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Journal Article 2001; 22(1): 53-73 PubMed PMID: 11393163 Citation  Keywords:  Adrenal Glands:physiology, Animals, Biological Clocks, Blood Pressure:physiology, Chronobiology Disorders:physiopathology, Chronobiology Phenomena, Chronotherapy, Circadian Rhythm:physiology, Drug Administration Schedule, Genomics, Homeostasis, Humans, Pi.   

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Journal Article 2001; 22(1): 53-73 PubMed PMID: 11393163 Citation  Keywords:  Adrenal Glands:physiology, Animals, Biological Clocks, Blood Pressure:physiology, Chronobiology Disorders:physiopathology, Chronobiology Phenomena, Chronotherapy, Circadian Rhythm:physiology, Drug Administration Schedule, Genomics, Homeostasis, Humans, Pi.   

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Evaluation Studies 2008; 29(6): 1045-153 PubMed PMID: 19112404 Citation  Keywords:  Adolescent, Adult, Analysis of Variance, Child, Cost of Illness, Cross-Cultural Comparison, Czech Republic, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1:psychology, Female, Health Status, Humans, Male, Parents:psychology, Quality of Life:psychology, Reproducibility of Resul.   

: Type 1 diabetes mellitus is a chronic health condition which affects approximately 750 thousand diabetics in the Czech Republic out of whom 3300 are children at the age of 8-18 years. The effects of illness and treatment go beyond medical control therefore evaluation of quality of life (QOL) is vital for children and adolescents with diabetes in order to examine how diabetes and its complicated and demanding treatment regimen affects their various life domains - family relationships, school, social activities, etc. Health related quality of life has been recognized as an important pediatric outcome measure in the past years and therefore health related quality of life of these children and adolescents was evaluated. The Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory 4.0 (PedsQL) and PedsQL 3.0 Module Diabetes were translated into the Czech language and administered to 79 children with diabetes and 79 parents. The objective of this study was to examine general and health related quality of life of children with diabetes at the age of 8-18. Results showed, that children endorse greater QOL in both general and diabetes related scales compared to their parents. Also, the concordance in reports of parents and children of QOL in children was variable. With regard to the aim of the research to determine whether QOL outcomes are predicted by duration of diabetes, results show that the duration of diabetes is a significant predictor of QOL in children. These results of QOL in children in the Czech Republic are then compared with the outcomes available from abroad....

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Comparative Study 2008; 29(6): 953-957 PubMed PMID: 19112399 Citation  Keywords:  Analgesics:administration & dosage, Analysis of Variance, Animals, Anticonvulsants:administration & dosage, Disease Models, Animal, Dose-Response Relationship, Drug, Male, Morphine:administration & dosage, Pain, Postoperative:prevention & control, Piracet.   

OBJECTIVES: Preemptive versus therapeutic effects of levetiracetam were investigated in a model of postoperative incisional pain in rats.

METHODS: Levetiracetam (250, 500, and 1000 mg/kg intraperitoneal (i.p.) or morphine (5 mg/kg i.p.) was administered either 1 h before (preemptive administration) or 1 h after (therapeutic administration) incisional surgery to the hind paw of rats. The effects of levetiracetam were evaluated based on thermal hyperalgesia measured by the plantar test.

RESULTS: All preoperatively treated levetiracetam groups showed a significant, dose dependent, increase in paw withdrawal latency. However, post-incisional administration of levetiracetam produced no antihyperalgesic effect at any dose or at any time. In contrast, post-incisional administration of morphine reduced thermal hyperalgesia, while preemptive administration of morphine did not produce any significant antihyperalgesic effects.

CONCLUSION: The present results suggest that levetiracetam might possess preemptive analgesic activity....

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Journal Article 2008; 29(6): 1038-144 PubMed PMID: 19112390 Citation  Keywords:  Acromegaly:blood, Adenoma:complications, Adult, Aged, Follow-Up Studies, Humans, Insulin-Like Growth Factor I:analysis, Male, Middle Aged, Pituitary Neoplasms:complications, Somatostatin:analogs & derivatives, Treatment Outcome,.   

OBJECTIVE: The aim of our study was to investigate the characteristics of acromegalic patients diagnosed at a tertiary University Hospital and to evaluate the results of the recommended treatment protocols.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: All our acromegalic patients were included (n=48; 27 women). Demographic, hormonal, visual and imaging data at diagnosis and during follow-up were recorded, as well as the treatments applied.

RESULTS: In 73.0% of the patients, acromegaly was due to a pituitary macroadenoma. From those under periodic surveillance, 68.2% underwent surgery and 36.4% had radiotherapy. At the time of the study 88.6% of the patients were receiving medical therapy, 28.2% of them as first-line treatment. Applying current criteria, only one patient was cured by surgery. Considering normal age and sex-matched concentrations of IGF-I as a control criteria, surgery resulted in disease control in 10% of the patients who had surgery, while medical treatment controlled the disease in 76.9% (P <0.05). Of those who receive medical therapy as first-line treatment, tumour size decreased in 45.5%, while in the rest no significant changes were observed during follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS: Not all centres obtain the results reported in the literature in terms of disease control and morbidity after surgical treatment of growth hormone-secreting tumours. It is possible that in some hospitals first-line medical treatment should be chosen, unless the patient has visual disturbances, as long as it is not clear that partial surgical removal of the tumour significantly improves response to medical therapy or reduces its costs....

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Case Reports 2008; 29(5): 635-638 PubMed PMID: 18987611 Citation  Keywords:  Adult, Amniocentesis, Blood Gas Analysis, Cordocentesis, Echocardiography, Electrocardiography, Female, Fetal Growth Retardation:diagnostic imaging, Heart Rate:physiology, Heart Rate, Fetal:physiology, Humans, Hypoxia:etiology, Infant, Newborn, Infant, Pr.   

OBJECTIVES: Intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) is associated with fetal adverse conditions. The most important cause of growth restriction and poor perinatal outcome is chronic fetal hypoxemia (CFH). Adaptation to CFH can be studied by Doppler velocity waveform on umbilical and fetal arteries and cardiotocography (CTG).

METHODS: Preterm delivery, as an elimination of CFH, has to be confronted with the risks of prematurity. A special situation may occur when CTG is normal at the absence of end-diastolic velocity (AEDV). AEDV in the umbilical artery precedes the onset of abnormal CTG, whose duration differs considerably among the fetuses. The time after the onset of AEDV in pregnancy may be utilized for performing exact diagnosis by fetal blood analysis.

CASE: Primigravida at 30 gestational weeks was referred because of IUGR. IUGR, AEDV, oligohydramnion, and normal fetal anatomy were revealed. CTG was normal. Indication for cordocentesis was to perform cord blood gases analysis and to obtain fetal caryotype. Cordocentesis revealed normal caryotype, values of pH, and fetal blood gases were considered satisfactory. Continuation of pregnancy was decided in spite of persistent AEDV. At 33 gestational weeks pathological CTG was an indication for induction of labor. Labor, delivery, umbilical blood gases, postpartal and neonatal outcome were normal.

CONCLUSION: In the case of fetal monitoring controversy assessment of umbilical blood analysis may be crucial. This examination is significant and independent of the interval between cordocentesis and the onset of CTG pathology. This interval may be utilized for intrauterine treatment and for optimizing obstetric management....

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Journal Article 2008; 29(5): 702-705 PubMed PMID: 18987602 Citation  Keywords:  Animals, Electric Stimulation, Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials:physiology, Hippocampus:blood supply, Ischemic Attack, Transient:physiopathology, Long-Term Potentiation:physiology, Male, Rats, Rats, Wistar, Synaptic Transmission:physiology,.   

OBJECTIVES: Long-term potentiation (LTP) of neuronal activity in the hippocampus is thought to be a substrate for learning and memory. The influence of ischemia (IS) (hypoxia/hypoglycemia) on induction of LTP of synaptic transmission (ST) by high frequency stimulation (HFS) was investigated in rat hippocampal slices.

METHODS: Neurons were stimulated via Schäffer collaterals and field excitatory postsynaptic potentials (fEPSP) were recorded extracellularly from the CA1 region. LTP was induced by one single train (100 Hz, 1s).

RESULTS: In controls LTP of ST after HFS was 179.70+/-12.53%. Short IS of 2.5-4.5 min elicited a transient failure of ST, with return to former value followed by further increase of fEPSP amplitude to 142.28+/-16.24%, compared to amplitude before IS. HFS was elicited 40 min after exposure to IS and LTP was measured over further 40-60 min. LTP in slices exposed to 2.5-4.5-min IS was 139.94+/-14.01%. IS of 6-7.5 min elicited a prolonged failure of ST, with almost full recovery (96.69+/-14.42%). LTP was not activated 40 min after 6-7.5-min IS and the amplitude of fEPSP was even reduced to 80.14+/-19.19% compared to the former mean value of fEPSP 10 min before HFS.

CONCLUSION: The results revealed that prolonged 6-7.5-min IS influenced induction of LTP of ST in the hippocampus and thus it could have deleterious effects on learning and memory. These findings may have clinical implications in stroke, brain ischemia, sleep apnoe and call for studying the effect of neuroprotectants on the induction of LTP in hippocampus exposed to oxidative stress....

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Journal Article 2008; 29(5): 790-793 PubMed PMID: 18987595 Citation  Keywords:  Adrenergic beta-Antagonists:pharmacology, Androstadienes:pharmacology, Calcimycin:pharmacology, Carbazoles:pharmacology, Humans, In Vitro Techniques, Male, N-Formylmethionine Leucyl-Phenylalanine:pharmacology, Neutrophils:drug effects, Oxidants:metabolism.   

OBJECTIVES: To compare three stimuli which activate human neutrophils with different signal transduction mechanisms, in order to better localize the effect of the beta-adrenoceptor antagonist carvedilol (CARV) on superoxide generation (O2*-) and myeloperoxidase release (MPO). The effect of CARV [0.1-100 micromol/l] on O2*- generation and MPO release from isolated human neutrophils was studied after specific receptor activator N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (fMLP) and nonreceptor phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA) and calcium ionophor (A23187) stimuli.

METHODS: O2*- generation was measured as superoxide dismutase inhibitable reduction of cytochrome c and MPO release as the oxidation of o-dianisidine in the presence of hydrogen peroxide in a spectrophotometer Hewlet Packard 8452 A at respective 550 and 463 nm.

RESULTS: CARV had no effect on O2*- generation and MPO release in nonstimulated cells. In the concentration 10 and 100 micromol/l, it significantly decreased fMLP and PMA stimulated O2*- generation and MPO release. Incubation of neutrophils with CARV [100 micromol/l] caused significant inhibition of O2*- generation and MPO release induced by A23187. Wortmannin, a specific inhibitor of 1-phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase, inhibited significantly only fMLP stimulated O2*- generation. CARV [100 micromol/l] with wortmannin [50 nmol/l] further decreased O2*- generation after the same stimulus.

CONCLUSION: CARV decreased O2*- generation and MPO release from isolated human neutrophils both by membrane-operating stimulus - fMLP and membrane bypassing activators - PMA and A 23187. This fact, together with effect the of wortmannin, indicates that the inhibition may be attributed to the non-specific action of CARV and its interference with phospholipase D signaling pathway, which plays only a minor role in proteinkinase C stimulated O2*- generation....

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