Changes in Serum Amino Acids in Migraine Patients without and with Aura and their Possible Usefulness in the Study of Migraine Pathogenesis.

BACKGROUND: Results of several studies suggest that serum amino acids monitoring in migraine might be useful as an objective measurement of the disease status. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present work was to analyze the profile of aliphatic and aromatic amino acids in blood serum of migraine patients without and with aura between attacks. METHODS: A total number of 37 migraine patients (26 with migraine without aura and 11 with migraine with aura), mean age 39±12 years, and 40 age-matched healthy subjects as the control group, mean age 38±14 years, were included into the study. The levels of glutamic acid, glutamine, histidine (His), valine (Val), isoleucine, leucine (Leu), phenyloalanine, lysine were evaluated. RESULTS: The level of His was significantly higher in both groups of migraine patients (without and with aura) compared to the control group (F(2,74)=10.17, p=0.00). The levels of Val and Leu were significantly different in migraine without but not with aura, when compared with the control group (F(2,74)=4.70, p=0.01 and F(2,74)=4.39, p=0.02, respectively). CONCLUSION: We found higher level of His in migraine patients without and with aura and lower level of Val and Leu in patients with migraine without aura.

Altered L-arginine metabolism in children with controlled asthma.

Decreased level of L-arginine may lead to airway hyperresponsiveness, inflammation, and airway remodeling. Changes in L-arginine metabolism were observed earlier in adult asthmatic patients. Studies on L-arginine metabolism in children with bronchial asthma are limited. Because biosynthesis of L-arginine is insufficient in growing children, its potential metabolic alterations may have important clinical implications. This study was designed to evaluate L-arginine metabolism in children with well-controlled asthma. The studies were conducted on blood serum of 30 asthmatic and 20 healthy children (control group). Levels of L-arginine and its metabolic products, L-citrulline and L-ornithine, were measured by HPLC. Arginase activity was determined spectrophotometrically. Disease severity was evaluated by the asthma control test (ACT) and the level of nitric oxide (NO) in exhaled air. In asthmatic children L-arginine concentration was significantly lowered, whereas arginase activity was unchanged when compared with the healthy group. However, L-ornithine and L-citrulline levels were significantly increased. There was no correlation between arginase activity, amino acids levels, ACT scores, and exhaled NO. In children with chronic, well-controlled asthma L-arginine metabolism is altered. Given that L-arginine is absolutely essential for children, our findings may be of particular importance for the management of children with non-exacerbated asthma. They may also help to develop new therapeutic strategies targeted at L-arginine metabolism in the future.

Antioxidant status in different regions of heroin addicts' brain.

Heroin is an illicit narcotic abused by millions of people worldwide. In the present work, we estimated peroxyl radical-trapping capacity (PRTC), oxidative stress markers - malondialdehyde and protein carbonyl groups, as well as antioxidant enzymes - superoxide dismutase and catalase, in different regions of brain. Studies conducted on nine brains from heroin abusers and eight from control subjects revealed a decrease in PRTC in each part of heroin intoxicated brains and an increase in lipid peroxidation in brain cortex, brain stem and white matter but not in hippocampus. Protein oxidation was increased in hippocampus and in brain stem, but it was unchanged in gray and white matters. Superoxide dismutase and catalase activities were unchanged in heroin addicts. We conclude that heroin intoxication changes the antioxidant status in human brain by increasing the amount of organic rather then inorganic peroxides. The most severe condition of oxidative stress occur in brain stem.