Activity of glutathione-s-transferase, gammaglutamiltransferase and catalase in the erythrocytic membrane in arterial hypertension.

Our clinical-biological study has been performed in patients with various clinical forms of arterial hypertension (AHT), as well as with sequelae-type complications from stroke that had occurred during the evolution of the disease. We performed biological determinations of the activity of four erythrocytic enzymes: glutathione-s-transferase (GST), catalase, gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). The results point to the existence of individual values and also of important differences depending on the presence of arterial hypertension complications. We found a moderate but significant increase of erythrocytic GGT in hypertensive patients compared to healthy controls. Erythrocytic GST and LDH were decreased in patients vs controls. The results of the enzymatic, erythrocyitc activities of GST, GGT, catalase and LDH can also be correlated with the parameters of erythrocyitc membrane permeability and with the thiolic groups, fibrinogen and ionic calcium concentration. The data described in this paper suggest the possible involvement of the disturbances mentioned above in the etiopathogeny of AHT.

Determination of erythrocyte and platelet membranary permeability and its importance for the study of arterial pressure in physiological and pathological conditions.

The World Health Organization and the International Society of Hypertension continue to focus on assessing the cardiovascular risk of arterial hypertension and on developing a hierarchy of risk factors. Among the factors involved in the etiopathogeny of arterial hypertension, less attention has been given to the relations between the figurate elements of the blood (red cells and platelets) and the endothelial factors involved in vasomotricity. This motivates further research into the permeability of the erythrocyte and the platelet membrane in physiological and pathological conditions. Modern investigation methods have been employed in the study of a group of 100 patients with hypertension, both females and males, in various stages of the disease, who were compared with a group of controls. Results pointed to alterations of both eryhtrocyte and platelet membrane permeability dependent on the stage of the hypertensive disease and its complications. Despite the important individual variations that limit the diagnostic value of the investigations, they will contribute to an early diagnosis in the initial stages (I and II) of the disease and will point to the possibility of complications to occur. The correlations between alterations of platelet and erythrocyte permeability and the activity of gammaglutamyltransferase, the level of thiolic grouping and of cholesterol in the blood cell membrane provide additional information about the mechanism of interrelations between the latter and the vascular endothelial factors in physiological and pathological conditions such as arterial hypertension in various stages of evolution and its complications.

Incidence of morphofunctional lesions in the cervical region of patients with gall-bladder dyskinesia.

During research performed in humans of both sexes, aged 17-30, suffering from disorders of gall-bladder kinetics, we found a constant association between this disorder and a cervical syndrome with occipital cephalea, spasmophilia, pre-molar and molar dental decay, even to edentation. We believe the mechanism inducing those disorders originates in the malabsorption of vitamin D2, caused by the absence of biliary salts in the intestine. Our findings could be of interest for the therapeutic management of such cases. In conclusion, we describe a new clinical framework establishing a pathological pattern that is functionally and morphologically coherent. The pattern includes the motor-biliary condition that induces disorders in the mechanism of calcium metabolism control. It also includes major neuromuscle hyperexcitability in the pre-vertebral region associated with the biped posture. Functional and morphological lesions in the cervical region of the spine, with Arnold-type manifestations and spasmophilia prevail in the final clinical picture. This picture is very early associated with multiple dental caries that may progress to edentation. The clinical picture appears as a coherent pattern, from a clinical, morpho-functional and pathogenic perspective.

Research on red cell membrane permeability in arterial hypertension.

Arterial hypertension, including the elucidation of hypertension pathogenic mechanisms involving elements in the composition of the blood, continues to represent a topical research area. Recent work, such as nuclear magnetic resonance studies looking into red cell permeability, illustrates the presence of modifications of red cell permeability to water (RCPW) related to the stage of arterial hypertension. The identification of a significant increase of RCPW compared to that present in the population with normal arterial pressure values can be useful both in early diagnosis and in warning about a possible predisposition for this condition. At the same time, the dynamic investigation of protonic relaxation time of both intra- and extra-erythrocytic water, the assessment of proton exchange time across the red cell and the calculation of permeability to water enable one not only to diagnose arterial hypertension but also to ascertain the evolution of the disease, its complications and the effectiveness of anti-hypertensive medication. Our studies have also proven the existence of a correlation between the values of systolic arterial pressure and red cell permeability to water. The curve describing the interdependence of the two values has the shape of a bell, in the case of males. The peak of the curve is reached for a systolic pressure of 160 mmHg and gets below the values of the control group in the case of systolic pressures above 200 mmHg. The RCPW test can also be considered a valuable indicator in evaluating the risk of stroke in hypertensive patients. In the chronic therapy of arterial hypertension with various types of anti-hypertensive drugs, one can note differences in the RCPW values related to the effectiveness of the respective medication, to the clinical form and stage of the disease, the sex of the patient as well as to the existence of cerebro-vascular complications.

Immune mechanisms in the process of hepatopathies chronicization. Contribution and role of lymphokines.

The study attempts to evaluate the role of interleukin-6 (IL-6) in the pathogenesis of chronic hepatitis. We have used EIA sensitive methods to determine the serum concentration in patients with chronic active hepatitis of HB (+) (CAH-HE Ag+) antigen, with chronic active hepatitis of HB(-) (CAH-HBAg-) antigen and in those with persistent chronic hepatitis of HB(+) (CPH-HBAg+) antigen, compared with a group of controls (blood donors) in whom HBAgs, antiHBs, HBAge, antiHBe and anti HBc were absent. Disease status diagnosis was given in accordance with international conventions, immunologic tests included. The fact that the T lymphocytes with a CD56 are present in the liver and that same marker is also encountered on the Kuppfer cells, but not on the T lymphocytes in circulation, shows that in the liver the interleukin 6 is produced by the activated T lymphocytes and by the Kuppfer cells. Therefore, in such conditions, LB stimulation and growth is performed rather by IL-6 and to a lesser extent by IL-8. This statement is also supported by the finding that in the lymphocyte cultures in the peripheral blood there is no difference in the response to polyclonal mitogens between patients with CAH-HBAg(+) and those with CAH-HBAg(-). Also, there are no significant differences in the total immunoglobulin concentrations, but there are differences in the IgM concentration (greater in CAH-HBAg(+). In our investigations, the serum level of IL-6 (40.1 +/- 6.8 pg/ml) was higher in those with higher immunoglobulin concentrations-both IgG, but more particularly IgM. The IgM increase was correlated with the presence of HBAg. Therefore, the highest IL-6 values were found in CAH with HBAg(+). Increases of serum IL-6 concentrations were found during intervals of severe hepatic aggression manifested in a cytolitic syndrome, with transaminase increase. In the case of determinations in dynamics, the values decreased as the enzyme titre decreased. We can state that the serum activity of IL-6 reflects the degree of liver inflammation and can be used as a parameter for monitoring the disease.

Painless myocardial ischemia and atherosclerous valvulopathies--their great statistical prevalence.

3384 patients over 40 years old referred to our Cardiovascular Laboratory for overt cardiovascular complaints were examined by usual non-invasive investigations. Painless myocardial ischemia (PMI) prevalence was 17.49% and degenerative aortic and mitral valvulopathies incidence was 15.60%. PMI predominate in women especially in the group 50-59 years of age in which painful forms of ischemic heart disease have the highest prevalence in men. Although more affected by painless myocardial ischemia, women show a more favourable outcome than men. Ischemic heart disease was frequently associated with isolated mitral regurgitation. In the elderly patients mitral valvulopathy was associated with calcific aortic stenosis. No significant difference was noted between mitral and aortic valvulopathies prevalence.