Serum from women with a pregnancy complicated by a neural-tube defect contains autoantibodies that bind to folate receptors and can block the cellular uptake of folate. Further study is warranted to assess whether the observed association between maternal autoantibodies against folate receptors and neural-tube defects reflects a causal relation.

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a common manifestation of atherosclerosis that is associated with systemic in ammation. The aim of our study was to assess whether plasma markers of in ammation increased after exercise in patients with PAD. The study was conducted on two groups of 20 subjects each: one group (mean age 68.4 6 5.09 years) was affected by PAD with claudication, while the other group consisted of healthy controls (66.9 6 6.1 years). Concentrations of interleukin 6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFa) were determined in plasma, in supernatants and in cells stimulated with 1 mg lipopolysaccharide in all patients. E-selectin (ES), L-selectin (LS) and P-selectin (PS) concentrations and plasma concentrations of VCAM-1 and ICAM-I were also determined. All determinations were performed in patients at rest and after the treadmill exercise. Resting values of soluble mediators were greater in PAD patients than in controls. They increased in both groups after the treadmill test, even if posttreadmill concentrations were signi cantly higher in PAD patients (PAD p < 0.001 or 0.0001, controls p < 0.05 or 0.001).These results con rm that white blood cell activation is characteristic of systemic atherosclerosis and that these in ammation markers increase in conditions of hemodynamic stress.

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Background and Purpose:The aim of our study was to evaluate by transcranial Doppler ultrasonography the dynamics of blood flow velocity changes in the middle cerebral artery during and after hypocapniainduced vasoconstriction in untreated essential hypertensive patients.Methods: Sixteen hypertensive patients (10 men and six women, 29-62 years of age) and 10 healthy control subjects (six men and four women, 30-62 years of age) were studied. Patients with mild-tomoderate essential hypertension (mean±SE blood pressure, 171/106±3/2 mm Hg) belonged to stage I or II of the World Health Organization classification. Mean blood flow velocity in the middle cerebral artery, arterial blood pressure, and end-tidal CO 2 partial pressure were recorded at baseline, during 2-minute hyperventilation, and every 30 seconds up to 5 minutes after hyperventilation.Results: End-tidal CO 2 partial pressure values overlapped in the two groups throughout the study. Baseline values of mean blood flow velocity in hypertensive patients were similar to those in normotensive subjects (mean±SE values, 64.7±3.9 cm/sec versus 58.6±3.7 cm/sec). A similar fall in mean blood flow velocity was observed in hypertensive patients and normotensive subjects (43.2±2.8% versus 46.7+3.6%). Mean blood flow velocity reverted to baseline more quickly in hypertensive patients: 1.5 minutes after hyperventilation, mean blood flow velocity was 60.7±3.1% and 84.9±1.8% of control in normotensive subjects and hypertensive patients, respectively. No changes in arterial blood pressure were observed in either group throughout the study.Conclusions: This study demonstrates that the recovery of blood flow velocity in the middle cerebral artery after hyperventilation is faster in hypertensive patients than in normal subjects, thus providing further evidence that chronic hypertension is associated with changes in the dynamics of cerebral blood vessel reactivity.

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