Effect of Tokaj wine in combination with water and 10% alcohol solution on long-life and development of alcohol progeria in Wistar SPF rats.

Whole-life consumption of the pure Tokaj wine (The Furmint variety) with documented antioxidative activity significantly elongated (p<0.05) the life of laboratory animals in comparison to the control group consuming water and in comparison to group consuming ethanol (10%). Whole-life intake of ethanol (10%) diluted with water neither shortened nor elongated life of laboratory animals in comparison to control group consuming water. An increased dosing of the Tokaj wine combined with water shortened life expectation (p<0.001). Obviously mixing of wine and water increases the absorption of toxic elements influenced by an acid medium through the change of anions to cations, but also increased appetite resulting into obesity on the basis of hyperphagia.

Changes of erythrocyte deformability in pregnancy with intrauterine fetal hypoxy.

Based on changes of erythrocyte deformability (ED) found in normal pregnancy the authors decided to study the group of pregnant women with intrauterine fetal hypoxy. We selected 47 pregnant patients between 32 and 37 weeks of pregnancy with intrauterine fetal hypoxy, which was diagnosed by Doppler umbilical cord artery blood flow measurement and/or by CTG signs of fetal hypoxy. The control group was composed of 26 healthy women in the third trimester of pregnancy with uncomplicated pregnancy and labor. ED was studied in the venous blood of pregnant women using method of colloid-osmotic hemolysis (Mirossay et al., Clin Haemorheol Microcircul, 1997). 21 newborns from the study group, treated for intrauterine fetal hypoxy, were born without symptoms of hypoxy (non verified hypoxy) and 26 newborns had a diagnosis of hypoxy, based on Apgar score, pH, base excess, bicarbonate and clinical symptoms (verified hypoxy). The entire group of 47 pregnant women with fetal hypoxy had significantly decreased ED. The changes of ED in the group with non verified hypoxy post partum were less pronounced comparing to the group with verified hypoxy. The pattern of these changes is similar to those observed one day prior to delivery in normal pregnancy. Pregnancy complicated by intrauterine fetal hypoxy is accompanied by statistically highly significant decrease of erythrocyte deformability. Interestingly similar changes can be observed in the late uncomplicated pregnancy prior to delivery.

Anoxia/induced membrane changes in human red blood cells.

The cation-osmotic hemolysis was studied in human red blood cells incubated under anoxic conditions. In relation to the time course of anoxia, two phases of hemolysis were distinguished. A significant decrease of hemolysis was found between 3 and 24 h of incubation. On the other hand, hemolysis was significantly increased after prolonged incubation (48-72 h). Using the method of cation-osmotic hemolysis, the properties of two membrane constituents, spectrine membrane skeleton and membrane bilayer, were studied. The relation between cation-osmotic hemolysis and erythrocyte deformability is being discussed.

Differences between cation-osmotic hemolysis and filterability in exaprolol- and glutaraldehyde-treated human red blood cells.

The changes in human red blood cell microrheology in different glutaraldehyde (3.0 and 5.0 x 10(-6) mol x l(-1)) and exaprolol (2.5 and 5.0 x 10(-4) mol x l(-1)) concentrations were studied. The method of millipore filtration was compared with the method of cation-osmotic hemolysis. Both drugs prolonged the filtration time. Cation-osmotic hemolysis in glutaraldehyde-treated cells was significantly lower in comparison with the control group. On the other hand, there was a significant increase in cation-osmotic hemolysis in exaprolol-treated cells. Besides cation-osmotic hemolysis and filterability of erythrocytes, we evaluated the medium cell volume (MCV) and the medium cell hemoglobin concentration (MCHC). No changes in MCV and MCHC in glutaraldehyde-treated cells were observed. However, the MCV was significantly lower and the MCHC was significantly higher in exaprolol-treated cells. In conclusion, we suggest that the method of cation-osmotic hemolysis is more sensitive than the filtration method for determination of red blood cell microrheology.

Ionic hemolysis behaviour of erythrocytes in healthy newborns during the first year of life.

The ionic hemolysis in healthy babies during the first year of life was studied. The hemolysis in low as well as high ionic strength was observed. It was found that the hemolysis in low ionic strength is lower during the first year of life in comparison with adults. However, hemolysis in high ionic strength was significantly lower only between 1-15 days old newborns. The ionic hemolysis in relation to the other biophysical factors in newborns is discussed.

Effect of stobadine on carbon tetrachloride-induced erythrocyte membrane changes in rats.

Our previous study showed that stobadine is effective against ischemia/reperfusion-induced gastric mucosal injury. The present study examined the ability of stobadine to protect erythrocyte membrane against free radical injury after long-term carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) application. The erythrocyte membrane changes were established using colloid-osmotic hemolysis. The significant increase of colloid-osmotic hemolysis was found in animals treated with CCl4. CCl4 also increased formation of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARs) and decreased thiol group content. Stobadine in both doses (10.0 and 20.0 mg.kg-1) protected erythrocyte membrane against CCl4-induced injury. The membrane lipid bilayer is the most affected part of the erythrocyte membrane. In presence of stobadine, CCl4-induced lipid peroxidation was partially or totally prevented whereas the level of total membrane thiols was increased. Based on these results, it can be concluded that protective effect of stobadine on CCl4-induced erythrocyte membrane changes should be related to its antioxidant properties.

Comparison of two methods in erythrocyte microrheology determination using glutaraldehyde-treated cells.

The change in human red blood cell microrheology in different glutaraldehyde concentrations (1.5, 3.0 and 5.0 x 10(-6) mol l-1) was studied. The method of millipore filtration was compared with the method of cation-osmotic hemolysis. The obtained results revealed that the prolongation of the erythrocyte filtration time correlated with the curve shifts found in cation-osmotic hemolysis. Contrary to the filtration method, significant differences between two lower concentrations of glutaraldehyde (1.5 and 3.0 x 10(-6) mol l-1) were found. Therefore, we conclude that the cation-osmotic hemolysis is more sensitive than the filtration method in determining the red blood cell deformability.

[The effect of global cerebral ischemia on erythrocyte deformability and cerebral microcirculation in dogs]. / Vplyv globálnej ischémie mozgu na erytrocytárnu deformabilitu a cerebrálnu mikrocirkuláciu u psa.

The state of cerebral ischemia and the following recirculation affect also the blood rheology. The erythrocyte microrheology was studied less than the blood plasma changes. The presented paper is focused on the erythrocyte microrheology changes after global brain ischemia. Both mild and serious global ischemia were induced by the exclusion of cerebral blood circulation for seven min. Thereafter followed the period of recirculation. The changes of erythrocyte microrheology were studied using the method of colloid-osmotic hemolysis. After 180 minutes of recirculation, a significant increase of colloid-osmotic hemolysis was observed. After this until the 240th a significant decrease of colloid-osmotic hemolysis followed. In the group in which mild cerebral ischemia was induced the above mentioned changes were only slightly presented. Important is the fact that the changes in erythrocyte microrheology after serious brain ischemia are in correlation with the changes in cerebral microcirculation. After serious brain ischemia the trombotisation as well as the blood stasis occurred (no-reflow phenomenon).

Changes of erythrocyte microrheology during normal pregnancy and after delivery.

OBJECTIVES: The changes of blood hemorheology during pregnancy are still the subject of many studies. Erythrocyte membrane deformability (ED) as one of the main components forming blood hemorheology was studied in the present paper. STUDY DESIGN: The changes in ED were measured in healthy non-pregnant women and in three groups of pregnant women in the first, second and third trimester. The last group consisted of women after delivery. The colloid-osmotic hemolysis method in relation to the change ionic strength was used for ED measurements. The significance of differences was evaluated by the unpaired Student's t-test. RESULTS: The results revealed that ED during pregnancy progressively decreases but after delivery significantly increases. Statistical differences between means in all three trimesters were significant in comparison with non-pregnant women. CONCLUSION: We conclude that the changes of ED are important for the normal course of gravidity and are probably connected to hormonal changes during pregnancy and after delivery.

Effect of stobadine on gastric mucosal injury after ischaemia/reperfusion.

The ability of stobadine to prevent gastric mucosal injury was tested in rat gastric ischaemia induced by 30 min clamping of the coeliac artery with subsequent 30 min reperfusion. Serious injury of gastric mucosa (macroscopic and microscopic) and the increase of microvascular permeability was found after ischaemia/reperfusion in rats without stobadine. After oral pretreatment with stobadine (5 mg.kg-1, 30 min before surgery), the development of gastric mucosal lesions and changes of vascular permeability were significantly decreased.

Experimental studies of some microrheological factors in serious brain ischemia after stobadine pretreatment.

Serious brain ischemia was induced by occlusion of cerebral arteries in dogs. The occlusion time was 7 min. The blood was collected at various intervals of reperfusion (5, 60, 180, 240 min and 24 h). Thirty minutes before ischemization, stobadine was given (1, 2, or 5 mg/kg). The changes of erythrocyte membrane fluidity were evaluated using colloid-osmotic hemolysis induced by brilliant cresyl blue. In the control group (without stobadine) the colloid-osmotic hemolysis was significantly increased immediately after ischemization and after 5 and 60 min. However, after 240 min of reperfusion, a significant decrease of hemolysis was observed. The increase of colloid-osmotic hemolysis after ischemization in the control group was prevented after stobadine pretreatment. The thrombotization of microcirculation that was observed in the control group was not present after stobadine pretreatment.

[The effect of long-term administration of levamisole and muramyl-dipeptide on phagocytic activity of polymorphonuclear leukocytes in relation to the age of rats]. / Vplyv dlhodobého podávania levamizolu a muramyl-dipeptidu na fagocytovú aktivitu polymorfonukleárnych leukocytov v závislosti od veku potkanov.

The authors observed an immunostimulating effect of levamisole and MDP on fagocyting activity (FA) of neutrophile polymorphonuclear leucocytes in dependence on ageing in rats. They observed 3 age groups, namely 3, 12 and 18 month old animals. The substances were administered during a period of 30 days. It was found out that following both substances, FA elevation in 3 month old animals was significant after 15 days of medicament administration, though, in the 12 month old animals it supervened after 15 and also 30 days. In 18 month old animals following levamisole administration, a significant FA increase supervened only following 15 days; though after MDP administration, it supervened after 25 and also 30 days. It is remarkable that in this group, during administration of both medicaments, 38-50% of animals died. The study points out that age represents a factor which modifies the effect of immunostimulating substances. (Fig. 2, Ref. 16)

Differences in haemolytic action of Hg2+ in relation to its concentration and ionic strength of incubating solutions.

The haemolytic action of different concentrations of HgCl2 on rat red blood cells (RBC) was studied in vitro. The concentrations of HgCl2 in incubating media were 0.15, 0.25 and 0.50 mmol.l-1. The ionic strength of the media varied from 0 to 154 mmol.l-1 NaCl. Isotonicity of solutions was also compensated using isotonic glucose in different concentrations (287-0 mmol.l-1). Osmolarity of solutions varied from 287 to 308 mOsm. Besides these solutions the haemolysis in Krebs-Ringer solution was also studied. Haemolysis was characterized with two maxima in all concentrations of Hg2+. The first maximum was observed at low ionic strength and the second one at high ionic strength. In relation to the increased concentrations of Hg2+, the first maximum of haemolysis progressively declined towards the higher ionic strength. In the Krebs-Ringer solutions, the increased concentration of Hg2+ was followed by reduced haemolysis. The haemolytic concentration of 0.15 mmol.l-1 was found to be optimal.

The influence of glucose and saccharose on haemolytic action of HgCl2 in relation to the ionic strength of the incubating medium.

The haemolytic action of HgCl2 (0, 15 mmol.l-1) was studied in relation to the ionic strength and concentration of glucose and saccharose in incubating medium. Blood from 94 donors, aged 19-46 years were used in our experiments. In relation to the ionic strength the haemolytic action was characteristic with two maxima of haemolysis. The first at low ionic strength and second one at the high. Both maxima in solutions containing saccharose were significantly diminished in glucose. These facts show a negative influence of saccharose on the haemorheological properties of the erythrocyte membrane.

[The effect of brilliant cresyl blue on erythrocyte degeneration in patients after acute stroke]. / Zmeny v rozpade erytrocytov úcinkom briliantkrezylovej modrej u pacientov po náhlej mozgovej cievnej príhode.

The authors investigated the disintegration of red cells by the action of brilliant cresyl blue in patients after an acute cerebrovascular attack and compared them with the disintegration in blood donors. In the patients the disintegration was assessed within 24 hours after the attack and after one year. The disintegration was assessed in two incubation solutions i.e. in isotonic saline and in Krebs-Ringer solution after three hours incubation at 37 degrees C. It was revealed that in the control group the disintegration of erythrocytes in isotonic saline is much greater than in Krebs-Ringer solution. The difference between the action of the two solutions is highly significant. In patients immediately after the attack as well as in the group which did not survive the period of one year (7 patients) and the group which survived the period of one year (8 patients) the difference in disintegration in the two solutions is significant but at a lower level of significance. It is thus smaller than in the control group. However, in the group which survived for one year this difference is again highly significant, similarly as in the control group. The author discusses the problem of metabolic influencing of the elasticity and deformability of the red cell membrane and its impact on the rheology of blood.

Effect of chlorpromazine on ulcer formation by indomethacin in histamine- and insulin-stimulated rats.

The effect of chlorpromazine on ulcer formation by indomethacin and on total gastric secretion and gastric acid secretion was studied in rats. Secretion and ulceration were evaluated under basal conditions and after the administration of histamine or insulin, i.e. substances stimulating gastric acid secretion. The authors confirmed that chlorpromazine inhibits basal secretion and found that it also inhibits histamine- and insulin-stimulated gastric secretion, in correlation to the dose. It also strongly inhibits the formation of stomach lesions caused by indomethacin under basal conditions and after pretreatment with histamine (3 and 10 mg/kg) and insulin (0.3 IU/kg). Chlorpromazine did not inhibit lesions formed after combining indomethacin with insulin in a dose of 3 IU/kg. The results show that although chlorpromazine inhibits both basal and centrally or peripherally stimulated gastric secretion, its effect on stomach lesions caused by indomethacin is not uniform. Pretreatment with insulin in a dose of 3 IU/kg demonstrates that indomethacin-induced stomach lesions are markedly potentiated by this dose of insulin and are not dependent on gastric secretion only. The inability of chlorpromazine to inhibit these lesions gives the evidence that other--probably central--mechanisms play a role in their development.

[The effect of exaprolol and sodium salicylate on erythrocyte hemolysis in relation to age]. / Vplyv exaprololu a salicylanu sodného na hemolýzu erytrocytov v závislosti od veku.

The effect of exaprolol and sodium salicylate on hemolysis of erythrocytes was studied in dependence on the age of rats. Rats of the Wistar strain were used in the experiment in six different age groups. Exaprolol concentration was in the range from 0.24 to 0.48 mmol.l-1. Sodium salicylate was used in the concentrations of 0.1, 1, and 5 mmol.l-1. The effect of sodium salicylate on exaprolol induced hemolysis depended on the concentration of the two drugs and on the age of the animals. Significant changes were recorded at the concentrations of 1 and 5 mmol.l-1 of sodium salicylate. In 48- and 72-week-old rats sodium salicylate stabilized the erythrocyte membrane, whereas in 3-week-old rats increased decomposition was observed. The differences in the membrane labilizing effect of exaprolol and the membrane stabilizing effect of sodium salicylate, which were found to be age dependent, are presumably determined by qualitative changes in the structure of the erythrocyte membrane occurring in the course of postnatal development.

[Experimental gerontology and the reliability theory]. / Experimentálna gerontológia a teória spol'ahlivosti.

The reliability theory was elaborated for the estimation of the reliable action of technical systems. When it is applied to biological systems, it is important to characterize unequivocally the disorder which will substantially after the reliable activity of the entire organism or of individual systems. The authors investigated in their experiments during the postnatal development of rats changes in the erythrocyte stability. The age-conditioned decline was evaluated as a disorder. The erythrocyte stability was assessed in animals of different age, i. e. in 4-, 6-, 10-, 18- and 24-month-old animals by the method of the haemolytical action of brilliant cresyl blue in isotonic NaCl solution. The results of experiments suggest that when red cells were incubated in isotonic NaCl solution only, there was no difference in the lysis of erythrocytes in different age groups. However, when they were incubated in isotonic NaCl with brilliant cresyl blue, there was a significantly greater haemolysis in red cells of 4-, 18- and 24-month-old rats, as compared with the lysis of red cells from 6- and 10-month-old animals. Red cell lysis conditioned by brilliant cresyl blue in relation to age is discussed from the aspect of the reliability theory.