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Biomedical subjects

A Jovicić

Publications and source records attributed to A Jovicić.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Comparative study of the effects of peptidoglycan monomer and structurally related adamantyltripeptides on humoral immune response to ovalbumin in the mouse.

Peptidoglycan monomer, GlcNAc-MurNAc-L-Ala-D-isoGln-mesoDAP(omega NH2)-D-Ala-D-Ala (PGM) originating from Brevibacterium divaricatum and synthetic adamantyltripeptides, diastereoisomers of D,L-(adamant-2-yl)-Gly-L-Ala-D-isoGln (AdTP1 and AdTP2) exhibit immunomodulating activity. An experimental model in the mouse has been established with suboptimal amounts of ovalbumin (OVA) as the immunogen, and parallel testing of adjuvant activity of these three immunomodulators was carried out in Balb/c, C57B16 or CBA mice. Tested compounds (100 or 200 micrograms/mouse) mixed with OVA in saline (50 micrograms/mouse) were administered s.c. Anti-OVA was assayed by ELISA in the sera of mice taken 7 days after the boosters (given on days 14 and 28). The treatment with PGM and one of the diastereoisomers, AdTP2, resulted in significantly higher increase in anti-OVA IgG levels (stimulation index up to 46) with respect to controls and groups treated with AdTP1. The effect of AdTP2 treatment was comparable to that of PGM in most experiments after the first booster, but after the second booster PGM exhibited markedly better effect. PGM and AdTP2 also induced markedly higher levels of IgG1 and IgG2 anti-OVA subclasses than detected in controls and AdTP1 treated mice, indicating that these two immunomodulators might upregulate both Th1-like and Th2-like immune responses.

Acetylmuramyl-Alanyl-Isoglutamine↗

Interleukin 6 and its soluble receptor are elevated in aqueous humor of patients with uveitis.

PURPOSE: To determine the levels of interleukin 6 (IL-6) and its soluble receptor (sIL-6R) in the aqueous humor (AH) of patients with different uveitis entities. PATIENTS AND METHODS: AH and serum samples were collected from 35 patients (39 eyes) who underwent surgery for uveitis complications and from 10 controls (senile cataract). In the studied group, seven patients had HLA-B27(+) anterior uveitis, two had Fuchs' heterochromic iridocyclitis, 12 had chronic anterior uveitis of unknown etiology, and in the remaining 14 the causative agent was exogenous. The cytokine and receptor levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULTS: In controls, the median IL-6 level in AH was higher than that in corresponding sera (40.4 pg/ml and 5.2 pg/ml, respectively). In contrast, sIL-6R showed an inverse relation: there were less sIL-6R in control AH than in control sera (378.9 pg/ml and 52749.0 pg/ml, respectively). The same qualitative relationship was observed in patients with uveitis. Quantitatively, in comparison to controls, elevated levels of IL-6 and sIL-6R were found in AH of patients with uveitis. As expected, the maximal IL-6 and sIL-6R values were observed in the patients with uveitis of exogenous etiology (1558.3 and 1326.2 pg/ml, respectively). sIL-6R was also significantly elevated in AH of patients with HLA-B27( +) anterior uveitis (p<0. 01). In all individuals under study, sIL-6R levels in AH samples were 2-10 times higher than IL-6 levels. In serum samples, sIL-6R level were 10000 times higher than corresponding IL-6 values. CONCLUSION: The results confirmed the role of IL-6 in intraocular inflammation and gave new information regarding the presence of its sR in normal and inflamed eyes. Low levels of sIL-6R in AH compared to those found in serum suggest the presence of active local regulatory mechanisms that require further investigation.

Adult↗

The use of therapeutic plasma exchange for treatment of acute polyradiculoneuropathy.

The rationale for therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) in acute polyradiculoneuropathy (APRN) is based on the presence of circulating antibodies which cause demyelination of the peripheral nerves. This study included 24 patients, most having a neurological defect of grade 4, classified into groups A and B. Group A was treated with immunosuppressive drugs only, while group B was treated by a combination of immunosuppressive drugs and TPE. The average volume of plasma removed during a single TPE procedure was 2.95 L, and totalled 21 L overall. The efficacy of the TPE treatment was assessed on the basis of changes in the neurological deficit grade, and in electrophysiological parameters. It was shown that improvements were significantly better and faster in patients treated by a combination of immunosuppressive drugs and TPE, and when TPE was started within the first 7 days after the onset of the disease.

Acute Disease↗

Circadian variations of platelet aggregability and fibrinolytic activity in patients with ischemic stroke.

The purpose of this study was to determine circadian dynamics of platelet aggregability and fibrinolytic activity in patients with ischemic stroke. The study was carried out in 21 male patients, aged from 51 to 65 years in acute phase of severe hemispheric brain infarction diagnosed clinically and radiologically. The examinations showed that circadian variations of platelet aggregability and fibrinolytic activity were persistent, but the intervals and the degree of oscillation differed from those in healthy persons. The significance of these disorders for clinical purposes was discussed.

Aged↗

Circadian variations of platelet aggregability and fibrinolytic activity in healthy subjects.

With a view to investigating whether in circadian variations of platelet aggregation (PA) and fibrinolytic activity there is an elevated risk period for incidence and development of ischemic stroke, 25 healthy subjects (5 females and 20 males), their age ranging from 29 to 51, were exposed to the analysis of PA, euglobulin lysis time (ELT), fibrinogen degradation products (FDP), antithrombin III (AT III) and heparin tolerance test (HTT) in blood samples drawn by venepuncture at 08.00, 11.00, 13.00, 15.00, 17.00 and 18.00 h; beside these intervals in the case of 10 healthy males, whose age ranged from 32 to 45, blood samples were taken at midnight as well. The group of 25 subjects comprised those who usually worked daily and nightly shifts, as well as those who were either at bed rest or doing their duties during daytime. The findings of this investigation have demonstrated that all the parameters studied exhibited circadian variations irrespective of sex, age or daily/nightly activities of the subjects. The most pronounced PA interval, which was not accompanied by corresponding increase of fibrinolytic activity, was that around 11.00 h and it is marked as the highest risk period for onset of ischemic stroke.

Adult↗

[Autonomic neuropathy with cauda equina syndrome in a patient with diabetes mellitus].

In significant number of diabetic patients are observed numerous complications during the disease onset and course. One of the most frequent is diabetic polyneuropathy that can, during its course, assume such types and imitate various diseases that can by the intensity of revealance be prominent and couse significant differential-diagnostic difficulties, especially if some forms of polyneuropathy are more rarely considered. The patient with poorly regulated diabetes, in whom the couse of disturbances was unknown for the longer period of time was presented in this study. Leading clinical phenomenology indicated the signs of impairment of cauda equina roots and extensive diagnostic procedures had to be performed. However, just after the favorable response to the glycemia regulation and withdrawal of neurologic phenomenology it was concluded that the patient suffered from diabetic polyneuropathy with clear signs of autonomic nervous system involvement, as well as autonomic neuropathy at the some time, respectively.

Autonomic Nervous System Diseases↗