Oxidants and antioxidants in myocardial infarction (MI): Investigation of ischemia modified albumin,malondialdehyde, superoxide dismutase and catalase in individuals diagnosed with ST elevated myocardial infarction (STEMI) and non-STEMI (NSTEMI)

BackgroundCoronary ischemia can lead to myocardial damage and necrosis. The pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases often includes increased oxidative stress and decreased antioxidant defense. The study aimed to assess levels of ischemia modified albumin (IMA), malondialdehyde acid (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase in individuals diagnosed with ST elevated myocardial infarction (STEMI) and non-STEMI.MethodsThe present study prospectively included 50 STEMI patients, 55 NSTEMI patients, and 55 healthy subjects. Only patients who were recently diagnosed with STEMI or NSTEMI were included in this study. IMA, MDA, SOD, and catalase activities were measured spectrophotometrically. Significant coronary artery lesions were determined by angiography.ResultsPatients with ACS had significantly greater IMA and MDA values than the healthy controls (p<0.001). Besides, patients with STEMI had IMA levels that were significantly greater than those of the patients with NSTEMI (p<0.001), while the reverse was true for MDA levels (p<0.001). The healthy controls had the highest levels of SOD and catalase levels, followed by patients with STEMI and patients with NSTEMI, respectively (p<0.001). There was a significant negative correlation among MDA and SOD with catalase levels (r = -0.771 p<0.001 MDA vs catalase; r = -0.821 p<0.001 SOD vs catalase).ConclusionsData obtained in this study reveals that compared to healthy controls, STEMI and NSTEMI patients had increased levels of MDA and IMA and decreased levels of SOD and catalase.     

Exceptional complex chromosomal rearrangement and microdeletions at the 4q22.3q23 and 14q31.1q31.3 regions in a patient with azoospermia

In this report we describe the first patient ever found to have azoospermia in association with both exceptional complex chromosomal rearrangements and microdeletions at two translocation breakpoints. A 36-year-old male who had been suffering from male factor infertility was admitted to our clinic. The patient also displayed mild dysmorphia. An analysis of the patient's semen revealed azoospermia. GTG banding revealed the presence of an exceptional complex chromosomal rearrangement involving chromosomes 1, 4, 10 and 14. Using subtelomeric FISH analysis, the patient's karyotype was designated as 46,XY,t(1;10)(q43q44;q21q26.1)(CEB108/T7+,D1S3738-;10PTEL006+,D10S2290+, D1S3738+), ins(14;4) (q31.3;q23q33)(D14S1420+; D4S3359+, D4S2930+). Array-CGH analysis revealed two microdeletions at the 4q22.3q23 and 14q31.1q31.3 chromosomal regions. We suggest that microdeletions at the 4q22.3q23 and 14q31.1q31.3 chromosomal regions associated with both an exceptional complex chromosomal rearrangement and the Homo sapiens chromosome 4 open reading frame 37 (C4orf37) gene located at the 4q22.3q23 region might be associated with male factor infertility.     

Effect of type-1 diabetes mellitus on the regulation of insulin and endothelin-1 receptors in rat hearts

This project assesses the treatment role with insulin and (or) angiotensin II receptor subtype-1 (AT1-R) blocker (ARB) on insulin receptor and endothelin-1 receptor subtype (ETA-R and ETB-R) regulation in rat hearts suffering from insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM). Animals were divided into 6 groups: groups 1, 3, and 5 were controls consisting of normal, diabetic (streptozotocin-treated, once at 0 time), and diabetic supplemented daily with insulin, respectively, whereas groups 2, 4, and 6 were the controls treated daily with losartan. One month after enrollment, rats were sacrificed and samples of cardiac tissue were snapped frozen for immunostaining and Western blotting. Insulin receptor density was observed to be upregulated in the cardiomyocytes of diabetic animals, but downregulated with insulin supplementation alone. Cotreatment with insulin and an ARB resulted in drastic increase in insulin-receptor density in the diabetic rats. In addition, expression of ETA-R in cardiomyocytes was upregulated and was consistently maintained within the various treatment modalities. However, ETB-R expression was significantly reduced in the diabetic group treated with both insulin and an ARB. The changes in the expression of the insulin, the ETA-Rs, and the ETB-Rs at the various sites of the myocardium and the effect of both insulin treatment and blockade of the AT1-R explain the new benefits related to the halting of myocardial remodeling in IDDM rats.     

Effect of various process parameters on morphology, rheology, and polygalacturonase production by Aspergillus sojae in a batch bioreactor

The effects of pH, agitation speed, and dissolved oxygen tension (DOT), significant in common fungal fermentations, on the production of polygalacturonase (PG) enzyme and their relation to morphology and broth rheology were investigated using Aspergillus sojae in a batch bioreactor. All three factors were effective on the response parameters under study. An uncontrolled pH increased biomass and PG activity by 27% and 38%, respectively, compared to controlled pH (pH 6) with an average pellet size of 1.69 +/- 0.48 mm. pH did not significantly affect the broth rheology but created an impact on the pellet morphology. Similarly, at constant agitation speed the maximum biomass obtained at 500 rpm and at 30 h was 3.27 and 3.67 times more than at 200 and 350 rpm, respectively, with an average pellet size of 1.08 +/- 0.42 mm. The maximum enzyme productivity of 0.149 U mL-1 h-1 was obtained at 200 rpm with an average pellet size of 0.71 +/- 0.35 mm. Non-Newtonian and pseudoplastic broth rheology was observed at 500 rpm agitation speed, broth rheology exhibited dilatant behavior at the lower agitation rate (200 rpm), and at the medium agitation speed (350 rpm) the broth was close to Newtonian. Furthermore, a DOT range of 30-50% was essential for maximum biomass formation, whereas only 10% DOT was required for maximum PG synthesis. Non-Newtonian shear thickening behavior (n > 1.0) was depicted at DOT levels of 10% and 30%, whereas non-Newtonian shear thinning behavior (n < 1.0) was dominant at 50% DOT. The overall fermentation duration (50-70 h) was considerably shorter compared to common fungal fermentations, revealing the economic feasibility of this particular process. As a result this study not only introduced a new strain with a potential of producing a highly commercially significant enzyme but also provided certain parameters significant in the design and mathematical modeling of fungal bioprocesses.     

Synthesis and antioxidant properties of novel benzimidazole derivatives

Some novel benzimidazole derivatives carrying thiosemicarbazide and triazole moieties at the N1 position were synthesized and their in vitro effects on rat liver microsomal NADPH-dependent lipid peroxidation (LP) levels determined by measuring the formation of 2-thiobarbituric acid reactive substance. The free radical scavenging properties of the compounds were also examined in vitro by determining the capacity to scavenge superoxide anion formation and the interaction with the stable free radical 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH). The compounds showed a significant effect in the above tests except to scavenge superoxide anion formation.     

Prognostic role of natural killer cells in pediatric mixed cellularity and nodular sclerosing Hodgkin's disease

OBJECTIVE: To study natural killer cells' spontaneous cytotoxic capacity against tumor cells and their prognostic significance in classical Hodgkin's disease. STUDY DESIGN: Thirty-eight pediatric mixed cellularity and nodular sclerosing Hodgkin's disease patients were included in the study. Immunohistochemical staining was performed for natural killer cells in the background using the monoclonal antibody CD57 in serial sections of B5-formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue blocks. CD57-positive cells were counted with an immersion objective among 5,000 cells on representative areas of the tumors. The degree of natural killer cells was classified as low (<150 cells) or high (> or = 150 cells). Multivariate regression analysis was performed to determine the differences between patients with and without relapse. RESULT: The mean of CD57-positive cell numberfor all the cases was 173.42 +/- 117.34 (range, 20-500). CD57-positive cells were high in 21 cases and low in 17. The mean of CD57-positive cell numbers was 191.85 +/- 115.33 in the disease-free group and 84.44 +/- 57.90 in the relapsing group. Log rank analysis showed statistical significance between event-free survival and number of CD57-positive cells (P = .0207). CONCLUSION: In multivariate analysis, CD57 expression proved to be a prognostic factor independent from otherfactors. As a result, CD57 expression by background natural killer cells may be used as a prognostic parameter in mixed cellularity and nodular sclerosing Hodgkin's disease.     

Relaxation kinetics and the glassiness of proteins: the case of bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor

Folded proteins may be regarded as soft active matter under physiological conditions. The densely packed hydrophobic interior, the relatively molten hydrophilic exterior, and the spacer connecting these put together a large number of locally homogeneous regions. For the case of the bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor, with the aid of molecular dynamics simulations, we have demonstrated that the kinetics of the relaxation of the internal motions is highly concerted, manifesting the protein's heterogeneity, which may arise from variations in density, local packing, or the local energy landscape. This behavior is characterized in a stretched exponential decay described by an exponent of approximately 0.4 at physiological temperatures. Due to the trapped conformations, configurational entropy becomes smaller, and the associated stretch exponent drops to half of its value below the glass transition range. The temperature dependence of the inverse relaxation time closely follows the Vogel-Tamman-Fulcher expression when the protein is biologically active.     

Comparison of circadian rhythm characteristics of blood pressure and heart rate in patients before and after elective coronary artery bypass surgery

Coronary artery bypass grafting surgery (CABGS) is done to reperfuse the ischemic myocardium of coronary disease patients. This study was designed to analyze the circadian rhythm characteristics of blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) of patients before and after CABGS. Fifty-one patients undergoing elective CABGS were studied; 21 patients received one, 12 two and 18 three or more grafts. BP was monitored for 24h before and after CABGS while patients were recumbent in the hospital. Systolic (S) and diastolic (D) BP and HR were assessed every 30 min. Of the 51 patients, 37 (73%) had nondipper 24h BP patterns (nocturnal decline in BP < 10% of daytime mean level) in the preoperative baseline assessment. The peak and MESOR (rhythm-adjusted 24h mean) values of the circadian rhythm in SBP, DBP, and pulse pressure (PP) significantly declined following surgery, while HR and rate-pressure product (RPP = SBP x HR) markedly increased. The double amplitude (peak-to-trough variation) of the circadian rhythm in SBP and DBP was significantly reduced postoperatively, and that of the rhythm in HR and RPP significantly increased. The slopes of the morning rise and evening dip in the 24h SBP profile were reduced significantly after bypass grafting. The corresponding slopes of the HR profile, in contrast, were markedly increased.     

Effects of lactulose and lactitol on coliform bacteria and bacterial translocation in the caecum during 72-h starvation in rats

Lactulose and lactitol, non-absorbable disaccharides, prevent bacterial translocation (BT) arising from the gut. In contrast, lack of food into the gut leads to coliform bacterial overgrowth and even if it does not cause BT, can induce the risk from other stimuli for BT. In this study, we tested whether lactulose and lactitol affected populations of coliform bacteria in the caecum during starvation in Sprague-Dawley rats. Three groups of rats were starved for 72 h and given oral 2 ml undiluted lactulose (670 mg/ml), 2 ml undiluted lactitol (666 mg/ml) or 2 ml physiological saline, respectively, once a day. The caecum and mesenteric lymph nodes (MLNs) were removed for microbiological and histopathological analyses. The highest degree of coliform bacterial overgrowth, BT to MLNs and histopathological damage were observed in lactulose-treated rats, followed by the group treated with lactitol. As a result of this study, both drugs, especially lactulose augmented the proliferation and translocation tendency of coliform bacteria in the caecum during 72-h starvation in rats.