardium. In the fifth week after perforation of the aortic valve an increase in phospholipid content and in mitochondria and a decrease in protein content was observed in the myocardium. These changes precondition a transient hyperfunction of the cardiomyocytes, but they presumably lead also to the eventual loss of contractile capacity. When the hypertrophic process occurs under conditions of nonspecific beta-adrenergic blockade, the required increase in left ventricular mass is achieved yet the content of phospholipids, proteins and mitochondria remains unchanged. Long-term blockade of beta-adrenergic receptors may be one of the modes of affecting the expression of cardiac genes in such a way that the hypertrophic myocardium does not develop conditions resulting in heart failure.

Zearalenone production in wheat cultivars infected with the fungusFusarium graminearum Schwabe.

In wheat plants of the eultivars "Danubia", "Agra", "Selekta" and "Jubilejna" the fungusFusarium graminsarum Schwabe produced toxic metabolite zearalenone/F-2/ which simultaneously influenced the development of plants characterized by a lower germinating capacity, a reduced growth rate and a higher production of side branches. The presence ofFusarium graminearum was confirmed only in infected plants after plating of organs (root, stem base, stem) and soil on agar medium. The mycotoxin production is dependent on the pathogen development in host plants. The F-2 level progressed from the root into the soil, stem base and stem. The highest F-2 production was identified in cultivar "Selekta" the lowest in cultivar "Danubia". The highest F-2 level (in all wheat eultivars) was identified in the stem base.

[Phospholipids in the human myometrium in various stages of contraction before and during labor]. / Fosfolipidy humánneho myometria pri rôznych stavoch kontrakcnej cinnosti pred termínom a v termíne pôrodu.

A detailed analysis of the myometrium showed that the physical state of phospholipids--fluidity--depends on the ratio of their individual components and changes in relation to the state of contractile activity. The results indicate that before term of labor changes in the fluidity of myometrial phospholipids as well as increased availability of arachidonic acid for prostaglandin synthesis can induce preterm onset of contractile activity. Possibilities of affecting these mechanisms, which belong to the many potential factors inducing preterm labor, are discussed.