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Liver changes after separate and combined action of vibration (whole body, 100 Hz, 0.1 mm amplitude) and other factors: noise (white noise 105 dB/A), heat (35 degrees C, humidity 45--55% and air velocity 0.2--0.3 ms-1) and lead (lead acetate, 20 mg/kg) were studied in white rats. The exposure lasted for 2 h daily during 10 days (lead was daily applied per os in a water solution). After the treatment in liver homogenates the activity of SucDH, LDH, and ATP-ase, as well as the quantity of soluble proteins (SP) and -SH gr were determined. In fresh frozen liver slices the activity of SucDH, LDH, and ATP-ase were investigated. Liver samples were studied by light and electro-microscopy. The results show that vibration alone did not produce marked changes, but when the other factors acted simultaneously, more expressed alterations in the liver were found. The most pronounced changes were obtained after vibration and lead effect. The histological, histochemical, and electron-microscopic findings support the biochemical data about certain disturbances in the energy supply and utilization in the liver tissue.

The organic bone matrix contains glycosaminoglycans (GAG) of which the precise function and importance in bone mineralisation are still unclear. We examined 85 persons--35 healthy women (25 premenopausal [preMP] mean aged 40.7 years; 10 menopausal [MP] mean aged 59.3 years) and 50 patients with postmenopausal osteoporosis [PMOP] at a mean age 60.4 years. The dynamic of urinary excretion of GAG was measured in 24-hour collected urine by precipitation with cetylpyridinum chloride and spectrophotometry at 560 nm, corrected for the level of excretion of creatinine. There was a significant increase in GAG excretion in patients with PMOP compared with healthy persons (8.25 mg/g and 9.53 mg/g vs 24.11 mg/g; p < 0.0001). A significant positive correlation was established between GAG and calcium urinary excretion and a negative one between GAG and serum estradiol levels. During the treatment with calcitonin the excretion of GAG was decreased which can be used for monitoring the changes of bone metabolism.