Increased plasma von Willebrand factor antigen levels but normal von Willebrand factor cleaving protease (ADAMTS13) activity in preeclampsia.

The activity of ADAMTS13, the von Willebrand factor (VWF) cleaving protease is low in several conditions, including HELLP (haemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelet count) syndrome. As HELLP syndrome develops in most cases on the basis of preeclampsia, our aim was to determine whether plasma ADAMTS13 activity is decreased in preeclampsia. Sixty-seven preeclamptic patients, 70 healthy pregnant women and 59 healthy non-pregnant women were involved in this case-control study. Plasma ADAMTS13 activity was determined with the FRETS-VWF73 assay, while VWF antigen (VWF:Ag) levels with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The multimeric pattern of VWF was analyzed by SDS-agarose gel electrophoresis. There was no significant difference in plasma ADAMTS13 activity between the preeclamptic and the healthy pregnant and non-pregnant groups (median [25-75 percentile]: 98.8 [76.5-112.8] %, 96.3 [85.6-116.2] % and 91.6 [78.5-104.4] %, respectively; p > 0.05). However, plasma VWF:Ag levels were significantly higher in preeclamptic patients than in healthy pregnant and non-pregnant women (187.1 [145.6-243.1] % versus 129.3 [105.1-182.8] % and 70.0 [60.2-87.3] %, respectively; p < 0.001). The multimeric pattern of VWF was normal in each group. Primiparas had lower plasma ADAMTS13 activity than multi-paras (92.6 [75.8-110.6] % versus 104.2 [92.1-120.8] %; p = 0.011). No other relationship was found between clinical characteristics, laboratory parameters and plasma ADAMTS13 activity in either study group. In conclusion, plasma ADAMTS13 activity is normal in preeclampsia despite the increased VWF:Ag levels. However, further studies are needed to determine whether a decrease in plasma ADAMTS13 activity could predispose preeclamptic patients to develop HELLP syndrome

Applying grain-size and compositional data analysis for interpretation of the Quaternary oxbow lake sedimentation processes: Eastern Great Hungarian Plain

Grain size distribution is one of the paleoenvironmental proxies that provide insight statistical distribution of size fractions within the sediments. Multivariate statistics have been used to investigate the depositional process from the grain size dis-tribution. Still, the direct application of the standard multivariate methods is not straightforward and can yield misleading interpretations due to the compositional nature of the raw grain size data. This paper is a methodological framework for grain size data characterization through the centered log ratio transformation and euclidean data, coupled with principal component analysis, cluster analysis, and linear discriminant analysis to examine Quaternary sediments from Tovises bed in the southeast Great Hungarian Plain. These approaches provide statistically significant and sedimentologically interpretable results for both datasets. However, the details by which they supplemented the conceptual model were sig-nificantly different, and this discrepancy resulted in a different temporal model of the depositional history

Levels of von Willebrand factor antigen and von Willebrand factor cleaving protease (ADAMTS13) activity predict clinical events in chronic heart failure.

Decreased activity of ADAMTS13, the von Willebrand factor (VWF) cleaving protease, was recently reported in cardiovascular diseases and in hepatic failure. Chronic heart failure (CHF) is characterised by abnormalities of left ventricular function accompanied by the failure of the liver and dysregulation of endothelial activation. Therefore, the aim of our study was to measure ADAMTS13 activity in CHF, and determine the prognostic value of VWF and ADAMTS13 on major clinical events in CHF. ADAMTS13 activity (measured by FRETS-VWF73 substrate) was decreased in CHF (n = 152, left ventricular ejection fraction <45%), and it correlated negatively with B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) NYHA (New York Heart Association) classes, markers of synthetic capacity of the liver and endothelial dysfunction (all p < 0.005). Both, high VWF:Ag levels (hazard ratio [HR] 1.52, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.189-1.943), and low ADAMTS13/VWF:Ag ratios (HR 0.70, 95% CI 0.58-0.84) independently and significantly predicted short-term (1 year follow-up) clinical adverse events in heart failure (HF). Decreased activity of ADAMTS13 with concomitant high VWF:Ag levels is a significant independent predictor of clinical events in CHF. The levels of the two molecules may integrate the impaired synthetic capacity of the liver and the disturbed endothelial regulation and can therefore be a useful tool to predict clinical events in CHF

Water regime change of surfactant polluted soils

Studies were made on the adsorption of a cationic surfactant, hexadecylpyridinium-chloride (CPC), on various soils and sediments. The aim was to determine how modify the adsorbed surfactant the soil physical characteristics, mainly water regime. Water retention were measured, pore size distribution curves were derived from water retention curves, modal suction, total porosity and rate of different pores (macro-, meso-, micro-, ultramicro- and cryptopores) were evaluated. Due to CPC treatment, samples became hydrophobic. Rate of cryptopores declined at all surfactant treated samples, while rate of micropores were raised most of the samples. Except for two samples total porosity was decreased, as well. Kind of these changes can depend on differences in particle size distribution, calcium carbonate content, aggregate stability, quantity and quality of clay minerals. As pore size changes, amount of retained water also changes

A szisztémás autoimmun kórképekben szenvedő betegek személyiségjellemzőinek komplex klinikai és egészségpszichológiai megközelítése = The complex - clinical and health psychological - approach of personality characteristics in the cases of systematic autoimmun diseases

Kutatásunk célja a szisztémás autoimmun kórképekben szenvedő betegek (RA, SLE, SSc) személyiség-jellemzőinek komplex klinikai és egészségpszichológiai vizsgálata volt. Módszertani eszközök: Temperamentum és Karakter Kérdőív (TCI), Kórházi Szorongás és Depresszió Kérdőív (HADS), Depresszió kérdőív (CES-D), Rezíliencia skála (CD-RISC), MMPI-2, Mini Mentál Teszt. A kérdőíveket három autoimmun betegcsoporttal (SLE, RA, SSC), egy normál- és egy mozgásszervi kontrollcsoporttal vettük fel, összesen 522 fővel. A kutatás eredményeképpen leírtuk az egyes betegcsoportok specifikus személyiségmintázatait. Jellemzően az autoimmun betegcsoportokban a temperamentum adottságokat (magasabb Ártalomkerülés) a karakterfaktorok (ld. Önirányítottság) kevésbé képesek visszaszabályozni. A betegcsoportok esetében ennek következtében magasabb vulnerabilitás állapítható meg, miközben a Rezíliencia értéke alacsonyabb. A depresszió és szorongás értéke szignifikánsan magasabb az egészséges kontrollcsoporténál, az MMPI-2 segítségével további pszichopatológiai jellemzőket tártunk fel. | The aim of our scientific research is a complex clinical and health psychological approach of patients suffered in different systemic autoimmune diseases (SLE, RA, SSc). Measures: Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI), Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), MMPI-2 and Mini Mental State. The subjects come from a general sample, patients with systemic autoimmune disorders (SLE, RA, SSc), and a chronic non-autoimmune locomotor disordered sample (N=522). As a result we described the specific personality patterns of the systemic autoimmune disordered sample. We got higher scores in Harm Avoidance and less in Self-Directedness, what shows that the character factor can’t equilibrate the temperament factor’s extremity. We found higher vulnerability in the disordered sample while the score of resilience was significantly less. In the same time the anxiety and depression were higher. More psychopathologic features were described by the MMPI-2