Effects of high sucrose diet, gemfibrozil, and their combination on plasma paraoxonase 1 activity and lipid levels in rats

We investigated the influence of high sucrose diet (HSD) after 3 or 5 weeks of administration on paraoxonase 1 (PON1) activity in plasma of normolipidemic rats and the relationship between serum PON1 activity, triacylglycerides (TGs), HDL and total cholesterol vs. the control group of rats fed normal, control diet (CD). Because the data about the influence of gemfibrozil (GEM) on PON1 activity are controversial, we also investigated its effects (administration in the 4th and 5th week in rats on HSD and CD) on plasma PON1 activity and lipid levels in normolipidemic rats, and in rats with hypertriglyceridemia caused by HSD. Our results obtained in rats on HSD show a significant increase of plasma TGs levels by 47% (P<0.05) after 5 weeks of treatment, and PON1 activity by 32% and 23% (P<0.05) after 3 and 5 weeks, but without change in lipid levels vs. rats on CD. In the rats on CD and HSD, GEM caused a significant decrease of PON1 activity by 44% and 33%, while a significant decrease of TGs level by 38% (P<0.05) was measured only in rats on CD. The effects of GEM on total cholesterol, HDL and LDL in both groups of rats were typical for its action on lipoprotein metabolism. Because GEM in the rat liver stimulates proliferation of peroxisomes, β oxidation, and production of H2O2, it is possible that the oxidative stress induced by GEM damages hepatocytes and lowers the synthesis of PON1

Serum lipids in a depressive disorder with regard to depression type

Uvod: Cilj ovog istraživanja bio je ispitati koncentracije serumskih lipida (kolesterola, triglicerida, HDL-kolestrola, LDL-kolesterola, VLDL-kolesterola) u odnosu na tip depresije u bolesnika koji boluju od velikog depresivnog poremećaja. Ispitanici i metode: U istraživanje je uključeno 76 ispitanika oboljelih od depresije. Dijagnoza velikog depresivnog poremećaja je postavljena na temelju kriterija Dijagnostičkog i statističkog priručnika, četvrta revizija (DSMIV), te primjenom upitnika HAMD-17. Podtipovi depresije (melankolična, atipična i distimija) određeni su također pomoću MINI-upitnika. Serumske koncentracije kolesterola, triglicerida i HDL-kolesterola određivane su komercijalnim laboratorijskim kompletima enzimskom metodom. Vrijednosti VLDL-kolesterola i LDL-kolesterola određene su računskim metodama. Rezultati: Koristeći se analizom kovarijance (engl. one-way ANCOVA) nakon prilagodbe za dob i BMI (engl. body mass index, pokazatelj tjelesne mase) našli smo značajno nižu koncentraciju kolesterola (P = 0,001), LDL-kolesterola (P = 0,022), omjera kolesterola/HDL-kolesterola (P = 0,019) i omjera LDL-kolesterola/HDL-kolesterola (P = 0,005) u ispitanika s atipičnom depresijom u odnosu na ispitanike s melankolijom ili distimičnim oblikom depresivnog poremećaja. Zaključak: Rezultati našeg istraživanja ukazuju da bi se serumske koncentracije kolesterola i LDL-kolesterola te omjeri kolesterola/HDL-kolesterola i LDL-kolesterola/HDL-kolesterola mogli koristiti kao biološki biljezi u razlikovanju kliničkih podtipova depresivnog poremećaja.Introduction: The aim of this study was to investigate the levels of serum lipids (cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, VLDL-cho-lesterol) in relation to a type of depression in patients affected by major dep-ressive disorder. Subjects and methods: The study included 76 patients affected by depression. Diagnosis of major depressive disorder was made according to the criteria of a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, 4th revision (DSM IV) and by applying HAMD-17 questionnaire. Depression subtypes (melancholic, atypical and dysthymic) were also determined using MINI questionnaire. Serum con-centrations of cholesterol, triglycerides and HDL-cholesterol were determined by commercial laboratory kits and enzymatic method. VLDL-cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol concentrationswere determined bycalculation methods. Results: Using one-way ANCOVA after adjustment for age and BMI, we fou-nd significantly lower levels of cholesterol (P = 0.001), LDL-cholesterol (P = 0.022), cholesterol/HDL-cholesterol ratio (P = 0.019), and LDL-cholesterol/ HDL-cholesterol ratio (P = 0.005) in patients with atypical depression than in patients with melancholic or dysthymic type of depressive disorder. Conclusion: Results of our investigation suggested that serum concentratio-ns of cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol, and cholesterol/HDL-cholesterol ratio and LDL-cholesterol/HDL-cholesterol ratio could be employed as biological markers to differentiate clinical subtypes of depressive disorder

ALTERATIONS IN REDOX HOMEOSTASIS FOLLOWING REPEATED SPRINT TRAINING

This study examined the effects of a 6-week repeated sprint training on redox-based homeostasis and their association with muscle damage. Fifteen male physical education students (aged 20.0±1.0 years; body weight 77.7±6.0 kg; height 181.0±4.4 cm; %body fat 8.7±3.0 %), familiar with intermittent activities, volunteered to participate in the study. Experimental training program consisted of 2-3 sets of 6-10 straight-line or shuttle 20-m repeated sprints with departures every 25 seconds and a 2-minute inter-set passive recovery. The training intervention lasted six weeks during which 18 training sessions were performed. The levels were measured of the following: 15-F2t-isoprostanes in plasma and 24-hour urine; superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase in erythrocytes; uric acid and creatine kinase in serum after the first and the penultimate training session. The level of muscle damage following the repeated sprint exercise was not significantly altered (402 to 496 U/L; p=.151) and had no significant associations with the changes in markers depicting redox-homeostasis. A significant increase in plasma 15-F2t-isoprostanes (0.32 to 0.56 ng/mL; p=.026), and a subsequent decrease in glutathione reductase (7.7 to 3.4 U/g Hb; p<.001) were observed. Urinary 15-F2t-isoprostane levels were 25% greater at post-training, although this increase did not reach statistical significance. These results indicate that repeated sprint training stimulates the equilibrium in redox homeostasis developing antioxidant protection to the constantly increasing training load

Serotonin Transporter Polymorphism in Relation to Depression

Serotonin is regarded as one of the most important factors in modern psychiatry and a significant amount of research is associated with that neurotransmitter in some way. Serotonin transporter and its various polymorphisms are implied to be connected with various psychiatric disorders, mostly depression and suicide. In light of that fact, this review article will try to address new and current data regarding serotonin transporter polymorphisms and their association with depression. As this area of research in psychiatry is constantly growing and nowadays incorporates various other factors than was the case previously it was necessary to provide a brief overview of those factors. Therefore, data regarding serotonin transporter polymorphisms and its relation with gene-environment interactions, biological stress reactivity and personality traits and their possible combined effects on depression are discussed. No matter how big is the quantum of knowledge and research regarding serotonin, the only constant finding when analyzing the possible association of serotonin transporter polymorphism and depression are inconsistent conclusions. Therefore it can be concluded that molecular and neural mechanisms that underlie the interplay of genes, environmental adversity and personality traits that constitute disease risk remain incompletely understood. Due to these inconsistent conclusions, further genotyping of SLC6A4 and other genes is necessary, as well as studies performed on bigger samples of participants. Factors like life stress and environmental factors, which may contribute to increased vulnerability in susceptible individuals, should also be more extensively addressed as they may prove be the key to timely treatment and effective preventive strategies

Uspoređivanje koncentracije litija u serumu, plami i eritrocitima

The use of lithium in medicine began in the mid-19th century, when the solubility of uric acid salts in the solution of lithium carbonate was demonstrated in vitro, which meant that lithium could be used in the treatment of gout. The use of lithium in psychiatry starts in 1949, when the effect of lithium in the treatment of mania was demonstrated. The mechanism of action of lithium is not yet completely understood. In parallel with the use of lithium in the treatment of psychiatric disorders, different methods for the determination of lithium in human samples have been developed. The first aim of the study was to determine the amount of lithium in serum samples using electrochemical methods, flame photometry and spectrophotometry and use the results to compare the results obtained using these methods. Because of the possibility of determining lithium in various media, the second aim of the study was to evaluate the clinical value of determining the concentration of lithium in erythrocytes in relation to the concentration of lithium in plasma. The third aim was to investigate the extent to which a therapeutic dose of lithium correlates with the measured concentrations of lithium in serum, plasma and erythrocytes. It was concluded that statistically there was no significant difference between the three test laboratory methods (P = 0.507). Investigating the correlation between the concentration of lithium in various media measured by different methods and the daily therapeutic dose of lithium, it was concluded that statistically a significant correlation was found only in serum lithium concentrations measured with electrochemical method (P = 0.009; r = 0.47). There was statistically a significant moderate correlation between the concentration of lithium in plasma and erythrocytes (P = 0.002; r = - 0.54), and the lithium concentration erythrocytes are higher than lithium concentrations in plasma (P = 0,043). The range of the ratio of the concentration of lithium in erythrocytes and plasma is wide (13.25 to 111.15), and is not in correlation with the therapeutic daily dose and therefore is not a better indicator in the control of the treatment.Primjena litija u medicini započela je sredinom 19. stoljeća kada je in vitro prikazana topljivost soli mokraćne kiseline u otopini litijeva karbonata što je ukazalo na činjenicu da se litij može koristiti u liječenju gihta. Korištenje litija u psihijatriji započinje 1949. godine kada je dokazan njegov učinak u liječenju manije. Njegov mehanizam djelovanja još nije u potpunosti razjašnjen. Paralelno s korištenjem litija u liječenju psihijatrijskih poremećaja razvile su se različite metode za određivanje koncentracije litija u ljudskim uzorcima. Prvi cilj studije bio je odrediti razinu litija u uzorcima seruma koristeći elektrokemijske metode, plamenu fotometriju, spektrofometriju i usporediti rezultate s rezultatima dobivenim korištenjem ovih metoda. Zahvaljujući mogućnosti određivanja litija u raznim medijima, drugi cilj studije bio je procijeniti kliničke vrijednosti određivanja koncentracije litija u eritrocitima u odnosu na koncentraciju litija u plazmi. Treći cilj bio je istražiti u kojoj se mjeri terapijska doza litija podudara s izmjerenim koncentracijama litija u serumu, plazmi i eritrocitima. Zaključeno je da statistički ne postoji značajna razlika između tri laboratorijske metode (P.= 0.507). Istražujući povezanost između koncentracije litija u raznim medijima izmjerenim različitim metodama i dnevne terapeutske doze litija, zaključeno je da je statistički značajna poveznica pronađena jedino u izmjerenoj koncentraciji litija u serumu pomoću elektrokemijske metode (P 0 0.009; r = 0.47). Statistički je značajna umjerena povezanost između koncentracije litija u plazmi i eritrocitima (P = 0.002; r = - 0.54), i koncetracije litija u eritrocitima su veće od koncentracije litija u plazmi (P = 0,043). Raspon udjela koncentracije litija u eritrocitima i plazmi je širok (13.25 do 111.15) i nije povezan s terapeutskom dnevnom dozom i stoga nije bolji indikator u kontroli tretmana

COMPENSATED CREATININE METHOD AND GLOMERULAR FILTRATION RATE ESTIMATION IN A HETEROGENEOUS POPULATION OF PATIENTS

Novija modifikacija fotometrijske metode po Jafféu je kompenzirana kinetička metoda. Procjena glomerularne ilfitracije klirensom ili jednadžbom iz MDRD studije (eGFR) temelji se na izmjerenom serumskom kreatininu. Cilj je ovoga rada ocijeniti kako će se primjena kompenzirane metode odraziti na procjenu GFR i na klasificiranje bolesnika u stadije kronične bubrežne bolesti (KBB). Skupini bolesnika (N=272; 130 M, 142 Ž) starijoj od 20 godina kojoj je ordiniran klirens kreatinina, serumski kreatinin određen je kompenziranom i nekompenziranom metodom, obe sljedive prema referentnoj metodi, a koncentracije su korištene za izračunavanje klirensa kreatinina i eGFR. Kompenzirana metoda statistički se razlikuje od nekompenzirane (P30 mL/min/1,73m2. Razvrstavanje muškaraca u stadije KBB pokazalo se neovisno o metodi (P=0,922 i 0,230), dok su žene bile statistički značajno drugačije razvrstane u stadijima 1 do 3 prema rezultatima klirensa (P<0,016) i prema eGFR (P<0,001). Zamjena postojeće prakse određivanja klirensa nekompenziranom metodom s eGFR kompenziranom metodom pokazala je statistički usporedive rezultate, a bolesnici su bili jednako razvrstani u stadije KBB (P=0,921).Creatinine is a metabolite excreted mainly by glomerular iltration, which makes it an important endogenous indicator of kidney function. Creatinine clearance is deined as the ratio of the concentration of creatinine in serum and urine. It assesses glomerular iltration. Creatinine and creatinine clearance have the leading role in the early diagnosis, monitoring and classiication of chronic kidney disease. The routine method for determining the concentration of creatinine is the Jaffé photometric method. A newer version is the compensated method. Furthermore, the recommended equation for the estimation of glomerular iltration rate (GFR) is the one based on the MDRD study (eGFR) intended for people over 18 years. The aim of the study was to evaluate how the introduction of the compensated method would affect the clinical use and inluence the assessment of GFR in the interpretation of indings and treatment monitoring for people over 20 years. The study group included 130 men and 142 women whose requested laboratory test was creatinine clearance. Data were collected over 20 days at Sestre milosrdnice University Hospital. Serum creatinine concentration and eGFR were determined by the compensated and uncompensated Jaffé method. In conclusion, the compensated creatinine method is not statistically comparable with the uncompensated method, but is clinically fully applicable to the general population above the age of 20, given that the reference intervals are changed. Comparison of eGFR as estimated by the compensated and uncompensated methods to determine creatinine concentration showed the same results as the comparison of clearance. Using the compensated method yielded statistically incomparable results in GFR estimation. However, in clinical practice, patient classiication according to stages of chronic kidney disease (CKD) was comparable in the male group according to clearance and eGFR (P=0.922 and P=0.230, respectively), while the female group was classiied signiicantly different according to clearance and eGFR (P<0.016 and P<0.001, respectively). Switching to the compensated creatinine method while simultaneously applying the eGFR formula was shown to be valid, as patient classiication according to CKD stages was comparable (P=0.921); thus, the methods are reliable for use instead of creatinine clearance in the general population with various diagnoses, which can be noted in all laboratories and which is, although inhomogeneous, routinely used to measure daily creatinine clearance

Analytical evaluation of commercial P1NP assay

Cilj: Ispitati značajke testa ukupnog P1NP na biološkom materijalu u uvjetima kliničkog laboratorija, te rezultate procjene usporediti sa svojstvima testa koje je deklarirao proizvođač. Metode: Analitička procjena testa P1NP provedena je prema protokolu Europskog odbora za kliničko-laboratorijske standarde (ECCLS). Analit amino terminalni propeptid tipa I prokolagena (ukupni P1NP) određen je elektrokemiluminescentnom imunometodom na automatskom analizatoru Elecsys 2010 (Roche Diagnostics, Mannheim, Njemačka). Rezultati: Zadovoljavajuće rezultate dala su ispitivanja nepreciznosti u seriji kao i nepreciznosti iz dana u dan kroz 10 dana. Odstupanja od deklariranih vrijednosti kontrolnih uzoraka pokazala su zadovoljavajući stupanj točnosti, a nisu ni u jednom mjerenju prelazila granicu od navedene 1 SD. Ispitivanje linearnosti te procjena interferencije s hemoglobinom potvrdili su u potpunosti navode proizvođača. Štoviše, prisutnost hemolize nije pokazala utjecaj sve do koncentracije hemoglobina od 1,61 mmol/L, što je 32% veća koncentracija od one koju navodi proizvođač. Rezultati ispitivanja utjecaja lipemije i hiper-bilirubinemije pokazali su nešto slabije rezultate u usporedbi s deklariranim graničnim vrijednostima. Potvrđena je interferencija bilirubina i triacilglicerola u koncentracijama većim od 610 µmol/L, odnosno 15,0 mmol/L, štoje prosječno 30% niže od navoda proizvođača. Zaključak: Test ukupni P1NP prilagođen je rutinskom radu u medicinsko-biokemijskom laboratoriju. Automatski analizator Elecsys 2010 (Roche Diagnostics, Mannheim, Njemačka) pruža selektivnost, brzinu, jednostavnost rukovanja, stabilnost kalibracija, te računalnu potporu u praćenju kontrolnih i bolesničkih uzoraka.Aim: Evaluation of the characteristics of total P1NP assay performed on biological material in clinical laboratory conditions, and comparison of evaluation results with the assay properties declared by the manufacturer. Methods: Analytical evaluation of P1NP assay was conducted according to the European Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (ECCLS) protocol. Amino-terminal propeptide of type I procollagen (P1NP) was determined by electrochemiluminescent immunoassay on an Elecsys 2010 automated analyzer (Roche Diagnostics, Mannheim, Germany). Results: Satisfactory results were achieved for within-run and between-run imprecision during 10 days. Deviation from declared control sample values showed a satisfactory level of accuracy, not exceeding the limit of declared 1 SD on any measurement. Study results for linearity and assessment of hemoglobin interference entirely confirmed the manufacturer\u27s declarations. Moreover, the presence of hemolysis showed no interference due to hemoglobin up to 1.61 mmol/L (32% higher than that stated by the manufacturer). Interference results for lipemia and hyperbilirubinemia (>610 µmol/L and 15.0 mmol/L, respectively) showed poorer values compared to those declared. Bilirubin and triacylglycerol interference was confirmed in concentrations that were on an average by 30% lower than those declared by the manufacturer. Conclusion: Total P1NP test is suitable for routine use in medical laboratory. The Elecsys 2010 automated analyzer ensures rapidity, simple manipulation, calibration stability, control samples, and computer support for the analysis of control and patient samples