Untitled

Abstract

The aim of the study was to demonstrate an activation of polymorpho-nuclear leukocytes (PMNs) in chronic progressive atherosclerosis (ATH). A group of patients with ATH, and a group of ATH patients under aspirin (ASA) therapy were compared with control persons without atherosclerotic alterations (healthy controls). Each group comprised 15 male age-matched subjects. The following inflammatory parameters related to PMN activities were measured: the polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN) blood count; blood PMN migration and reactive oxygen species release in vitro; the blood levels of PMN elastase, malondialdehyde, antibodies to oxidized LDL and soluble ICAM-1. In ATH patients, the PMN blood counts and the share of blood PMNs migrating upon platelet activating factor and leukotriene B4 stimulation were significnatly above the values of the healthy controls, while the other parameters were not significantly altered. ASA treatment attenuated the inflammatory response and reduced the differences between ATH and the healthy controls. It can be concluded that, in patients with chronic progressive atherosclerosis, PMNs are involved in the inflammatory process underlying the disease.

Climate sensitivities via a Fokker–Planck adjoint approach

“…One approach might be to attempt to work in a state space of drastically reduced dimension (e.g. Egger 2001;Pasmanter and Timmermann 2003), making it feasible to tabulate g. The reduced state space might be based, for example, on a set of leading Empirical Orthogonal Functions (EOFs). However, either ∂M/∂p or ∇g could project strongly onto directions orthogonal to the leading EOFs, and the dynamics can be sensitive to apparently minor EOFs (e.g.…”

Neutrophil Activation Status in Stable Coronary Artery Disease

“…Data from previous studies have suggested that neutrophils in patients with stable CAD or in individuals at high risk for vascular events possess a primed character compared to neutrophils from healthy individuals, i.e. the cells are “hyperactive” ex vivo as assessed by increased chemotactic activity and increased production of ROS, LTB 4 and IL-8 [6], [8], [9]. However, our data could not support the hypothesis that neutrophils in patients with stable CAD are more prone to activation.…”

“…In high-risk individuals, a 4-week treatment with statin was able to reduce the synthesis of IL-8 in neutrophils and decrease the neutrophil migration and chemotaxis [9]. Aspirin influence a number of mechanisms and signalling pathways involved in neutrophil activation, for instance attenuating the expression of IL-8 [29] and the LTB 4 -induced migration of neutrophils [8]. Aspirin-triggered lipoxins attenuates the expression of β2-integrins [30], decreases the LTB 4 -induced adhesion-state of neutrophils by affecting the avidity of the β2-integrin [31], and inhibits neutrophil adhesion to activated endothelial cells [32].…”

“…Whereas some studies give no evidence for an on-going in vivo neutrophil activation [6], [7], others have shown that neutrophils in patients with established CAD or in individuals at high risk for vascular events possess a “primed” character, i.e. an increased functional potential ex vivo compared to neutrophils from healthy individuals [6], [8]–[10]. In addition, the accumulation of neutrophil-platelet complexes, a possible indicator of neutrophil activation, has been demonstrated in peripheral blood of CAD patients with long-term stable symptoms [7], [11].…”

Captive Housing during Water Vole (Arvicola terrestris) Reintroduction: Does Short-Term Social Stress Impact on Animal Welfare?

“…In this experiment, we hypothesise that animals subjected to known stressors (in this case cage crowding) should have a lower LCC than animals that have not [32], [33], [34]. We test the prediction that water voles will have a lower LCC score when they are housed in larger groups compared with when they are housed in smaller groups or individually.…”