Association of the methionine sulfoxide reductase A rs10903323 gene polymorphism with functional activity and oxidative modification of alpha-1-antitrypsin in COPD patients.

OBJECTIVE: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is multi-factorial disorder which results from environmental influences and genetic factors. We aimed to investigate whether methionine sulfoxide reductase A (MSRA) rs10903323 gene polymorphism is associated with COPD development and severity in Serbian adult population. METHODS: The study included 155 patients with COPD and 134 healthy volunteers. Genotyping was determined performing home-made polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). The difference between the inhibitory activities of normal and oxidized Alpha-1-Antitrypsin (A1AT) against elastase and trypsin was used for determination of Oxidized Alpha-1-Antitrypsin (OxyA1AT) (expressed as % and g/L). Functional activity of A1AT was presented as a specific inhibitor activity to elastase (SIA-Elastase, kU/g). RESULTS: Frequencies of the genotypes AA, AG and GG were 80.0%, 20.0%, 0% in COPD patients and 80.5%, 18.5% and 1.5% in the control group, and there was no significant difference in genotype or allele distributions between groups. Serum level of A1AT (g/L) and OxyA1AT was significantly higher in COPD patients than in the control group, but functional activity of A1AT (SIA-Elastase) was significantly lower in COPD patients than in the control group. In COPD group, increased level of OxyA1AT was present in G allele carriers who were smokers relative to G allele carriers who were not smokers. In the smoker group of patients with severe and very severe COPD (GOLD3+4), significant increase in OxyA1AT level was present in G allele carriers compared to AA homozygotes. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that MSRA rs10903323 gene polymorphism is probably not a risk for COPD by itself but could represent a COPD modifier, since minor, G allele, is associated with an increased level of oxidized A1AT, indicating impaired ability of MSRA to repair oxidized A1AT in COPD-smokers, and in severe form of COPD.

Oxidized Alpha-1-Antitrypsin as a Potential Biomarker Associated with Onset and Severity of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in Adult Population.

Oxidative stress could reduce inhibitor activity of the alpha-1-antitrypsin (A1AT). Oxidative-modified A1AT (oxidized alpha-1-antitrypsin, OxyA1AT) significantly loses ability to protect the lungs from neutrophil elastase. We aimed to investigate OxyA1AT as a potential biomarker associated with onset and severity of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in adult population. The study included 65 patients with COPD (33 smokers and 32 no-smokers) and 46 healthy participants (17 smokers and 29 no-smokers). Determination of OxyA1AT in serum was based on the difference between the inhibitory activities of normal and oxidized A1AT against trypsin and elastase. The level of OxyA1AT was significantly increased in the group of COPD smokers compared to healthy no-smokers (p = 0.030) and COPD no-smokers (p = 0.009). The highest level of OxyA1AT was found in group of smokers with severe and very severe COPD in comparison to the following: no-smokers with the same stage of disease (p = 0.038), smokers with moderate COPD (p = 0.022), and the healthy control group, regardless of the smoking status (control no-smokers p = 0.001 and control smokers p = 0.034). In conclusion, serum level of OxyA1AT would be potentially good biomarker for the assessment of harmful effect of smoking to the onset and severity of COPD. Also, clinical significance of OxyA1AT as prognostic biomarker could be useful in assessing the effectiveness of antioxidant therapy for COPD and emphysema. Suitable and inexpensive laboratory method for determination of OxyA1AT is additional benefit for the introduction of OxyA1AT into routine clinical practice for diagnosis and monitoring of COPD.

[Detection of abdominal infections using radio-labeled antibiotics]. / Otkrivanje infekcija u abdomenu primenom radioobelezenog antibiotika.

The aim of the study is detection of the abdominal infective foci using 99mTc-ciprofloxacin, radiopharmaceutical supposed to distinguish inflammation from infection. Twenty-one patient was investigated. There were 11 true positive findings, 7 true negative, two were false negative, while 1 was false positive. Sensitivity of the method was 79% and specificity 91%. According to our results, scintigraphy with infection is a useful method for detection and assessment of exact localization of deep seated bacterial infections, which might be useful for (differential) diagnosis, surgical treatment in due time as well as monitoring of the treatment of conservative therapy.

[Role of the partogram in the modern conduction of labor]. / Mesto partograma u savremenom vodenju porodaja.

The authors present an original partogram showing the course of labour. The partogram consists of three parts. Its back first contains columns for general data, the position of the fetus, the results of amnioscopy and prepartal cardiotocography with the oxytocin test. The second part contains data on the progressed dilatation of the uterine cervix, the condition of the bag of waters, the quality of the amnionic fluid, uterine contractions, and he results of the pH-metry and the interpretation of cardiotocography in the course of labour. The third part contains the diagnosis of delivery and the newborn's vital symptoms. Six partograms of women with different characteristics and different pathologic conditions are presented. The authors underline the simple way of composing and using the partogram, as well as the benefit deriving from it, especially when several labours are conducted at the same time.