Blood pressure variability in acute ischemic stroke depends on hemispheric stroke location.

The relationship between blood pressure (BP) variability and stroke location was examined in 85 patients admitted with acute ischemic stroke. The patients were divided into three groups according to stroke location: right hemisphere (32 patients), left hemisphere (30 patients) and non-localized (23 patients). BP upon admission was 147.94/76.53 +/- 20.72/13.70 mmHg in the right hemisphere group, 151.81/76.10 +/- 25.69/16.23 mmHg in the left hemisphere and 155.23/83.41 +/- 30.45/15.74 in the non-localized group. The left hemisphere group had significantly (p < 0.01) greater variations in systolic and diastolic BP between days 2 and 3 and in systolic BP between days 3 and 4 after stroke compared with the other groups. BP in the left hemisphere group was less stable than in the other two groups. Non-localized patients without pre-existing hypertension had a significantly lower and more stable BP during the week following stroke than non-localized patients with pre-existing hypertension. Non-localized patients with pre-existing hypertension had the highest BP and showed no improvement during the week. Systolic BP tended to be higher and less stable in left hemisphere patients than in right hemisphere, whereas among non-localized ischemic stroke patients BP was higher in those who had a prior diagnosis of hypertension.

Bradykinin analogs as inhibitors of angiotensin-converting enzyme.

A series of peptide analogs and fragments of bradykinin were designed and synthesized on solid supports using Boc and Fmoc strategies, and on polyethylene pins using Fmoc strategy. The peptides were purified, characterized and tested for their inhibitory effects on angiotensin-converting enzyme. The inhibition of the converting enzyme. The inhibition of the enzyme was measured spectrophotometrically using Furylacryloyl-Phe-Gly-Gly as the substrate. Apparent Ki's were determined for the substrates, which exhibited significant inhibition in the initial screening assay using 10 microM of the peptide inhibitor. Short peptides corresponding to the carboxyl terminus of bradykinin were found to be poor inhibitors of angiotensin-converting enzyme. However, bradykinin-like peptides with modifications at their amino terminus are effective inhibitors. The best inhibitor found in this study, Ala2,6-des-Pro3-bradykinin, has an apparent Ki of 30.2 nM, compared to an apparent Ki of 94 nM for des-Pro3-bradykinin, which was reported to be a better inhibitor of angiotensin-converting enzyme than captopril.

[Morphofunctional characteristics of the thyroid gland of rats selected on the basis of excitation of the nervous system]. / Morfofunktsional'nye osobennosti shchitovidnoi zhelezy krys, selektirovannykh po vozbudimosti nervnoi sistemy.

Morphological peculiarities of function of the thyroid (cell height, follicle area and diameters, and a ratio of an epithelial layer height and a follicular cavity) were studied. Rat strains of the 16th generation of breeding with high and low threshold (HT and LT) of excitation of the nervous system were used. The results obtained were suggestive of elevated function of the thyroid in LT animals, their epithelial cells were higher and a follicular cavity lumen narrower than those in HT animals. A conclusion was made of the presence of genetically determined interrelationship between the levels of function of the nervous and endocrine systems.