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C Boer

Publications and source records attributed to C Boer.

13 recordsLinked to original sources

The mechanism of sevoflurane-induced cardioprotection is independent of the applied ischaemic stimulus in rat trabeculae.

BACKGROUND: Sevoflurane protects the myocardium against ischaemic injury through protein kinase C (PKC) activation, mitochondrial K+ATP-channel (mitoK+ATP) opening and production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). However, it is unclear whether the type of ischaemia determines the involvement of these signalling molecules. We therefore investigated whether hypoxia (HYP) or metabolic inhibition (MI), which differentially inhibit the mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC), are comparable concerning the relative contribution of PKC, mitoK+ATP and ROS in sevoflurane-induced cardioprotection. METHODS: Rat right ventricular trabeculae were isolated and isometric contractile force (Fdev) was measured. Trabeculae were subjected to HYP (hypoxic glucose-free buffer; 40 min) or MI (glucose-free buffer, 2 mM cyanide; 30 min), followed by 60 min recovery (60 min). Contractile recovery (Fdev,rec) was determined at the end of the recovery period and expressed as a percentage of Fdev before hypoxia or MI, respectively. Chelerythrine (CHEL; 6 microM), 5-hydroxydecanoic acid sodium (100 microM) and n-(2-mercaptopropionyl)-glycine (MGP; 300 microM) were used to inhibit PKC, mitoK+ATP and ROS, respectively. RESULTS: Fdev,rec after HYP was reduced to 47 (3)% (P<0.001 vs control; n=5) whereas MI reduced Fdev,rec to 28 (5)% (P<0.001 vs control; n=5). A 15 min period of preconditioning with sevoflurane (3.8%) equally increased contractile recovery after HYP [76 (9)%; P<0.05 vs HYP] and MI [67 (8)%; P<0.01 vs MI]. Chelerythrine, 5-hydroxydecanoate and n-(2-mercaptopropionyl)-glycine abolished the protective effect of sevoflurane in both ischaemic models. Trabeculae subjected to HYP or MI did not demonstrate any increased apoptotic or necrotic markers. CONCLUSIONS: PKC, mitoK+ATP and ROS are involved in sevoflurane-induced cardioprotection after HYP or MI, suggesting that the means of mitochondrial ETC inhibition does not determine the signal transduction pathway for cardioprotection by anaesthetics.

Anesthetics, Inhalation↗

Cardiac dysfunction induced by high-fat diet is associated with altered myocardial insulin signalling in rats.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) is common in type 2 diabetes. In DCM, insulin resistance may alter cardiac substrate supply and utilisation leading to changes in myocardial metabolism and cardiac function. In rats, exposure to excessive alimentary fat, inducing a type 2 diabetic phenotype, may result in myocardial insulin resistance and cardiac functional changes resembling DCM. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Rats received high-fat (HFD) or low-fat (LFD) diets for 7 weeks. Prior to killing, insulin or saline was injected i.p. Contractile function and insulin signalling were assessed in papillary muscles and ventricular lysates, respectively. RESULTS: Fasting and post-load blood glucose levels were increased in HFD- vs LFD-rats (all p < 0.02). Mean heart weight, but not body weight, was increased in HFD-rats (p < 0.01). HFD-hearts showed structural changes and triglyceride accumulation. HFD-muscles developed higher baseline and maximum forces, but showed impaired recovery from higher workloads. Insulin-associated modulation of Ca2+-induced force augmentation was abolished in HFD-muscles. HFD reduced insulin-stimulated IRS1-associated phosphatidylinositol 3'-kinase activity and phosphorylation of protein kinase B, glycogen synthase kinase-3beta, endothelial nitric oxide synthase, and forkhead transcription factors by 40-60% (all p < 0.05). Insulin-mediated phosphorylation of phospholamban, a critical regulator of myocardial contractility, was decreased in HFD-hearts (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: HFD induced a hypertrophy-like cardiac phenotype, characterised by a higher basal contractile force, an impaired recovery from increased workloads and decreased insulin-mediated protection against Ca2+ overload. Cardiac dysfunction was associated with myocardial insulin resistance and phospholamban hypophosphorylation. Our data suggest that myocardial insulin resistance, resulting from exposure to excessive alimentary fat, may contribute to the pathogenesis of diabetes-related heart disease.

Animals↗

Lipopolysaccharide impairs endothelial nitric oxide synthesis in rat renal arteries.

BACKGROUND: Impaired endothelium-dependent vasodilation may contribute to hypoperfusion and failure of abdominal organs, including the kidneys during endotoxin or septic shock. In this study, the short-term (2 h) effects of bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on endothelium-dependent vasodilation in rat renal and superior mesenteric arteries were documented. METHODS: Rat renal and mesenteric arteries were dissected and exposed in vitro to LPS for two hours. The effects of LPS on vascular reactivity were determined and compared with time-matched controls. Endothelial nitric oxide (NO) release was determined using an NO microsensor in adjacent vessel segments. RESULTS: LPS impaired maximal acetylcholine (ACh)-induced endothelium-dependent vasodilation in renal arteries (62.5 +/- 8.8% vs. 34.4 +/- 7.5% in controls and LPS-exposed arteries), but not in mesenteric arteries. LPS did not alter the sensitivity of renal arteries to exogenous NO. ACh-dependent vasodilation was abolished after blocking NO synthesis with 10-4 mol/L L-NA in control and LPS-incubated renal arteries. When compared with controls, NO release induced by ACh and the receptor-independent calcium ionophore A23187 was significantly decreased (P < 0.05) in LPS-exposed renal segments and was fully abolished in endothelium-denuded segments, indicating that LPS attenuated receptor-dependent as well as receptor-independent endothelial NO release. In contrast, ACh- and A23187-induced NO release was normal in LPS-exposed mesenteric arteries. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that LPS-induced selective impairment of ACh-induced endothelium-dependent relaxation in rat renal arteries is caused by decreased endothelial NO release. This may contribute to the propensity for acute renal failure during septic shock.

Animals↗

Clinico-pathological characteristics of colorectal cancer and serum anti-p53 antibodies.

The purpose of this study was to correlate the presence of p53 antibodies in sera of patients with colorectal adenocarcinoma with size, site and stage of the tumour, age and sex of a patient and the level of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) in the serum. p53 antibodies were detected using enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assay (ELISA). Serum p53 antibodies were detected in 30 of 145 patients (21%), mostly in Astler-Coller stage B1 (28% of patients). No association was found between p53 antibody status in stage A+B1+B2 vs stages C1+C2+D (22% vs 19%) i.e. between patients without and with metastases to regional lymph nodes and/or distant metastases. Serum p53 antibodies were detected in 9 of 34 patients (26%) with tumour localised in the right part vs 21 of 109 patients (19%) with tumours in the left part of the colon and in 18 of 96 (19%) of patients with tumours localised in rectosigmoideum vs 12 of 47 (26%) with tumours in the remaining colon. There was no significant correlation between serum anti p53 antibody and CEA statuses. Increased level of serum CEA was seen in 46/145 (32%) patients. Patients with C1+C2+D stage cancers had high serum CEA level more frequently than did patients with A+B1+B2 stage tumours (44% vs 19% respectively, p < 0.001). Of 102 cases with normal CEA level, 19 (19%) were positive for anti p53 antibodies. These results together with the literature data [11, 20] indicate that approximately 27% CEA negative patients may have serum p53 antibodies. Therefore simultaneous assessment of serum p53 antibodies and CEA seems to be useful for monitoring high risk patients and for postoperative patient monitoring.

Adenocarcinoma↗

N-arylrolipram derivatives as potent and selective PDE4 inhibitors.

Derivatization of rolipram led to the identification of 3-[4-(3-cyclopentyloxy-4-methoxyphenyl)-2-oxo-pyrrolidin-1-yl]-5-( 3- methoxybenzyloxy)-benzoic acid N',N'-dimethylhydrazide (4), a potent and selective inhibitor of PDE4, which inhibits the activation of human leukocytes with pIC50 values in the range of 7.3-7.8, and blocks antigen induced eosinophilia in Brown Norway rats at a dose of 1 mg/kg (i.t.).

3',5'-Cyclic-AMP Phosphodiesterases↗

Compliance in administration of prescribed analgesics.

In this noninterventional study, the implementation of 'modern' pain management in clinical practice was investigated by recording the regular prescription, administration and efficacy of analgesic drugs. This resulted in a reproducible and superficial quality control design for hospitals. One hundred and fifty surgical patients were followed during 5 days postoperatively. For every patient, pain, mood and sedation were measured using visual analogue and verbal descriptive scores; the prescription of analgesics at set times and administered doses of analgesics were also recorded. Only paracodeine and naproxen were administered regularly as prescribed, unlike paracetamol and morphine. The prescribed daily dose of morphine was only received by 4.2% of all patients. Although the postoperative pain treatment pathway was considered to be improved after better education and communication, in fact the opposite was found. This is probably caused by traditional thinking, lack of control and time pressure on the hospital staff and the subservient attitude of the patient.

Acetaminophen↗

Differential expression of alpha E beta 7 integrins on bronchoalveolar lavage T lymphocyte subsets: regulation by alpha 4 beta 1-integrin crosslinking and TGF-beta.

T lymphocytes expressing the alpha E beta 7 integrin are localized and selectively retained in mucosal tissues. To investigate a potential relationship between alpha E beta 7 expression and pulmonary inflammation, the distribution of alpha E beta 7-bearing CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in peripheral blood and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluids obtained from patients with allergic asthma, sarcoidosis, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) was determined. In contrast to the distribution in peripheral blood, BAL fluid from these patients contained high number of cells expressing alpha E beta 7 with markedly different expression patterns on CD4 or CD8 cells as well as among the various diseases. Despite similar numbers of activated CD4 cells, alpha E beta 7+CD4+ T cells ranged from 15% in asthmatics to 70% in IPF. In contrast, even in normal individuals, 60% to 90% of BAL fluid CD8+ T cells express alpha E beta 7, suggesting differential induction mechanisms on CD4 and CD8 cells. In vitro experiments revealed that a substantial proportion of peripheral blood CD+ T cells express alpha E beta 7 after stimulation with anti-CD3 antibodies, and up to 80% positive cells were found after the addition of TGF-beta. In contrast, less than 10% of CD4 cells express this particular integrin after in vitro stimulation, and the presence of TGF-beta only increased the number to 30%. Supernatants from in vitro-activated BAL cells as well as concentrated BAL fluid from patients with high alpha E beta 7 expression had no further enhancing effect. However, crosslinking of alpha 4 beta 1-, but not beta 2-integrins, significantly increased the number of alpha E beta 7 expressing CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, even in the absence of TGF-beta. These data indicate that in addition to TGF-beta, the interaction of particular T-cell subsets with specific endothelial cell and extracellular matrix proteins may upregulate alpha E beta 7 integrin expression and thereby contribute to the selective accumulation of these cells in inflammatory lung diseases.

Adult↗

Liposomal amphotericin B (AmBisome) in the treatment of complicated kala-azar under field conditions.

An open trial of liposomal amphotericin B (AmBisome [L-AmB]; Vestar, San Dimas, CA) for treatment of complicated visceral leishmaniasis was performed in Sudan. Forty-nine patients were treated, and there were six deaths (12% mortality); these were not attributed to therapy. Thirty-seven patients were selected for the trial because of (1) relapse after treatment with a combination of pentavalent antimony (Sbv) and aminosidine, (2) incomplete parasitological response to Sbv and aminosidine, or (3) severe illness. Drug regimen 1 (3 doses of 3-5 mg/kg, on days 0, 3, and 10) cured 8 (50%) of 16 patients; regimen 2 (6 doses of 3-5 mg/kg, on days 0, 3, 6, 8, 10, and 13) cured 14 (88%) of 16. For four of 10 partial responders, "rescue" therapy with L-AmB alone (3 mg/kg daily for 10 days) resulted in cure. Twelve less-unwell patients received regimen 3 (4 doses of 4-5 mg/kg, on days 0, 2, 5, and 7); seven of 11 patients evaluated (64%) were cured. The optimal regimen of L-AmB in these circumstances is administration of 4 mg/kg on days 0, 3, 6, 8, 10, and 13.

Adolescent↗

Lack of pre-synaptic dopaminergic involvement in modafinil activity in anaesthetized mice: in vivo voltammetry studies.

Modafinil was compared to the indirect dopaminergic drugs, dexamphetamine and methylphenidate, using in vivo differential normal pulse voltammetry with carbon fibre electrodes located in the caudate nucleus to study extracellular catechol level in anaesthetized mice. Modafinil (16-256 mg kg-1) failed to modify the catechol oxidation peak height (peak 2). Dexamphetamine at low doses (2 and 4 mg kg-1) decreased, while at a higher dose (8 mg kg-1) did not modify peak 2 height. A low dose of methylphenidate (16 mg kg-1) did not display any effect, while higher doses (32 and 64 mg kg-1) increased peak 2 height. Pargyline-induced monoamine oxidase inhibition elicited a rapid and dramatic decrease in peak 2 height (related to the decrease of catechol levels). In these conditions modafinil (64 and 256 mg kg-1) did not modify, while dexamphetamine (2, 4 and 8 mg kg-1) and methylphenidate (16, 32 and 64 mg kg-1) increased peak 2 height in relation to synaptic dopamine level increase. This study, in mice, demonstrated the lack of effects of modafinil on nigro-striatal function, at the pre-synaptic level, as opposed to dexamphetamine and methylphenidate.

Anesthesia↗

Eosinophils and cytokines.

Cytokines act on eosinophils to regulate eosinophil function, with IL-5 recognised to be especially important in control of eosinopoiesis, eosinophil survival and eosinophil priming. In addition, eosinophils have the capacity to produce cytokines involved in acute and chronic inflammatory and repair processes, as well as to produce cytokines that stimulate eosinophils within an autocrine loop. This paper describes (A) an immunomagnetic selection technique for the purification of human blood eosinophils, and (B) a method that employs immunofluorescence with flow cytometry for measurement of blood and sputum eosinophil surface markers. Having demonstrated that sputum eosinophils express HLA-DR, highly purified blood eosinophils were used to analyse (C) the induction and function of eosinophil HLA-DR. Cytokines have the capacity to induce eosinophil HLA-DR, and are produced by eosinophils as an accessory function during antigen presentation. Finally, preliminary data on (D) eosinophil production of IL-8 is presented. Hence, eosinophils have the capacity to act as immunomodulatory cells within cells networks in allergic and asthmatic inflammation.

Antigens, Surface↗

The polls: abortion.

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Abortion, Legal↗