Poly(ADP-ribose) glycohydrolase in bovine retained and not retained placenta.

Poly(ADP-ribose) glycohydrolase (PARG) is the enzyme which degrades poly(ADP-ribose) polymers synthesized by poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP). Both enzymes are activated in response to different stimuli like oxidative stress and are involved in DNA repair processes. The retention of bovine foetal membranes (RFM) is supposed to be connected with oxidative stress conditions. The aim of the study was to detect the presence of PARG protein in bovine placenta in order to find the relationship between the process of releasing, retaining placenta and DNA repair. Placentomes, collected alter spontaneous delivery or caesarian section were divided into maternal as well as foetal part of placenta, homogenized and subjected to electrophoresis. Animals were divided into six groups as follows: A--caesarian section before term with RFM; B--caesarian section before term without RFM; C--spontaneous delivery at term with RFM; D--spontaneous delivery at term without RFM; E--caesarian section at term with RFM; F--caesarian section at term without RFM. PARG protein was detected in nitrocellulose membranes using commercially available bovine anti-PARG antibody and Western blotting technique. Single bands referred to bovine PARG standard were observed in all examined tissues as well as in human placenta used as the control of procedure. In addition, the intensity of staining was stronger in retained than properly released term placenta and in foetal than in maternal part of the placenta. These results may suggest the differences in enzyme protein content and careful conclusions can be drawn that the activities of PARG may be altered between compared groups of animals. It may confirm the presence of oxidative stress conditions and their consequences on metabolic pathways, the content of biologically active substances and processes of proper releasing placenta. Further experiments on PARG activity in bovine foetal membranes with respect to proper and improper placental release are necessary.

Prostaglandin E(2) 9-keto reductase activity in bovine retained and not retained placenta.

Prostaglandin E(2) 9-keto reductase (9-KPR) activity shifts reversibly PGE(2) into PGF(2 alpha) and may be responsible for the control of prostaglandins (PGs) levels in, among others, placental tissues. The retention of fetal membranes in cows is the postpartum disorder where the disturbances in PGs metabolism have been reported. It has been argued whether these disturbances are due to alterations in 9-KPR activity. In this study, the activity of the enzyme was determined in maternal and fetal bovine placental tissues which were divided into 6 groups as follows: (A) caesarian section before term without retained fetal membranes (n=10), (B) caesarian section before term with retained fetal membranes (n=10), (C) caesarian section at term without retained fetal membranes (n=12), (D) caesarian section at term with retained fetal membranes (n=12), (E) spontaneous delivery at term without retained fetal membranes (n=12), (F) spontaneous delivery at term with retained fetal membranes (n=12). The enzyme activity was measured spectrophotometrically and expressed in nanokatals (nkat) per protein content. The activity increased towards parturition and was significantly higher in maternal than in fetal part of placenta in all groups examined. The significantly higher values in retained than in not retained placental tissues were observed in the samples examined. The present results indicate that the disturbances in 9-KPR activity in bovine retained placenta exist but their reasons still require further experiments.

[Levels of total mercury in scalp hair of children and youth from the selected rural area of the Lublin district]. / Poziomy rteci calkowitej we wlosach dzieci i mlodziezy z wybranego terenu wiejskiego Lubelszczyzny.

The total mercury content in the hair of 195 children and youth aged 4-15 years was determined using mercury analyzer AMA 254 (ALTEC-Czech Republic). The examined individuals lived on the rural area of south-east Lublin district. The analysis of the results did not revealed essential differences in the mean concentrations of mercury according to sex, age, colour of hair and dental amalgam fillings. There was found that average hair mercury level was higher in the group often consuming fish, mushrooms, pluck and giblets compared with the group prefering another kind of diet. The same conclusion was drawn in relation to the exposed and non-exposed to cigarette smoke groups.

Prostaglandin E2 9-keto reductase from bovine term placenta.

The aim of the following study was to determine the activity and physico-chemical properties of prostaglandin E2 9-keto reductase from bovine placenta. Placental tissues obtained immediately after parturition were subjected to purification procedure consisting of homogenization, affinity chromatography, gel filtration and allowed to electrophoresis. The activity of enzyme was measured spectrophotometrically. The purification procedures receive 135-fold purified enzyme preparate of the molecular weight of 45 kDa with the following kinetic values: Michaelis constant for PGE2, 117 microM and max velocity 183 pmol/min. The activity of enzyme was also detected with 20 alpha-hydroxypregn-4en-3-one and with 9,10-phenanthrenquinone (Michaelis constant 22 microM and 6 microM, respectively). The determination of physico-chemical properties of prostaglandin E2 9-keto reductase, performed for the first time in bovine placenta, should aid the understanding of the metabolism of prostaglandins and their biological importance in physiological and pathological conditions in cattle.

Activity of hyaluronidase in placental tissues from cows with and without retained fetal membranes.

Hyaluronidase, a proteoglycan-degrading enzyme, may have an influence on collagenolysis in bovine placenta and take part in the separation processes of the placenta in cows. There was, however, no evidence concerning the activity of this enzyme in those tissues. The experiment was performed on cows divided into two groups as follows: A, placenta not retained (n = 16); and B, placenta retained (n = 9). The activity of the enzyme was measured using a spectrophotometric method and zymography. The results showed statistically significant higher activity of hyaluronidase in the maternal and fetal parts of the placenta in cows with a retention of fetal membranes. Further experiments require substrate specificity studies and the presence of regulatory factors of this enzyme in bovine placental tissues.

[Content of lead, cadmium,copper and zinc in hair of school children from selected rural areas in greater Lublin]. / Zawartosc olowiu, kadmu, miedzi i cynku we wlosach dzieci szkolnych z wybranych terenów wiejskich Lubelszczyzny.

Contents of lead, cadmium, copper and zinc were determined in the hair of 164 rural school children aged 7-15 years, by means of flame AAS method. The children attended four schools situated in the villages: Uhnin, Debowa Kloda, Urszulin and Debina. There were stated the lower contents of lead and zinc (1.84 and 101.1 micrograms/g) and higher concentrations cadmium and copper (0.37 and 16.44 micrograms/g respectively) in the children's hair from Debina, comparing to the other villages. The statistical analysis of the results revealed essential difference in the mean lead contents according to sex (more, in the boy's hair). There was considering the relationship between heavy metals levels in the hair of the children's population and their age as well as correlations between lead, cadmium, copper and zinc concentrations in the hair samples.

The analysis of fatty acid content and phospholipase A2 activity in placenta of cows with and without retained fetal membranes.

The aim of the following study was the comparison of phospholipase A2 (PLA2) activity and fatty acids content in cows with and without retained fetal membranes. The activity of the enzyme and levels of fatty acids were measured in maternal and fetal placental tissues obtained from cows immediately after spontaneous parturition without (group A) and with (group B) retained fetal membranes. PLA2 activity was statistically significantly (P < 0.05) higher in group A than in group B, and was significantly lower in the fetal part than in the maternal part of placenta in both groups. The content of the examined fatty acids-myristic (14:0), palmitic (16:0), palmitoleic (16:1), stearic (18:0), oleic (18:1), linolenic (18:3), arachidic (20:0), arachidonic (20:4, AA)-was higher in group A than in B. Concentration of linoleic acid (18:2) showed the opposite relationship. There was a positive correlation between enzyme activity and content of det2ermined fatty acids. The results seem to confirm the bypothesis that the arachidonic acid pathway is altered in cases of retained placenta in cows.

[Determination of lead, cadmium, copper and zinc in hair of children from Lublin as a test of environmental pollution]. / Oznaczanie olowiu, kadmu, miedzi i cynku we wlosach dzieci Lublina jako próba oceny zanieczyszczenia srodowiska.

Concentration of lead, cadmium, copper and zinc were determined in the hair of 157 children aged 2-12 years, living in Lublin, by means of AAS method. The mean contents of the metals were: 6.34, 0.31, 12.9 and 110 micrograms/g respectively. In the children's hair from the centre and industrialized quarters of Lublin were determined higher concentration of lead and cadmium in comparison with those from the quarters which perform in significant degree the requirements of hygiene for the modern residential districts. The higher contents of lead and cadmium was observed in the preschool than in school children's hair. There was a close positive relationships between lead and cadmium concentrations in the hair and lead was inversely related to the zinc levels.

[Lead, cadmium, copper and zinc content in vegetables, gooseberry fruit and soil from gardening plots of Lublin]. / Zawartosc olowiu, kadmu, miedzi i cynku w warzywach, owocach agrestu oraz glebie ogrodów dzialkowych Lublina.

Lead, cadmium, copper and zinc contents in vegetables, fruits of gooseberries and in soil of Lublin gardening plots "Pionier" and "Podzamcze" both situated along heavy traffic streets, and "Pionier" additional to the close vicinity of automobile factory were determined by atomic absorption spectrophofometry. Statistical analysis of the results respected the streets or factory distances from the gardening plots, and the species of the vegetables. Levels of the determined elements in the most of the samples were lower than permitted by the Ministry of Health Regulation established in 1993. According to that Regulation a slight exceeding of zinc content in the red beetroots and in the overground parts of the leak were found. Lead content in the parsley root and in the dill was close to the tolerance limit. Both lead and cadmium of the soil of "Podzamcze" gardening plot significantly exceeded the levels considered as tolerable for unpolluted grounds, whereas the soil of "Pionier" contained lead close to limit of tolerance level.

[Surgical emergency interventions in acute diseases of the large intestine]. / Der chirurgische Notfalleingriff bei akuten Dickdarmerkrankungen.

Emergency operations due to acute colonic disease between 1. 1. 1984 and 31. 12. 1991 were retrospectively analyzed with regard to causality, surgical procedure, complications and mortality. 55 of 1105 colonic operations were emergency cases requiring immediate surgical intervention. Primary continuity preserving resections were carried out whenever possible, attending not only to the acute situation but also to the primary disease. The mean age of the 26 females and 29 males was 69 [1, 9] years. 29 patients had a colonic ileus, 21 a diffuse peritonitis and 5 patients had an uncontrolled haemorrhage. Colorectal carcinomas were initially diagnosed in 20 of the 50 patients; 14 of these patients (70%) could be operated for potential cure and primary continuity preserving resections were also possible for 14 patients (70%). Continuity preserving resections were possible for 18 of 21 patients with peritonitis and 3 colonic perforations were oversutured. In the 5 patients with acute haemorrhage, 4 resections and one transanal intervention were performed. Postoperative complications were observed in 19 patients (35%). Postoperative mortality was 16% (9/55), 5% for operations due to peritonitis, 24% for operations due to colonic ileus and 20% for operations due to haemorrhage. Primary continuity preserving resections were possible for 39 of 55 patients (71%).

[Study of the zinc content of hair and serum in selected skin diseases]. / Badania nad zawartoscia cynku w surowicy krwi i we wlosach w wybranych jednostkach chorobowych.

The authors examined 2 groups of patients treated in the Department of Dermatology in Lublin: I--acne phlegmonosa patients, II--alopecia areata patients. In the I group the zinc content was examined in hair using the atomic absorption spectrophotometry method (ASA). The results obtained with this method were analysed in comparison with the zinc content in serum measured indirectly by the alkaline phosphatase activity. In the II group the zinc levels were determined in serum using the atomic absorption spectrophotometry method and next the results were compared with the alkaline phosphatase activities in serum in these patients. The correlation was stated between both the zinc level in hair, in serum and the alkaline phosphatase activity in serum.

[Lead level of the hair in persons occupationally exposed to it in selected work places]. / Zawartosc olowiu we wlosach u osób narazonych zawodowo z wybranych zakladów pracy.

The concentration of lead was determined in the hair of 69 occupationally exposed and 55 non-exposed subjects. The mean lead content in the three selected occupationally exposed groups was 17.48, 29.03 and 25.74 micrograms/respectively, significant differences being found between some of them. The mean lead content in the hair of unexposed population was 4.20 micrograms/g. Statistical analysis of the results demonstrated a highly significant difference in mean lead levels between exposed and non-exposed groups. The subjects occupationally exposed to lead and its compounds exhibited no significant correlation between lead concentrations in hair and delta-aminolevulinic acid concentrations in urine.