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Biomedical subjects

J Cejka

Publications and source records attributed to J Cejka.

12 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Taurine deficiency after intensive chemotherapy and/or radiation.

Taurine, a nonessential amino acid (AA), is the most abundant free AA in the intracellular space. We measured plasma AA concentrations in 36 patients 7-28 d after intensive chemotherapy and/or radiation. Plasma taurine concentrations were uniformly low in all patients (20.0 +/- 6.4 mumol/L, mean +/- SD). Plasma taurine in 11 healthy volunteer control subjects was 45.0 +/- 20.3 mumol/L (P less than 0.001). Other AA concentrations, specifically those of precursor AAs methionine and cystine, were normal. We prospectively measured plasma AA concentrations in 12 patients before starting and 6-10 d after completing intensive cytotoxic treatment. Values before treatment were 37.2 +/- 11.6, 109.6 +/- 30.7, and 18.5 +/- 4.8 for taurine, cystine, and methionine, respectively, and were 24.3 +/- 6.0, 111.2 +/- 23.8, and 24.0 +/- 14.5 after treatment. Pretreatment plasma taurine correlated directly with the magnitude of decrease in plasma taurine during cytotoxic treatment (n = 12, r = 0.85, P less than 0.01). Intensive cytotoxic chemotherapy and/or radiation leads to a reduction in plasma taurine concentrations without any change in its precursor AAs, methionine and cystine. The clinical relevance of plasma taurine depletion will need further study.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Ontogeny of pancreatic oncofetal antigen.

Serum concentration of pancreatic oncofetal antigen (POA) was determined in human fetuses, newborns and pregnant women. The mean fetal concentration of POA (mean = 5.27 micrograms/ml) changed very little with gestational age. Also, only a weak correlation was found between POA concentration of newborns (mean = 5.15 micrograms/ml) and their birth weight. It appears that between the 19th and 40th weeks of gestation POA exhibits no fetospecific features, i.e. POA concentration did not exceed significantly the concentration of nonpregnant adults (mean = 6.10 micrograms/ml). A number of pathophysiological variables was correlated with POA concentrations of newborns. The most striking statistical differences were found between American black and white newborns and adults; the mean concentration of POA in sera of black full-term newborns was 5.38 micrograms/ml as compared to white newborns, where the mean concentration was 3.58 micrograms/ml. Similarly, black mothers had a mean concentration (mean = 12.21 micrograms/ml) significantly greater than white mothers (mean = 5.62 micrograms/ml).

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Pancreatic oncofetal antigen and carcinoembryonic antigen in breast and colon carcinoma.

Pancreatic oncofetal antigen (POA) and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) were determined in plasma of 195 patients with breast cancer and 90 patients with colon carcinoma. Increased levels of POA and CEA were seen in 19.0 and 25.6% of patients with breast cancer, respectively. Some but not all patients showed an increase in both markers. The incidence of abnormal concentrations of POA and CEA increased with the progress of the disease. POA appears to be a useful marker in breast cancer, especially in patients who have normal CEA levels. On the other hand, colon carcinoma patients showed increased POA concentrations considerably less frequently than CEA levels.

Antigens, Neoplasm↗
PubMed1979

IgD myeloma protein with "unreactive" light chain determinants.

Serum from a patient with multiple myeloma showed a monoclonal protein, classified by immunoelectrophoresis as IgD. Immunofixation electrophoresis and immunoelectrophoresis failed to demonstrate a precipitation reaction between the paraprotein and antisera to immunoglobulin light chains. The light chains of the monoclonal protein, immunologically inaccessible in the intact molecule, reacted with anti-lambda chain antisera only after reduction and alkylation of the paraprotein. Moreover, interpretation of the immunoelectrophoretic patterns was hampered by the presence in patient's serum of free lambda chains having about the same mobility as that of the paraprotein.

Aged↗
PubMed1976

Beta2-microglobulin in human colostrum and milk: effect of breast feeding and physico-chemical characterization.

A statistically significant increase in beta2-microglobulin concentration in babies' sera after birth was accompanied by a decrease in beta2-microglobulin concentration in sera of nursing and non-nursing mothers; the amount by which babies' sera concentrations increased was not correlated with the decrease in serum or milk concentrations in their mothers. These results suggest that breast feeding does not affect the concentration of beta2-microglobulin in babies' sera. Furthermore, there was no relationship between serum beta2-microglobulin concentration of mothers and their babies at either point of observation. In all instances, however, the beta2-microglobulin concentration was significantly higher in infants' sera than in mothers' sera.

Breast Feeding↗
PubMed1976

Immunoglobulins in idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura in childhood.

Levels of immunoglobulins G, A and M were determined in 55 children with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) (32 acute, 18 chronic and 5 recurrent). Mean IgG levels tended to be low in acute ITP and returned to normal with recovery. In contrast, chronic and recurrent ITP had persistently low IgG and IgA levels. C3 complement levels in 10 cases of acute ITP were normal. Seven patients with chronic ITP had their spleens removed, and IgG and IgA levels tended to rise, while IgM levels decreased in 4 patients after the operation. Low IgA levels observed at the onset of purpura in a child might favor the diagnosis of chronic or recurrent ITP.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1976

Propionic acidemia and hyperlysinemia in a case with ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC) deficiency.

A female infant with episodic hyperammonemia due to a disorder of the urea cycle and who had hyperlysinemia and an unusual elevation of short chain fatty acids, mainly propionate, is described. Both occurred apparently only during attacks of hyperammonemia. Propionic acidemia was ruled out by enzyme studies. OTC deficiency was diagnosed on the basis of: 1) decreased enzyme activity in leukocytes;2) hyperammonemia in response to protein intakes in excess of 2.0 g/kg/day; 3) orotic aciduria in the patient and her asymptomatic mother; 4) suggestive evidence of x-linked dominant inheritance; and 5) exclusion of citrullinemia, argininosuccinic aciduria, argininemia, and disorders of lysine metabolism that are associated with hyperammonemia. Homocitrullinuria, presence of epsilon-N-acetyl-l-lysine in urine, and absence of saccharopine indicate deficiency of the saccharopine pathway of lysine degradation. However, alpha-ketoglutarate reductase was normal in fibroblasts. Since these metabolites were observed only in conjunction with hyperammonemia but not after a lysine load, we suggest that there was competition between ammonia and lysine for alpha-ketoglutarate. The link between disorders of the urea cycle and short chain fatty acid metabolism remains unexplained..

Acid-Base Imbalance↗