[Beneficial effect of the ACE inhibitor captopril in normotensive patients with insulin-dependent diabetes]. / Az ACE-gátló captopril kedvezö hatása normotenziós, inzulindependens cukorbetegekben.

The increase of glomerular filtration can often be observed in patients with insulin dependent diabetes mellitus, even in the early stage of the disease and it does not require the presence of microalbuminuria. This phenomenon can be explained by vasoconstriction occurring in the efferent arterioles. Eighteen normotensive, diabetic patients (aged: 28-42) who developed increased glomerular filtration were recruited in this study. The specific objectives were: 1. to study the beneficial effect of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor on the glomerular filtration, 2. to evaluate the effect of this treatment on blood pressure and hemodynamic parameters in normotensive, diabetic subjects. After a placebo period of one week, patients were treated orally a daily dose of 3 x 6.25 mg of captopril for twelve weeks. Glomerular filtration was assessed by the isotopic clearance method and blood pressure recordings were taken every 30 minutes throughout a day using an automatic programmable device. Preload, afterload and linear ejection fraction were estimated by echocardiograph, whereas cardiac index was measured by isotopic first pass technique. At the end of the treatment period a significant decrease of glomerular filtration was observed (from 141.9 +/- 10 ml/min to 98.9 +/- 12 ml/min; p < 0.01. Similarly, the afterload exhibited a significant drop due to drug treatment (45.6 +/- 5.8 x 10(3) dyn/cm2 vs. 55.4 +/- 4.7 x 10(3) dyn/cm2 at the end of the placebo period (p < 0.01). However, preload, linear ejection fraction, and cardiac index did not significantly change during the treatment. According to the results obtained from this study a beneficial effect of captopril on the early development of the glomerular hyperfiltration was demonstrated in normotensive diabetic patients who did not develop microalbuminuria. This issue needs to be investigated further in a large scale clinical trial.

Hungarian Isradipine Study (HIS): long-term (3-year) effects on blood pressure and plasma lipids.

These are the preliminary data of an open multicenter trial of antihypertensive treatment with isradipine as monotherapy (dose, 4.55 +/- 0.56 mg twice daily; n = 11) or isradipine (7.5 +/- 0.63 mg twice daily) in combination with bopindolol (1.16 +/- 0.12 mg once daily; n = 30) administered for 3 years to patients with essential hypertension (WHO classification I or II). Blood pressure was significantly decreased in both treatment groups and there was no indication of resistance to therapy. Plasma levels of total cholesterol and triglycerides were decreased by the end of the second year of treatment, and there was a tendency toward increase in plasma levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL2 or HDL3). The atherogenic index (ratio between total cholesterol and HDL2 plus HDL3) was also decreased. Blood glucose levels remained unchanged in both normoglycemic patients and those with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) during 3 years of therapy. It is concluded that isradipine is safe and effective when administered long-term in the treatment of hypertensive patients with either hyperlipidemia or NIDDM.

[Testing the acid-binding capacity of Tisacid suspension and tablets by intragastric pH determination in patients with hyperacidity]. / Tisacid szuszpenzió és tabletta savkötö képességének vizsgálata intragasztrikus pH-méréssel hiperacid betegekben.

The effect of a Hungarian Al-Mg-containing drug, called Tisacid was studied using of 2.0, 1.0 and 0.5 gram doses. Two administration forms, suspension and tablet were compared. Ten informed, adult hyperacid volunteers were included into the program and three times 5-hour intragastric pH-metry was carried out in a randomized, self-controlled open clinical study (Control, after administration of tablet or suspension). Both forms were found effective in gastric acid reduction at doses of 2.0 and 1.0 g. Tisacid suspension revealed a more pronounced efficacy at the dose of 2.0 g in comparison to the same dose of tablet form. The 0.5 g dose seemed insufficient in reduction of gastric acidity in hyperacid patients applied in tablet or suspension forms. The authors emphasize the role of continuous intragastric pH-metry in clinical practice and investigation of antacids and antisecretory drugs.

[Comparative clinical study of Neopanpur and Creon]. / Neopanpur és Kreon összehasonlító klinikai vizsgálata.

The aim of the study was to compare the clinical efficacy of Neopanpur (EGIS) and Creon (Kalichemie) in patients with chronic pancreatitis. Fifteen patients were examined for 2 x 10 days. A period: Neopanpur 3 x 2, B period: Creon 10,000 3 x 2. The type of the trial was: randomized, open, crossover study. The complaints of the patients (in score), the characters of the stool (daily weight, fat content, foamy, smell), amylum tolerance test (ATT), H2-breath test, lipjodol-test, Lundh-test and Schilling-test were determined before and during the treatment periods. Both enzyme preparations could effectively decrease the anamnestic complaints, the stool frequency and characteristics together with the laboratory results of pancreatic functions. There is no clinically significant difference between the clinical efficacy of Creon and Neopanpur. Both enzyme preparations can be applied in the treatment of maldigestion in patients with chronic pancreatic insufficiency.

[Hepatitis virus (HBV, HCV, HDV) markers in chronic liver diseases. Comparative studies in two East-Central European countries]. / Hepatitis vírus (HBV, HCV, HDV) markerek idült májbetegségekben. Osszehasonlító vizsgálatok két közép-kelet-európai országban.

The prevalence of hepatitis virus markers in patients with chronic liver diseases from two countries has been studied: 68 patients (38 alcoholic hepatitis or cirrhosis, 30 chronic HBsAg-positive hepatitis) from Hungary as well as 109 patients (55 alcoholic liver disease, 45 chronic hepatitis or cryptogenic cirrhosis and 9 hepatoma) from Romania were examined for HBsAg, anti-HBs, anti-HBc, anti-HCV and anti-HDV, using the corresponding Abbott Elisa test systems. In alcoholic liver disease HBsAg occurred in 6/38 patients from Hungary and in 22/55 patients respectively, that is HBV markers occurred with significantly higher frequency in alcoholic patients from Romania (p less than 0.05). In the Hungarian group a total of 36 patients were HBsAg positive and out of them 5 had anti-HDV (13.9%), while out of 21 Romania HBsAg carriers 10 patients had anti-HDV (47.6%). Among 9 hepatoma patients 4 had HBsAg, 6 anti-HBs and 7 anti-HBc and 4 had anti-HCV and 3 had anti-HDV. One patient with hepatoma had both HBsAg and anti-HCV plus anti-HDV as well. Results suggest that the infection with hepatitis viruses in alcoholic liver diseases is more common in Romania than in Hungary, and the prevalence of delta virus infection in HBV carriers is also significantly higher in Romania than in Hungary.

Mechanisms of vagal nerve in gastric mucosal defense: unchanged gastric emptying and increased vascular permeability.

Gastric cytoprotection in response to different agents (prostaglandins, carotenoids, etc.) failed to occur after surgical vagotomy. Decreased gastric emptying and the increased vascular permeability were tested in ethanol-treated rats without and with bilateral surgical vagotomy. The experiments were carried out on Sprague-Dawley rats. The animals were fasted for 24 h before experiments. Bilateral surgical vagotomy or only laparatomy were carried out at 30 min before administration of ethanol (96%, 1 ml). The animals were killed at 0, 1, 5, 15, and 60 min after ethanol administration, when the number and severity of gastric mucosal lesions were noted. In another series of experiments, the animal received Evans blue (1 mg/100 g) i.v. 15 min before killing. The gastric contents were collected and the glandular mucosa was scraped. Evans blue was extracted in chloroform, and its concentration was spectrophotometrically measured. It has been found that (a) both number of lesions and severity of ethanol-induced gastric mucosal damage were larger at each time period in surgically vagotomized rats than in rats with intact vagal nerves; (b) the increased vascular permeability was significantly higher in gastric mucosa at an early period in surgically vagotomized rats compared to rats with intact vagal nerve; (c) the increased vascular events preceded the development of macroscopic appearance of gastric mucosa damage in both groups of animals; and (d) the time-related responses were the same in both groups of animals. It is concluded that increased vascular permeability, but not gastric emptying, probably has some role in the failure of the development of gastric cytoprotection in surgically vagotomized rats.

Measurement of non-steroid antiinflammatory drugs induced gastric microbleeding.

The damage of the mucous membranes in the gastrointestinal tract caused by non-steroid antiinflammatory drugs are well known. The gastrointestinal microbleeding was measured by the method of Fischer and Hunt before and after the intake of indomethacin (4 x 25 mg), naproxen-sodium (4 x 275 mg), diclofenac (3 x 50 mg) and azapropazone (2 x 600 mg). In the indomethacin group microbleeding increased from 0.91 +/- 0.12 ml/24 h to 7.30 +/- 1.20 ml/h. In the naproxen-sodium group from 1.22 +/- 0.16 ml/24 h to 3.56 +/- 0.40 ml/24 h, in the diclofenac group from 0.86 +/- 0.14 ml/24 h to 3.18 +/- 0.28 ml/24 h, in azapropazone group from 0.92 +/- 0.18 ml/24 h to 2.50 +/- 0.20 ml/24 h, respectively. All non-steroid antiinflammatory drugs increased the gastric microbleeding, however, there were considerable differences in the degree of enhancement. This can be explained by the different inhibitory activities of the drugs on the cyclooxygenase enzyme activity.

Clinical evidence of hepatoprotection induced by ursodeoxycholic acid.

Ursodeoxycholic-acid (UDCA) was introduced to the clinical practice as an effective agent for the dissolution of gallstones. The efficacy of UDCA was proved recently in the treatment of patients with chronic cholestatic liver disease. We demonstrate the hepatoprotective effect of UDCA in a patient with chronic cholestatic liver disease. A sixty-nine years old male patient was admitted to our department with severe jaundice. The laboratory and radiologic examinations revealed significant cholestasis without any morphological alterations. Among the serological tests the anti-HCV antibody was positive. Based on these findings and anamnestic data (no blood transfusion and/or operation), sporadic chronic C virus hepatitis was assumed with dominant cholestasis. The corticosteroid therapy even in high doses was ineffective, the liver function parameters worsened. Later UDCA (Ursofalk, Falk Pharma) was given at a dose of 250 mg three times daily. Clinical improvement was seen after the first week of UDCA treatment. The patient's complaints relieved parallel with decrease of serum bilirubin, gamma-glutamyl transferase and transaminase levels. These parameters showed further decrease during the treatment.

Failure of prostacyclin, beta-carotene, atropine and cimetidine to produce gastric cyto- and general mucosal protection in surgically vagotomized rats.

Different chemicals (such as ethanol, HCl, drugs) produce gastric mucosal injury. A special type of gastric mucosal defense, which differed from the inhibition of gastric acid secretion, was discovered in response to small doses of prostaglandins. This phenomenon was termed "gastric cytoprotection". Later, the existence of gastric cytoprotection was proved using different compounds, such as vitamin A and other carotenoids, prostacyclin, small doses of anticholinergic and H2-blocking agents. These compounds produce cyto-protection by different mechanisms. In this study we tested the role of vagus nerve on the development of these different types of gastric cytoprotection. These compounds prevent ethanol-induced gastric mucosal injury in rats with intact vagus nerve, but their cyto- and mucosal protective effects disappear in surgically vagotomized rats. These results indicate that the intact vagus nerve is basically necessary for the overproduction of HCl and pepsin secretion, and for the development of gastric cytoprotection, produced by different compounds (e.g. prostacyclin, beta-carotene, small doses of atropine and cimetidine) acting without the presence of inhibition of gastric acid secretion.

[Multistep prognosis in acute myocardial infarction using the PRIMA method (Pattern Recognition by Independent Multicategory Analysis)]. / Friss myocardialis infarctusban szenvedö betegek többlépcsös prognosztizálása PRIMA módszerrel.

Authors analysed the possibilities of in-hospital prognosis made of patients with acute myocardial infarction by using information obtained during admission. Eighty eight patients with transmural myocardial infarction (not older than 70 years and the prehospital delay shorter than 24 hours) were analysed. On the basis of the hospital events they were divided into 3 classes: (a) uneventful (16), (b) complicated (55) and (c) lethal (17). The initial 26 data available in the first hour were analysed by PRIMA pattern recognition method adapted to ROSY--80B microcomputer. 3 days later the 3 class distances of the initial PRIMA analysis together with the 21 new data of the remaining 79 patients were analysed again. The third analysis (66 patients) was made between the 4th and 6th days after a successful mobilization. The last analysis (44 patients) was performed just before the discharge of the patients, who were able to carry out the low-level and submaximal ergometric tests. The average effectiveness of the method gradually improved during hospitalization from 80% to 91%. The recognition ability of each class respectively was 57% for (a) uneventful, 82% for (b) complicated, and 95% for (c) lethal initially, and it has improved finally: 82% for uneventful, 94% for complicated cases.

[Hemorheologic parameters during the 6 months following myocardial infarct]. / Haemorheologiai paraméterek alakulása a myocardialis infarctust követö fél évben.

It is verified that rheological factors play a role in the pathomechanism of ischemic heart disease (IHD) and acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The changes of the rheological parameters (whole blood and plasma viscosity, fibrinogen level, hematocrit) of 17 patients (mean age: 59 years) were studied in the first six months after AMI. The measurements were carried out after the admission, before the discharge from the hospital and at the control examinations after one and six months. A slight increase of hematocrit and whole blood viscosity was found during the six months follow up period which was statistically significant concerning the hematocrit (p less than 0.05). As the part of the control examination exercise stress test was performed. Among the rheological parameters hematocrit and whole blood viscosity of those who showed myocardial ischemia during the test were significantly worse (p less than 0.05) comparing to the non ischemic group. These results underline the role of hemorheological parameters as risk factors in these diseases.