Incidence Of Structural Changes Research Articles

Characteristics of the severity of the early formation of the atherosclerotic process in certain pathological forms of coronary heart disease in marine specialists in the conditions of the Arctic region

The present work aims to study lipid balance, specifi markers of atherosclerosis, morphological changes in the main arteries, as well as paired indicators, in the formation of the atherosclerotic process in some non-comorbid pathological forms (painful/silent episodes of angina pectoris) of chronic coronary artery disease occurring with affective disorders in shipboard personnel serving in the Far North. The study revealed a higher incidence of structural changes in the medial sheath of both common carotid arteries in silent angina pectoris, which are manifested in vascular bed remodeling, formation of atherosclerotic plaques, and stenotic atherosclerosis. In addition, an increase in proatherogenic activity, suppression of antiatherogenic parameters, as well as more significant changes in the paired indicators of the atherosclerotic process were observed in such patients. The exacerbation of the main pathological process in chronic coronary artery disease can be attributed to the existing polymorbidity.

Steviol, the active principle of the stevia sweetener, causes a reduction of the cells of the immunological system even consumed in low concentrations

Aim Steviol is a natural diterpenoid glycoside isolated from Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni leaves and widely used as a non-caloric sweetener. In addition to their sweet taste, Steviol glycosides may also have some therapeutic benefits. There are few reports on the cytotoxicity of Steviol in human cells. Our objective was to test this sweetener under and at average concentrations of consumption, evaluating parameters of cytotoxicity, genotoxicity, and immunotoxicity. Methods For this purpose, we made use of lymphocyte cultures and the analysis of their CD3+, CD4+, and CD8+ subpopulations. In a complementary way, the mechanism of action is proposed here by computational methods. Results and Conclusion Our results showed that Steviol reduces the number of lymphocytes due to falls of CD4+, CD8+, and CD4+CD8+ subpopulations. Besides, we observed an increase in the level of DNA damage and a gradual incidence of structural changes in the lymphocyte chromosomal sets. It was possible to propose that Steviol modulates gene expression, mainly interfering with the SESN1, NAP1L1, SOX4, and TREX1 genes. Although Steviol is used globally as a sweetener, its use should be cautious, as our study points out that Steviol has cytotoxic, genotoxic and mutagenic effects in the concentrations and conditions tested in the culture of human lymphocyte cells.

Sucralose causes non-selective CD4 and CD8 lymphotoxicity via probable regulation of the MAPK8/APTX/EID1 genes: An in vitro/in silico study.

One of the most widely used sweeteners in the world is sucralose. With sweetening power 600 times greater than sucrose, its use grows among those who seek to cut calories. Research shows that when heated, sucralose generates toxic products that attack the organism and interact with DNA. Our objective was to test this sweetener under unheated conditions and at average concentrations of consumption, evaluating parameters of cytotoxicity, genotoxicity, and immunotoxicity. For this purpose, we made use of lymphocyte cultures and the analysis of their CD3+ , CD4+ , and CD8+ subpopulations. In a complementary way, the mechanism of action is proposed here by computational methods. Our results showed that sucralose reduces non-selectively the total lymphocytes due to falls in the levels of the CD4+ , CD8+ , and CD4+ CD8+ subpopulations. We observed an increase in the level of DNA damage and a gradual incidence of structural changes in the lymphocyte chromosomal sets. It was possible to propose that sucralose modulates the gene expression, interfering especially with the MAPK8, APTX, and EID1 genes. This article presents the results of an evidence-based approach to the safety of human health in the use of sucralose. Finally, this study points out that sucralose has cytotoxic, genotoxic, and mutagenic effects in the concentrations and conditions tested in human lymphocyte cell culture.

Threshold for lateral meniscal body extrusion on MRI in middle-aged and elderly patients with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis

PurposeTo determine the MRI-based threshold of lateral meniscal body extrusion (LMBE) that are associated with meniscal damage, cartilage damage and radiological knee osteoarthritis (OA). Materials and methodsA total of 142 patients (59 men and 83 women) with a mean age of 57.2±7.9 (SD) years (range: 41–77 years) with symptomatic knee OA were included. Radiological assessment was performed using the Kellgren-Lawrence scoring system. Meniscus and cartilage damage were assessed using the whole-organ magnetic resonance imaging score. Meniscal extrusion was quantified on coronal sections of intermediate-weighted MRI sequences. Differences between medial and lateral compartments in meniscal extrusion and incidence of tibiofemoral OA-related structural changes were assessed using Wilcoxon signed rank test and Bowker test. Receiver operating characteristic curves and Youden index were used for determining thresholds for meniscal extrusion. ResultsA total of 142 knees were assessed. Meniscal body extrusion distances between medial and lateral compartments were significantly different in the entire sample, and in subjects with and without radiological knee OA (P<0.05 for all). The incidence of structural changes between medial and lateral compartments were significantly different (P=0.003 for meniscal damage; P=0.001 for femoral cartilage damage). Three mm and 2mm were determined to be the optimal thresholds for medial and lateral meniscal body extrusion, respectively. ConclusionMedial and lateral meniscal body extrusion were associated with the incidence of OA-related knee structural changes in symptomatic patients with knee OA. A threshold of 2mm for LMBE with respect to meniscal damage, cartilage damage and radiological knee OA was determined.

Patellar changes during long-term observations on the Blauth knee joint endoprosthesis

Changes in the position and structure of the patella and their importance with regard to pain patterns are described on the basis of long-term observation of the Blauth prosthesis. Examinations were performed on 206 knee prostheses on average 37.6 months (min. 12, max. 120 months) after implantation. Axial roentgenograms showed the patella to be laterally subluxated in 12% of the cases, and luxated in one. Also in 12% of the cases, osteolytic destruction of the posterior surface of the patella was found; there was a statistically significant correlation between the two groups, but they were not identical. In cases with changes in the patellar structure, initial pain on walking was significantly more frequent, though this was not so in cases where the kneecap had shifted from its normal position. The authors discuss possible connections with curvature radii and with the distances between the center of rotation and the sliding support on the femoral part of the prosthesis as causes of increased complaints in low kneecaps and for the increased incidence of structural changes in high kneecaps. The term "retropatellar pain syndrome" is applied to patients who experience pain when climbing stairs, rising from chairs and when starting to walk, in whom at least 2 of these complaints are positive: A total of 10.2% of the patients complained of considerable retropatellar pain. A patellectomy was performed in 8 of these patients. The radiological and histological analyses of 3 of the patellae removed showed evidence of arthrosis deformans at different stages, with concomitant synovitis.

Cytogenetic findings in 111 ovarian cancer patients: Therapy-related chromosome aberrations and heterochromatic variants

The chromosomes of 111 ovarian cancer patients were studied in G- and C-banded slides from peripheral blood lymphocyte (PBL) cultures for chromosome damage caused by chemotherapy and radiotherapy and for asymmetry of the constitutive heterochromatin of chromosomes 1, 9, and 16. We also monitored the survival of these patients to determine whether any secondary neoplasia induced by the therapy and report the findings of our investigations. Melphalan (MEL) was the only drug used in single-drug chemotherapy. The incidence of chromosome abnormalities in melphalan-treated cells (25%) was higher than in the control group (17%). The incidence of structural changes was also higher (10.5%) in the MEL-treated group than in controls (6%). After treatments with combinations of drugs, the incidence of structural changes remained at the same level (11%). In the patients receiving combined treatment with MEL and radiation, the rate of structural changes increased dramatically (24%). The overall rate of chromosome aberrations in this group was also higher (50%). Combination of two or more drugs and radiation produced only 14% structural chromosome changes. The overall rate of chromosome aberrations was also low (20%) in this group. Of 111 patients studied, only 33 were alive 6 years after initiation of the study. Of the surviving patients, eight had rearranged chromosomes in the first analysis. After 5 years, new blood samples were collected from these patients and chromosome analyses showed abnormal karyotypes in all eight patients. All chromosome abnormalities in the second analysis were completely unrelated to those in the first analysis, however. Whether the chromosome changes in the second analysis were due to therapy or to other unknown factors could not be determined. Data on C-banding and the distribution of inversions indicated that 91% of the patients had C-band heteromorphisms of chromosomes 1, 91% had heteromorphisms of chromosome 9, and 69% had heteromorphisms of chromosome 16. Furthermore, inversions were observed in chromosome 1 (41% of patients), chromosome 9 (28% of patients), and chromosome 16 (5% of patients).

4 Final Report on the Safety Assessment of Phenethyl Alcohol

Phenethyl Alcohol (PEA) is an aromatic alcohol that is used as a fragrance and an antimicrobial preservative in cosmetic formulations. PEA is metabolized to phenyl-acetic acid in mammals. In humans, it is excreted in urine as the conjugate phenylacetylglutamine. The acute oral LD50s of PEA to rats ranged from 2.5 to 3.1 ml/kg, and for mice and guinea pigs was 0.8 to 1.5 g/kg and 0.4 to 0.8 g/kg, respectively. The dermal LD50s for rabbits and guinea pigs were 0.8 g/kg and 5 g/kg, respectively. PEA was slightly to moderately irritating to the skin of rabbits and guinea pigs and was not a guinea pig sensitizer. PEA, in concentrations of 1 % or greater, was irritating to the eyes of rabbits. PEA was neither an irritant nor a sensitizer in human studies. PEA was not mutagenic in the Ames test or in an Escherichia coli DNA-polymerase-deficient assay system. PEA did inhibit the repair of radiation-induced breaks in the DNA of E. coli. PEA did not increase the number of sister chromatid exchanges in human lymphocytes. Maternal exposure to PEA, microencapsulated in the feed, at concentrations of 1000, 3000, and 10,000 ppm had no effect on embryo-fetal loss, or embryo-fetal development and morphology. There was an increased incidence of incomplete ossification in the 10,000 ppm PEA group litters. Doses of 0.14, 0.43, and 1.40 ml/kg of PEA were applied to the skin of pregnant rats. Maternal toxicity was marked at the highest dose, Morphological abnormalities in fetuses in the 1.40 ml/kg PEA group were observed. The number of fetuses with moderate degrees of reduced ossification and with cervical rib(s) was significantly greater in the 0.43 ml/kg PEA group than in the controls. The incidence of structural changes was slightly greater in 0.14 ml/kg PEA-treated rats than in control rats. Dermal doses of 0.07,0.14,0.28,0.43, and 0.70 ml/kg/day PEA to pregnant rats significantly increased cervical ribs in the 0.70 ml/kg/day group litters. The highest no observed adverse effect level (NOAEL) was 0.43 ml/kg/day for cervical rib malformation (teratogenic effect). The dermal applied teratogenicity NOAEL of 0.43 ml/kg/day was used to estimate a safe use level of 1.0% PEA in cosmetic products.

Cytogenetic effects of multiagent chemotherapy on the peripheral lymphocytes of patients with small cell lung cancer

Peripheral lymphocytes of 8 patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC), who received combination chemotherapy consisting of cisplatin and VP-16 (PVP), were examined for frequency of sister chromatid exchange (SCE) and chromosomal aberrations. Three of the 8 patients were treated with the PVP regimen only; however, the others had previously been treated with multiagent chemotherapy consisting of a cyclophosphamide, adriamycin, and vincristine (CAV) regimen or a cyclophosphamide, ACNU and vincristine (CAV') regimen with or without radiotherapy. Significantly increased SCE frequency was observed in previously untreated patients 3 or 4 days after PVP treatment, compared with the pretreatment values. The earlier analysis in the previously treated patients also showed increased SCE frequency, which seemed to return to the normal value as time elapsed after PVP. In addition, abnormal chromosome count distribution and/or increased incidence of structural changes were observed in cultures from all the patients. In general, striking changes in chromosomes were observed in previously treated patients. The aberrations observed in pretreated patients consisted of chromatid gaps and breaks, exchanges, fragments and dicentric chromosomes. In addition to these abnormalities, double minutes like microchromosomes were seen irrespective of radiotherapy. Further studies are needed to elucidate whether any of the chromosomal aberrations observed in this study could participate in the induction of secondary neoplasms.

Chromosome and nucleotide sequence differentiation in genomes of polyploid Triticum species

The nature of genome change during polyploid evolution was studied by analysing selected species within the tribe Triticeae. The levels of genome changes examined included structural alterations (translocations, inversions), heterochromatinization, and nucleotide sequence change in the rDNA regions. These analyses provided data for evaluating models of genome evolution in polyploids in the genus Triticum, postulated on the basis of chromosome pairing at metaphase I in interspecies hybrids.The significance of structural chromosome alterations with respect to reduced MI chromosome pairing in interspecific hybrids was assayed by determining the incidence of heterozygosity for translocations and paracentric inversions in the A and B genomes of T. timopheevii ssp. araraticum (referred to as T. araraticum) represented by two lines, 1760 and 2541, and T. aestivum cv. Chinese Spring. Line 1760 differed from Chinese Spring by translocations in chromosomes 1A, 3A, 4A, 6A, 7A, 3B, 4B, 7B and possibly 2B. Line 2541 differed from Chinese Spring by translocations in chromosomes 3A, 6A, 6B and possibly 2B. Line 1760 also differed from Chinese Spring by paracentric inversions in arms 1AL and 4AL whereas line 2541 differed by inversions in 1BL and 4AL (not all chromosomes arms were assayed). The incidence of structural changes in the A and B genomes did not coincide with the more extensive differentiation of the B genomes relative to the A genomes as reflected by chromosome pairing studies.To assay changing degrees of heterochromatinization among species of the genus Triticum, all the diploid and polyploid species were C-banded. No general agreement was observed between the amount of heterochromatin and the ability of the respective chromosomes to pair with chromosomes of the ancestral species. Marked changes in the amount of heterochromatin were found to have occurred during the evolution of some of the polyploids.The analysis of the rDNA region provided evidence for rapid "fixation" of new repeated sequences at two levels, namely, among the 130 bp repeated sequences of the spacer and at the level of the repeated arrays of the 9 kb rDNA units. These occurred both within a given rDNA region and between rDNA regions on nonhomologous chromosomes. The levels of change in the rDNA regions provided good precedent for expecting extensive nucleotide sequence changes associated with differentiation of Triticum genomes and these processes are argued to be the principal cause of genome differentiation as revealed by chromosome pairing studies.