Uterus transplant graft's arterial atherosclerotic remodeling veracity.

BACKGROUND: Uterus transplantation is a complex, multi-step experimental procedure used for the treatment of uterus absence or uterus anomaly that prevents embryo implantation or pregnancy completion. METHOD: To date, only 51 uterus transplants worldwide had been performed. When simplified, it is vascularized composite allograft transplantation. While it is still an experimental procedure with encouraging results for the future, there are still many issues that have to be clarified. The most serious complications of uterus transplantation are graft rejection or grafts vascular failure. RESULTS: So far, no reference to the atherosclerotic arterial infiltration of the uterus arteries was suggested and studied as one of the main causes of graft's failure. CONCLUSION: In this review we summarized current knowledge and possible role of uterus arterial damage, including atherosclerotic changes on the graft's survival.

Muscle and fat metabolism in obesity after kidney transplantation: no effect of peritoneal dialysis or hemodialysis.

Our prospective study analyzed selected adipocytokines: adiponectin (ADPN), leptin, visfatin, and asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) in the plasma of renal transplant recipients previously treated by peritoneal dialysis and hemodialysis. A total of 70 patients were on follow-up for 12 months after transplantation. Of these, 30 patients (group I) developed obesity, and 40 patients were nonobese (group II). All were receiving standard immunosuppressive therapy (cyclosporine A or tacrolimus and mycophenolate mofetil, with prednisone added in the early posttransplant period) and did not differ statistically in HLA typing, age, sex, duration of previous dialysis, history of cardiovascular disease, and rate of rejection episodes. At the end of the study period, there were significant differences between groups I and II (t test, analysis of variance) in plasma: ADPN, 22.30 ± 10.2 versus 14.3 ± 7.2 µg/mL; visfatin, 1.7 ± 0.1 versus 1.2 ± 0.1 ng/mL; ADMA, 3.60 ± 0.47 versus 2.10 ± 0.36 µmol/L; P < .01; leptin, 55.6 ± 10.2 versus 25.6 ± 8.3 ng/L; P < .01 (P < .02). In conclusion, an increase of body fat after renal transplantation was associated with an increase of ADMA and leptin, TNF-α, MCP-1, and visfatin and decrease of adiponectin. Our study documented there was now long-term beneficial metabolic effect of peritoneal dialysis in developing posttransplant obesity.

Lack of an association between connexin-37, stromelysin-1, plasminogen activator-inhibitor type 1 and lymphotoxin-alpha genes and acute coronary syndrome in Czech Caucasians.

BACKGROUND: The majority of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) cases cannot be explained by the analysis of commonly recognized risk factors; thus, the analysis of possible genetic predispositions is of interest. The genes for connexin-37, stromelysin-1, plasminogen activator-inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1) and lymphotoxin-alpha are among many presently known candidate genes that are associated with risk factors for ACS. OBJECTIVE: To identify the potential impact of the functional variants of connexin-37, stromelysin-1, PAI-1 and lymphotoxin-alpha on ACS in a Caucasian Czech population. METHODS: A total of 1399 consecutive patients (1016 men and 383 women) with ACS from five coronary care units located in Prague (Czech Republic) were analyzed; a representative sample of 2559 healthy individuals (1191 men and 1368 women) were also genotyped and served as controls. RESULTS: The gene variants analyzed were not significantly associated with the prevalence of ACS or the classical risk factors of ACS development such as high plasma lipid levels, hypertension, diabetes, high body mass index or smoking. CONCLUSION: In a Caucasian Czech population sample, genetic variants of connexin-37, stromelysin-1, PAI-1 and lymphotoxin-alpha were not significantly associated with a predisposition toward ACS.

Limitations of non-invasive endothelial function assessment by brachial artery flow-mediated dilatation.

A non-invasive technique using high-frequency ultrasound brachial artery imaging to assess endothelium-dependent flow-mediated vasodilatation is a widely used test, but interpretation of results is not consistent. This study was designed to assess the method of non-invasive endothelial function determination of a brachial artery. Endothelial function was assessed by two physicians in 18 young, healthy volunteers. Each volunteer was examined by both physicians on the same day using an identical protocol; a second assessment was carried out at an interval of 6-7 days. When comparing arterial dilatation at first and second measurements by one physician, there were no statistically significant differences (first physician: 5.95 +/- 2.93% versus 7.63 +/- 4.3%; P = 0.21; second physician: 4.23 +/- 1.6% versus 4.94 +/- 2.69%; P = 0.22). Further, we found statistically significant differences in artery dilatation when comparing measurements made separately by both physicians on the same day (5.95 +/- 2.93% versus 4.23 +/- 1.6%; P = 0.03, and 7.63 +/- 4.3% versus 4.94 +/- 2.69%; P = 0.003). Our results suggest a large inter-individual variability of measurements within the whole group, if made on the same day and at the same time by two physicians. On the contrary, no significant differences were noted when comparing measurements of the whole group by the one physician at an interval of 1 week. It can be concluded that the degree of brachial artery flow-mediated dilatation is difficult to evaluate on the basis of a predefined cut-off point as a single-measurement screening test.

Genetic analysis of APOAV polymorphisms (T-1131/C, Ser19/Trp and Val153/Met): no effect on plasma remnant particles concentrations.

BACKGROUND: APOAV is newly described protein, which plays a crucial role in the determination of plasma triglyceride (TG) levels. Remnant lipoproteins (RLPs) result from partial catabolised TG-rich particles. Elevated levels of RLP are associated with atherosclerosis, and they are a predictor of coronary events in patients with coronary artery disease. METHODS: We have evaluated the influence of APOAV polymorphisms (T-1131/C, Ser19/Trp and Val153/Met were measured by PCR and restriction analysis) on plasma levels of RLP-cholesterol and RLP-TG in 285 unrelated representative selected individuals (131 men and 154 women) aged 33-72 years. RESULTS: RLP-cholesterol and RLP-TG levels were not significantly influenced by the APOAV variants either in whole population or in males and females, if analyzed separately. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that variations T-1131/C, Ser19/Trp and Val153/Met in the APOAV gene have no effect on plasma levels of remnant particles.