The relationships among monocyte subsets,miRNAs and inflammatory cytokines in patients with acute myocardial infarction

Background

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) causes irreversible myocardial damage and release of inflammatory mediators, including cytokines, chemokines and miRNAs. We aimed to investigate changes in the levels of cytokines (IL-6, TNF-α and IL-10), miRNAs profiles (miR-146 and miR-155) and distribution of different monocyte subsets (CD14++CD16-, CD14++CD16+, CD14+CD16++) in the acute and post-healing phases of AMI.

Transport mechanism of L-[14C]glutamate in cortical slices and synaptosomes of rabbits exposed to brain ischemia and reperfusion

Molecular and chemical neuropathology - Changes in the functioning of the glutamatergic system in rabbit brain were studied after partial brain ischemia and reperfusion. In vitro studies were...     

Oxybutynin versus propantheline in patients with multiple sclerosis and detrusor hyperreflexia

Hyperreflexia is the most common urological finding in patients with multiple sclerosis. A prospective randomized study was done to compare the effectiveness of 2 commonly used drugs, oxybutynin and propantheline. Of the 34 patients entered into the trial 19 were treated with oxybutynin and 15 with propantheline. The urological symptoms (frequency, nocturia, hesitancy, urgency and urge incontinence) were graded according to severity from 0 to 3. Patients with urinary infection were excluded. Urodynamic examination, consisting of cystometrography and electromyography, was performed in all patients before treatment. Both groups of patients had comparable neurological, urological and urodynamic status before treatment. In 4 patients (21 per cent) treated with oxybutynin and in 4 (27 per cent) treated with propantheline side effects were so severe that the treatment had to be discontinued. Symptomatic response to oxybutynin was good in 10 patients (67 per cent), fair in 2 (13 per cent) and poor in 3 (20 per cent). Propantheline produced good symptomatic results in 4 patients (36 per cent), fair in 1 (9 per cent) and poor in 6 (55 per cent). The mean increase in maximum cystometric capacity on cystometrography was significantly larger in the oxybutynin group than in the propantheline group (144 +/- 115 versus 35 +/- 101). Our results indicate that oxybutynin is more effective than propantheline in the treatment of detrusor hyperreflexia in patients with multiple sclerosis.     

Fusariotoxicoses of farm animals and mycotoxic leucoencephalomalacia of the equine associated with the finding of trichothecenes in feedstuffs

Mycotoxicoses involving horses, rabbits and cattle have been studied. Fusarium tricinctum and T-2 toxin were isolated from all incriminated feedstuffs. Other isolated trichothecenes from the feed included HT-2, verrucarins and roridin. The toxins were separated, identified and quantitated using thin-layer chromatography, gas-liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry. T-2 toxin was detected in amounts varying from 0.5-204 ppm. The contaminated feedstuffs in connection with the affected horses and rabbits, included cereal grains (corn, cornstalks, bran and barley), whereas fescue hay was associated with the mucocutaneous findings in the bovine episode. The effects of the toxin(s) seemed to be host specific and varied according to the different animal species. Horses and rabbits developed primarily central nervous disorders with conspicuous pathological findings in the brain. Hepatitis and nephritis were also seen in naturally intoxicated horses and experimentally fed rats. Affected cattle developed mucocutaneous eruptions around the mouth and nostrils. In addition, dermonecrotic findings were observed involving the extremities, ear and tail. Fusariotoxicoses are toxic conditions of farm animals and man caused by the ingestion of cereal grains and forages contaminated by different fungal species of the genus Fusarium. A variety of clinical and pathological findings have been reported (5,6,10,13,15,17,31). This study concerns neuropathic findings in horses and rabbits and mucocutaneous lesions in cattle in association with T-2 toxin contamination.