ACE and ACTN3 genes polymorphisms among female Hungarian athletes in the aspect of sport disciplines.

The aim of the study was to determine the importance of two sport-associated gene polymorphisms, alpha-actinin-3 R577X (ACTN3) and angiotensin-converting enzyme I/D (ACE), among Hungarian athletes in different sports. The examination was carried out only on women (n = 100). Sport-specific groups were formed in order to guarantee the most homogeneous clusters. Human genomic DNA was isolated from blood, and genotyping was performed by polymerase chain reaction. To measure the differences between the participating groups, Chi-squared test was performed using Statistica 9.0 for Windows® (significance level: p < 0.05). In comparing the ACE I/D allele frequencies, significant difference was detected between water polo (I = 61.11%; D = 38.89%) and combat sports (I = 35.71%, D = 64.29%) athletes (p < 0.03). There was no statistical difference when ACE I/D alleles in combat sports and kayaking/rowing (p > 0.05) were compared. A similarity was detectable in the I allele frequencies of the water polo (61.11%) and kayaking/rowing (56.67%) groups. The ACTN3 R/X polymorphism showed no differences in comparison with the sport groups. R allele frequencies were higher in every group compared to the X allele. The potential significance of the ACE I allele in sports of an aerobic nature was not clearly confirmed among Hungarian athletes.

Retrospective Study of the Hungarian National Transplant Team's Cardiorespiratory Capacity.

The low availability of donor organs requires long-term successful transplantation as an accepted therapy for patients with end-stage renal and liver diseases. The health benefits of regular physical activity are well known among healthy individuals as well as patients under rehabilitation programs. Our aim was to describe the cardiorespiratory capacity of the Hungarian National Transplant Team. Twenty-five kidney (n = 21) or liver (n = 4) transplant athletes participated in this study. Maximal cardiorespiratory capacity (VO2max) was measured on a treadmill with the use of gas analysis. After a resting pulmonary function test, subjects completed a vita maxima test until exhaustion. Aerobic capacity of transplant athletes was higher than the age- and sex-predicted cardiorespiratory fitness (VO2max, 109.9 ± 21.7% of the predicted values; P = .0101). Resting respiratory function indicators exceeded 80% of predicted age- and sex-matched normal values. There were positive correlations between VO2max and workload (r(2) = 0.40; P = .0463), metabolic equivalent (r(2) = 0.72; P < .0001), and oxygen pulse (r(2) = 0.30; P = .0039). However, age showed negative correlation with VO2max (r(2) = 0.32; P = .0031), and there was no significant correlation between graft age and maximal oxygen consumption (r(2) = 0.15; P = .4561). Although the small amount of participants can not represent the general kidney and liver transplant population, the excellent cardiorespiratory performance suggests that a normal level of physical capacity is available after transplantation and can be even higher with regular physical activity. This favorable physiologic background leads to a state that provides proper graft oxygenization, which is an important factor in long-term graft survival.

Trends in Major Lower Limb Amputation Related to Peripheral Arterial Disease in Hungary: A Nationwide Study (2004-2012).

OBJECTIVES: To assess the trends of peripheral arterial disease associated major lower limb amputation in Hungary over a 9 year period (2004-2012) in the whole Hungarian population. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study employing administrative health care data. Major amputations were identified in the entire Hungarian population during a 9 year period (2004-2012) using the health care administrative data. Direct standardization was used to eliminate the potential bias induced by the different age and sex structure of the compared populations. For external direct standardization, the ESP 2013 was chosen as reference. RESULTS: 76,798 lower limb amputations were performed. The number of major amputations was 38,200; these procedures affected 32,084 patients. According to case detection, 50.4% of the amputees were diabetic. The overall primary amputation rate was 71.5%. The annual crude and age adjusted major amputation rates exhibited no significant long-term pattern over the observation period. The major lower limb amputation incidence for the overall period was 42.3/10(5) in the total population and 317.9/10(5) in diabetic population. CONCLUSION: According to this whole population based study from Hungary, the incidence of lower limb major amputation is high with no change over the past 9 years. An explanation for this remains to be determined, as the traditional risk factors in Hungary do not account for it. The characteristics of major amputation (the rate of primary amputation, the ratio of below to above knee amputation and the age of the affected population) underline the importance of screening, early detection, improved vascular care and an optimal revascularization policy. Standardization and validation of amputation detection methods and reporting is essential.

Comparison of left and right ventricular adaptation in endurance-trained male athletes.

Characteristics of the athlete's heart have been investigated mostly in the left ventricle (LV); reports referring to the right ventricle (RV) have only appeared recently. The aim of the present study was to compare the training effects on RV and LV in elite male endurance athletes. To this end, echocardiography was conducted in 52 elite endurance athletes (A) and in 25 non-athletes (NA). Differences between A and NA in the morphology was more marked in the RV (body-size-matched (rel.)) long axis diastolic diameter (RVLADd): 63.4 ± 6.3 vs. 56.4 ± 6.3; rel. short axis diastolic diameter (RVSADd): 27.3 ± 3.6 vs. 23.6 ± 2.7 mm/m, RV diastolic area 28 ± 5.0 vs. 21.3 ± 4.3 cm2 in all cases, p < 0.001) than in the LV (rel. LVLADd: 63.8 mm/m ± 5.6 vs. 60.7 mm/m ± 6.6, p < 0.05, rel.LVSADd 37.8 ± 3.1 vs. 35.3 ± 2.4, no difference). In the athletes ratios of peak early to late diastolic filling velocity (2.07 ± 0.51 vs. 1.75 ± 0.36, p < 0.01), the TDI-determined E'/A' ratio in the septal (1.89 ± 0.55 vs. 1.62 ± 0.55, p < 0.05) and lateral (2.62 ± 0.72, vs. 2.18 ± 0.87, p < 0.001) walls were significantly higher than in NA only in the LV. Results indicate that in male endurance athletes morphologic adaptation is similar or slightly stronger in the RV than in the LV, functional adaptation seems to be stronger in the LV.

Left ventricular untwisting in athlete's heart: key role in early diastolic filling?

Untwisting contributes to left ventricular filling through suction generation. We sought to investigate diastolic function and untwisting dynamics in different forms of left ventricular hypertrophy: in athlete's heart and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Elite athletes in kayaking, canoeing and rowing (n=28), patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM, n=15) and healthy sedentary volunteers (n=13) were compared. Left ventricular volumes, wall thickness-to-volume ratio were assessed by cardiac MRI. Following conventional and tissue Doppler measurements, untwist and untwist rate were determined by speckle tracking echocardiography. Wall thickness-to-volume ratio describing remodelling was significantly higher in HCM, but similar in athletes and controls (athlete vs. HCM vs. control: 0.107±0.019 vs. 0.271±0.091 vs. 0.104±0.012 mm×m²/ml, mean±SD, p<0.001). Mitral lateral annulus e' velocity referred to diastolic dysfunction in HCM (15.3±3.6 vs. 7.9±3.3 vs. 15.0±3.0 cm/s, p<0.01). At time point of mitral valve opening, untwist and untwist rate were significantly different: the highest values were measured in athletes, while the lowest were found in HCM (untwist: 51.3±19.1 vs. 11.6±10.4 vs. 35.9±16.3%; untwist rate: -32.5±13.0 vs. -10.6±10.8 vs. -23.0±7.7°/s, p<0.05). Untwisting correlated with E/A, e' and E/e'. Athlete's heart is characterized by increased untwist and untwist rate, which can aid diastolic function. Evaluation of untwisting dynamics may help to distinguish pathological hypertrophy.

Intracytoplasmic sperm injection with motile and immotile frozen-thawed testicular spermatozoa (the Hungarian experience).

The authors summarize their experience in 75 in vitro fertilization cycles, where frozen-thawed testicular spermatozoa were used for intracytoplasmic sperm injection. In 32 cases, motile spermatozoa could be observed in the frozen-thawed sample. In 34 cases, motility could be induced by pentoxifylline and in nine cases immotile spermatozoa, selected with hypoosmotic swelling test, were used for fertilization. The fertilization rates obtained with motile and immotile spermatozoa (66.1% versus 52.3%) were not significantly different. Our data demonstrate that freezing of testicular spermatozoa opened new possibilities for the treatment of azoospermic men. The clinical pregnancy rate per embryo transfer (ET) (21.87%) was comparable with previous results use of fresh testicular spermatozoa (27.7%). The quality and number of transferred embryos had the most significant impact on the pregnancy rate. The fertilization rate and frequency distribution of good-quality embryos were lower in the case of immotile spermatozoa, and pregnancies were only achieved when motile spermatozoa had been used.

[Delivery following cryopreserved embryo transfer]. / Szülés mélyfagyasztva tárolt praeembriók beültetését követöen.

In this case report the authors describe the first delivery following cryopreserved preembryo transfer in Hungary. They concluded that this method may help to improve the cumulative pregnancy rate during in vitro fertilization cycles and alleviate the ethical problems associated with the destruction of viable preembryos.

The effect of various ovulation induction protocols on pregnancy rates following intracytoplasmic sperm injection.

In the last two years intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) has become frequently employed as an assisted reproductive technique primarily to treat male factor infertility.' In order to achieve high pregnancy rates, all assisted reproductive technologies including ICSI require sufficient number and quality oocytes. In our practice we use three different ovulation induction regimens (CC/hMG, GnRH-a/hMG, and GnRH-a/FSH) to maximize the number of oocytes available for fertilization. In this present report, we retrospectively com- pared pregnancy rates with ICSI following the use of these protocols.

Vaccina treatment in some hospital infections.

Phenol-treated vaccine was prepared from the usual hospital strains and patients with colorectal cancer were immunized intramuscularly 7-10 days prior to the operation. The efficiency of the vaccine treatment was judged by the incidence of wound infections. The best results were obtained in patients whose previously estimated immunoreactivity was strong or normal. Immunospecificity could not be detected in the above treatment. The frequent and inappropriate use of antibiotics in hospitals increases the number of resistant hospital bacterial strains. Apart from Staphylococci and Streptococci, different Gram-negatives--such as Klebsiella, Serratia, Pseudomonas, Proteus and E. coli strains--have been found in the hospitals and in the patients. Due to the resistance, it is difficult to find antibiotics against them. This fact puts forward the possibility of immunization especially by vaccination.

Changes in the tendency of lymphocytes to undergo blastic transformation in the postoperative period, in immune-stimulated and untreated colonic tumour patients.

A study was made of the blastic transformation of lymphocytes in the postoperative period in colonic tumour patients: 23 who had been immune-stimulated by vaccination, and 28 who had not been vaccinated. The immune reactivity decreased significantly in the majority of the cases; however, the deterioration of the immune status affected 68% of the nonvaccinated group, but only 48% of the vaccinated group. The data indicate that the vaccination primarily averted the deterioration of the defence ability in the early postoperative period in patients with a normal preoperative immune activity. An evaluable change in the immune reactivity did not occur in the 6-10 preoperative days following vaccination. Three months postoperatively, the number of patients giving a normal immune reaction was three-fold in the vaccinated than in the non-vaccinated group.

[Relationship of immunological status to infections complicating surgery of the large intestine]. / Die Beziehungen des Immunstatus zu den Dickdarmoperationen begleitenden Infektionen.

The patients immuno-activity has a well-known importance for the outcome of postoperative complications. The authors evaluated the immuno-activity of 95 patients before selective, radical colorectal surgery: 1) 40% of the patients were anergic compared to healthy controls. 2) The incidence of wound infections was significantly higher in the anergic groups than in normal or hyperergic ones. 3) 25% and 50% decrease in wound sepsis has been observed in anergic and normal or hyperergic groups respectively after vaccination 7 to 10 days before operation with vaccine made of E. coli, Proteus, Klebsiella and Pseudomonas strains. The difference indicates the lowered immuno-reactivity on anergic patients.

Immunity and hospital infections.

The frequent and inappropriate use of antibiotics in hospitals increases the number of resistant hospital bacterial strains. Apart from Staphylococci and Streptococci, different Gram negatives--such as Klebsiella, Serratia, Pseudomonas, Proteus and E. coli strains--have been found in the hospitals and in the patients. Due to the resistance, it is difficult to find antibiotics against them. This fact puts forward the possibility of immunization especially by vaccination. Phenol-treated vaccine was prepared from the usual hospital strains and patients with colorectal cancer were immunized intramuscularly 7-10 days prior to the operation. The efficiency of the vaccine treatment was judged by the incidence of wound infections. The best results were obtained in patients whose previously estimated immunoreactivity was strong or normal. Immunospecificity could not be detected in the above treatment.

Circadian rhythm in murine reticuloendothelial function.

Six separate groups, each composed of 15 comparable inbred female CBA mice, standardized in light daily from 0700 to 1900, alternating with darkness, maintained with food and water available ad libitum, were tested at 4-h intervals for a 24-h span for the phagocytic index, determined 3, 6, 9 and 12 min after the injection of a carbon suspension. By an analysis of variance and the single cosinor method applied to these data a circadian rhythm was demonstrated, with a double amplitude of 20% and an acrophase during the second half of the daily light span. These results extend the scope of immunologic circadian rhythms to the reticuloendothelial system as a feature of a bioperiodic defense mechanism, most active during the habitual rest light span of nocturnally active mice.

A comparative study on the local inflammatory and immunosuppressive activities of anti-mouse anti-lymphocyte sera.

Local inflammatory reaction at the site of injection of anti-human antilymphocyte serum is a troublesome side effect. In this paper, a simple experimental model is presented for studying the local reaction caused by antilymphocyte serum. Anti-mouse antilymphocyte sera were injected intracutaneously and the intensity of the consequent oedema was estimated by the extravasation of Evans Blue dye solution given intravenously. It was found: (a) that rabbit anti-mouse anti-spleen sera produce consistently stronger local reactions than either anti-lymph node or anti-thymus sera; (b) that there is as yet no correlation between the intensity of the local reaction and the immunosuppressive (graft-protective) activity of the anti-lymphocyte serum pools tested. The possible implications of these findings are also discussed.