Fungal myocarditis in deep visceral candidiasis

Morphological and functional changes of the myocardium were studied in 40 patients with candidiasis and attempt to establish morphological criteria of fungal myocarditis was undertaken. Retrospective analysis of autopsy material showed that myocardial involvement in candidiasis was possible and was not as rare as it had been accepted. Clinical symptomatology was not always similar to that of classical infectious-allergic myocarditis. However immunological parameters were characteristic of inflammatory process. Complex echocardiographic study gave important information for assessment of the state of the myocardium.     

Correlation between severity of angina, its stability, and oxidative modification of lipids in patients with ischemic heart disease

AIM: To elucidate the relations between angina severity, stability, concomitant arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus, plasma oxidation. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study included 152 patients with stable angina of effort (functional class II-III). Of them, 67 had concomitant arterial hypertension (AH), 20 AH and compensated diabetes mellitus type II, 14 patients with anginal functional class III were admitted to hospital for unstable angina, 11 patients with IHD with unstable angina and 28 healthy donors. The study was made of dynamic features of lipid oxidation using copper-induced plasma oxidation. Lipids were measured with enzyme assays. RESULTS: The degree of LP oxidation increases with aggravation of angina. IHD risk factors activate atherogenic modification of lipids in patients with stable angina. There was no differences between the groups in content of low density lipoproteins cholesterol. CONCLUSION: Plasma resistance to oxidation may serve an additional criterion for assessment of severity and stability of various IHD forms.     

Parkinson patient fibroblasts show increased alpha-synuclein expression

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative movement disorder of advanced age with largely unknown etiology, but well documented tissue damage from oxidative stress. Increased α-synuclein (SNCA) expression is known to cause a rare form of PD, early-onset autosomal dominant PARK4. We have previously shown that loss-of-function mutations of the mitochondrial kinase PINK1 which cause the early-onset recessive PARK6 variant result in oxidative damage in patient fibroblasts. We now investigated the molecular chain of events from mitochondrial dysfunction to cell death which is largely unknown. Primary skin fibroblast cultures from patients were analysed for gene expression anomalies. In G309D-PINK1 patient fibroblasts, mainly genes regulated by oxidative stress, as well as genes encoding synaptic proteins such as SNCA showed altered expression. The induction of SNCA was also observed in control fibroblasts with knock-down of PINK1. The induction of SNCA expression was found to constitute a specific disease biomarker in sporadic PD patient fibroblasts. To understand the mechanism of this induction, we exposed control fibroblasts to oxidative, proteasomal and endoplasmic reticulum stress and were able to trigger the SNCA expression upregulation. Our data indicate that loss-of-function of PINK1 leads to enhanced alpha-synuclein expression and altered cell–cell contact. Alpha-synuclein induction might represent a common event for different variants of PD as well as a PD-specific trigger of neurodegeneration. We propose that the expression changes described might potentially serve as biomarkers that allow objective PD patient diagnosis in an accessible, peripheral tissue.     

Experience of application of lymphotropic methods in the treatment of lower extremity veins]

Experience of treatment of 368 patients with disease of veins of lower extremities was summarized. In patients with an acute thrombophlebitis and chronic venous insufficiency of lower extremities significant disorders of microhemo- and lymphatic circulation, manifesting as venous or lymphatic stasis, were noted. Conduction of lymphotropic therapy have promoted microcirculation improvement, elimination of interstitial oedema and signs of inflammation, permitting to shorten the stationary treatment period.