Structural assessment of myocardial infarction scars and left ventricular function with cardiac magnetic resonance imaging in patients at high risk of sudden cardiac death.

OBJECTIVES: Results of qualitative and quantitative analyses of scars and LV (left ventricle) function acquired by means of cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) were correlated with a subsequent occurrence of malignant ventricular arrhythmias in patients at high risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD). METHODS: We have prospectively followed 47 patients (mean age 60 ± 11 years) who were hospitalized for an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) implantation to prevent SCD. All post-MI patients had severe residual LV dysfunction (LVEF 33±14%). Patients were examined with CMR. Based on CMR analysis, we evaluated the basic functional parameters of LV as well as mass, volume, transmurality and heterogeneity of the post-MI scar. RESULTS: The patients with malignant arrhythmias were characterized by smaller LV end-diastolic diameters (LVED 192 ± 79 vs 254 ± 47 mm, p = 0.003) and end-systolic diameters (LVES 131 ± 80 vs 181 ± 45 mm, p = 0.01). As for the other observed functional and morphological CMR parameters, no significant differences between the two groups were detected. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that post-MI patients with severe residual left ventricular dysfunction and dilatation are in the long term characterized by a lower incidence of malignant arrhythmias compared to the patients with less dilated LV with a comparably severe LV dysfunction (Tab. 2, Fig. 3, Ref. 26). Text in PDF www.elis.sk.

Current trends in the treatment of malignant melanoma.

Currently, skin cancer is one of the most frequent type of cancers. Melanoma is much less common than basal cell and squamous cell skin cancers, but it is far more dangerous. Melanomas represent 3% of all skin cancers but 65% of skin cancer deaths. Detailed knowledge of melanoma at the molecular level allows the development of new treatment alternatives and to design effective new drugs. There are two approaches in therapy of melanoma in the present is based on immunotherapy and targeted therapy or their combination. Immunotherapy includes immune checkpoint blockades whereas targeted therapy is represented by protein kinase inhibitors. Detailed knowledge of protein structure and the understanding of their role in key signalling pathways in melanoma development lead to the designation of new protein kinase inhibitors in targeted therapy. In the future, it is necessary to conduct further clinical trials and collect more data about overall survival, response rates, appropriate timing and sequence of combination therapy to manage the complexity of melanoma treatment.

The effect of supplementation of clove and agrimony or clove and lemon balm on growth performance, antioxidant status and selected indices of lipid profile of broiler chickens.

The study investigated the effects of diet supplementation with 1% clove flower buds powder combined with either 0.2% lemon balm extract or 0.2% agrimony extract (each of the two pulverized extracts supplied through drinking water) on body weight of broilers, total feed intake, feed conversion ratio and the carcass yield, activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD, EC 1.15.1.1) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px, EC 1.11.1.9) in blood, concentration of sulfhydryl (-SH) groups, malondialdehyde (MDA), vitamin A and E, low-density lipoproteins in the blood plasma, serum cholesterol, total lipids, triglycerides and high-density lipoproteins in broiler chickens at 42 days of age. On the day of hatching, 120 male and female broilers of Cobb 500 were randomly divided into three groups. The control group (1st group) of broilers received a basal diet (BD) without any feed and water additive. Both experimental groups of chicks were fed BD enriched with clove (Syzygium aromaticum L.) powder at a dose of 10 g/kg DM for 42 days. Moreover, either lemon balm (Mellisa officinalis L.) extract or agrimony (Agrimonia eupatoria L.) extract diluted with drinking water (2:1000) was given to broilers in the 2nd and 3rd group respectively. The results indicated that feeding the diets enriched with selected herbal supplements failed to affect the growth performance of broiler chickens at 42 days of age. In addition, this supplementation had no influence on the activities of SOD and GSH-Px, concentration of vitamin A and selected lipid metabolism indices. On the other hand, we observed beneficial effects on some indices of the antioxidant status (increased concentration of -SH groups and vitamin E, decreased concentration of MDA) in the blood of broilers in both experimental groups in comparison with the control group of chickens (p < 0.05). Furthermore, a slightly better antioxidant capacity was found in the blood of broilers supplied the combination of clove and lemon balm compared to clove and agrimony (vitamin E, 11.26 ± 0.73 vs. 9.73 ± 0.64 µmol/L, p < 0.05 respectively). It could be concluded that supplementation of the diet with clove flower buds powder combined with lemon balm extract or agrimony extract dissolved in drinking water has a potential to increase the antioxidant status but fails to influence either the growth performance or the selected lipid metabolism indices of broilers at the age of 42 days.

Attempt to isolate antierythrocyte antibodies by the method of affinity chromatography. II. IgG - incomplete antibodies.

It ensues from the results of the present work that erythrocyte stromata can serve as a suitable insoluble immunosorbent of both complete and incomplete antibodies. When applying optimum conditions, such as laboratory incubation temperature and suitable buffers, it is possible, by means of a chromatographic column with 0.5 ml erythrocyte stromata suspended in 40 g of glass beads (ballotini), to obtain fractions devoid of incomplete antibodies. Incomplete antibodies could be absorbed completely, either directly by a 24-hour incubation of the respective serum on the column or by passaging the serum through the column. In the presence of 0.2 M NaCl, absorption of incomplete antibodies was prevented; only complete antibodies were demonstrated in the fractions of the eluates. The elution yield in incomplete antibodies was low; in some cases, it could not be demonstrated at all. It can be explained partly by non-specific absorption, partly by the low initial antibody titre. It is therefore rather difficult to separate the individual incomplete antibodies from each other in this method. The column with incorporated erythrocyte stromata can be recommended for incomplete antibodies only because of its absorption capacity (to remove incomplete antibodies), but not for obtained elution yield.

Attempt to isolate antierythrocyte antibodies by the method of affinity chromatography. I. IgM--complete antibodies.

It follows from the results of the present study that erythrocyte stromata can serve as a suitable insoluble immunosorbent of complete antibodies. When using optimum conditions, such as laboratory incubation timperature, suitable buffers for both washing the column prior to absorption and for elution, it is possible to obtain, by means of the chromatographic column with 0.5 ml of erythrocyte stromata suspended in 40 g of silica glass beads (ballotini), fractions devoid of complete antibodies and subsequently to obtain the latter in purified form by elution. In complete anti antibodies, the elution yield amounted to an average of 35% of the initial amount of antibodies. Although the elution yield is not high and non-specific absorption has been demonstrated, the method can be recommended for the isolation of complete antibodies and thus for the production of monospecific sera because it is easy, rapid and inexpensive due to the regeneration ability of the mentioned columns and the relatively long duration of the immunoabsorption capacity of the incorporated erythrocyte stromata.