The relationship between ischemic contracture and no-reflow phenomenon was studied in 59 isolated rat hearts during global ischemia. The contracture was measured by a water-filled balloon catheter placed in the left ventricular lumen. The time of onset of contracture was changed by preischemic infusion with buffer containing 0.5 mmoles/l iodoacetate (IAA) in order to get early contracture, and by hypothermia which delayed the development of contracture. The first signs of contracture were noticed in normothermia (37 degrees C) at 11 minutes, in hypothermia (26 degrees C) at 25 minutes, and in the IAA-infused group at 3 minutes. The completion of contracture occurred in these groups at 25, 90 and 11 minutes, respectively. The myocardial perfusability was tested at the pre- and postcontracture state by infusing 0.1% fluorescein in isotonic saline into the cannulated aortic root. The myocardial area perfused with fluorescein was quantified in colour photographs taken under ultraviolet light of frozen whole-heart sections. The myocardial perfusion - expressed ad percent of myocardial area - was 99% at the precontracture state in normothermia, 95% in hypothermia and 100% in the IAA-infused group. At the postcontracture state, the myocardial perfusion in these groups was 80, 56 and 18%, respectively. It was concluded that the no-reflow phenomenon in isolated rat heart is closely associated with the development of myocardial contracture during global ischemia.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Synovial-type (group II) phospholipase A2 human seminal plasma.

Phospholipase A2 (PLA2) was analysed in seminal plasma of fertile, subfertile, and vasectomized men as well as in prostatic secretion and tissue. Immunological cross-reactivity was observed between synovial-type PLA2 antiserum and the enzyme present in seminal plasma. There was a highly significant correlation between the concentration of the synovial-type PLA2, as measured by a time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay and the catalytic activity of the PLA2. The results show that the PLA2 content in human seminal plasma is very high (approximately 1000 times of that present in blood plasma) and that the enzyme belongs to the synovial-type group II phospholipase A2. The results also indicate that the enzyme is secreted by the prostate.

Ejaculation↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Group II phospholipase A2 content of tears in patients with senile cataract and primary open-angle glaucoma.

PURPOSE: To determine the group II phospholipase A2 (PLA2) content of tears in patients with senile cataract or primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) and to compare it with the PLA2 content of tears in age-matched healthy controls. METHODS: The PLA2 concentration of tears was measured with time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay in 21 patients with senile cataract, 23 patients with POAG and in 40 healthy controls. RESULTS: The PLA2 content of tears was 38.3+/-30.1 microg/ml in patients with senile cataract, 32.1+/-22.3 microg/ml in patients with POAG, and 36.6+/-31.1 microg/ml in healthy controls. There were no significant differences between the patient and the control groups. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that neither senile cataract nor POAG has any effect on the PLA2 content of tears.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein in colonic mucosa in ulcerative colitis.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Increased mucosal concentration of bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein (BPI) has been shown in inflammatory bowel diseases. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relationship between the mucosal concentration of BPI and the grade of mucosal inflammation in ulcerative colitis. METHODOLOGY: Samples of colonic mucosa from 12 patients with ulcerative colitis and from 8 control patients were studied. The concentration of BPI in tissue extracts was measured by a time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay. The concentration of BPI was compared between samples with histological inflammatory changes of different severity. BPI was localized in tissue sections by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: The concentration of BPI was higher (p < 0.001) in samples of colonic mucosa from patients with ulcerative colitis (median: 3.2 micrograms/g, range: 0.3-22.6 micrograms/g) than in control samples (0.4 microgram/g, 0.1-0.6 microgram/g,). Moreover, the concentration of BPI was higher (p = 0.015) in samples with severe inflammation (2.5 mu/g, 0.3-22.6 micrograms/g) than in those with mild inflammation (0.5 mu/g, 0.3-2.5 micrograms/g). The concentration of BPI in mucosal samples correlated well with the degree of histological inflammation (Spearman R = 0.70, p = 0.01). BPI was localized in polymorphonuclear leukocytes in the mucosa and stroma of the colonic wall. CONCLUSIONS: The concentration of BPI is increased in the colonic mucosa of patients with ulcerative colitis. The increase in the concentration of BPI in colonic mucosa seems to be closely associated with the inflammatory activity of ulcerative colitis.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Phospholipase A2 in acute pancreatitis: new biochemical and pathological aspects.

Phospholipase A2 has been implicated in the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of acute pancreatitis. The initial enthusiasm concerning pancreatic group I phospholipase A2 as an enzyme responsible for pancreatic necrosis and systemic manifestations of acute pancreatitis has gradually waned, as the mechanisms of the pathogenesis and the pathophysiology of acute pancreatitis have been revealed. The overactive systemic inflammatory response associated with the activation of different cascade systems and increased levels of inflammatory mediators as seen in severe acute pancreatitis, closely resembles that associated with other severe inflammatory diseases such as septic shock. The critical role of the non-pancreatic secretory group II phospholipase A2 in the chain of inflammatory mediators has been emphasized recently, as new detection methods for the enzyme have become available.

Acute Disease↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Bactericidal/permeability increasing protein and proinflammatory cytokines in synovial fluid of psoriatic arthritis.

OBJECTIVE: Bactericidal/permeability increasing protein (BPI) is a leukocyte product exerting antibacterial activity. Its production may be stimulated by cytokines, mainly Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) alpha. We studied BPI in the synovial fluid (SF) of psoriatic arthritis (PsA), a disease suspected to be influenced by infectious agents. METHODS: The levels of BPI and various indices of SF inflammation, including cytokines and its receptors, were determined in the SF of 18 patients with PsA and compared with those of 12 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and 9 with osteoarthritis (OA). RESULTS: The lowest SF levels of BPI were found in PsA (145.3 +/- 97.3 ng/ml), significantly lower than in RA (307.7 +/- 42.8 ng/ml, p = 0.0001) and similar to those in OA (151.1 +/- 52.4 ng/ml). Furthermore, only in PsA, and not in the RA and OA subgroups, correlations were observed between BPI and the indices considered, including TNF alpha (r = 0.746, p = 0.0004). CONCLUSION: Due to its relationship with local inflammation, SF BPI may play a role in the pathogenesis of arthropathies, in particular PsA.

Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Pancreatic phospholipase A2 in human acute pancreatitis.

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Acute Disease↗