Obesity is associated with aortic enlargement and increased stiffness: an echocardiographic study

Background Obesity may be associated with early vascular changes. The current study was designed to assess the relationship between obesity and aortic stiffness in two populations, one aged 18–40 years and one aged 41–64 years. Methods The study complied 121 subjects, all of them underwent a physical examination, transthoracic echocardiography and blood pressure measurement. Aortic stiffness index (β) was evaluated from aortic diameter and blood pressure data. Results β was higher in obese subjects both in the young (4.26 ± 1.57 vs. 6.88 ± 5.96, P < 0.05) and old patient populations (7.13 ± 4.99 vs. 14.89 ± 14.64, P < 0.05). Systolic (SD) aortic diameters (in mm) were enlarged in obese young patients (25.7 ± 2.8 vs. 27.1 ± 2.5, P < 0.05) and obese old subjects (28.0 ± 3.0 vs. 30.3 ± 3.3, P < 0.05). Diastolic (DD) aortic diameter (in mm) showed similar tendency in youngs (22.8 ± 2.9 vs. 24.9 ± 2.5, P < 0.05) and old subjects (25.9 ± 2.7 vs. 28.0 ± 3.1, P < 0.05). Conclusions Aortic stiffness is higher in young obese patients and similar to older subjects without obesity. Both SD and DD are increasing with age, but subjects within similar age group have larger SD and DD suggesting early vascular remodelling in obesity.     

The effects of CRF and the urocortins on [3H]GABA release from the rat amygdala--an in vitro superfusion study

Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) is the major neuromodulator of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, regulating the behavioural, endocrine, autonomic and immune responses to stress. Together with the recently discovered members of the CRF peptide family, urocortin 1, urocortin 2 and urocortin 3, it also has neurotransmitter actions. Previous publication has demonstrated that stress induces CRF release in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus and the release of both CRF and GABA in the amygdala. Accordingly, the aim of the present study was to determine the effects of the members of the CRF peptide family on GABA release from the amygdala by using an in vitro superfusion system. In order to study the participation of different CRF receptors (CRF1 and CRF2) in this process, rat amygdalar slices were pretreated with selective CRF1 and CRF2 antagonists. CRF and urocortin 1 significantly increased the release of [(3)H]GABA from the slices following electrical stimulation, whereas urocortin 2 and urocortin 3 were ineffective. The actions of CRF and urocortin 1 were blocked by the selective CRF1 receptor antagonist antalarmin, but were not inhibited by the selective CRF2 receptor antagonist astressin 2B, both administered in equimolar doses. Our results demonstrate that the release of GABA from the amygdala is mediated by CRF and urocortin 1 through the activation of CRF1 receptors.     

The medial paralemniscal nucleus and its afferent neuronal connections in rat

Previously, we described a cell group expressing tuberoinfundibular peptide of 39 residues (TIP39) in the lateral pontomesencephalic tegmentum, and referred to it as the medial paralemniscal nucleus (MPL). To identify this nucleus further in rat, we have now characterized the MPL cytoarchitectonically on coronal, sagittal, and horizontal serial sections. Neurons in the MPL have a columnar arrangement distinct from adjacent areas. The MPL is bordered by the intermediate nucleus of the lateral lemniscus nucleus laterally, the oral pontine reticular formation medially, and the rubrospinal tract ventrally, whereas the A7 noradrenergic cell group is located immediately mediocaudal to the MPL. TIP39-immunoreactive neurons are distributed throughout the cytoarchitectonically defined MPL and constitute 75% of its neurons as assessed by double labeling of TIP39 with a fluorescent Nissl dye or NeuN. Furthermore, we investigated the neuronal inputs to the MPL by using the retrograde tracer cholera toxin B subunit. The MPL has afferent neuronal connections distinct from adjacent brain regions including major inputs from the auditory cortex, medial part of the medial geniculate body, superior colliculus, external and dorsal cortices of the inferior colliculus, periolivary area, lateral preoptic area, hypothalamic ventromedial nucleus, lateral and dorsal hypothalamic areas, subparafascicular and posterior intralaminar thalamic nuclei, periaqueductal gray, and cuneiform nucleus. In addition, injection of the anterograde tracer biotinylated dextran amine into the auditory cortex and the hypothalamic ventromedial nucleus confirmed projections from these areas to the distinct MPL. The afferent neuronal connections of the MPL suggest its involvement in auditory and reproductive functions.     

EGFR and VEGFR2 protein expressions in bone metastases of clear cell renal cancer

BACKGROUND: EGFR and VEGFR2 protein expressions are hallmarks of clear cell renal cancer (RCC) with questionable prognostic impact. The skeletal system is one of the most common metastatic sites of RCC. Unfortunately, there are no data for EGFR and VEGFR2 protein expression in such lesions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty cases of bone metastatic clear cell RCC were analyzed. EGFR and VEGFR2 proteins were detected by immunohistochemistry and analyzed by morphometry scoring both % positivity and the intensity. RESULTS: EGFR protein scores were significantly reduced in bone metastases of RCC due to the reduction of EGFR protein expression in about one third of the cases (7/20). The VEGFR2 protein-positive phenotype of clear cell RCC was relatively frequent (7/20, 35%), but was lost in bone metastases (2/20, 10%). CONCLUSION: These data suggest a phenotypic/genotypic change of clear cell RCC during the progression to bones and warrant further investigation.     

Robustness of Representative Signals Relative to Data Loss Using Atlas-Based Parcellations

Parcellation-based approaches are an important part of functional magnetic resonance imaging data analysis. They are a necessary processing step for sorting data in structurally or functionally homogenous regions. Real functional magnetic resonance imaging datasets usually do not cover the atlas template completely; they are often spatially constrained due to the physical limitations of MR sequence settings, the inter-individual variability in brain shape, etc. When using a parcellation template, many regions are not completely covered by actual data. This paper addresses the issue of the area coverage required in real data in order to reliably estimate the representative signal and the influence of this kind of data loss on network analysis metrics. We demonstrate this issue on four datasets using four different widely used parcellation templates. We used two erosion approaches to simulate data loss on the whole-brain level and the ROI-specific level. Our results show that changes in ROI coverage have a systematic influence on network measures. Based on the results of our analysis, we recommend controlling the ROI coverage and retaining at least 60% of the area in order to ensure at least 80% of explained variance of the original signal.     

Clinical symptoms related to renal cell carcinoma are independent prognostic factors for intraoperative complications and overall survival

Objective  

It is not yet elucidated whether the symptoms related to renal cell carcinoma have a strong effect on intraoperative complications or survival. We aimed to investigate this association in a cohort of renal cancer patients operated on between June 1997 and December 2004 at the Department of Urology, Semmelweis University School of Medicine.     

Impaired coronary flow velocity reserve and aortic distensibility in patients with untreated hypercholesterolemia—an echocardiographic study

Introduction Hypercholesterolemia is a primary risk factor for the development of atherosclerosis and leading to severe stages of coronary artery disease (CAD) and aortic atherosclerosis (AA). The objective of this investigation was to measure elastic modulus [(E(p), in 10³ mmHg] and Young’s circumferential static elastic modulus [(E(s), in 10³ mmHg] as aortic distensibility indices and coronary flow velocity reserve (CFR) in untreated hypercholesterolemic (HC) patients in the course of the same stress transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) and to compare their results to normochole- sterolemic (NC) subjects. Patients and methods The following patient populations were compared: 17 NC subjects with negative coronary angiograms, 18 patients with untreated hypercholesterolemia with a negative coronary angiogram and 23 HC patients with significant left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) disease. All patients underwent coronary angiography, transthoracic and stress TEE examinations. Results CFR was significantly reduced in patients of both groups with hypercholesterolemia as compared to NC subjects (1.99±0.76 and 1.79±0.32 vs. 2.58±0.63, P < 0.05, respectively). E(p) was significantly increased in HC patients with negative coronary angiograms as compared to NC subjects (0.39±0.18 vs. 0.67±0.19, P < 0.05), while further increase was found in HC patients with LAD disease (0.67±0.19 vs. 1.09±0.52, P < 0.05). E(s) behaved similarly (4.06±2.73 vs. 7.60±3.70 vs. 11.38±6.91, P < 0.05, respectively). Conclusion In conclusion it may be stated that CFR and aortic distensibility indices can be evaluated simultaneously by stress TEE in HC patients. CFR and aortic distensibility were impaired in HC patients as compared to NC subjects.     

Physical activity patterns of kindergarten children in comparison to teenagers and young adults

BACKGROUND: Due to the increasing occurrence of obesity and low physical activity (PA) reported in school children there is a need to investigate PA patterns of preschool children. Our aim was to identify the PA of preschool children in comparison to the PA of teenagers and young adults. METHODS: PA of 104 Czech preschool children (aged 5-7 years), 1174 teenagers (aged 12-17 years) and 787 young adults (aged 18-24 years) was determined using Caltrac accelerometery. PA was evaluated on the basis of activity energy expenditure (AEE--kcal kg(-1) day(-1)). Subjects were monitored over 7 days to include a weekend. RESULTS: The AEE in preschool children was significantly higher in comparison to all age groups of teenagers and young adults during both weekdays and at the weekend (P<0.0001). On weekdays during leisure time, preschoolers were considerably more physically active than all categories of teenagers and young adults (P<0.001). Preschoolers show similarities in PA level between weekdays and weekends, unlike the older age groups. CONCLUSION: It seems to appear that organized daily PA (2x20 min of exercising on carpet, 50-70 min of walking outdoors) in preschool children along with enough space for spontaneous PA establishes prerequisites for their further healthy development.