Acta medica Polona最新文献

The aim of this study was to characterize glycosaminoglycan components in human palatal tonsils and to determine whether the proportions of individual glycosaminoglycans change with bacterial infection of the palatal tonsils and after recovery. The changes in glycosaminoglycans' content in the course of tonsillitis were mainly related to heparin and chondroitin-4-sulphate (increase) and hyaluronic acid (decrease). After recovery the polydispersity of glycosaminoglycans was found to be comparable to that in normal palatal tonsils.

Bi-directional transport of urea (U), uric acid (UA), inulin (I) and albumin (A) across rabbit peritoneum and its change under the influence of methotrexate (MTX) was studied in vitro. The transport coefficients increased with decreasing molecular mass of these compounds. MTX diminished the bi-directional transfer of U and UA by about 35% but no changes in I transport were found. Flux of A directed from the mesothelial to the interstitial side of the membrane under the influence of MTX was increased by about 35%, while the transport in the opposite direction remained unchanged. The obtained results confirm previous hypothesis concerning the membrane point of MTX. Suggestion of a complex mode of this action within peritoneal membrane was put forward.

This abstract summarizes the results of a research project undertaken during 1983 to 1985 to evaluate the dose to the surrounding tissue contributed by secondary electrons originating from metallic surgical sutures and total hip prosthesis implanted in human tissue, upon interaction with high energy photons during radiation therapy. To date, no such work, has been undertaken on metallic prostheses or sutures but the effect of breast prosthesis made of silicone gel, during radiation therapy with high energy photons and electrons has been reported in two research papers. In this investigation, film and TLD methods of dosimetry are used to evaluate the dose due to these secondary electrons in a polystyrene phantom. Two types of films are used: they are Dupont 7L and Dupont 6 PLUS. Calibrated beams of X-ray photons of 4 MeV and electrons of 8.6 MeV energy are used as the sources of X-ray photons and electrons. The difference in optical density with film and the difference in response in the case of TLDs with and without the metallic objects is a measure of the dose contributes by the secondary electrons. This dose is taken off from the corresponding calibration curves for film and TLDs and this dose varies from 2.5% to 6.72% to soft tissue and the dose to bone varies from 4% to 12% approximately. In certain clinical situations, this amount of dose could be quite significant. Knowing such contribution, a more effective course of radiation therapy can be planned.

Our previous investigations indicated that embryonal and early fetal thymic calf extracts (ETCE), unlike those obtained from adult thymus, cause lymphopenia and hypogammaglobulinemia, counteract anaphylactic shocks and prolong the survival of allografts and xenografts in adult rodents. This paper presents the level of unsaturated fatty acid peroxides and the morphology of some organs in adult mice treated parenterally with ETCE. ETCE treatment resulted in the fall in the level of cerebral and splenic unsaturated fatty acid peroxides. Histology of thymus, liver and spleen in mice injected with ETCE remained similar to that of corresponding neonatal mouse organs. Experimental results, supplemented by such previous observations as longevity of some animals treated with ETCE, disappearance of presbyopia and climacteric symptoms in people treated with embryonal thymus per os, suggest that active substances produced by embryonal and early fetal thymus not only affect the immunological system but also interfere with the processes of organ differentiation and aging.

This work was aimed to assess the secretion of volume related hormones in heart transplant patients (HTP) and their relationship to excretory renal function studied under bed rest and water immersion conditions. Fractional sodium (FENa%) and potassium (FEK%) clearance, plasma renin activity (PRA), plasma aldosterone (Ald), vasopressin (AVP) and atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) were estimated in six HTP with moderate renal failure (C creat = 69 +/- 6.9 ml/min) and in 10 healthy subjects (N) (C creat = 110 +/- 2.0 ml/min). All HTP were treated with cyclosporine A and azathioprine. In HTP basal AVP (6.18 +/- 0.92 pg/ml) and ANP (138.17 +/- 14.69 pg/ml) levels were significantly higher than in normals (2.07 +/- 0.11 pg/ml and 74.10 +/- 7.10 pg/ml, respectively). HTP were also characterized by increased FENa% and FEK% both under bed rest (DI) and water immersion (WI) conditions. As abnormalities of excretory renal function in HTP were not significantly related to the plasma endocrine profiles factors other than PRA, Ald, AVP and ANP seemed to be also involved in their pathogenesis.

Activity of red cell glycoxalase I and glyoxalase II was investigated in 92 cancer-bearing subjects. This parameter was either higher or lower than in the control group consisting of blood donors, and changed in the course of disease. Its initial rise was followed by the fall.

Quantitative estimation of the infiltration by intraepithelial lymphocytes and eosinophils of the mucosa was carried out in 21 children with cow's milk and 35 children with gluten intolerance. Before dietary treatment, a statistically significant increase in the infiltration by LIE in children with milk intolerance to the mean value of 34.1 cells and in children with gluten intolerance to 39.0 cells was found, what statistically significantly differed from the mean value of LIE for the control group (19.0 cells/100 epithelial cells). The eosinophilic infiltration in this phase of the disease was noted in 38% of children with cow's milk intolerance (16.9 cells/mm2) and in 27% of children with gluten intolerance (28.6 cells/mm2). After 8-24 months of elimination diets--a decrease in the mean value of the LIE infiltration in the mucosa was revealed in both treated groups.

Cerebral superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and malonyl dialdehyde (MDA) concentration were determined in 450 day female BNe strain mice. These animals were previously treated with 45 injections of: 1. embryonal and early fetal thymic calf extracts (ETCE) in single doses of 1.0 mg (group E) and 7.5 mg (group EE) protein per mouse; 2. Thymex L in the same doses (groups T and TT, respectively); 3. TFX in a single dose on 1.0 mg protein per animal. All applied thymic extracts, independently of the kind and dose, caused a fall in brain SOD activity. A statistically significant decrease in MDA concentration was found in the brains of E group mice. A clinical implication of the results has been suggested.