ABSTRACT
The indoor 222Rn radionuclide was directly absorbed in typical 20 ml glass scintillation vials by passing -3 dm3 of ambient air through 16 ml of water-immiscible non-volataile scintillation cocktail Ultima-Gold F for 10 min. The activity of radon and its two α-emitting daughters: 218Po and 214Po, was determined with the BetaScout low-background liquid scintillation counter. The limit of 222Rn detection is 9 Bq/m3, and the quantification limit with 20% relative accuracy is 28 Bq/m3. The results of the indoor Rn measurement in different houses showed good consistency with results obtained from a Sarad EQF 3220 device.
ABSTRACT
The aim of this experiment was to study the influence of 18-hour food deprivation on basal and stimulated lipolysis in adipocytes obtained from young male Wistar rats. Fat cells from fed and fasted rats were isolated from the epididymal adipose tissue by collagenase digestion. Adipocytes were incubated in Krebs-Ringer buffer (pH 7.4, 37 degrees C) without agents affecting lipolysis and with different lipolytic stimulators (epinephrine, forskolin, dibutyryl-cAMP, theophylline, DPCPX, amrinone) or inhibitors (PIA, H-89, insulin). After 60 min of incubation, glycerol and, in some cases, also fatty acids released from adipocytes to the incubation medium were determined. Basal lipolysis was substantially potentiated in cells of fasted rats in comparison to adipocytes isolated from fed animals. The inhibition of protein kinase A activity by H-89 partially suppressed lipolysis in both groups of adipocytes, but did not eliminate this difference. The agonist of adenosine A (1) receptor also did not suppress fasting-enhanced basal lipolysis. The epinephrine-induced triglyceride breakdown was also enhanced by fasting. Similarly, the direct activation of adenylyl cyclase by forskolin or protein kinase A by dibutyryl-cAMP resulted in a higher lipolytic response in cells derived from fasted animals. These results indicate that the fasting-induced rise in lipolysis results predominantly from changes in the lipolytic cascade downstream from protein kinase A. The antagonism of the adenosine A (1) receptor and the inhibition of cAMP phosphodiesterase also induced lipolysis, which was potentiated by food deprivation. Moreover, the rise in basal and epinephrine-stimulated lipolysis in adipocytes of fasted rats was shown to be associated with a diminished non-esterified fatty acids/glycerol molar ratio. This effect was presumably due to increased re-esterification of triglyceride-derived fatty acids in cells of fasted rats. Comparing fed and fasted rats for the antilipolytic effect of insulin in adipocytes revealed that short-term food deprivation resulted in a substantial deterioration of the ability of insulin to suppress epinephrine-induced lipolysis.
Subject(s)
Adipocytes/metabolism , Fasting/metabolism , Lipolysis , Animals , Lipase/metabolism , Lipolysis/drug effects , Male , Norepinephrine/pharmacology , Rats , Rats, Wistar , Triglycerides/metabolismABSTRACT
A double blind multicentre study of seasonal rhinitis (108 patients) has compared Loratadine and Cetirizine. The results of clinical scores are significantly good for both products. Only tolerance is different and in favour of Loratadine, since sleepiness was found in 9.5% of patients treated with Cetirizine, and 3.6% with Loratadine.
Subject(s)
Cetirizine/therapeutic use , Loratadine/therapeutic use , Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal/drug therapy , Adult , Double-Blind Method , Drug Tolerance , Female , Humans , MaleABSTRACT
Quantitative estimation of the infiltration by intraepithelial lymphocytes and eosinophils of the mucosa was carried out in 21 children with cow's milk and 35 children with gluten intolerance. Before dietary treatment, a statistically significant increase in the infiltration by LIE in children with milk intolerance to the mean value of 34.1 cells and in children with gluten intolerance to 39.0 cells was found, what statistically significantly differed from the mean value of LIE for the control group (19.0 cells/100 epithelial cells). The eosinophilic infiltration in this phase of the disease was noted in 38% of children with cow's milk intolerance (16.9 cells/mm2) and in 27% of children with gluten intolerance (28.6 cells/mm2). After 8-24 months of elimination diets--a decrease in the mean value of the LIE infiltration in the mucosa was revealed in both treated groups.
Subject(s)
Celiac Disease/pathology , Intestinal Mucosa/pathology , Intestine, Small/pathology , Milk Hypersensitivity/pathology , Child, Preschool , Eosinophils/pathology , Epithelium/pathology , Humans , Infant , Lymphocytes/pathologySubject(s)
Neoplasms/immunology , Neutrophils/immunology , Phagocytosis , Adolescent , Child , Child, Preschool , Humans , Nitroblue TetrazoliumABSTRACT
The work has been aimed at investigating the effects of organic solvent-toluene-upon the painters of the Building Joinery Factory. Studies carried out during 1978-1980 showed an increased level of toluene metabolite (hippuric acid) in painters' urine, as compared to the environmental control group. The highest level of hippuric acid in painters' urine was found in the first period (first six months) of their job. This was not related to an increase in toluene vapours at the workplace. In painters' blood some irregular and rather small modifications of enzymatic activity were exhibited.
