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Biomedical subjects

J Vorlícek

Publications and source records attributed to J Vorlícek.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

The effect of body fat distribution on cardiovascular risk factors in the population of the Czech Republic.

A study of cardiovascular risk factors including anthropometry was performed as part of the MONICA project in 1988 in the population of six districts of the Czech Republic. In addition to probands' weight and height, the circumferences of waist and hips were measured to calculate the index of body fat distribution given as WHR (wast/hip ratio). In the age group of 25-64 years, WHR was significantly higher in men (0.936) than in women (0.836 - p < 0.001); in either sex, its value rose with increasing age. WHR values were statistically significantly higher in this group than those found in a Finnish population where males aged 25-64 years had a mean WHR value of 0.90 (p < 0.001), and women of the same age group had a mean WHR of 0.78 (p < 0.001). An analysis of the relationship between abdominal obesity and some cardiovascular risk factors revealed significant correlations between WHR and total cholesterol (men: r = 0.112, p < 0.001; women: r = 0.122, p < 0.001), HDL cholesterol (men: r = -0.184, p < 0.001; women = -0.23, p < 0.001); atherogenic index, i.e., total cholesterol/HDL cholesterol (men: r = 0.183, p < 0.001; women: r = 0.345, p < 0.001), systolic blood pressure (men: r = 0.295, p < 0.001; women: r = 0.263, p < 0.001), diastolic blood pressure (men: r = 0.32, p < 0.001; women: r = 0.237, p < 0.001). The closest correlation was demonstrated between WHR and BMI (men: r = 0.525, p < 0.001; women r = 0.345, p < 0.001). The authors believe WHR is an important parameter for cardiovascular risk assessment and should be determined on a routine basis. The frequent prevalence of abdominal obesity, as suggested by the high values of WHR, contributes to the high cardiovascular risk of the population of the Czech Republic.

Adult

[Subphrenic abscess--a complication of intensive cytostatic treatment in acute leukemia].

The authors describe the slow development of an abscess in the left subphrenic space in a patient with acute myeloid leukaemia. The patient suffered several months before the diagnosis was established from pain in the left subcostal region and was on account of this pain examined repeatedly by clinical methods and sonography. During the last sonographic examination in this area a hypoechogenic formation was detected. The diagnosis was than established more accurately by computer tomography by visualization of the abscess cavity. The case-history and relatively thick wall of the cavity suggested a long-term process. The abscess cavity was evacuated surgically, however, the patient suffered a relapse later and died from septicaemia. In the discussion the authors analyze the problem of development of metastatic abscesses in leukopenic patients, early diagnosis and treatment.

Acute Disease

Cardiovascular risk factors in the Czech population.

In 1985 and 1988 as part of the WHO's MONICA project two surveys of cardiovascular risk factors were conducted in the population aged 25 to 64 years and resident in the six districts of the Czech Republic collaborating in MONICA. Over a period of three years, the prevalence of smoking decreased from 46% to 41.8% (p less than 0.05) in men. Daily cigarette consumption declined from 17.9 to 15.1 (p less than 0.001) in men and from 11.1 to 10.1 (p less than 0.05) in women. Despite the unchanged prevalence of hypertension during the three years' period the proportion of population with elevated BP levels declined from 22.25% to 19.1% in men (p less than 0.05), and from 16.8% to 14.0% (p less than 0.05) in women as a result of better hypertension control. The prevalence of obesity in men rose from 18.5% to 23.9% (p less than 0.001). The proportion of individuals with a total cholesterol level over 5.2 mmol/l rose from 78.0% to 83.1% (p less than 0.001) in men and from 75.9% to 80.6% in women (p less than 0.01). The changes were favourable only in those risk factors that were actively influenced by the preventive programmes "A Chance for Three Million" in smoking habits, and the "National Programme of Hypertension Control". The authors believe that consistent nationwide preventive programmes might exert a beneficial effect on the profile of risk factors of the whole Czech population.

Adult

[Trends in body weight in the population of the Czech Republic].

The authors investigated the development of body weight of the population from six districts in the Czech Republic participating in the international WHO project MONICA. The examinations were made within the framework of epidemiological studies of risk factors of IHD in 1985 and 1988 in 1% independent population samples (range 25-64 years). The mean values of body mass index, BMI, increased in the above three-year period in men from 26.9 to 27.5 (p less than 0.001) in women from 26.9 to 27.4 (n. s.). The prevalence of obesity increased during the same period from 19.9% to 25.4% (p less than 0.001) in men and from 33.8% to 35.7% (n. s.) in women. In all decades of men and women there was a rising trend of body weight and increasing prevalence of obesity. With regard to the adverse effects of overweight on health and life span, the authors consider prevention of obesity as one of the foremost tasks of preventive medicine.

Adult

[The development of cholesterolemia in the Czech population 1985-1988].

The authors followed up the development of serum cholesterol levels in the population aged 25-64 years in six districts of the CR. These districts collaborate since 1984 in the international WHO programme, MONICA. The mean total cholesterol levels increased during 1985-1988 in men from 6.21 mmol/l to 6.28 mmol/l (ns), in women from 6.18 mmol/l to 6.22 mmol/l (ns). During the same period in the population of the six districts the number of subjects with total cholesterol values of 5.2 mmol/l or less declined from 21.9% to 16.8% (p less than 0.001) in men and from 24.0% to 19.4% in women (p less than 0.01). It is important that the greatest change was recorded in the age group of 25-34 years--in men from 38.7% to 27.7% (p less than 0.01) and in women from 46.6% to 36.7% (p less than 0.05). In the investigated population in 1988 cholesterol levels of 6.5 mmol/l and more were recorded in 39.4% of the men and 36.9% of the women, values of 7.8 mmol/l and more in 10% of the men and 9.6% of the women. If in our population, within the framework of prevention of IHD, recommendations of the European Society for Atherosclerosis will be applied, preventive provisions will be necessary in more than 80% of the adult population.

Adult

Positive cooperativity in the binding of alcuronium and N-methylscopolamine to muscarinic acetylcholine receptors.

The effect of the neuromuscular blocker alcuronium on the binding of N-[3H]-methylscopolamine [( 3H]NMS) and l-[3H]quinuclidinylbenzilate ([3H]QNB) to muscarinic binding sites in rat heart atria, longitudinal smooth muscle of the ileum, cerebral cortex, cerebellum, and submaxillary glands was measured using filtration techniques. In the presence of 10(-5) M alcuronium, the binding of [3H]NMS (which was present at a subsaturating concentration of 2 x 10(-10) M) was increased 5.3-fold in the atria and smooth muscle and 3-fold in the cerebellum; no increase was observed in the brain cortex and salivary glands. The binding of [3H]NMS was inhibited at 10(-3) M and higher concentrations of alcuronium. The rates of [3H]NMS association to and dissociation from muscarinic binding sites in the atria were diminished by 10(-5) M alcuronium. Scatchard plots of [3H]NMS binding data obtained with and without 10(-5) M alcuronium indicated that the maximum number of binding sites was not altered by the drug, whereas the apparent Kd for [3H]NMS was diminished. In contrast to [3H] NMS, the effects of alcuronium on the binding of [3H]QNB were only inhibitory. The concentration of alcuronium required to diminish the binding of [3H]QNB by 50% (IC50) was 4-7 microM in the atria, ileal smooth muscle, and the cerebellum, 140 microM in the brain cortex, and 1200 microM in the parotid gland. The results suggest that the binding of low concentrations of alcuronium to muscarinic receptors in the heart, ileal smooth muscle, and cerebellum allosterically increases the affinity of muscarinic receptors towards [3H]NMS, although not [3H]QNB. At high concentrations, alcuronium inhibits the binding of muscarinic ligands, presumably by competition for the classical muscarinic binding site. Positive cooperativity induced by alcuronium appears to be specific for the m2 (cardiac) subtype of muscarinic receptors.

Alcuronium

[A regional health care information system used in the support of management].

The District Institute of National Health in Benesov uses automation of information oriented above all on therapeutic and preventive care. At present analyses on the assembled information are under way and are compared with the structure of analyses needed for the management of the health services. The first stage deals with the structure of dispensarized diseases which will be published by the authors.

Czechoslovakia

[Errors in the evaluation of osteoarticular symptoms].

The authors describe two patients with osteoarticular symptoms. In the first patient they were treated as rheumatic disease, and only after treatment had failed, a neoplastic aetiology was considered. In the second patient the authors considered the articular complaints from the beginning a paraneoplastic syndrome and only the subsequent course of the disease revealed that they were mistaken. It was rheumatoid arthritis with an atypical Caplan syndrome.

Adult

Action of clonazepam and clorazepate on cortical self-sustained after-discharges in the rat.

Self-sustained after-discharges (SSADs) induced by electric stimulation of the sensorimotor cortex in rats exhibited under control conditions a significant progressive prolongation with repeated stimulations. Clonazepam not only blocked this increase in duration but it suppressed and/or abolished SSADs in a dose-dependent manner. Clorazepate in the lowest dose used (10 mg/kg) did not change SSADs. The two higher doses (25 and 50 mg/kg) blocked the prolongation of the 4th SSAD, i.e. this effect had a relatively long latency.

Animals

Coronary events in the population of six districts of the Czech Socialist Republic.

In 1984, 640 coronary events were registered in six districts of the Czech Socialist Republic in a population of 164, 185 men aged 25 to 64 years; in a population of 166, 651 women of the same age-group there occurred 162 coronary events. 695 coronary events were according to criteria of the MONICA project (Monitoring of Cardiovascular Diseases and their Risk Factors) confirmed as definite or possible myocardial infarction (MI). The incidence of MI per 100,000 inhabitants amounted in 1984 to 347.7 in men and to 74.4 in women aged 25 to 64 years. The death-rate up to the 28th day of the disease is in men and women the same: one third of patients with a coronary event die within 4 weeks after the onset of symptoms. Death occurs in 75.8% of men and in 69.2% of women during the first 24 hours. Of all subjects with fatal MI, 35.4% of men and 56.1% of women died in hospital.

Adult

Ultrastructural localization of rRNA in HeLa cells, rat liver cells and Xenopus laevis oocytes by means of the monoclonal antibody--protein a--gold technique.

The postembedding localization of rRNA was investigated in ultrathin sections of HeLa cells, rat liver and Xenopus laevis oocytes by means of the monoclonal antibody to rRNA and protein A-gold technique. The incidence of gold particles was highest in nucleoli and cytoplasmic areas containing ribosomes. The chromosomes were labelled less than the surrounding cytoplasm in mitotic HeLa cells. In nucleoli of HeLa cells and rat hepatocytes, the labelling of areas containing ribonucleoprotein components was greater than the labelling of fibrillar centres. In segregated nucleoli of X. laevis oocytes, the labelling of the granular region substantially exceeded that of the fibrillar regions. The incidence of nucleoplasmic gold particles in interphasic HeLa cells was found to be slightly increased in the vicinity of nucleoli. The labelling of clusters of interchromatin granules in rat hepatocytes was not significantly different from that of the rest of the nucleophasmic interchromatin spaces.

Animals