Protective Effect of Melatonin on Acute Pancreatitis

Melatonin, a product of the pineal gland, is released from the gut mucosa in response to food ingestion. Specific receptors for melatonin have been detected in many gastrointestinal tissues including the pancreas. Melatonin as well as its precursor, L-tryptophan, attenuates the severity of acute pancreatitis and protects the pancreatic tissue from the damage caused by acute inflammation. The beneficial effect of melatonin on acute pancreatitis, which has been reported in many experimental studies and supported by clinical observations, is related to: (1) enhancement of antioxidant defense of the pancreatic tissue, through direct scavenging of toxic radical oxygen (ROS) and nitrogen (RNS) species, (2) preservation of the activity of antioxidant enzymes; such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), or glutathione peroxidase (GPx), (3) the decline of pro-inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis α (TNFα) production, accompanied by stimulation of an anti-inflammatory IL-10, (4) improvement of pancreatic blood flow and decrease of neutrophil infiltration, (5) reduction of apoptosis and necrosis in the inflamed pancreatic tissue, (6) increased production of chaperon protein (HSP60), and (7) promotion of regenerative process in the pancreas. Conclusion. Endogenous melatonin produced from L-tryptophan could be one of the native mechanisms protecting the pancreas from acute damage and accelerating regeneration of this gland. The beneficial effects of melatonin shown in experimental studies suggest that melatonin ought to be employed in the clinical trials as a supportive therapy in acute pancreatitis and could be used in people at high risk for acute pancreatitis to prevent the development of pancreatic inflammation

Interleukin-6 and melatonin as predictors of cognitive, emotional and functional ageing of older people

Background: The ageing process causes a number of changes in the human immune and endocrine systems. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between cognitive, emotional and functional skills as well lifestyle, versus selected biochemical indicators of the ageing process. Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted in a group of 121 people aged 60–90 residing in the Lesser Poland voivodship. The study used standardized research tools including the Barthel scale, Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) scale, Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Life Orientation Test (LOT-R) and inventory of health behaviors (IHB). In addition, the concentration of IL-6 and melatonin in the blood plasma was determined. Results: We determined the correlation between the level of IL-6 in a group of people over 75 years of age (requiring medical care), and results of the IADL scale. There was also a correlation between melatonin levels and the MMSE results in a group of people aged 60–75 who did not require constant medical care. Conclusions: IL-6 can be treated as a predictor of functional skills of people over 75 years of age, and melatonin can be perceived as a factor for recognizing cognitive impairment in elderly people who do not require constant medical assistanc

Phytosulfokine stimulates cell divisions in sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) mesophyll protoplast cultures

The aim of this work was to improve plating efficiency of sugar beet mesophyll protoplast cultures. Preliminary experiments showed that cultures of good quality, viable protoplasts were obtained in rich media based on the Kao and Michayluk formulation and with the calcium alginate as an embedding matrix. Nevertheless, in these cultures cell divisions were either not observed or very seldom confirming earlier reported recalcitrance of sugar beet protoplasts. The recalcitrant status of these cultures was reversed upon application of exogenous phytosulfokine (PSK)—a peptidyl plant growth factor. The highest effectiveness of PSK was observed at 100 nM concentration. Plating efficiencies obtained in the presence of PSK reached approximately 20% of the total cultured cells. The stimulatory effect of phytosulfokine was observed for all tested breeding stocks of sugar beet. Our data indicate that PSK is a powerful agent able to overcome recalcitrance of plant protoplast cultures

Ćwiczenia lecznicze stosowane w rehabilitacji ręki reumatoidalnej

Introduction: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic infl ammatory disease leading in 70% of patients to deformation of the hand joints. Joint deformities reduce the manual dexterity of the hand and limit its gripping ability. One of the physiotherapeutic methods used in the rehabilitation of the rheumatoid hand is the use of therapeutic exercises. hT e aim of the study was to present selected therapeutic exercises that can be used in the rehabilitation program for patients with RA. Summary: Rehabilitation of the rheumatoid hand with the use of individual therapeutic exercises allows to maintain the manual dexterity of the hand, maintain its grasping ability and delay deformation changes occurring as a result ofRA. It is recommended that the selection of exercises depends on the severity of the lesions, age and patients functional efi ciency. Conclusions: Th erapeutic exercises are the recommended form of rheumatoid hand therapy due to its benefi cial ef ect on muscle strength and the range of joint motion. Wstęp: Reumatoidalne zapalenie stawów (RZS) jest przewlekłą chorobą zapalną prowadzącą u 70% pacjentów do powstania deformacji o obrębie stawów rąk. Zniekształcenia stawów zmniejszają sprawność manualną ręki oraz ograniczają jej zdolność chwytną. Jedną z metod fi zjoterapeutycznych stosowanych w rehabilitacji ręki reumatoidalnej jest zastosowanie ćwiczeń leczniczych. Celem pracy było przedstawienie wybranych ćwiczeń leczniczych możliwych do zastosowania w programie usprawniania pacjentów z RZS.Wstęp: Reumatoidalne zapalenie stawów (RZS) jest przewlekłą chorobą zapalną prowadzącą u 70% pacjentów do powstania deformacji o obrębie stawów rąk. Zniekształcenia stawów zmniejszają sprawność manualną ręki oraz ograniczają jej zdolność chwytną. Jedną z metod fizjoterapeutycznych stosowanych w rehabilitacji ręki reumatoidalnej jest zastosowanie ćwiczeń leczniczych. Celem pracy było przedstawienie wybranych ćwiczeń leczniczych możliwych do zastosowania w programie usprawniania pacjentów z RZS. Podsumowanie: Rehabilitacja ręki reumatoidalnej z wykorzystaniem indywidualnych ćwiczeń leczniczych pozwala na utrzymanie sprawności manualnej ręki, zachowanie jej zdolności chwytnej oraz opóźnienie zmian deformacyjnych pojawiających się w przebiegu RZS. Zaleca się aby dobór ćwiczeń był uzależniony od stopnia zaawansowania zmian chorobowych, wieku oraz od możliwości funkcjonalnych pacjentów. Wnioski: Proponowane ćwiczenia lecznicze są zalecaną formą terapii ręki reumatoidalnej ze względu na korzystny wpływ na siłę mięśni oraz zakres ruchomości stawów