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Letter 2005; 26(4): 327-335 PubMed PMID: 16136015 Citation  Keywords:  Adult, Antipsychotic Agents:adverse effects, Depressive Disorder:drug therapy, Female, Humans, Hyperprolactinemia:blood, Male, Middle Aged, Prolactin:blood, Sulpiride:adverse effects,.   

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Journal Article 2005; 26(4): 367-372 PubMed PMID: 16136007 Citation  Keywords:  Animals, Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System:metabolism, In Vitro Techniques, Male, Neurokinin A:analogs & derivatives, Neurokinin-1 Receptor Antagonists, Neurotransmitter Agents:pharmacology, Peptide Fragments:pharmacology, Rats, Rats, Wistar, Receptors, Neur.   

OBJECTIVES: Present experiments were undertaken to study the influence of peptide NK-1 and NK-2 receptor agonists and antagonists as well as substance P and neurokinin A (the natural ligands for these tachykinin receptors) on vasopressin (AVP) secretion from the rat hypothalamo-neurohypophysial (HN) system in vitro.

RESULTS: The results showed that both substance P and highly selective tachykinin NK-1 receptor agonist, i.e., [Sar9,Met(O2)11]-Substance P, enhanced significantly AVP secretion, while the NK-1 receptor antagonist (Tyr6,D-Phe7,D-His9)-Substance P (6-11)--sendide--was found to antagonize the substance P-induced hormone release from isolated rat HN system (all peptides at the concentration of 10(-7) M/L). The NK-2 receptor selective agonist (beta-Ala8)-Neurokinin A (4-10) was essentially inactive in modifying AVP release from the rat HN system in vitro, while neurokinin A (the natural ligand for this tachykinin receptor) was found to stimulate the AVP release; this effect of neurokinin A has been diminished by the NK-2 receptor antagonist (Tyr5,D-Trp(6,8,9),Lys-NH2(10))-Neurokinin A (4-10).

CONCLUSION: The present data indicate a role for tachykinin NK-1 (and possibly for NK-2) receptors in tachykinin-mediated stimulation of AVP secretion from the rat HN system in vitro....

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Journal Article 2005; 26(4): 393-396 PubMed PMID: 16136003 Citation  Keywords:  Adult, Aged, Case-Control Studies, Female, Haplotypes, Humans, Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular:genetics, Linkage Disequilibrium, Logistic Models, Male, Middle Aged, Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A:genetics, Polymorphism, Genetic, Retrospective Studies,.   

: The angiotensin converting enzyme gene (ACE) is a candidate gene for an individual's genetic susceptibility to left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). LVH has long been thought to be an end point of essential hypertension (EH), rather than a separate entity, though it is influenced by a unique set of hormonal, vascular and genetic factors. In this study, we attempted to determine whether two representative polymorphisms of the ACE gene, ACE I/D and 2350 G>A, known to be associated with EH and to influence plasma ACE levels most significantly, could implicate ACE as a quantitative trait locus (QTL) for LVH. We carried out a retrospective, case-control study of the two ACE polymorphisms amongst 180 nationals (50 LVH patients and 130 controls) from the United Arab Emirates--an ethnic group characterized by no alcohol intake and no cigarette smoking--for correlations with LVH. Clinical diagnosis of LVH was based on echocardiographic and ECG criteria. ACE I/D and 2350 G>A genotypes were determined by PCR and restriction digestion. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses revealed an association between ACE polymorphisms and LVH. Haplotype analysis further supported this finding. ACE I/D and ACE 2350 G>A polymorphisms are in strong linkage disequilibrium and are associated with LVH, suggesting that ACE is likely to be a QTL for LVH....

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Journal Article 2005; 26(4): 397-400 PubMed PMID: 16136002 Citation  Keywords:  Acid Phosphatase:blood, Animals, Antigens, CD13:blood, Cathepsin D:blood, Cathepsin L, Cathepsins:blood, Cysteine Endopeptidases:blood, Esterases:blood, Female, Ghrelin, Homeostasis:drug effects, Hydrolases:blood, Lipase:blood, Lysosomes:enzymology, Pepti.   

OBJECTIVES: Observing the changes of activity of some lysosomal enzymes in blood serum of female rabbits subjected to injection of 10 microg of ghrelin/kg of body weight.

METHODS: In the blood serum the activity of cathepsins D and L, alanine aminopeptidase, acid phosphatase, lysosomal lipase and lysosomal esterase was determined.

RESULTS: As a result of ghrelin injection the activity of all the enzymes examined in blood serum increased markedly.

CONCLUSION: Changes of lysosomal enzymes activities in the blood serum caused by the effects of ghrelin should be regarded as the response of the lysosomal system....

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Journal Article 2005; 26(4): 407-412 PubMed PMID: 16136000 Citation  Keywords:  Animals, Blood Pressure:drug effects, Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors:pharmacology, Disease Models, Animal, Hypotension:blood, Ibuprofen:pharmacology, Nitrates:blood, Nitrites:blood, Rabbits, Shock, Septic:blood,.   

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of ibuprofen on plasma nitrite/nitrate levels, as indirect indicators of nitric oxide, in correlation with blood pressure in a rabbit model of endotoxin-induced shock.

METHODS: A total of 28 rabbits were randomly divided into four groups. Control group received physiological saline, while endotoxin (ETX, E. Coli, 055:B5, 2 mg/kg, i.v.) was administered to the rabbits in the other groups: group II receiving only ETX, in addition to ETX group III received ibuprofen (30 mg/kg) 30 minutes after ETX administration, whilst the group IV received ibuprofen (30 mg/kg) 30 minutes before ETX. Arterial blood pressure and plasma levels of nitrite/nitrate were determined immediately before (time 0) and 30, 60, 90, 120, 180, 240, and 300 minutes after ETX administration.

RESULTS: ETX administered groups had significantly higher plasma levels of nitrite/nitrate than the control group, at all consecutive measurements except at time O. Treatment with ibuprofen, either before or after ETX, partly restored the elevated levels of nitrite/nitrate. ETX also caused a significant decrease in blood pressure which was prevented in ibuprofen treated groups.

CONCLUSION: Results from this study indicate that administration of ibuprofen prevents sudden reductions in blood pressure by inhibiting excessive production of nitric oxide in rabbit model of endotoxin-induced shock and this may be of importance for providing crucial time for therapeutic intervention and survival in septic shock....

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Journal Article 2005; 26(4): 423-430 PubMed PMID: 16135997 Citation  Keywords:  Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity:genetics, Biomarkers, Brain Chemistry:genetics, Genetic Markers, Humans,.   

: ADHD (attention hyperactivity disorder) is a polygenetic disorder with various candidate genes. At this time, more than thirty dopaminergic, noradrenergic, serotonergic and GABA-ergic genes are known. The research of only some candidate genes (DRD4, DAT, DRD5, DBH, 5HTT, HTR1B and SNAP25) brought relatively consistent results confirming the heredity of ADHD syndromes. The results of research of other genes (DRD2, DRD3, MAO, ADR2A, GABA A3, GABA B3) are not clear yet. This paper summarizes the most important genetic data in correlations with biochemical periphery parameters (especially for DBH, HVA, MHPG, serotonin). Hypothetically, certain subgroups of ADHD may be identified by correlation of biochemical characteristics and some candidate genes. The paper discusses some implications for future research. Review....

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Case Reports 2005; 26(3): 253-256 PubMed PMID: 15990731 Citation  Keywords:  Breast:pathology, Child, Congenital Hypothyroidism, Female, Humans, Hypothyroidism:complications, Menstruation Disturbances:diagnostic imaging, Ovary:pathology, Pituitary Gland:diagnostic imaging, Puberty, Precocious:diagnostic imaging, Ultrasonography,.   

: Precocious puberty associated with profound hypothyroidism is a rare condition. It is usually characterized by breast development, vaginal bleeding, lack of pubic hair and delayed bone age. Multicystic ovaries in profound hypothyroid patients with precocious puberty have been rarely described. Vaginal bleeding in adolescent girls should be considered as a clinical significance particularly when it is prolonged or heavy, whereas vaginal bleeding in younger girls, regardless of its duration and quantity is always of clinical importance. Bleeding in such patients could be caused by local causes such as vulvar or vaginal lesions, or it could be from the endometrium, which is usually a sign of systemic hormonal disturbance [1]. In this report a rare case of vaginal bleeding, large, multicystic ovaries, precocious puberty and delayed bone age in a 7 years old girl with profound hypothyroidism is described....

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Journal Article 2005; 26(3): 237-241 PubMed PMID: 15990728 Citation  Keywords:  Animals, DNA:chemistry, Entropy, Evolution, Molecular, Humans, Models, Chemical, Nucleic Acid Conformation, Peptides:chemistry, Promoter Regions, Genetic, Protein Binding, Protein Conformation, Transcription Factors:chemistry,.   

PROBLEM: Gerontology observations show that ageing of organism is accompanied by the decrease of the chromatin activity and slowing down of the protein synthesis. Natural regulatory oligopeptides and their synthetic analogues take part in the activation of chromatin and normalise rate of the protein synthesis in cultured tissues. Regulatory peptides significantly enhance longevity.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this work is to find a possible molecular mechanism by which the regulatory peptides influence the part of genetic system is responsible for initiation of protein synthesis in higher organisms.

METHODS: An interdisciplinary approach was used to address the problem. The work involved not only medical scientists and biologists, but also specialists in biopolymer chemistry, and mathematicians for statistical analysis of information interaction of amino acid and nucleotide sequences.

CONCLUSIONS: The structures and metrics of peptides and the DNA double-helix cause the recognition and complementary binding of a regulatory peptide with DNA functional groups at the interface of the major groove. We have used complementary binding model to find a possible base pair sequence ATTTTC for specific binding of synthetic tetrapeptide epitalon. This base pair block and its reverse complement were found repeatedly in the promoter region of telomerase. A comparison of statistical information content of peptides and oligonucleotide sequences shows that these two classes of biopolymers are information carriers and. exchange the information to initiate the gene transcription....

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