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R Vytásek

Publications and source records attributed to R Vytásek.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

Serum cartilage oligomeric matrix protein reflects the presence of clinically diagnosed synovitis in patients with knee osteoarthritis.

OBJECTIVE: Cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP) is a component of articular cartilage whose serum levels show a strong correlation with radiographic osteoarthritis (OA) status. It has recently been found, however, that COMP is also produced in synovium. To assess the hypothesis that synovitis affects serum COMP levels in patients with knee OA, we collected sera for COMP simultaneous with a clinical examination for synovitis. DESIGN: Sera were collected from OA patients who fulfilled the American College of Rheumatology criteria for knee OA. Radiographs were classified according to the grading system of Kellgren and Lawrence. Synovitis was diagnosed clinically by joint tenderness plus swelling and/or increased warmth over the joint. COMP levels in sera were measured by inhibition ELISA with monoclonal antibody (mAb) 17-C10. RESULTS: Serum COMP levels were significantly correlated with age, synovitis and an interaction of synovitis and OA severity. Synovitis showed the strongest effect on COMP levels (R=0.1587, P< 0.01), in contrast to C-reactive protein, duration of OA and OA severity score which showed no significant effect on COMP levels. Individual signs of synovitis, namely, joint tenderness and warmth had a significant effect on serum COMP levels while swelling alone did not. CONCLUSION: Synovitis exerts a significant effect on serum COMP levels measured with mAb 17-C10 in OA patients. These findings underscore the importance of the clinical joint examination to assess for synovitis, when attempting to apply objective measures, such as COMP, to the clinical setting.

Adult↗

A possible role of the oxidant tissue injury in the development of hypoxic pulmonary hypertension.

Chronic sojourn in hypoxic environment results in the structural remodeling of peripheral pulmonary arteries and pulmonary hypertension. We hypothesize that the pathogenesis of changes in pulmonary vascular structure is related to the increase of radical production induced by lung tissue hypoxia. Hypoxia primes alveolar macrophages to produce more hydrogen peroxide. Furthermore, the increased release of oxygen radicals by other hypoxic lung cells cannot be excluded. Several recent reports demonstrate the oxidant damage of lungs exposed to chronic hypoxia. The production of nitric oxide is high in animals with hypoxic pulmonary hypertension and the serum concentration of nitrotyrosine (radical product of nitric oxide and superoxide interaction) is also increased in chronically hypoxic rats. Antioxidants were shown to be effective in the prevention of hypoxia induced pulmonary hypertension. We suppose that the mechanism by which the radicals stimulate of the vascular remodeling is due to their effect on the metabolism of vascular wall matrix proteins. Non-enzymatic protein alterations and/or activation of collagenolytic matrix metalloproteinases may also participate. The presence of low-molecular weight cleavage products of matrix proteins stimulates the mesenchymal proliferation in the wall of distal pulmonary arteries. Thickened and less compliant peripheral pulmonary vasculature is then more resistant to the blood flow and the hypoxic pulmonary hypertension is developed.

Animals↗

Age-dependent changes in proteoglycan biosynthesis in human intervertebral discs.

Proteoglycans from annulus fibrosus and nucleus pulposus of human intervertebral disc were investigated by electrophoresis in a composite agarose-polyacrylamide gel and immunohistochemically using various monoclonal antibodies against components of extracellular matrix. There were at least five different populations of proteoglycans in both annulus fibrosus and nucleus pulposus. Proteoglycans represented by individual electrophoretic bands differed from each other in hydrodynamic size but all of them contained epitopes present in keratan sulphate. Chondroitin sulphate could be detected in populations with molecular weight above 200,000 daltons. We could postulate that the cleavage of proteoglycan chains starts at the C-terminal end. This is supported by the finding that the globular region G2 on the protein core was detected in the same populations as keratan sulphate. We could confirm these results using tissue cultures of nucleus pulposus, inner and external part of annulus fibrosus. Of interest is the finding that there is de novo synthesis of globular domain G1 only in structures of intervertebral disc from a 16-year-old male and not in the tissue of a 69-year-old male. This might contribute to an explanation of decreased aggregation of proteoglycans during the aging process.

Adolescent↗

Electrostatic interaction influences cell adhesion?

The effect of electrostatic forces on the adhesion of LEP-19 diploid embryonal fibroblasts, Hep-2 laryngeal carcinoma cells, Raji lymphoblastoma cells and Sp 2/0 myeloma cells was examined in vitro. Adhesivity of all tested cell lines was higher on the cationized glass than on untreated or anionized glass. The negatively charged sialic acids on the cell surface play a role in cell adhesion. The participation of electrostatic interaction is independent of the energy metabolism in serum-free conditions.

Anions↗

A new cell line, GS, derived from a human renal cell carcinoma.

A new cell line, GS, of human renal cell carcinoma was established and characterized. It was derived from a metastasis of a human renal cell carcinoma, which appeared 6 years after nephrectomy. The GS cells exhibit basic characteristics of renal cell carcinoma: epithelial cell character, PAS and glycogen positivity, typical ultrastructural features. The cells have a pseudotriploid stemline with a modal number of 75 chromosomes and two marker chromosomes. GS cells formed neither colonies in soft agar nor transplantable tumours in nude mice but produced a factor(s) stimulating growth and colony forming activity of indicator cells.

Aged↗