Psychopharmacotherapy of psychotic disorder during pregnancy and lactation

The aim of our work based on the global literature-review is to present the guidelines of the psychopharmacotherapy during pregnancy and lactation recommended by various experts-groups as followed: 1. American Academy of Pediatrics, American Psychiatric Association, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, The Maudsley Guidelines, Department of Psychiatry, Medical University of Mainz, Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology in Warsaw. In the first part the guidelines concerning to psychopharmacotherapy of psychotic disorders have been presented and actual data about spreading of these illnesses, pre- and perinatal effects of drugs used, the classification of neuroleptic drugs according to FDA and the safety of these medicines for the breast fed newborn.     

Leukemia inhibitory factor: an important regulator of endometrial function

PROBLEM: Leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) is multifunctional cytokine that displays biological activities in different cells, including endometrial cells. The aim of this study is to describe implications of LIF on a physiological function of endometrium. METHOD OF STUDY: The role of LIF in the endometrial function is reviewed and summarized from the available literature. RESULTS: LIF plays an important role in a physiological function of endometrium. In human endometrial LIF expression depends on cellular localizations, steroid hormones, menstrual stages and a local cytokine network. Stronger LIF expression exists in an endometrial epithelium during a luteal phase of the menstrual cycle, which coincides with the time of an implantation. The impairments of the endometrial LIF expression may play a significant role in the pathological processes involving implantation and the infertility. CONCLUSIONS: There is a substantial evidence that LIF is a potential regulator of the endometrial function and might be one of the factors that play a key role in human reproduction.     

Stress-induced behaviour in juvenile rats: effects of neonatal asphyxia, body temperature and chelation of iron

Newborn mammals, showing reduced normal body temperature, might be protected against iron-mediated, delayed neurotoxicity of perinatal asphyxia. Therefore, we investigated the effects of (1) neonatal body temperature and neonatal critical anoxia as well as (2) postanoxic chelation of iron with deferoxamine, on open-field stress-induced behaviour in juvenile rats. The third aim of this study was to compare (after the above-mentioned treatments) circadian changes in spontaneous motor activity and body temperature in juvenile rats permanently protected from any stress. Neonatal anoxia at body temperature adjusted (both during anoxia and 2 h reoxygenation) to a level typical of healthy (37 degrees C) or febrile (39 degrees C) adults led to the stress-induced hyperactivity in juvenile (5-45 days old) rats. Both normal neonatal body temperature of 33 degrees C and chelation of iron prevented the hyperactivity in rats. Neither neonatal body temperature nor neonatal anoxia affected spontaneous motor activity or body temperature of juvenile rats, recorded in their home-cages with implantable transmitters. Circadian rhythmicity was also undisturbed. Presented data support the hypothesis that physiologically reduced neonatal body temperature can provide a protection against iron-mediated postanoxic disturbances of behavioural stress responses in juvenile rats.     

Differences in lower limb bone mineral density in children with anisomelia

Background. Lower limb discrepancy (anisomelia) can be caused by many different factors leading to shortening (90% of cases) or lengthening of a limb (10% cases). This article present the results of densitometric tests performed on patients treated for lower limb discrepancy in the Department of Orthopedic of the Silesian Academy of Medicine in the years 1997-1998.
Material and methods. Our research involved 57 patients, 31 girls and 26 boys. The Ilizarov technique was used to lengthen 33 femurs and 24 tibias. The average discrepancy was 45 mm (48 mm in the femurs and 42 mm in the tibias), and the patients average age was 13,8 years (range 7-26). The test were performed with a DPX apparatus by the Lumar Corporation. The bone mineral density (BMD) was measured in the area of the shortened limb segment and compared to the results of the analogous measurement of the opposite limb. The height of the measurement frame was 50 mm, and the width was equal to the width of the bone. The measurement field was located in each case at a distance of 3-4 cm (on the respective bone) from the line of the knee joint, in order to eliminate additional density caused by growth cartilage and the imposition of the patella. The repeatability of the tests was assured by a support maintaining constant internal limb rotation of 400.
Results. A difference in BMD between the shorter limb and the opposite limb was found in 47 children (82,5%). The average was 16,5%, whereas it was higher in the shorter femurs (19,1%, range 4,5 - 68,5%) than in the tibia (14%, 5,2 - 59,8%). A greater degree of demineralization was found in the girls (23,5%) than in the boys (20%). No correlation was found between the etiology of the shortening and the degree of calcification.
Conclusions. The results of these tests may have great significance in the case of densitometric monitoring of regenerated bone being formed in the course of lower limb by the Ilizarow method.     

Alcohol drinking in the time of political transition in Poland. Report of the National Health Programme

The National Health Programme was adopted in Poland in the mid-1990s. It consists of 18 targets including target 4 that calls for diminishing alcohol consumption and changing its structure as well as limiting health harms associated with alcohol. The programme is being monitored on bi-annual basis. The monitoring covers a level of alcohol consumption and associated harm including trends in mortality and morbidity as well as in road accidents in 1990-2001 period. During the period in point, particularly in the beginning of the transition alcohol consumption increased at least by one third reaching 10-11 litres of pure ethanol per capita, mostly due to sudden disruption of the alcohol control system and high tide of unrecorded supply. Currently, the consumption is estimated to be 9.5-10.0 litres with 30% share of the unrecorded. During last decade recorded morbidity due to mental disorders associated with alcohol increased by 80% and 60% respectively in out- and in-patient system while mortality rates almost doubled. Male mortality due to liver diseases increased by 50% while that of women remained relatively flat. In last few years, alcohol related mortality tended to decline slightly parallel to consumption trends. Significant improvement has been achieved in prevention of drunken diving. The number of deaths in alcohol related road accidents decreased two fold while a rate of drunken crashes per 1000 vehicles dropped three times.     

Pentoxifylline inhibits leukocyte infiltration and splenocyte cytotoxicity against murine colon adenocarcinoma

Pentoxifylline (PTX), a methylxanthine derivative, is commonly used in patients suffering from peripheral vascular diseases. Besides its well-known hemorheological properties PTX has been found to decrease the secretion of some inflammatory cytokines such as TNF, IL-12 and IFN-gamma. PTX also suppresses lymphocyte cytotoxicity, affecting mainly the perforin-dependent pathway. We investigated the influence of PTX on the splenocyte cytotoxicity and leukocyte infiltration in a murine colon adenocarcinoma model. We observed that PTX decreased the cytotoxic activity of isolated splenocytes against C-26 cells and reduced the inflammatory cell infiltration in the peritumoral tissue. Thus, our results strongly suggest the necessity of further studies concerning the safety of PTX use, especially in elderly patients or patients with already diagnosed cancer.     

ROS accumulation and IGF-IR inhibition contribute to fenofibrate/PPARα -mediated inhibition of Glioma cell motility in vitro

Background  

Glioblastomas are characterized by rapid cell growth, aggressive CNS infiltration, and are resistant to all known anticancer regimens. Recent studies indicate that fibrates and statins possess anticancer potential. Fenofibrate is a potent agonist of peroxisome proliferator activated receptor alpha (PPARα) that can switch energy metabolism from glycolysis to fatty acid β-oxidation, and has low systemic toxicity. Fenofibrate also attenuates IGF-I-mediated cellular responses, which could be relevant in the process of glioblastoma cell dispersal.     

Limited usefulness of the PFA-100 for the monitoring of ADP receptor antagonists--in vitro experience.

We have evaluated the usefulness of the PFA-100 system (collagen/ADP and collagen/epinephrine cartridges) to assess the in vitro effects of a few platelet function inhibitors: Aspisol (60 microg/ml), 4-[4-[4-(aminoiminomethyl]-1-piperazinyl]-1-piperidineactetic acid, hydrochloride trihydrate (GR144053F, fibrinogen receptor antagonist, 100 nM), adenosine-3',5'-diphosphate (A3P5P, P2Y1 ADP receptor antagonist, 500 microM) and Bis[(adenosine-5'-O-phosphorodithioyl)methylene]-phosphinic acid (APTMPA, P2Y12 ADP receptor antagonist, 500 microM) on platelet function, as compared with the other commonly used diagnostic technique, a whole blood electrical aggregometry (20 microM ADP or 0.5 mM arachidonic acid). The in vitro studies were carried out on a group of 38 subjects. Whereas all the examined platelet antagonists and inhibitors almost completely blocked the 20 microM ADP- or 0.5 mM arachidonic acid-induced (in the case of acetylsalicylic acid) whole blood aggregation, only two inhibitors (Aspisol and GR144053F) remained effective in a significant prolongation of the PFA-100 occlusion time. Otherwise, using the PFA-100 system we were not able to detect the inhibitory actions of ADP receptor antagonists- P2Y1 and P2Y12. Our findings point to a limited usefulness of the PFA-100 system for the monitoring of the effectiveness of ADP receptor antagonists. The outcomes of this study show that platelet aggregometry in whole blood is characterised by the highest sensitivity in the monitoring of the investigated blood platelet inhibitors.