ABSTRACT
UNLABELLED: Inflammatory rheumatoid damage of the heart is in most cases oligosymptomatic but it can lead to development of heart failure and cause lethal outcomes. AIM OF THE STUDY: To detect asymptomatic myocardial involvement in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with the help of tissue dopplerography (TDG) of the myocardium which allowed to evaluate velocity of myocardial movement. MATERIAL AND METHODS: TDG was carried out in 22 patients with verified RA (age 33-66, mean age 45,2 +/- 7,4 years) and in 20 healthy volunteers (age 29 - 58, mean age 44,6 +/- 8,4 years). Modules of velocities of systolic and early diastolic peaks in every left ventricular (LV) wall at basal level and at levels of upper, middle and lower thirds were calculated in all patients. RESULTS: Velocities of systolic and early diastolic peaks on some LV segments correlated with C-reactive protein and ESR (r from 0.29 to 0.46). CONCLUSIONS: Velocities of systolic and early diastolic peaks in patients with RA are diffusely lowered. A correlative relationship takes place in patients with RA between TDG parameters (velocities of systolic and early diastolic peaks) and markers of activity of systemic inflammation. This reflects participation of inflammatory process in development of asymptomatic diffuse myocardial damage in RA.
Subject(s)
Arthritis, Rheumatoid/complications , Echocardiography, Doppler/methods , Heart Diseases/diagnostic imaging , Adult , Aged , Diagnosis, Differential , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Heart Diseases/etiology , Heart Diseases/physiopathology , Humans , Middle Aged , Myocardial Contraction/physiology , Prognosis , Reproducibility of Results , Severity of Illness Index , Stroke Volume/physiologyABSTRACT
Diagnosis of non-ST elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTEACS) in old subjects poses substantial difficulties because in a row of cases clinical picture and changes on electrocardiogram are nonspecific. In this paper we discuss possibilities of diagnosis of NSTEACS with the help of determination of markers of myocardial necrosis (including cardiac troponins and fatty acid transporting protein) and C-reactive protein in the blood. Data on changes of heart rhythm variability are also presented.
Subject(s)
Acute Coronary Syndrome/diagnosis , Electrocardiography , Aged , Diagnosis, Differential , HumansABSTRACT
The expression and secretion of acid phosphatase (APase) was investigated in Indian mustard (Brassica juncea L. Czern.) plants using sensitive in vitro and activity gel assays. Phosphorus (P) starvation induced two APases in Indian mustard roots, only one of which was secreted. Northern-blot analysis indicated transcriptional regulation of APase expression. Polymerase chain reaction and Southern-blot analyses revealed two APase homologs in Indian mustard, whereas in Arabidopsis, only one APase homolog was detected. The Arabidopsis APase promoter region was cloned and fused to the beta-glucuronidase (GUS) and green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter genes. GUS expression was first evident in leaves of the P-starved Arabidopsis plants. In P-starved roots, the expression of GUS initiated in lateral root meristems followed by generalized expression throughout the root. GUS expression diminished with the addition of P to the medium. Expression of GFP in P-starved roots also initiated in the lateral root meristems and the recombinant GFP with the APase signal peptide was secreted by the roots into the medium. The APase promoter was specifically activated by low P levels. The removal of other essential elements or the addition of salicylic or jasmonic acids, known inducers of gene expression, did not activate the APase promoter. This novel APase promoter may be used as a plant-inducible gene expression system for the production of recombinant proteins and as a tool to study P metabolism in plants.
Subject(s)
Acid Phosphatase/genetics , Arabidopsis/enzymology , Arabidopsis/genetics , Promoter Regions, Genetic , Base Sequence , Brassica/enzymology , Brassica/genetics , Cloning, Molecular , DNA Primers/genetics , DNA, Plant/genetics , Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic , Gene Expression Regulation, Plant , Genes, Plant , Green Fluorescent Proteins , Luminescent Proteins/genetics , Molecular Sequence Data , Plants, Genetically Modified , RNA, Plant/geneticsSubject(s)
Aortic Valve Insufficiency/etiology , Arthritis, Reactive/complications , Heart Rupture/etiology , Mitral Valve Insufficiency/etiology , Adolescent , Adult , Aortic Valve Insufficiency/diagnosis , Female , Heart Rupture/diagnosis , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Mitral Valve , Mitral Valve Insufficiency/diagnosis , Rupture, SpontaneousABSTRACT
Reiter's disease patients (RD, 83 per cent) were divided into five groups according to the causative agent. The clinical variants were compared. For the clinical picture of Chlamydia-associated RD follicular lesions of the cervical, rectal, and conjunctival mucosa are characteristic; latent forms prevail with initial joint syndrome and enteropathy. RD of Chlamydia-ureaplasma aetiology is characterised by extensive clinical manifestation with obligatory involvement of the sacro-iliac joint. Enterocolitis RD is epidemic, highly active, with pronounced fever syndrome and a more favourable prognosis.
