Glucagon Effects on Ischemic Vasodilatation in the Isolated Rat Heart

The myocardial reperfusion following ischemia leads to the ischemic vasodilation by affecting the release of various vasoactive substances, such as free radicals, NO, and histamine. In addition, some evidences suggest that glucagon itself may alter the release of those substances. In this study, we investigated the ischemic vasodilation of the isolated rat heart, as well as the concentrations of NO, TBARS, and histamine in the coronary venous effluent either in the presence or in the absence of glucagon. Our results showed that in the presence of glucagon, there was a faster restoration of coronary perfusion pressure during ischemic vasodilation compared to the absence of glucagon (124 ± 5.6 versus 81 ± 5.2 s) with no apparent changes in TBARS concentration. The glucagon's administration leads to the decreased release of histamine by approximately 35%. Biphasic release of NO in the presence of glucagon initially showed augmentation by 60%, followed by the significant attenuation of 45%

Ligustrum vulgare leaves and fruit extracts induce apoptosis of human leukemia cells

Background and purpose: Cytotoxic effects of Ligustrum vulgare leaves on HeLa cervical tumor cells suggested that Ligustrum vulgare extracts should be investigated as potential anticancer agents. Therefore, we examined a potential antileukemic activity of methanolic extracts of Ligustrum vulgare leaves and fruit extracts on two types of leukemia cells, MOLT-4 and JVM-13, lymphocytes isolated from the blood of 33 chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients and on mononuclear leukocytes isolated from the blood of 18 healthy individuals.Material and methods: The cytotoxicity of examined extracts was measured by MTT assay and LDH activity test. The antiapoptotic potential of tested extracts was measured by Annexin V/7AAD flowcytometric assay.Results: The results showed that both extracts exhibited a moderate cytotoxic effect on all three types of leukemia cells. The Ligustrum vulgare leaf extract was the most effective on MOLT-4 cells, the fruit extract on JVM-13 cells and both extracts were equally effective on CLL cells. In addition, none of the tested extracts was toxic to healthy mononuclear cells. Both extracts acted by inducing apoptosis of leukemic cells.Conclusion: Ligustrum vulgare extracts exhibit significant antileukemic potential and should be further investigated

REMISSION IS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH DRD2 RS1800497 AND DAT1 RS28363170 GENETIC VARIANTS IN MALE SCHIZOPHRENIC PATIENTS AFTER 6-MONTHS MONOTHERAPY WITH OLANZAPINE

Background: Symptomatic remission is an achievable goal in the treatment of schizophrenia. The type of antipsychotic medication and particular genetic variants of the dopaminergic system might be associated with remission. Potential pharmacogenetic markers of the treatment response to antipsychotic medication are missing. This study assessed the possible association between dopamine receptor type 2 (DRD2 rs1800497) and dopamine transporter (DAT1 rs28363170) gene variants with symptomatic remission in schizophrenia. Subjects and methods: Olanzapine (5-20 mg/d) monotherapy was administered for 6 months to 150 male Caucasian subjects with schizophrenia. Remission was evaluated according to "Remission in Schizophrenia Working Group" criteria. Genotyping was performed by PCR-RFLP. Results: Symptomatic remission was found in 31% of patients. DRD2 rs1800497 and DAT1 rs28363170 gene variants were not significantly associated with symptomatic remission. The limitations are a relatively small sample size of patients with schizophrenia (N=150), especially of group with symptomatic remission (N=45). However, the study had moderate but adequate sample sizes for most of the comparisons. Only two dopaminergic polymorphisms were analyzed, and plasma concentration of olanzapine was not determined. Conclusion: These results revealed a lack of association between DRD2 rs1800497 and DAT1 rs28363170 genetic variants and symptomatic remission in male patients treated with olanzapine, suggesting that these genetic variants could not be used to predict symptomatic remission to olanzapine monotherapy. Negative results should be further confirmed or rejected in the larger samples, including haplotype analyses, to detect clinically useful and easy obtainable pharmacogenetic markers that might predict therapeutic response or remission in schizophrenia

Effects of Combined Allogenic Adipose Stem Cells and Hyperbaric Oxygenation Treatment on Pathogenesis of Osteoarthritis in Knee Joint Induced by Monoiodoacetate

The beneficial effects of HBO in inflammatory processes make it an attractive type of treatment for chronic arthritis. In addition, the effects of combination therapy based on adipose stem cells and HBO on OA progression have not been fully investigated. The current study explored the efficacy of intra-articular injection of allogeneic adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADMSCs) combined with hyperbaric oxygenation treatment (HBO) in a rat osteoarthritis (OA) model. The rat OA model was induced by intra-articular injection of monoiodoacetate (MIA) and 7 days after application of MIA rats were divided into five groups: healthy control (CTRL), osteoarthritis (OA), ADMSCs (ADS), the HBO+ADS21day and HBO+ADS28day groups. A single dose of 1 × 106 allogeneic ADMSCs suspended in sterile saline was injected into the knee joint alone or in combination with HBO treatment. Rats were sacrificed at 3 or 4 weeks after MIA injection. Treatment outcomes were evaluated by radiographic, morphological and histological analysis and by specific staining of articular cartilage. We also measured the level of inflammatory and pro/antioxidative markers. We confirmed that combined treatment of ADMSCs and HBO significantly improved the regeneration of cartilage in the knee joint. Rtg score of knee joint damage was significantly decreased in the HBO+ADS21day and HBO+ADS28day groups compared to the OA. However, the positive effect in the HBO+ADS28day group was greater than the HBO+ADS21day group. The articular cartilage was relatively normal in the HBO+ADS28day group, but moderate degeneration was observed in the HBO+ADS21day compared to the OA group. These findings are in line with the histopathological results. A significantly lower level of O2−. was observed in the HBO+ADS28day group but a higher NO level compared to the HBO+ADS21day group. Moreover, in the HBO+ADS28day group significantly higher concentrations of IL-10 were observed but there was no significant difference in proinflammatory cytokine in serum samples. These results indicate that a single intra-articular injection of allogeneic ADMSCs combined with HBO efficiently attenuated OA progression after 28 days with greater therapeutic effect compared to alone ADMSCs or after 3 weeks of combined treatment. Combined treatment might be an effective treatment for OA in humans

Phytochemical Analysis, Antioxidant, Antimicrobial, and Cytotoxic Activity of Different Extracts of Xanthoparmelia stenophylla Lichen from Stara Planina, Serbia

The aim of this study was to identify some of the secondary metabolites present in acetonic, methanolic, and hexanic extracts of lichen Xanthoparmelia stenophylla and to examine their antioxidant, antimicrobial, and cytotoxic activity. Compounds of the depsid structure of lecanoric acid, obtusic acid, and atranorin as well as usnic acid with a dibenzofuran structure were identified in the extracts by HPLC. The acetone extract was shown to have the highest total phenolic (167.03 ± 1.12 mg GAE/g) and total flavonoid content (178.84 ± 0.93 mg QE/g) as well as the best antioxidant activity (DPPH IC50 = 81.22 ± 0.54). However, the antimicrobial and antibiofilm tests showed the best activity of hexanic extract, especially against strains of B. cereus, B. subtilis, and S. aureus (MIC < 0.08, and 0.3125 mg/mL, respectively). Additionally, by using the MTT method, the acetonic extract was reported to exhibit a strong cytotoxic effect on the HeLa and HCT-116 cell lines, especially after 72 h (IC50 = 21.17 ± 1.85 and IC50 = 21.48 ± 3.55, respectively). The promising antioxidant, antimicrobial, and cytotoxic effects of Xanthoparmelia stenophylla extracts shown in the current study should be further investigated in vivo and under clinical conditions

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

The global economic recession and the change in the macroeconomic paradigm

All countries have felt the impact of the recession, the phase characteristic of negative effects such as slower economic growths (stagnation), high inflation rates and high unemployment rates. The economic crisis that has befallen even the most developed economies of the world is often compared to the crisis that happened in the 1930s, along with the attempts to pin down its causes in order to find the economic policy for its overcoming. Economic policy creators and policy decision-makers have to solve the question of how the crisis is to be overcome. Economic measures that should lead to overcoming the negative economic trends are primarily directed at encouraging aggregate supply, that is, a macroeconomic theory known as Keynesian economics based on the ideas of 30th century British economist John Maynard Keynes that he published during the Depression. Up to this day economies have not faced such a downfall as happened during this crisis, since the crisis brought about not only changes in the economic theory and the end of the so-called classic economic theories, but it also made way for a new scientific discipline based on Keynesian theory. There were changes in economic policies and an active policy of managing aggregate supply was introduced. Aggregate supply was based on monetary and fiscal expansion, that is, the world monetary and financial system. It is expected today that the crisis we are now facing will lead to the change in the dominant macroeconomic paradigm as well as to the creation of a new financial system which will be more transparent and regular

The global economic recession and the change in the macroeconomic paradigm

All countries have felt the impact of the recession, the phase characteristic of negative effects such as slower economic growths (stagnation), high inflation rates and high unemployment rates. The economic crisis that has befallen even the most developed economies of the world is often compared to the crisis that happened in the 1930s, along with the attempts to pin down its causes in order to find the economic policy for its overcoming. Economic policy creators and policy decision-makers have to solve the question of how the crisis is to be overcome. Economic measures that should lead to overcoming the negative economic trends are primarily directed at encouraging aggregate supply, that is, a macroeconomic theory known as Keynesian economics based on the ideas of 30th century British economist John Maynard Keynes that he published during the Depression. Up to this day economies have not faced such a downfall as happened during this crisis, since the crisis brought about not only changes in the economic theory and the end of the so-called classic economic theories, but it also made way for a new scientific discipline based on Keynesian theory. There were changes in economic policies and an active policy of managing aggregate supply was introduced. Aggregate supply was based on monetary and fiscal expansion, that is, the world monetary and financial system. It is expected today that the crisis we are now facing will lead to the change in the dominant macroeconomic paradigm as well as to the creation of a new financial system which will be more transparent and regular

THE EFFECT OF OBESITY ON DIASTOLIC FUNCTION IN PATIENTS WITH ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION

The prevalence of obesity is increasing in many developing countries and is followed by many cardiovascular disorders. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of obesity on diastolic function in patients with arterial hypertension. Both obesity and hypertension have influence on diastolic function. The study group was comprised of 93 patients with arterial hypertension: 24 (25,80%) were obese, 69 (74,20%) were not obese. Obese patients with arterial hypertension and those patients that were not obese with arterial hypertension didn't significantly differ in terms of: age, gender distribution, systolic BP, diastolic BP, heart rate, left atrial volume, EF. Obese patients with arterial hypertension in relation to those that were not obese with arterial hypertension had significantly greater left ventricular mass (p<0,01) and left ventricular mass index (p<0,05). In both groups diastolic function parameters didn't significantly differ. Linear correlation between BMI (body mass index) and diastolic function parameters: IVRT, DT i E/A ratio has shown that BMI had significant influence on E/A ratio (p<0,05). No correlation was found between BMI and: IVRT and DT

THE GLOBAL ECONOMIC RECESSION AND THE CHANGE IN THE MACROECONOMIC PARADIGM

All countries have felt the impact of the recession, the phase characteristic of negative effects such as slower economic growths (stagnation), high inflation rates and high unemployment rates. The economic crisis that has befallen even the most developed economies of the world is often compared to the crisis that happened in the 1930s, along with the attempts to pin down its causes in order to find the economic policy for its overcoming. Economic policy creators and policy decision-makers have to solve the question of how the crisis is to be overcome. Economic measures that should lead to overcoming the negative economic trends are primarily directed at encouraging aggregate supply, that is, a macroeconomic theory known as Keynesian economics based on the ideas of 30th century British economist John Maynard Keynes that he published during the Depression. Up to this day economies have not faced such a downfall as happened during this crisis, since the crisis brought about not only changes in the economic theory and the end of the so-called classic economic theories, but it also made way for a new scientific discipline based on Keynesian theory. There were changes in economic policies and an active policy of managing aggregate supply was introduced. Aggregate supply was based on monetary and fiscal expansion, that is, the world monetary and financial system. It is expected today that the crisis we are now facing will lead to the change in the dominant macroeconomic paradigm as well as to the creation of a new financial system which will be more transparent and regular.Recession, stagnation, economic policy measures, macroeconomic paradigm, Keynesian economic theory