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Journal Article 2008; 29(4): 451-453 PubMed PMID: 18766143 Citation  Keywords:  Humans, Impulsive Behavior, Male, Neuroendocrinology, Reward, Saliva:enzymology, Statistics as Topic, Surveys and Questionnaires, alpha-Amylases:metabolism,.   

OBJECTIVES: This study was aimed to examine the relationships between salivary alpha-amylase (sAA, a non-invasive biological marker of adrenergic activities) levels and hyperbolic discounting for primary reward under simulated life-threatening condition, which is of interest in psychoneuroendocrinology and neuroeconomics of visceral influences on behavior.

METHODS: We assessed degrees to which delayed primary reward (i.e., water) was discounted (hyperbolic discount rates) in 31 healthy male students. Participants' sAA were also assessed.

RESULTS: We observed a positive correlation between sAA and hyperbolic discounting for primary reward.

CONCLUSIONS: The result indicates that threat-induced visceral urge acutely prompts impulsivity in temporal discounting....

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Journal Article 2008; 29(4): 443-446 PubMed PMID: 18766141 Citation  Keywords:  Adult, Aged, Antigens, CD34:analysis, Breast Neoplasms:blood supply, Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast:blood supply, Female, Humans, Immunohistochemistry, Lymph Nodes:metabolism, Lymphatic Metastasis:pathology, Middle Aged, Neoplasm Invasiveness, Neovascularizati.   

BACKGROUND: Angiogenesis is a basic process that enables neoplasms to thrive. Microvessel density (MVD) evaluation is an accepted parameter for assessing the angiogenesis process within a tumor. The aim of the present study has been to assess the number of microcapillaries in both invasive ductal breast cancer with the presence of metastases in regional lymph nodes and in invasive ductal breast cancer without such metastases.

METHODS: The CD34 antigen immunoreactivity level was assessed by immunohistochemistry in both types of invasive ductal breast cancer. Tissue samples were obtained from 40 patients and were divided into two groups according to whether or not there were lymph node metastases.

RESULTS: The patients with lymph node metastases exhibited statistically significantly higher numbers of stained microcapillaries than the patients who did not have lymph node metastases.

CONCLUSION: Thus the number of stained microcapillaries as evaluated by using the CD34 immunoreactivity level seems to be a useful predictor for the development of local lymph node metastases in female invasive ductal breast cancer....

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Journal Article 2008; 29(4): 536-546 PubMed PMID: 18766140 Citation  Keywords:  Adult, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Choroid Neoplasms:pathology, Ciliary Body:pathology, Echo-Planar Imaging, Eye Enucleation, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Statistics as Topic, Uveal Neoplasms:pathology,.   

PURPOSE: To correlate between the echographic and histopathological findings, and to search for important criteria for the prognosis in vivo using standardised echography.

METHODS: The study included 51 consecutive patients treated by primary enucleation for choroidal or ciliary body melanoma and 30 patients who underwent secondary enucleation after failing radiotherapy treatment. All patients were treated during the period of 1998--2008 at the Eye Clinic of the 3rd Faculty of Medicine in Prague, Czech Republic. Standardised echography based on the Ossoinig method was used in this study. Histopathological processing and evaluation was performed by the Laboratory of Ocular Pathology at the same clinic. Professional statistical software (Statistica 7.1 by Statsoft, Inc.) was used for all statistical analysis.

RESULTS: Statistically significant results were found in these correlations in the group of primary enucleation: US prominence vs. HP prominence (R = 0.8943, p = 0.0000), US base vs. HP base (R = 0.8060, p = 0.0000), US tumor shape vs. HP tumor shape (R = -0.7576, p = 0.0000), posterior choroidal spike condition vs. scleral invasion (R = -0.5341, p = 0.0005), TNM vs. pTNM (R = 0.7242, p = 0.0000). In the group of secondary enucleation: US prominence vs. HP prominence (R = 0.8132, p = 0.0000), US base vs. HP base (R = 0.7959, p = 0.0000). Other correlations were statistically insignificant.

CONCLUSIONS: Tumor dimensions, shape of the tumor and scleral invasion are important predictors that can be in vivo reliably determined using standardised echography....

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Journal Article 2008; 29(4): 493-499 PubMed PMID: 18766139 Citation  Keywords:  Adult, Blood Flow Velocity, Deoxyribonucleases, Type II Site-Specific:genetics, Female, Fetal Growth Retardation:genetics, Fetus:anatomy & histology, Genotype, Gestational Age, Humans, Laser-Doppler Flowmetry, Middle Cerebral Artery, Polymorphism, Genetic.   

OBJECTIVES: The intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) frequently is a cause of fetal morbidity and mortality, and influences perinatal outcome. Several genes have been identified to explain aetiology of IUGR, beside others the gene coding for tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha).

DESIGN: To investigate frequency of AlwI polymorphism of TNF-alpha gene and its correlation with TNF-alpha level in maternal serum, Doppler velocimetry and perinatal outcome in pregnancies suspected for IUGR.

SETTING: 42 pregnancies with IUGR and 50 matched healthy pregnant women were included in the study. Maternal venous blood samples were investigated in relationship to blood flow Doppler velocimetry in umbilical (UA) and middle cerebral (MCA) arteries. AlwI polymorphism was analysed using PCR/RFLP assays. TNF-alpha level was evaluated by immunoelectophoretic method.

RESULTS: A higher frequency of mutated -238A alleles (13.1% vs. 7.0%) and genotypes containing at least one mutated -238A allele (23.8% vs. 14.0%) were found in the IUGR group. The tendency to the higher TNF-alpha level in IUGR subgroups with the presence of at least one mutated A allele (258.9+/-231.3 vs. 174.1+/-145.6 pg/ml) was detected. No statistical differences were detected for PI values in UA and MCA arteries considering particular genotypes (GG vs. GA + AA) separately in IUGR group.

CONCLUSION: Increased UA vascular impedance and signs of brain sparing in MCA are related to IUGR and increased TNF-alpha level in maternal serum. AlwI polymorphism might play a role in IUGR aetiology and influence TNF-alpha expression in maternal serum, but was not related to Doppler velocimetry or with perinatal outcome....

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Journal Article 2008; 29(4): 529-535 PubMed PMID: 18766138 Citation  Keywords:  Androstadienes:pharmacology, Animals, Cells, Cultured, Chromones:pharmacology, Enzyme Activation, Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases:metabolism, Gonadotrophs:cytology, Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone:metabolism, Gonadotropins:genetics, Humans, Morp.   

OBJECTIVE: Phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3-kinase) has been known to play an important role in cell survival and proliferation by activation of its downstream target, Akt/protein kinase B (PKB). In this present study, we investigated the effects of PI3-kinase inhibitors on gonadotropin alpha-subunit gene expression in pituitary gonadotrophs.

METHODS: Alpha T3-1 cells, a pituitary gonadotroph cell line, were used in this study. alphaT3-1 cells were transfected with alpha-subunit promoter region-linked luciferase vector, and stimulated with GnRH in the presence or absence of two different PI3-kinase inhibitors, LY 294002 and wortmannin. Dose response effects of these inhibitors were also examined. Extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) phosphorylation were determined by western blotting analysis.

RESULTS: Treatment of alphaT3-1 cells with PI3-kinase inhibitor, LY 294002, significantly increased alpha-subunit gene expression up to 6.89 +/- 0.26-fold, and showed additive effect with gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH). The increasing effect of LY 294002 on alpha-subunit gene expression was observed at the concentration more than 1 microM. The experiment using another PI3-kinase inhibitor, wortmannin, showed similar effects, where wortmannin alone increased alpha-subunit gene expression by dose dependent manner and showed additive effect with GnRH. The inhibitor of PKB failed to modulate basal activity of alpha-subunit promoter as well as GnRH-induced promoter activities. Western blotting analysis using phosphorylated form specific antibody for ERK demonstrated that both LY 294002 and wortmannin increased ERK phosphorylation.

CONCLUSION: These results suggested that PI3-kinase inhibitor, LY 294002 and wortmannin increased gonadotropin alpha-subunit gene expression related with ERK activation....

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Journal Article 2008; 29(3): 373-378 PubMed PMID: 18580854 Citation  Keywords:  Acromegaly:physiopathology, Adult, Aged, Diabetes Complications:physiopathology, Electroencephalography, Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem:physiology, Female, Functional Laterality:physiology, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Prediabetic State:physiopatho.   

OBJECTIVES: Acromegaly is associated by various systemic complications, involving also the nervous system. Other studies revealed peripheral but not central nervous system impairment with somatosensory evoked potentials examinations in acromegaly. Aim of the present study was to assess whether brainstem transmission in acromegaly is disturbed.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study was carried out in 37 patients. The control group consisted of 47 healthy persons. In all of the subjects, peripheral transmission, reflected by peak I latency, and brainstem transmission, tested by interpeak latency I-V (IPL I-V), were examined.

RESULTS: Peak I latency was delayed in 6 out of 37 patients (1 - bilaterally, 2 - right side, 3 - left side). The group-mean latency of peak I was 1.53 msec and 1.56 msec, for the right and left side, respectively. There were found no statistically significant differences between the right and left side, likewise in comparison with control group. In turn, as compared with the controls, IPL I-V was disturbed in 25 out of 37 patients: in most of the cases IPL I-V prolongation was observed (8 - bilateral prolongation, 11 - right side, 6 - left side). Moreover, the statistically significant difference between the brainstem sides (4.27 vs. 4.11 msec; p<0.05) was observed.

CONCLUSION: In the examined patients with acromegaly, there was no peripheral disturbance in transmission, as examined by BAEPs registrations. Conversely, in nearly half of the patients with acromegaly, brainstem transmission was found to be delayed, and significant difference between responses from the both sides of the brainstem were noted....

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Journal Article 2008; 29(3): 328-333 PubMed PMID: 18580853 Citation  Keywords:  Adult, Blood Pressure:physiology, Diabetes, Gestational:blood, Diet, Diabetic, Female, Glucose Tolerance Test, Heart Rate:physiology, Homeostasis:physiology, Humans, Hypertension, Pregnancy-Induced:physiopathology, Insulin:blood, Insulin Resistance, Lipid.   

OBJECTIVE: It is suggested that gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is the earliest phase of DM. Nowadays DM is treated as a part of insulin resistance syndrome--patients with DM tend to be obese, dyslipidemic and hypertensive. It is postulated that similar abnormalities are found in GDM patients.

METHODS: The study was conducted among 81 women with GDM and 41 healthy controls. After diagnosis or negative screening for GDM the women underwent 24-hour blood pressure monitoring and measurements of plasma lipids, insulin concentrations and insulin resistance (expressed by HOMA score). The incidence of gestational hypertension and blood pressure until delivery was also analyzed.

RESULTS: 17 (21%) of GDM women and only 1 glucose tolerant control developed pregnancy induced hypertension. GDM women had significantly higher arterial pressure during the daytime and nighttime (accordingly 112.1/69.4 mmHg vs. 105.4/64.8 mmHg and 101.5/62.4 mmHg vs. 93.0/58.8 mmHg), although the average BP was within normal range. Heart rate was also faster in GDM group. Compared with healthy pregnant women, GDM patients had higher serum TG concentrations (247,9 vs 205 mg%; p<0,01), fasting insulin (66 vs 42,5 pmol/l; p<0,001) and insulin resistance (HOMA 2,15 vs 1,13; p<0,001). No correlation was found between blood pressure and insulin concentrations and insulin resistance among healthy and GDM women.

CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that symptoms of insulin resistance are present in GDM women. They are characterized by higher arterial blood pressure, heart rate, serum triglycerides, insulin and increased insulin resistance....

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Journal Article 2008; 29(3): 334-340 PubMed PMID: 18580850 Citation  Keywords:  Adolescent, Alleles, Antigens, CD:genetics, Autoimmune Diseases:epidemiology, CTLA-4 Antigen, Celiac Disease:epidemiology, Child, Cohort Studies, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1:epidemiology, Endocrine System Diseases:epidemiology, Female, Genetic Markers, Geno.   

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to determine the association of two CTLA-4 gene polymorphisms (CT60, +49 A/G) with Hashimoto thyroiditis (HT), type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) and celiac disease (CD) as well as with the occurrence of multi-organ involvement by autoimmunity in children.

METHODS: Genotyping was done by RFLP analysis in Slovak children with HT (n=63) and CD (n=120) and both Slovak and Slovene children with T1DM (n=320) and healthy controls (n=231).

RESULTS: We found a significant association of the G allele of the CT60 polymorphism with HT (p<0,0005) in the Slovak population and T1DM in both Slovak (p<0.01) and Slovene populations (p<0.005). The G allele of the +49A/G polymorphism was significantly, though less strongly, associated with T1DM (p<0.05) and HT (p<0.05). Distribution of genotypes of CTLA-4 gene polymorphisms in CD patients did not differ significantly from controls. None of the polymorphisms was associated with multi-organ involvement by autoimmunity.

CONCLUSION: The G allele of both examined CTLA-4 gene polymorphisms predisposes to HT and T1DM, but not to CD. No association with multi-organ involvement was found. The GG genotype of the CT60 polymorphism may identify CD patients at an increased risk for concomitant T1DM and HT. Further studies to assess the predictive value of CTLA-4 polymorphisms for the co-occurrence of HT and T1DM in CD patients are needed....

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