Izabela Uhrynowska-Tyszkiewicz

PubMed2006

Prolactin synthesis by lymphocytes from patients with systemic sclerosis.

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is an autoimmune disease characterized by fibrosis of the skin and internal organs. It has been demonstrated that serum prolactin levels are increased in patients with various connective tissue diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate the possible source of excessive prolactin synthesis in SSc and its effects on immune cells. The study group consisted of 52 patients with diffuse SSc (44 women and eight men) and 52 age and sex matched healthy controls. The methods used were: ELISA and indirect immunofluorescence. Our results show significantly elevated level of prolactin in male and female patients with SSc and increased prolactin production by SSc lymphocytes as compared to healthy donors X lymphocytes (25.4+/-11.0 vs. 13.4+/-5.0 absorbance units). Patients X and healthy controls X lymphocytes, showed equal presence of prolactin receptors. Soluble interleukin 2 receptor (CD25) concentration, was significantly higher in supernatants of prolactin stimulated lymphocytes, as compared to non-stimulated lymphocytes. We conclude that lymphocytes might contribute to elevated prolactin levels in patients with SSc and that these cells themselves may be sensitive to prolactin stimulation. Therefore, a pharmacologic attempt to lower prolactin levels in patients with SSc could proof beneficial.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Irradiation as a safety procedure in tissue banking.

The Central Tissue Bank in Warsaw was established in 1963 and since then ionising radiation has been routinely applied to sterilise tissue grafts. Connective tissue grafts such as bone, cartilage, tendons, sclera, pericardium, skin, acellular dermis and amnion irradiated with a dose of 35 kGy in a (60)Co source and/or with an electron beam 10 MeV accelerator are prepared in our Tissue Bank and two other multi-tissue banks operating in Poland. Over 250,000 radiation-sterilised tissue grafts have been prepared and used in hospitals throughout Poland and no infectious disease transmission or other adverse post-transplantation reactions have been reported up to today. It should be kept in mind however, that high doses of ionising radiation can evoke numerous chemical and physical changes that may affect the biological quality of tissue allografts. Therefore, interdisciplinary research has been undertaken at the Central Tissue Bank in Warsaw to establish the origin and stability of free radicals and other paramagnetic entities induced by irradiation in bone. The effects of various preservation procedures (e.g. lyophilisation, deep-freezing) and irradiation conditions (doses, temperature of irradiation) on the osteoinductive potential and mechanical properties of bone and on the degradation of collagen, a major constituent of all connective tissue grafts, have been also studied. The results of these studies indicate that radiation-induced changes can be diminished by modification of tissue preservation methods and that, to some extent, it is possible to reduce undesired radiation-induced damage to the tissue grafts.

Collagen↗