Prognosis for the Patients with Alcoholic and Nonalcoholic Liver Disease

The purpose of this investigation was to determine the role of alcohol in development of progressive liver disease. For this purpose, 41 alcoholic patients were followed up for 5 years. Criteria for alcohol abuse was that the patients were enjoying 20 g alcohol daily in a period of 5 years for females and respectively 60 g daily for males. In the same time a group of 51 nonalcoholic patients with histologically proven chronic liver disease were investigated. In all 92 patients chronic liver disease and progression of the disease was proven by liver biopsy during a 5-years follow-up. In sera of all patients the markers of hepatitis viruses B, D and C were continuously determined and chronic viral hepatitis was excluded. Also, autoimmune chronic hepatitis was excluded. The results of the investigation showed that alcoholics develop cirrhosis hepatitis, in most cases 78.04%. The most progressive chronic liver diseases – cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma –are significantly present among nonalcoholics. In the mentioned investigation a large group of 51 patients with severe chronic hepatitis without a proven ethiology of disease was found and it deserves priority in future research

Mesenchymal Stem Cells from Periapical Lesions Upregulate the Production of Immunoregulatory Cytokines by Inflammatory Cells in Culture

The pathophysiology of periapical lesions (PLs) is under control of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory (mainly immunoregulatory) cytokines. We have recently established mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from PLs and showed their suppressive effects on the production of proinflammatory cytokines from PLs inflammatory cells (ICs). In this work we studied the production of interleukin (IL)-10, IL-27 and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β, by PL-ICs in direct or indirect contacts with PL-MSCs. PL-ICs, which were isolated from four different asymptomatic PLs, predominantly composed of lymphocytes, followed by neutrophil granulocytes, macrophages and plasma cells. PLMSCs, expressing typical MSC markers, were co-cultivated with PL-ICs at 1:10 ratio, either in direct contact or in a transwell-system, for 24 hours. The levels of cytokines in cell-culture supernatants were tested by ELISA. The results showed that PL-MSCs up-regulated the production of all three immunoregulatory cytokines by PL-ICs. PL-MSCs stimulated the production of IL-10 and IL-27 via soluble factors, whereas the up-regulation of TGF-β required direct cell-to-cell contacts. In conclusion, our results showed for the first time the involvement of PL-MSCs in restriction of inflammation in PLs by up-regulation of immunoregulatory cytokines

Zlato u prošlosti, sadašnjosti i budućnosti

This paper deals with gold, which is described as a chemical element. Special attention is paid to its physical-chemical properties and, furthermore, where or in what form it can be found in nature. We discuss the role it has played through history and we inform how gold has been developed to the level it has reached today’s value. Still more, when gold is broken into nanoparticles, this form could be highly useful for a wide range of processes, including general nanotechnology, electronics manufacturing and the synthesizing of different functional materials. It is important that we know that gold is also used in industry in many engineering applications (contacts in micro-electronics) and medicine (dental alloys, implants).Ovaj članak govori o zlatu kao kemijskom elementu. Posebna pažnja posvećena je njegovim fizikalno-kemijskim svojstvima i gdje i u kojem obliku se može pronaći u prirodi. Razmatra se uloga koju je zlato odigralo u povijesti i donosi se informacije o tome kako je doseglo razinu vrijednosti koju ima danas. Zlato razlomljeno na nanočestice upotrebljivo je u širem spektru procesuiranja, uključujući opću nanotehnologiju, elektroničku prizvodnju i spajanju materijala raznih funkcionalnosti. Važno je znati da se zlato koristi i u industriji, mnogim inženjerskim procesima (kontakti u mikro-elektronici) i medicini (dentalne slitine, implatanti)

Citotoksičnost legure titana obložene hidroksiapatitom pomoću mlaza plazme

Background/Aim. The deposition of hydroxyapatite (HAP) on the surface of titanium (Ti) alloys enhances bioactivity and osseointegration of the alloys which are widely used as implant materials in dentistry and orthopaedic surgery. However, the stability of HAP and subsequent biocompatibility of such alloys depends on the coating technique. The aim of this work was to test the cytotoxicity of a Ti alloy (Ti6Al4V), coated with HAP by a new plasma deposition method. Methods. The Ti6Al4V samples prepared as discs, 10 mm in diameter and 2 mm in thickness, were coated with HAP (one or both sides of the alloy) by an innovative atmospheric plasma jet method. The cytotoxicity of uncoated and HAP coated Ti6Al4V samples was evaluated by examining the morphological changes and viability of L929 fibroblasts in direct contact with the test materials. Adequate negative (polystyrene) and positive (nickel) control discs of the same size were used. The indirect cytotoxicity was determined by cultivating L929 cells with conditioning medium (CM), prepared as extract of the test samples incubated in the complete Roswell Park Memorial Institute (RPMI) 1640 medium for cell cultures. The cytotoxic effect was evaluated based on the degree of metabolic activity, necrosis, apoptosis and proliferation of L929 cells, using the appropriate assays. Results. Uncoated and one side HAP coated Ti6Al4V alloys were classified as non-cytotoxic according to the current ISO 10993-5 criteria, whereas two sides HAP coated Ti6Al4V alloy samples were slightlymoderate cytotoxic. The cytotoxicity manifested as the inhibition of metabolic activity and proliferation of L929 cells as well as the induction of their apoptosis and necrosis was significantly reduced by conditioning of HAP/Ti6Al4V alloys for 24 hours. The cytotoxic effect of HAP/Ti6Al4V CM only partly decreased in the presence of nifelate, a calcium (Ca) channel blocker, suggesting that Ca ions were not the only responsible cytotoxic agent. Conclusion. The original HAP coating procedure by atmospheric plasma spraying with high energy input enables the production of the stable adhesive coatings on Ti6Al4V alloys. Their cytotoxicity, which depends on the quantity of HAP coating layer, could be significantly reduced up to the non-cytotoxic level by prior conditioning of the alloys in culture medium. Such a procedure, which removes leachable toxic components, could be useful before implantation of HAP coated alloys in vivo. © 2019, Inst. Sci. inf., Univ. Defence in Belgrade. All rights reserved

Gold in the past, today and future

This paper deals with gold, which is described as a chemical element. Special attention is paid to its physical-chemical properties and, furthermore, where or in what form it can be found in nature. We discuss the role it has played through history and we inform how gold has been developed to the level it has reached today's value. Still more, when gold is broken into nanoparticles, this form could be highly useful for a wide range of processes, including general nanotechnology, electronics manufacturing and the synthesizing of different functional materials. It is important that we know that gold is also used in industry in many engineering applications (contacts in micro-electronics) and medicine (dental alloys, implants)

Cerebrospinal fluid and plasma concentration of soluble intercellular adhesion molecule1, vascular cell adhesion molecule1 and endothelial leukocyte adhesion molecule in patients with acute ischemic b

Background. Leukocyte migration into the ischemic area is a complex process controlled by adhesion molecules (AM) in leukocytes and endothelium, by migratory capacity of leukocytes and the presence of hemotaxic agents in the tissue. In this research it was supposed that in the blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients in the acute phase of ischemic brain disease (IBD) there were relevant changes in the concentration of soluble AM (sICAM-1 sVCAM-1 and sE-selectin), that could have been the indicators of the intensity of damaging processes in central nervous system (CNS). Methods. The study included 45 IBD patients, 15 with transient ischemic attack (TIA) 15 with reversible ischemic attack (RIA), and 15 with brain infarction (BI) of both sexes, mean age 66±7. Control group consisted of 15 patients with radicular lesions of discal origin, subjected to diagnostic radiculography without the signs of interruption in the passage of CSF. Changes of selected biochemical parameters were determined in all patients in frame 72 hours since the occurence of an ischemic episode. Concentrations of soluble AM were determined in plasma and CSF by ELISA. Total number of leukocytes (TNL) in peripheral blood was determined by hematological analyzer. Results. The results showed that during the first 72 hrs of IBD significant increases occured in TNL and that the increase was progressive compared to the severeness of the disease. Significant increase of soluble AM concentration was shown in plasma of IBD patients. The increase was highest in BI somewhat lower in RIA and the lowest in TIA patients compared to the control. In CSF concentrations of sICAM-1, sVCAM-1 and sE-selectin demonstrated similar increasing trend as in plasma. Conclusion. TNL, as well as the soluble AM concentrations in plasma and CSF, were increased during the acute IBD phase and progressive in relation to the severeness of the disease, so that they might have been the indicators of CNS inflammatory reaction intensity. Furthermore, the results indicated their role in IBD pathogenesis and offered the possibility of researching the application of antagonists and/or activity modulators of some of them in IBD therapy

Prognosis for the Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B

The purpose of the research was to determine the influence of the hepatitis B virus on the progression of the chronic liver disease. In the present paper, 127 patients who were followed up for five years and who had histologically verified chronic liver disease, are described. Fifty two of them were carriers of HBsAg, 75 patients were HBsAg negative, but had other markers typical for a previous infection of HBV in the sera. All the patients were nonalcoholics and no drug addicts. In the sera of these 127 patients markers of HBV were prospectively followed up: HBsAg, HBeAg, anti-HBs, anti-HBc, anti-HBe, HBVDNA, antiHCV for C virus and anti-D for D virus. It was proved by these investigations that HBV provokes very severe chronic hepatitis: CAH (chronic active hepatitis) and CH (cirrhosis hepatis). It was also proved that HBV replicated in 44.20 % patients, namely, HBVDNA was positive in the sera of those patients. In 26.08 % of such patients the mutant form of HBV was present. In spite of progressive liver disease and without any antiviral therapy all the patients with chronic HBV cirrhosis hepatis were, after five year-follow-up, in Child-Pugh A grade. It was found that the patients who were HBsAg negative, but had one or more markers of HBV positive in the sera, had also a severe chronic hepatitis. That group of patients remains our object of further research. The five-years follow-up of all these patients demonstrates that it is necessary to find out an efficient medicament against HBV chronic hepatitis. Obligatory vaccination of the risk population against virus B remains the only prevention against this severe disease

Efekti aspirina na apoptozu neutrofilnih granulocita

Neutrophils are a part of the immune system, and they are involved in host defence against microorganisms. Neutrophil granulocytes have the shortest lifespan among leukocytes, which can be modulated by cytokines and pharmacological agents. The effect of aspirin on apoptosis of inflammatory granulocytes has not been studied in detail yet, and therefore was the chosen subject of this study. Inflammatory granulocytes have been isolated from polyvinyl sponges implanted under the skin of Albino Oxford (AO) rats. Inflammatory cells that were isolated 20 hours later were more than 95% neutrophil granulocytes. The cells were cultivated 24 h with different concentrations of aspirin ranging from 1 µM to 10 mM. After the cultivation period, apoptosis of neutrophils was assessed by morphological criteria, as well as by flow cytometry (after staining the cells with propidium iodide). We found that at concentrations from 0,1 mM to 2,5 mM aspirin inhibited apoptosis of granulocytes, but at 10 mM aspirin induced apoptosis of these cells.Neutrofilni granulociti su deo imunog sistema, uključenog u odbranu od mikroorganizama. Oni imaju najkraći životni vek među leukocitima, koji se može modulisati citokinima i farmakološkim agensima, a do sada nije ispitivan efekat aspirina na apoptozu inflamatornih granulocita. Zbog toga je u ovoj studiji ispitivan efekat aspirina na apoptozu inflamatornih neutrofilnih granulocita pacova. Inflamatorni granulociti su izolovani iz polivinilskih sunđera, potkožno implantiranih, pacovima Albino Oxford (AO) soja. Inflamatorne ćelije, izolovane 20 sati kasnije, najvećim delom (više od 95 %) predstavljaju neutrofilne granulocite. Ove ćelije su kultivisane 24 sata sa aspirinom u koncentracijama od 1 µM do 10 mM. Posle ovog perioda supernatanti su sakupljani i korišćeni za merenje koncentracije NO. Ćelije su bojene propidijum jodidom i apoptoza je analizirana na protočnom citofluorimetru, kao i pomoću morfoloških kriterijuma. Ustanovljeno je da u koncentracijama od 0,1 do 2,5 mM aspirin inhibira, a samo u visokim koncentracijama (10 mM) indukuje apoptozu ovih ćelija. Aspirinom indukovana apoptoza je bila u pozitivnoj korelaciji sa smanjenom produkcijom NO