Dream recall after night awakenings from tonic/phasic REM sleep

Eleven healthy subjects, 9 females and 2 males aged 21-23, were submitted to all night polygraphic recording and awaken in REM (Rapid Eye Movements) sleep, randomly upon tonic or phasic REM. Immediately upon awakening subjects were asked about possible dreaming according to the standardized questionnaire. Seventy-seven dreams, i.e. 79% of all 97 REM awakenings, were reported and analyzed. There were no significant differences in reported frequency of dreamings after awakening, mood and dream content due to phasic/tonic REM sleep. Dreams from phasic REM were a bit more colorful. Predictor of morning remembering of dreams was meaninglessness, not meaningfulness of dreams, and, in lesser extent, good mood, colorfulness, dreams with words and phasic REM sleep.     

Analysis of colon cancer features in Croatia

Qualitative and quantitative parametars were evaluated in 186 colorectal cancer patients. Quality of life was evaluated in subgroup of 84 patients. Correlation between Dukes stage of disease and qualitative (gender, blood type, marital status, region of Croatia from where patients were coming) and quantitative biological parametars (age, body mass index) was analysed. There was no statistically significant difference considering distribution of the patients disease stage and gender, blood type, marital status, region of Croatia from where patients were coming and body mass index (p > 0.05). Patients with Dukes D stage of colorectal cancer were statistically significantly younger in comparison to other stages (p < 0.05). Quality of life was the best before surgery, significantly deteriorated immediately after and partially improved three months after the surgery without significant differences between investagted groups with different colorectal cancer stage and type of surgery.     

The effect of analgesics and physical therapy on respiratory function after open and laparoscopic cholecystectomy

In this study we present prospective clinical trial included 100 patients. One half of the patients underwent open cholecystectomy, whereas laparoscopic cholecystectomy was performed in the other half Spirometric parameters, arterial blood gases, acid-base balance, were determined preoperatively, and then at 6 h, 24 h, 72 h and 144 h postoperatively. The impact of physical therapy on the respiratory parameter patterns, VAS-pain score and use of tramadol were studied after cholecystectomy. Significantly lower VAS-pain score and less tramadol use, higher values and faster recovery of ventilation parameters and PaO2 were recorded after laparoscopic cholecystectomy than after open cholecystectomy (p = 0.001 for both). Physical therapy resulted in a significant improvement in the values of respiratory parameters in the open cholecystectomy group within a short time (30 min) after therapy was performed. Physical therapy failed to produce any improvement of respiratory parameters in laparoscopic cholecystectomy, whereas in open cholecystectomy group who had a favorable although transient effect, strictly limited to the short time from its application. (p = 0.005). The patients operated on by open cholecystectomy had statistically significantly more pronounced disturbances including hypoxia, hypocapnia and hyperventilation when compared to the group submitted to laparoscopic cholecystectomy. It is recommended that physical therapy be more frequently performed during the postoperative period in patients submitted to open cholecystectomy.     

Efficacy of healthy weight loss program in obesity treatment: Croatian experience

We evaluated the efficiency of a six-month outpatient weight loss treatment program combining healthy diet, fat reduction, psychological counseling, exercise, and orlistat treatment, by measuring body weight and levels of cardiovascular risk factors in 476 subjects with BMI over 30 or 28 with increased blood pressure, cholesterol, and sugar at the baseline and at the end of program. After four weeks of adjustment to a mild low-calorie diet (1600 kcal/day) and counseling, subjects started receiving orlistat (120 mg TID). The mean weight loss after 6 months was 10.9%. Systolic pressure dropped by 6.7%, diastolic by 4.2%, fasting blood glucose by 10.1%, and total cholesterol by 9.8%. Only 9 subjects (7.8%) poorly tolerated the treatment. More men than women were able to maintain the achieved weight loss six months after the program (70.6% vs. 58.3%, respectively). The healthy weight loss program was an efficient approach to obesity treatment.     

Our experience with virtual endoscopy of paranasal sinuses

The main goal of our work was to evaluate advantages and disadvantages of virtual endoscopy (VE) techniques in routinely diagnostic and preoperative management of patients with various sinus diseases or head traumas in our practice. Fly-through algorithm was performed using an Xeon based workstation on data sets created from axial CT images acquired from 320 patients with various paranasal sinus disorders. Images were created using Siemens Somatom Emotion 16 continiously rotating helical CT scanner and archived in DICOM format. In comparison with real endoscopy, the VE has several advantages. It is completely non-invasive. It is possible to repeat the same procedure several times, therefore it may be a valuable tool for training. Interactive control of all virtual camera parameters, including the field-of-view is possible. Endoscopic viewing as opposed to real endoscopy is not restricted to the spaces defined by inner surfaces. The viewer may penetrate the walls and see the extent of lesions within and beyond the wall as well as the adjacent anatomic structures. Virtual endoscopy also has a potential to stage tumors by determining the location and the extent of transmural extension.     

The role of endothelin-1 and nitric oxide in the pathogenesis of hypertension in diabetic patients

The pathogenesis of renal hypertension has not yet been fully clarified. As the potential role of endothelin-1 (ET-1) and nitric oxide (NO) has been postulated, their concentrations were determined in plasma and urine of diabetic patients. The study included 30 diabetic patients (both IDDM and NIDDM) with initial or advanced diabetic nephropathy (decreased endogenous creatinine clearance, proteinuria) and 20 healthy control subjects. The correlation with blood pressure and other renal function parameters was monitored and compared with the control group. Also, the effect of ACE inhibitors (ACEI) on ET-1 and NO patterns was monitored in correlation with arterial hypertension. In diabetic patients that did not receive ACEI therapy, the increase in plasma ET-1 was associated with both systolic and diastolic blood pressure elevation, whereas in those administered ACEI the increase in plasma ET-1 was associated with a systolic blood pressure decline. In addition, the increase in plasma NO was accompanied by a statistically significant decline of both systolic and diastolic blood pressure in diabetic patients receiving ACEI.     

Cytotoxic studies of substituted titanocene and ansa-titanocene anticancer drugs

A variety of substituted titanocene and ansa-titanocene complexes have been synthesized and characterized using traditional methods. The cytotoxic activity of the different titanocene complexes was tested against tumour cell lines human adenocarcinoma HeLa, human myelogenous leukemia K562, human malignant melanoma Fem-x and normal immunocompetent cells, peripheral blood mononuclear cells PBMC. Alkenyl substitution, either on the cyclopentadienyl ring or on the silicon-atom ansa-bridge of the titanocene compounds [Ti{Me₂Si(η⁵-C₅Me₄)(η⁵-C₅H₃{CMe₂CH₂CH₂CHCH₂})}Cl₂] (8), [Ti{Me(CH₂CH)Si(η⁵-C₅Me₄)(η⁵-C₅H₄)}Cl₂] (9) and [Ti(η⁵-C₅H₄{CMe₂CH₂CH₂CHCH₂})₂Cl₂] (12) showed higher cytotoxic activities (IC₅₀ values from 24 ± 3 to 151 ± 10 μM) relative to complexes bearing an additional alkenyl-substituted silyl substituent on the silicon bridge [Ti{Me{(CH₂CH)Me₂SiCH₂CH₂}Si(η⁵-C₅Me₄)(η⁵-C₅H₄)}Cl₂] (10) and [Ti{Me{(CH₂CH)₃SiCH₂CH₂}Si(η⁵-C₅Me₄)(η⁵-C₅H₄)}Cl₂] (11) which causes a dramatic decrease of the cytotoxicity (IC₅₀ values from 155 ± 9 to >200 μM). In addition, the synthesis of the analogous niobocene complex [Nb(η⁵-C₅H₄{CMe₂CH₂CH₂CH=CH₂})₂Cl₂] (13), is described. Structural studies based on DFT calculations of the most active complexes 8, 9 and 12 and the X-ray crystal structure of 13 are reported.     

Study of the cytotoxic activity of di and triphenyltin(IV) carboxylate complexes

The reaction of 3-methoxyphenylacetic acid (3-MPAH), 4-methoxyphenylacetic acid (4-MPAH), 2,5-dimethyl-3-furoic acid (DMFUH) or 1,4-benzodioxane-6-carboxylic acid (BZDOH) with triphenyltin(IV) chloride (1:1) or diphenyltin(IV) dichloride (2:1) in the presence of triethylamine yielded the compounds [SnPh₃(3-MPA)] (1), [SnPh₃(4-MPA)] (2), [SnPh₃(DMFU)] (3), [SnPh₃(BZDO)] (4), [SnPh₂(3-MPA)₂] (5), [SnPh₂(4-MPA)₂] (6), [SnPh₂(DMFU)₂] (7) and [SnPh₂(BZDO)₂] (8), respectively. The tetranuclear complex [{Me₂(DMFU)SnOSn(DMFU)Me₂}₂] (9) was prepared by the reaction of dimethyltin(IV) oxide and 2,5-dimethyl-3-furoic acid (DMFUH). The molecular structures of 3, 4 and 9, were determined by X-ray diffraction studies. The cytotoxic activity of the carboxylic acids (3-MPAH, 4-MPAH, BZDOH and DMFUH) and di (5-8) and triphenyltin(IV) complexes (2-4) was tested against tumor cell lines human adenocarcinoma HeLa, human myelogenous leukemia K562, human malignant melanoma Fem-x and normal immunocompetent cells, peripheral blood mononuclear cells PBMC. Triphenyltin(IV) complexes show higher activities than the diphenyltin(IV) derivatives. The most active compound is [SnPh₃(DMFU)] (3) with IC₅₀ value of 0.15 ± 0.01, 0.051 ± 0.004, 0.074 ± 0.004, 0.20 ± 0.01, 0.15 ± 0.02 on HeLa, K562, Fem-x, rested and stimulated PBMC, respectively, while the most selective are [SnPh₂(3-MPA)₂] (5), [SnPh₂(DMFU)₂] (7) and [SnPh₂(BZDO)₂] (8). Compounds 3, 5, 7 and 8 present higher activities than cisplatin in all the tested cells and relative high selectivity especially on K562 cells.     

Modeling of cancer virotherapy with recombinant measles viruses

The Edmonston vaccine strain of measles virus has potent and selective activity against a wide range of tumors. Tumor cells infected by this virus or genetically modified strains express viral proteins that allow them to fuse with neighboring cells to form syncytia that ultimately die. Moreover, infected cells may produce new virus particles that proceed to infect additional tumor cells. We present a model of tumor and virus interactions based on established biology and with proper accounting of the free virus population. The range of model parameters is estimated by fitting to available experimental data. The stability of equilibrium states corresponding to complete tumor eradication, therapy failure and partial tumor reduction is discussed. We use numerical simulations to explore conditions for which the model predicts successful therapy and tumor eradication. The model exhibits damped, as well as stable oscillations in a range of parameter values. These oscillatory states are organized by a Hopf bifurcation.     

Determination of aucubin and catalpol in Plantago species by micellar electrokinetic chromatography

Micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) was used for the separation and determination of two iridoid glycosides, aucubin and catalpol, in several Plantago species growing in Croatia: P. altissima L., P. argentea Chaix, P. coronopus L., P. holosteum Scop. (subsp. depauperata, subsp. holosteum and subsp. scopulorum), P. lagopus L., P. lanceolata L., and P. maritima L. Hot water extraction (HWE) was applied for the isolation of iridoid substances. Significant differences appeared between the iridoid contents in the examined species. The yield of aucubin and catalpol was up to 0.27% and 1.81% of the dry mass of the leaves, respectively. Besides aucubin and catalpol, two related compounds were determined in the plant samples.