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Biomedical subjects

V Moritz

Publications and source records attributed to V Moritz.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2002

Carbon dioxide insufflation reduces discomfort due to flexible sigmoidoscopy in colorectal cancer screening.

BACKGROUND: Flexible sigmoidoscopy is currently recommended as a screening modality for colorectal cancer. However, a substantial number of patients experience discomfort because of the procedure. possibly limiting compliance and thus screening success. During endoscopy, air is commonly used to insufflate the bowel. Carbon dioxide rather than air insufflation has been shown to reduce procedure-related pain and discomfort in colonoscopy. The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether carbon dioxide insufflation reduces discomfort during and after flexible sigmoidoscopy for colorectal cancer screening. METHODS: In a randomized, double-blinded design, 230 consecutive participants in a population-based flexible sigmoidoscopy colorectal cancer screening trial were assigned to have their examination performed with either carbon dioxide or air insufflation. Patients were asked to grade discomfort experienced both during and in the hours after the procedure on a visual analogue scale. RESULTS: Carbon dioxide insufflation significantly reduced the amount of discomfort at 1, 3 and 6 h after the sigmoidoscopy. One hour after the examination. 84% of patients in the CO2 group reported no discomfort, compared to 64% in the air group (P = 0.006). No differences between the groups were observed during the examination. CONCLUSIONS: Carbon dioxide insufflation significantly reduced post-examination discomfort. The use of carbon dioxide rather than air insufflation may contribute to better public acceptance for flexible sigmoidoscopy screening.

Carbon Dioxide↗
PubMed1997

Influence of long-term supplementation with alpha-linolenic acid on myocardial lipid peroxidation and antioxidative capacity in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

The ischaemic vulnerability of the heart of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) is enhanced after feeding an alpha-linolenic acid (LNA) enriched diet. Because oxygen radical-induced reactions (e.g. lipid peroxidation) are involved in the ischaemic damage, an increased susceptibility of the SHR heart to such damaging reactions might be the reason. As a sign of the enhanced susceptibility to lipid peroxidation of LNA-fed SHR, we found (measured as TBARS) higher plasma and heart lipid peroxide levels (3.84 +/- 0.50 micromol/l vs 2.98 +/- 0.78 micromol/l and 507 +/- 127 nmol/g prot. vs 215 +/- 80 nmol/g prot., respectively) after feeding LNA. Using Fe2+/Vit. C to induce lipid peroxidation in myocardial tissue homogenates, we demonstrated the enhanced susceptibility to lipid peroxidation of the LNA-fed SHR heart (68 +/- 12 nmol/min x g prot. vs 40 +/- 8 nmol/min x g prot.) also in vitro. The myocardial enrichment of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) resulting in a higher peroxidation index (PI 227 vs. 170) and the loss in myocardial activities of the antioxidative enzymes (SOD: 76 +/- 24 U x 10(3)/g prot. vs 235 +/- 150 U x 10(3)/g prot.; GSH-Px: 32 +/- 5 U/g prot. vs 110 +/- 30 U/g prot.) by feeding LNA could be the cause of the increase in myocardial susceptibility to lipid peroxidation of PUFA supplemented SHR.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Structural wall tissue alterations of the microvasculature in the course of spontaneous hypertension of rats.

The existence of structural reactions of the microvasculature of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and the underlying causal mechanisms are generally controversially discussed. Ninety-two male SHR aged 3-52 weeks and 118 normotensive age and sex matched controls were investigated. A new histomorphometric procedure was applied that ascertains structural changes in microvessels with diameters below 9 microns, between 9 microns and 19 microns and above 19 microns in anatomically defined sections of the skeletal muscle, heart and pancreas. Significant rises in the numerical and area densities of microvessel surfaces document a pathological increase in wall tissue of the microvasculature in all 3 organs and stages of spontaneous hypertension, with the exception of the coronary microvessels of 8-16 week old SHR where this progressive structural reaction was antagonized. How far the hypertrophy of the microvascular wall tissue is connected with an increase in wall thickness disproportional to the corresponding lumen wideness remained unknown. A positive correlation between the increase in blood pressure and wall tissue was only substantiated in the pancreas microvasculature. The generalized preferential occurrence of pathological reactions in vessels with diameters below 19 microns in the early established phase indicates that the microvascular control changes in this phase of spontaneous hypertension (SH).

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Ischemic myocardial damage in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) is enhanced after long-term feeding of an alpha-linolenic acid enriched diet.

In this study the influence of long-term feeding of an alpha-linolenic acid (LNA) enriched diet on the sensitivity of SHR to catecholamine-induced myocardial injury was investigated. An enhanced ischemic vulnerability after LNA supplementation was observed as indicated both by a marked decrease of enzyme activities in the myocardium and by a pronounced elevation of plasma enzymes. Distinctly higher TBARS levels in heart tissue and plasma of LNA rich fed SHR suggest that an exaggerated lipid peroxidation might contribute to the increased ischemic vulnerability. Non-enzymatic lipid peroxidation is favoured by a feeding-provoked enrichment in highly unsaturated fatty acids in tissue phospholipids. Under such conditions of enhanced substrate availability for radical-induced lipid peroxidation an increased requirement for antioxidants can be assumed which might not sufficiently be met by tocopherol-supplementation in SHR because of their known defects in antioxidative defense mechanisms.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

N-6 and N-3 PUFA in liver lipids, thromboxane formation and blood pressure from SHR during diets supplemented with evening primrose, sunflowerseed or fish oil.

Spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) after weaning (at 4 weeks of age) were fed diets supplemented with either sunflowerseed oil (SO), evening primrose oil (EPO), fish oil (FO) or EPO + FO (50%: 50%, v/v) for 22 weeks. A diet with commercially available pellets served as control. Systolic blood pressure was significantly lower in the dietary groups receiving FO, EPO and FO + EPO, the former being most effective. In liver triglycerides (TG) EPO resulted in a markedly increased percentage of linoleic acid (LA; C 18:2, n-6), alpha-linolenic acid (alpha-LNA; C 18:3, n-6) and especially of arachidonic acid (AA; C 20:4, n-6), whereas the long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; C 20:5, n-3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; C 22:6 n-3), were depressed to undetectable and significantly lower levels, respectively. In liver phosphatidylcholine (PC) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) only slight changes of LA and AA were observed. Feeding of FO led to a significant rise of EPA and DHA in liver TG, PC and PE at the expense of n-6 PUFA (except LA in PC and PE). With a combination of both EPO and FO a significant increase of EPA and DHA, but on lower levels as compared to FO alone, was associated with a significant rise of LA, but with a slight decline of AA as compared to the control animals. Nevertheless, the levels of AA in the group fed EPO + FO were still higher than in the FO-group. In the SO-group the increase of LA was even higher when compared with the EPO-group.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Blood pressure and serum lipids from SHR after diets supplemented with evening primrose, sunflowerseed or fish oil.

Spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) at 4 weeks of age were fed a diet supplemented with sunflowerseed oil (SO), evening primrose oil (EPO), fish oil (FO) or EPO + FO for 22 weeks. A diet with commercially available pellets served as control. Systolic blood pressure was significantly lower during and after FO, EPO and EPO + FO, whereas the lower level after SO was not significant when compared with the controls. Serum triglycerides and total cholesterol were lowest after EPO followed FO. The combination of both EPO and FO resulted in unexpected high values of triglycerides and cholesterol. HDL-cholesterol was likewise highest after EPO + FO. The results indicate a quantitatively different depression of blood pressure and serum lipids from SHR by individual polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA).

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Streptozotocin diabetes in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

The aim of our experiments was to find out to what extent male spontaneously hypertensive (SH) as well as normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) and Wistar-Schönerlinde (WS) rats developed changes of the endocrine pancreas function in response to streptozotocin (SR). 4 week old WS, WKY and SH rats were given ip. injections of 70 or 100 mg SR/kg and were killed at an age of 8 weeks, after which blood glucose, and in isolated islets, insulin-leakage, insulin secretion and insulin biosynthesis were determined; histologically the relative volume density of islet tissue was estimated. The results demonstrated that the intensity of the SR-caused damage to the endocrine pancreas differs considerably in the three strains of rats. The damage increases in the order WS, WKY, SH rats. These findings are indicative of the role played by genetic predisposition and of an increase in damage to the endocrine pancreas due to hypertension.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Bacteria and gallstone nucleation.

This preliminary study reports for the first time that there might be a possible association between bacteria and the aetiology of some cholesterol calculi. The gall-bladder biles from 225 cholecystectomy patients underwent bacteriological and microscopic study. Cholesterol calculi from 13 patients (10.2%) were observed to be associated with gall-bladder bile profusely infected with at least one bacterial species that was shown to possess beta-glucuronidase activity, an enzyme that is thought to promote calcium bilirubinate precipitation in bile. Concomitantly, the associated gall-bladder bile was 'high' in calcium bilirubinate precipitation and the precipitate was also detected in the centre of the gallstones. Moreover, in approximately half of these patients (six of 13), the cholesterol gallstones' nuclear areas also contained calcium palmitate, which is also thought to be due to bacterial activity. The results also support the hypothesis that bacteria with active beta-glucuronidase (for example, Escherichia coli) can significantly influence the aetiology of brown pigment gallstones. In contrast, bacteria were observed to have no role in black pigment gallstone formation, as their associated gall-bladder biles were always observed to be sterile.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Enhanced formation of lipid peroxides might contribute to the high sensitivity of spontaneously hypertensive rats towards isoproterenol-induced myocardial damage.

Lipid peroxidation as well as enzyme and isoenzyme activities in heart and blood plasma were investigated in 8- and 20-week-old SHR after administration of 40 mg/kg body weight isoproterenol in comparison to WKY rats in order to examine the susceptibility of the hearts of hypertensive animals towards catecholamine-induced damage. The mortality of SHR after isoproterenol application was distinctly higher as compared with WKY rats. SHR showed significantly higher concentrations of lipid peroxides in the myocardium after isoproterenol. Distinctly higher plasma activities of CK, isoenzymes of LDH and ASAT as well as markedly lower CK activities in the myocardium point to an enhanced sensitivity of SHR to catecholamine-induced damage. The results obtained in this study favour the suggestion that an exaggerated nonenzymatic and perhaps enzymatic formation of peroxidized lipids in the myocardium might contribute to this increased sensitivity.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Changes of N-6 and N-3 fatty acids in liver from spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) and normotensive rats after diets supplemented with alpha-linolenic or eicosapentaenoic acids.

In spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) and normotensive rats (WKY), diets supplemented with n-3 fatty acids of different chain length (alpha-linolenic acid, LNA-C 18:3, n-3 with linseed oil and eicosapentaenoic acid, EPA-C 20:5, n-3 with cod liver oil) were fed over a period of 22 weeks. A diet with commercially available pellets served as control. After the LNA-rich diet the augmentation of LNA was most pronounced in liver triglycerides (TG) and free fatty acids (FFA), whereas the increase of EPA was most marked in phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and phosphatidylcholine (PC) when compared with the controls. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) was decreased mainly in neutral lipids. Of the n-6 fatty acids linoleic acid (LA) appeared significantly depressed in TG and FFA, but increased in phospholipids. Arachidonic acid (AA), however, was lower in all lipids. In SHR and WKY fed the EPA-rich diet EPA and DHA were significantly higher as compared to the controls on a pellet diet. On the contrary, LNA was not detectable in all lipid classes. LA and AA were markedly depressed. Docosenoic acids were significantly increased. The p/s-ratio did not reflect the changes in the 20:5/20:4- and n-3/n-6-ratios. The data indicate a differential effect of dietary n-3 fatty acids of different chain length on the supply of other n-3 fatty acids. Moreover, after an LNA-rich diet divergent alterations of LA in neutral lipids and phospholipids occurred. The results are dissimilar to those obtained in adipose tissue. Blood pressure was not influenced by the diets in either SHR or WKY.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Importance of the antioxidative potential for free radical induced heart damage.

It is demonstrated on the heart tissue of rats that the extent of lipid peroxidation following induction of radical-forming mechanisms is correlated with the Vit. E concentration of the heart. When incubated with Fe2+/Vit.C, the heart tissue of normotensive (WKY) and hypertensive rats receiving Vit. E supplementation (SHR + Vit. E), consistently with their higher Vit. E concentration, reacted with a lower lipid peroxidation than the heart tissue of SHR. Considering the importance of lipid peroxidation as a damaging mechanism at ischemia, the lower Vit. E concentration in the hearts of SHR should be responsible for the lower tolerance to ischemia in comparison to WKY.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Peculiarities of adriamycin cardiotoxicity in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR).

The adriamycin (ARD) effects on the myocardium and the microcirculatory system (m.s.) of the heart and the skeletal muscle were studied enzyme histochemically and histomorphometrically. Normotensive Wistar rats (ADR-NWR) and SHR (ADR-SHR) were given 3 weekly intravenous injections of 1 mg ADR/kg b.wt. Controls were injected with saline. Besides the well-known ADR-induced single-cell degeneration observed in both strains, ADR-SHR have developed focal myocardial lesions (f.m.l.) to be characterized as ischemic alterations. Their number and size have distinctly increased as compared to saline-treated SHR. In the coronary m.s. the ADR applications were followed by signs of structural adaptation to chronic contractions, especially in ADR-SHR and within the f.m.l. The latter were considered to be decisively engendered by the pathological reactions of the m.s. In ADR-SHR possible the cardiotoxic ADR actions have aggravated these microvessel reactions and their consequences.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

A comparison of carotid body volumes in normotensive Wistar rats (NWR), Wistar Kyoto rats (WKY) and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR).

The carotid body volumes of male spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), Wistar Kyoto rats (WKY) and random-bred normotensive Wistar rats (NWR) were compared at the age of 16-18 weeks. SHR exhibited significantly greater absolute and relative carotid body volumes (CBV) than WKY or NWR. Furthermore, the absolute and relative CBV in WKY was also significantly bigger than in NWR. The same differences were found regarding the mean arterial blood pressure. The mean arterial blood pressure was significantly correlated with the logarithmic values of both the absolute and the relative CBV in SHR, WKY and NWR. These findings were compared with the results of other hypertensive rat models. It can be concluded that in hypertensive rats the CBV is likely to be dependent on the strain studied and independent of the blood pressure level or the expression of intraglomic vascular alterations.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

[Kidney function in spontaneously hypertensive rats under minoxidil treatment].

In 25 spontaneously hypertensive rats the blood pressure was lowered from 192 +/- 11.6 to 130 +/- 11.7 mm Hg and in 26 normotensive Wistar rats from 129 +/- 9.1 to 107 +/- 6.7 mm Hg by applying 1 mg/kg body weight minoxidil twice a day orally. 19 spontaneously hypertensive and 21 normotensive rats served as untreated control groups. During the treatment the glomerular filtration rate, determined by the slope clearance of Tc-99m-DTPA, remained unchanged. Under maximal water diuresis the excretion fraction of sodium was diminished compared with the control data. The Na+ and water reabsorption was increased in the proximal tubules (not an aldosterone effect) only in the treated spontaneously hypertensive rats. The potassium clearance was increased in this group, but decreased in the treated normotensive group. The different reactions of the renal tubular function to the treatment with minoxidil in spontaneously hypertensive compared with normotensive rats were discussed in connection with changes of membrane transport in essential hypertension.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Different changes of n-6 and n-3 fatty acids in adipose tissue from spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) and normotensive rats after diets supplemented with linolenic or eicosapentaenoic acids.

In spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) and normotensive rats of the Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) and Wistar-Schönwalde (WSCHOE) strain, diets supplemented with n-3 fatty acids of different chain length (alpha-linolenic acid, LNA--C 18:3, n-3 with linseed oil and eicosapentaenoic acid, EPA--C 20:5, n-3 with cod liver oil) were fed over a period of 22 weeks. After the LNA-rich diet, among the long-chain n-3 fatty acids EPA in epididymal adipose tissue remained unchanged, whereas docosapentaenoic (DPA) and docosahexaenoic acids (DHA) fell. The n-6 fatty acids linoleic (LA) and arachidonic acid (AA) both appeared decreased. After the EPA-rich diet, all n-3 fatty acids, i.e. not only EPA, DPA and DHA, but also LNA were augmented when compared with controls fed commercially available pellets. Among the n-6 fatty acids LA was extremely depressed, whereas AA appeared increased. The p/s-ratio was elevated after the LNA-rich diet, but decreased after the EPA-rich diet. The data indicate a differential effect of dietary n-3 fatty acids of different chain length on the supply of other n-3 fatty acids, of LA and AA as well as on the p/s-ratio in adipose tissue of rats. Blood pressure was not influenced by either diet in either SHR or in both normotensive strains of rats.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1986

Long-term effect of repeated short oxygen exposition on blood pressure development and erythrocyte sodium content in SHR and WKY.

Repeated short oxygen exposition (60 min weekly, beginning at the 1st week of age up to the 18th week of age) induced in male spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) a diminished blood pressure rise. Oxygen exposed SHR had also lower heart rates than SHR without oxygen exposition. No significant differences were found in both these parameters in normotensive rats (WKY). Furthermore oxygen exposition decreased the erythrocyte sodium content of SHR.

Aging↗