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Biomedical subjects

M Baleva

Publications and source records attributed to M Baleva.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Inflammatory activity and anticardiolipin antibodies during tibolone treatment of healthy postmenopausal women.

The aim of the study was to investigate the inflammatory activity and anticardiolipin antibodies (Acl) during tibolone administration. Twenty seven clinically healthy postmenopausal women were included in the study and were divided into two groups: 16 women (mean age 56.4 +/- 4.6 years) who received tibolone at a dose of 2.5 mg/day for 6 months and an untreated control group (n = 11, mean age 54.8 +/- 4.0 years). Acl of IgG and IgM isotype, and C-reactive protein (CRP) were determined at baseline, 1, 3, and 6 months after treatment. Acl did not change during tibolone treatment, while CRP increased significantly at the 1st, 3rd, and 6th month compared with that at the baseline values. These preliminary data indicate that tibolone administration does not induce increase in Acl. This may counterbalance the adverse influence on CRP.

Antibodies, Anticardiolipin↗
PubMed2001

Prevalence of factor V Leiden and prothrombin 20210 A variant in Bulgarian patients with pulmonary thromboembolism and deep venous thrombosis.

Factor V Leiden mutation and prothrombin variant 20210 A are well-known risk factors for venous thrombosis (DVT). Recent papers have reported a lower prevalence of factor V Leiden in patients with pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE) than in patients with deep venous thrombosis. The aim of the present study was to compare the prevalence of factor V Leiden and the prothrombin 20210 G <-- A mutation in patients with DVT and in patients with PTE. We studied 128 consecutive patients (45 with DVT, 40 with PTE, and 43 with DVT and PTE) for factor V Leiden and prothrombin 20210 A. One hundred healthy persons matched by age and sex were used as controls. Factor V Leiden was present in five of the patients with PTE [12.5%; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.5-23.5%; not significant], 15 of the patients with DVT (33.3%; 95% CI, 9.6-38.7%; P < 0.001), and 12 of the patients with DVT and PTE (27.9%; 95% CI, 4.8-33%; P = 0.001). Results for the prothrombin 20210 A mutation were as follows: four of 40 patients with PTE (10%; 95% CI, 0-13.3%; P = 0.46), nine of 45 (20%) of the patients with DVT (95% CI, 0.5-25.5%; P < 0.05) and eight of 43 with DVT and PTE were heterozygous (18.6%; 95% CI, 0-23.9%; P = 0.02). In conclusion, there is a significantly higher frequency of factor V Leiden among patients with DVT than in patients with PTE. However, there is no significant difference of factor V Leiden or 20210 A prothrombin mutation in patients with DVT than in patients with combined DVT/PTE, therefore patients with DVT, carriers of the mutations, do not appear to be at lower risk for pulmonary embolism.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

[Frequency of antiphospholipid antibodies and Leiden mutation of hemostasis Factor V in unexplained recurrent fetal and embryo loss].

Object of the study are women with a history of unexplained recurrent embryo, fetal and early neonatal death, severe preeclampsia, fetal growth retardation, abruptio placentae, puerperal thromboses. Quite often placental insufficiency is linked to abnormal vascular system and hemostatic disturbancies. In about 65% of the women with a complicated and in 18% of the women with a normal pregnancy are observed different genetic anomalies that lead to a hypercoagulative state. A major place is taken by the Leiden mutation of hemostasis factor V, by protein C and protein S deficiency, etc. Another disease that leads to arterial and venous thromboses and is most often linked to recurrent miscarriage is the antiphospholipid syndrome. Many authors confirm the findings of large placental infarctions and thromboses in women who are positive for antophospholipid antibodies.

Abortion, Habitual↗
PubMed2000

Anticardiolipin antibodies in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), stroke-prone SHR and normal Wistar rats.

1. Anticardiolipin antibodies (ACA) can be detected in the serum of patients with autoimmune disturbances, ischaemic heart disease, myocardial infarction, neurological disorders and other medical conditions. Elevated values of these autoantibodies can be associated with recurrent fetal loss, arterial and venous thrombosis and thrombocytopenia. 2. In the present study, we investigated the presence of ACA in three rat strains, namely normal Wistar rats (WR), spontaneously hypertensive rats Okamoto-Aoki (SHR) and stroke-prone SHR (SHRSP). All animals were examined at four ages: 1, 4, 10 and 12 months of age. Anticardiolipin antibodies were determined by ELISA. 3. Anticardiolipin antibody levels in normal WR, which were used as controls, were lowest at 1 month and increased significantly from the 4th month on. At the prehypertensive age (1 month), ACA levels in SHR and SHRSP were significantly higher compared with control WR, decreased with age and were significantly lower at 4, 10 and 12 months compared with age-matched WR. 4. These differences may be a result of immunological disorders in SHR.

Aging↗
PubMed2000

[Spontaneous abortions in Sneddon's syndrome].

Following the publications on the connection between Sneddon's syndrome and the antiphospholipid++ syndrome, the attention of researchers concentrated on the reproductive problems of women comprising the greater part of patients suffering from Sneddon's syndrome. One of the main indications of these almost coinciding syndromes are miscarriages for no obvious reason. It is supposed that the general mechanism is thrombosis. In a group of 38 patients with Sneddon's syndrome 32 (84%) are women. Twenty-eight of them have altogether given bright 43 times. Seven of them have suffered miscarriages for no obvious reason and three have habitual miscarriages. Three women have sterility problems.

Abortion, Habitual↗
PubMed2000

[Alpha-2 macroglobulin in serum and synovial fluid of patients with rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthrosis].

AIM: To study concentrations of alpha-2-macroglobulin (A-2-MG) in blood serum and synovial fluid (SF) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and formulation of basic clinical, laboratory and x-ray criteria of RA activity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A-2-MG levels were measured in the serum and SF from 151 RA patients and in the serum of 20 patients with osteoarthrosis (OA) and 62 healthy donors. The serum concentration for RA patients was 166 +/- 65.3 mg%, for OA patients--175.26 +/- 36.99 mg% and for healthy donors--177.772 +/- 50 mg%. Mean concentration of SF A-2-MG in RA patients was 98.77 +/- 82.43 mg%. CONCLUSION: Changes in the concentration of A-2-MG are unrelated to inflammation activity in the joints of RA and OA patients. Serum and synovial concentration of this protein corresponds to changes in the concentration of IgM and rheumatoid factors in RA patients.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗
PubMed2000

[Application of low-molecular-weight heparin during pregnancy and delivery in case of reproductive failure due to antiphospholipid syndrome].

The authors report the results of application of low molecular weight heparin during pregnancy, delivery and after birth to counter placental insufficiency in case of primary antiphospholipid syndrome. The patient had been treated with Fraxiparin for 126 days. No systemic or local side effects were spotted. There were no genital bleeding and tromboembolic accidents during pregnancy. A Caesaerean section was carried out under spinal anaesthesia. Fraxiparin treatment was not halted during the section, which was accompanied by a normal blood loss. The pregnancy yielded an eutrophic newborn and no complications were demonstrated during the neonatal period.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Prevalence of IgM-, IgA- and IgG-rheumatoid factors in seronegative polyarticular disease compared to pauciarticular disease in juvenile chronic arthritis as measured by ELISA.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of the rheumatoid factor isotypes measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in polyarticular and pauciarticular juvenile chronic arthritis (JCA), and evaluate the diagnostic test qualities. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 53 patients with JCA (20 with seronegative polyarticular disease at onset, 21 with pauciarticular onset and course of disease and 12 with extended pauciarticular disease), as well as 125 control children (58 healthy controls and 67 patients with other diseases) were tested. ELISA for the detection of IgM-, IgA- and IgG-isotypes of RFs was used. The diagnostic characteristics of the tests were evaluated by means of clinical epidemiology methods. RESULTS: The prevalence of the ELISA for IgG-, IgA-, and IgM-RF for JCA patients vs all controls at optimal cut-off titres was 13%, 29%, and 32%, respectively. The test for IgG-RF was established to be of no significance. IgA-RF had higher prevalence in the polyarticular and extended pauciarticular form, 40% and 33%, respectively. IgM-RF showed a prevalence of 55% for the polyarticular and 42% for the extended pauciarticular form. No significant prevalence has been found in the pauciarticular form. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that ELISA for IgG-RF is of no diagnostic value for JCA. The ELISAs for IgM- and IgA-RFs demonstrated a diagnostic significance for the polyarticular and extended pauciarticular form. Juvenile chronic arthritis (JCA) is a heterogeneous disease which encompasses different forms defined by the type of onset. There is evidence, supported by immunogenetic studies that the various subgroups may represent distinct disease entities [1, 2]. Numerous immunological abnormalities have been detected in JCA, but the most characteristic serological findings are ANA and IgM-rheumatoid factor, thought to be useful in the classification of patients and their management. Antinuclear antibodies are universal in JCA, most commonly found in children with early onset pauciarthritis and late onset seropositive polyarthritis [1, 2, 3]. In contrast, the IgM-rheumatoid factor, measured by conventional agglutination techniques, is a hallmark only of polyarthritis with late onset resembling adult rheumatoid arthritis. This group of patients with "seropositive" disease represents less than 20% of all JCA children. Of those patients with "seronegative" disease 20-30% have a systemic onset and the remainder have either a pauciarticular or polyarticular form [2, 3]. Following the introduction of more sensitive techniques, it has already been established that rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients' sera contain not only the "classical" 19S IgM-RF, but also other isotypes of the rheumatoid factor (RF). A number of studies have emphasized the presence of IgG-, IgA-, IgM- and even IgE- RF in patients with "seronegative" RA [4, 5, 6]. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of IgG, IgM and IgA RFs and to attempt at evaluating the diagnostic and prognostic qualities of the ELISA-tests for rheumatoid factor isotypes in polyarticular and pauciarticular forms at onset of JCA.

Arthritis, Juvenile↗
PubMed1996

Sperm, nuclear, phospholipid, and red blood cell antibodies and isotype RF in infertile couples and patients with autoimmune rheumatic diseases.

PROBLEM: To determine if measuring of nonorgan-specific autoantibodies is useful for better understanding and management of unexplained infertility. METHODS: Sera were obtained from 70 infertile couples, 57 rheumatic patients, and 76 fertile donors. Sperm antibodies (SA) were detected by the tests of Kibrick and Friberg, anti-histones, anti-cardiolipin antibodies, and RF isotypes by ELISA, antinuclear antibodies by indirect immunofluorescence, and anti-red blood cell antibodies by Capture-R. RESULTS: Multiple autoimmune reactivity (both partners positive and/or more than one type of autoantibody involved), higher than naturally occurring in fertile individuals, was found in 55% of the idiopathically infertile couples. IgA-RF was the dominant autoimmune marker. SA revealed similar rates in patients with rheumatic diseases and in infertiles with or without other autoantibodies. CONCLUSION: Although no single autoimmunity marker could predict occurrence of SA, the coincidence of enhanced polyclonal autoimmunity in both partners of infertile couples might potentiate their negative effect on reproduction.

Adolescent↗