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Biomedical subjects

A Zawadzka

Publications and source records attributed to A Zawadzka.

14 recordsLinked to original sources

Cell therapy attenuates deleterious ventricular remodeling and improves cardiac performance after myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND: Myocardial infarction (MI) promotes deleterious remodeling of the myocardium, resulting in ventricular dilation and pump dysfunction. We examined whether supplementing infarcted myocardium with skeletal myoblasts would (1) result in viable myoblast implants, (2) attenuate deleterious remodeling, and (3) enhance in vivo and ex vivo contractile performance. METHODS AND RESULTS: Experimental MI was induced by 1-hour coronary ligation followed by reperfusion in adult male Lewis rats. One week after MI, 10(6) myoblasts were injected directly into the infarct region. Three groups of animals were studied at 3 and 6 weeks after cell therapy: noninfarcted control (control), MI plus sham injection (MI), and MI plus cell injection (MI+cell). In vivo cardiac function was assessed by maximum exercise capacity testing and ex vivo function was determined by pressure-volume curves obtained from isolated, red cell-perfused, balloon-in-left ventricle (LV) hearts. MI and MI+cell hearts had indistinguishable infarct sizes of approximately 30% of the LV. At 3 and 6 weeks after cell therapy, 92% (13 of 14) of MI+cell hearts showed evidence of myoblast graft survival. MI+cell hearts exhibited attenuation of global ventricular dilation and reduced septum-to-free wall diameter compared with MI hearts not receiving cell therapy. Furthermore, cell therapy improved both post-MI in vivo exercise capacity and ex vivo LV systolic pressures. CONCLUSIONS: Implanted skeletal myoblasts form viable grafts in infarcted myocardium, resulting in enhanced post-MI exercise capacity and contractile function and attenuated ventricular dilation. These data illustrate that syngeneic myoblast implantation after MI improves both in vivo and ex vivo indexes of global ventricular dysfunction and deleterious remodeling and suggests that cellular implantation may be beneficial after MI.

Animals↗

Audit of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in the diagnosis and management of hypertension in practice.

This study was carried out to ascertain the value of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) in the diagnosis and treatment of hypertension in routine clinical practice. ABPM was performed during the daytime hours in 410 patients believed to be hypertensive after at least three measurements by their physician and one measurement by a nurse in a hypertension clinic. The diagnosis was confirmed in 70% of patients when 90 mm Hg diastolic blood pressure (BP) was used as the upper limit of normal, and 86.3% when 85 mm Hg was used. In 204 patients who were reviewed 5 years later there were 108 on medical treatment. This reduced diastolic pressure from a mean of 100.6 +/- 8.8 to 85.7 +/- 8.8 mm Hg. However, in 30% of patients the diastolic pressure was still above 90 mm Hg. In the 49 patients with isolated clinic hypertension (ICH), who had remained untreated, diastolic pressure increased from 84.0 +/- 4.8 to 88.1 +/- 8.4 mm Hg over the 5 years. In 19 of these the level exceeded 90 mm Hg. ABPM therefore improves diagnostic accuracy and prevents treatment of patients with ICH. This condition, however, requires follow-up since BP tends to rise with time in some patients. The audit also identified patients who had had a suboptimal response to medical treatment.

Antihypertensive Agents↗

Pilot study of myoblast transfer in the treatment of Becker muscular dystrophy.

We evaluated myoblast implantation therapy in three subjects with Becker muscular dystrophy who received 60 million myoblasts in one tibialis anterior (TA) muscle 2 months after beginning cyclosporine immunosuppression (5 to 10 mg/kg) that continued for 1 year. Strength of the implanted and control TA muscles was measured before and after treatment using a gauge to record TA contraction force. Our protocol controlled for the effects of cyclosporine and myoblast injections. In this pilot study, myoblast implantation did not improve strength of the implanted TA muscles.

Adult↗

[Reactivity of the bronchi as a function of their initial state in children with asthma].

The aim of the study was to assess the effect of peripheral bronchial base-line status on the result of the bronchial provocation test. The study was carried out on a group of 65 children with bronchial asthma. Bronchial reactivity was assessed utilizing the carbachol provocation test. Higher reactivity was seen in children with initially lower indices of peripheral bronchial flow (MEF50, MEF25) (PC20 = 3,789 +/- 0.014 mg/ml) in comparison with children with normal indices (PC20 = 74,608 +/- 0,038 mg/ml) (p < 0.001). A linear correlation was found between the results of bronchial provocation (PC) and initial standardized small airway flow values (MEF50 - r = 0.56, p < 0.001; MEF25 - r = 0.49, p < 0.001). The correlation between bronchial provocation and initial FEV1/VC was weaker (r = 0.39 p < 0.01). The authors conclude that demonstration of decreased flow in peripheral, small airways utilizing MEF values enable to predict a positive result of bronchial provocation tests.

Administration, Inhalation↗

[The relation between ischemic cerebral stroke and heart diseases].

The aim of the study was to evaluate the relation between heart diseases and ischemic cerebral stroke. In addition to routine tests, echocardiographic examinations were performed in 70 patients with ischemic cerebral stroke and in 30 persons constituting the control group. It was found that heart diseases occurred in 70% of the patients in the group studied i.e. three times more frequently than in the control group. Heart disease confirmed by echocardiography and electrocardiography occurred more frequently in patients with cerebral infarct than in those with RIND. In the majority of cases cardiac valve diseases and/or atrial fibrillation were noted. It was found that in 14.3% of the patients studied, the results of the echocardiography indicated the need for modification of the treatment applied.

Brain↗

The effect of lead acetate on rat liver mitochondria.

The effect of two lead doses (100 and 200 micrograms Pb/kg) on the metabolism of rat liver mitochondria was studied determining the protein content of mitochondria and the activity of mitochondrial ATPase. Structural changes of mitochondria were studied in electron microscopy. Oxygen consumption was measured in mitochondria in two models: in vivo and in vitro. It was found that both doses used caused mitochondrial configuration changes in relation to control animals, reduced the amount of mitochondrial configuration changes in relation to control animals, reduced the amount of mitochondrial protein and the activity of mitochondrial ATPase and raised mitochondrial oxygen consumption in vivo and in vitro. The most powerful action of both lead consumption in vivo and in vitro. The most powerful during the first 30 minutes of lead contact with mitochondria. At the same time a significantly greater stimulation of mitochondrial respiration was observed after the lower dose of lead.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗

Respiratory activity of various parts of the small intestine in fasted and fed animals. Part II. Respiratory activity of the small intestine in guinea pigs.

The aim of this work was to investigate the respiratory activity of three parts of the small intestine: duodenum, jejunum and ileum in guinea pigs, to compare the intensity of oxygen consumption by these parts in hungry and fed animals, and to find possible differences in the intensity of intestinal respiration between guinea pigs and rats. In guinea pigs the intensity of respiration of intestinal homogenates was nearly twice smaller than in rats. similarly, however, as in rats intestinal homogenates of guinea pigs had greater respiration intensity after feeding than while the animals were fasting. The metabolic gradient in the small intestine of guinea pigs was somewhat different, the intensity of respiration was highest in the jejunum, in the duodenum it was slightly lower or equal to that in the ileum it was the lowest. The intensity of mitochondrial respiration was similar in guinea pigs as in rats, and the metabolic gradient in mitochondrial respiration was also similar in three studied parts of the intestine. The effects of fasting and feeding were, however, different than in homogenates. the mitochondria of fed animals consumed less oxygen than those of fasting animals. These changes in respiration were not connected with any changes in the amounts of mitochondrial protein since they were similar in fasting and in fed animals.

Animals↗

Respiratory activity of different parts of small intestine in starved and fed animals.

Using the manometric method of Warburg the respiratory activity of tissue homogenates of the duodenum, jejunum and ileum was studied in starved and fed rats. The respiratory activity of mitochondria isolated from these parts of the small intestine was determined as well. The intensity of respiration was greatest in duodenal homogenates. The respiratory activity of jejunal homogenates was only slightly lower, while that of ileum homogenates was lowest. Oxygen utilization of intestinal homogenates from fed animals was much higher, particularly in the ileum, than in starved animals. During 50 minutes of incubation theu tilization of oxygen fell most rapidly in the duodenum and slowest in the ileum, and at the end of incubation the values obtained in starved and fed animals differed only slightly. Mitochondria showed similar patterns of oxygen uptake intensity as analogous homogenates, but the effects of starvation and feeding on mitochondrial respiratory activity differed -- in fed animals this activity was lower than in starvation.

Animal Feed↗