Biomedical subjects

E Kiss

Publications and source records attributed to E Kiss.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed2002

No short-term immunological effects of Pneumococcus vaccination in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

OBJECTIVE: to investigate the early immunological effects of Pneumococcus vaccination in SLE patients and healthy controls. METHODS: First-four-week follow-up of 18 patients and 9 healthy controls by repeated measurements of anti-nuclear antibodies, anti-dsDNA, C-reactive protein, complement factor 3 (C3) and 4 (C4), total IgG, IgA and IgM. Specific antibody response, percentage of blood lymphocyte populations and whole blood chemiluminescence measurements were carried out in six patients and six controls. RESULTS: No disease flare was detected in the vaccinated patients. all side effects were mild. The concentrations of serum IgG, IgA, C3 and C4 decreased significantly, but still remained within the normal range. The other changes were statistically non-significant. The specific antibody responses to 6B and 23F Pneumococcus serotypes showed striking individual differences. CONCLUSION: There was no short-term immunological effect of Pneumococcus vaccination in the patients with SLE. The non-responders. without any sign of disease activation should possibly be given more immunogenic, new vaccines to avoid life-threatening Pneumococcus infections.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

28-day oral toxicity study with soft corticosteroid BNP-166 in rats and dogs, followed by a 14-day recovery period.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the soft corticosteroid BNP-166 in rats and dogs treated orally with 0.2, 2.0, and 20.0 mg/kg for 28 days and the reversibility of any abnormalities during a 14-day post-dosing period. The test substance, BNP-166, was well tolerated during the 28-day treatment period. The observed changes were all characteristic for the pharmacological actions of a glucocorticoid. Treatment related changes occurred in the adrenals and thymus, and, to a lesser extent, in the lymph nodes, spleen and liver. There were no statistically significant reductions in the cortisol levels of all groups in the 0.2 and 2 mg/kg treatments. Significant reductions were observed in the high-dose group (20 mg/kg), but levels returned to normal by the end of the 14-day recovery period. Based on the results, the No Observable Adverse Effect Level (NOAEL) of BNP-166 soft corticosteroid in rat and dog after 28-day oral administration is 2 mg/kg. This value is approximately 40 times higher than that of budesonide. Pharmacodynamic and receptor binding studies have shown BNP-166 to have a similar potency to budesonide; therefore, BNP-166 can be considered safer when administered orally than other corticosteroids such as prednisolone or budesonide.

Adrenal Cortex Hormones↗

PubMed2001

A novel flow cytometric assay to quantify soluble CD14 concentration in human serum.

BACKGROUND: CD14, the major lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-binding protein of myeloid cells, is found as a soluble molecule in human serum. Recent data describe the presence of elevated soluble CD14 (sCD14) concentration in various disorders, confirming disease activity. A novel, easy, and rapid flow cytometric assay was developed to measure sCD14 levels in serum. METHODS: The assay is based on the competition between membrane-expressed CD14 of isolated monocytes from healthy volunteers and sCD14 in the sample sera for binding to anti-CD14 monoclonal antibodies (mAb; 26ic or 60bca). The amount of cell-associated mAb is determined with a fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-labeled anti-mouse conjugate and flow cytometry. The fluorescence signal is inversely proportional with the amount of serum sCD14. Using dilutions of a standard serum, the concentration of sCD14 in the samples is calculated and compared with results obtained by a commercial sCD14 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULTS: After optimization, the assay showed log-log linearity of 122.1-984.7 ng/ml sCD14 using mAb 26ic and 29.5-246.2 ng/ml sCD14 using mAb 60bca. It revealed similar results as the ELISA (mAb 26ic: r = 0.88, mAb 60bca: r = 0.92) and provided significantly elevated sCD14 levels in systemic lupus erythematosus patients compared with controls (26ic: 2,213 versus 1,676 ng/ml, P < 0.002; 60bca: 2,625 versus 1,907 ng/ml, P < 0.0002). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis suggested a reasonable diagnostic efficacy of sCD14 quantification in this autoimmune disease. CONCLUSIONS: The method is easy, rapid, sensitive, and can be used in the follow-up of patients suffering from sepsis or chronic inflammatory disorders.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

[Significance of anti-nucleosome (anti-chromatin) auto-antibodies in systemic lupus erythematosus].

Systemic lupus erythematosus is characterised by the presence of antinuclear autoantibodies (ANA). Native DNA, histone proteins and small nuclear ribonucleoproteins (snRNP) are the main targets of these ANA-s, but some of them may derive against the entire chromatin, which is composed of the listed elements, and also against its fundamental unit, that is nucleosome. Authors investigated at the first time the frequency and the concentration of anti-nucleosome antibodies in a group of 107 consecutively selected Hungarian lupus patients. They calculated correlation between these parameters and the activity as well as organ--mainly kidney--manifestations of the disease. The frequencies of positive anti-nucleosome, anti-dsDNA and anti-histone antibodies were 39.2, 28.0 and 47.6%, respectively. All the three autoantibodies were present more frequently in cases with lupus nephritis, and this correlation was significant by statistical respect. Also a positive correlation was found between the concentration of these autoantibodies and activity of the diseases (SLE-DAI). Results suggest that long disease duration (mean 8.5 year) and consequently low disease activity (mean DAI: 3.28) may stand at the background of the relatively low occurrence of the measured ANA-s. Besides anti-dsDNA, the determination of anti-nucleosome and anti-histone antibodies can be useful in the diagnosis and monitoring of SLE. Authors discuss the possible role of anti-nucleosome autoantibodies in the pathogenesis of lupus nephritis.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

Analysis of the chromosome sequence of the legume symbiont Sinorhizobium meliloti strain 1021.

Sinorhizobium meliloti is an alpha-proteobacterium that forms agronomically important N(2)-fixing root nodules in legumes. We report here the complete sequence of the largest constituent of its genome, a 62.7% GC-rich 3,654,135-bp circular chromosome. Annotation allowed assignment of a function to 59% of the 3,341 predicted protein-coding ORFs, the rest exhibiting partial, weak, or no similarity with any known sequence. Unexpectedly, the level of reiteration within this replicon is low, with only two genes duplicated with more than 90% nucleotide sequence identity, transposon elements accounting for 2.2% of the sequence, and a few hundred short repeated palindromic motifs (RIME1, RIME2, and C) widespread over the chromosome. Three regions with a significantly lower GC content are most likely of external origin. Detailed annotation revealed that this replicon contains all housekeeping genes except two essential genes that are located on pSymB. Amino acid/peptide transport and degradation and sugar metabolism appear as two major features of the S. meliloti chromosome. The presence in this replicon of a large number of nucleotide cyclases with a peculiar structure, as well as of genes homologous to virulence determinants of animal and plant pathogens, opens perspectives in the study of this bacterium both as a free-living soil microorganism and as a plant symbiont.

Bacterial Proteins↗

PubMed2001

The composite genome of the legume symbiont Sinorhizobium meliloti.

The scarcity of usable nitrogen frequently limits plant growth. A tight metabolic association with rhizobial bacteria allows legumes to obtain nitrogen compounds by bacterial reduction of dinitrogen (N2) to ammonium (NH4+). We present here the annotated DNA sequence of the alpha-proteobacterium Sinorhizobium meliloti, the symbiont of alfalfa. The tripartite 6.7-megabase (Mb) genome comprises a 3.65-Mb chromosome, and 1.35-Mb pSymA and 1.68-Mb pSymB megaplasmids. Genome sequence analysis indicates that all three elements contribute, in varying degrees, to symbiosis and reveals how this genome may have emerged during evolution. The genome sequence will be useful in understanding the dynamics of interkingdom associations and of life in soil environments.

Bacterial Adhesion↗

PubMed2001

[Analgesics-induced chronic renal failure in patients on dialysis therapy in Hungary].

In recent years elaboration of the diagnosis of analgesic-nephropathy (ANP) with the help of imaging techniques significantly increased the possibility of diagnosing the disease. Therefore, evaluating the prevalence of ANP has become more accurate in our country as well. The prevalence of ANP has been investigated in patients who have newly been taken into the dialysis program due to renal disease of unknown aetiology in 22 dialysis centers between December 1994-December 1997. The diagnosis of ANP has been based on revealing chronic drug abuse in the history and positive results of renal imaging (decrease in length of both kidneys combined with either bumpy contours and/or papillary calcification). Among 284 patients dialysed with unknown diagnosis 42 (14.8% of all cases) proved to have ANP. All patients except 2 took analgesic mixtures containing phenacetin/paracetamol, phenason derivatives, acetilsalysilic acid, caffeine and/or codeine. According to their investigations, ANP is a common disease resulting in end-stage renal failure in Hungary as well.

Acetaminophen↗

PubMed2001

Bone mineral density, biochemical markers of bone turnover, and hormonal status in men with systemic lupus erythematosus.

The aim of this study was to evaluate bone mineral density (BMD), biochemical markers of bone turnover, and hormone levels in men with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). BMD at L2-L4 lumbar vertebrae (LS), left proximal femur neck, and radius at the ultradistal and mid-33% region was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry in 23 men with SLE (mean age, disease duration, and cumulative corticosteroid dose were 45.6 years, 11.9 years, and 33.410 g, respectively) and 40 healthy, age- and sex-matched controls. Biochemical markers of bone turnover, parathyroid hormone and 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OH-D), testosterone, and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) levels were measured. There was no difference in BMD between the SLE and control group. The prevalence of osteoporosis was 17.4% (4 out of 23), found at LS. Biochemical markers of bone turnover were within the reference range. There was a high prevalence of hypovitaminosis D (65.2%), hypotestosteronism (62.5%), and hypodehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (100%). There was no correlation between BMD and duration of disease, corticosteroid doses, SLE Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI), SLE Collaboration Clinics/American College of Rheumatology (SLICC/ARC) damage index, or markers of bone turnover. Bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (BSAP) (r, -0.500; P=0.018) and DHEAS (r, -0.511; P=0.013) correlated with the daily corticosteroid dose. Despite corticosteroid therapy, bone mass in men with SLE was not decreased.

Aged↗

PubMed2001

Incomplete lupus erythematosus: results of a multicentre study under the supervision of the EULAR Standing Committee on International Clinical Studies Including Therapeutic Trials (ESCISIT).

OBJECTIVE: Patients characterized with antinuclear antibodies (ANA) and disease symptoms related to one organ system can be described as having incomplete systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The aim of this multicentre study was to describe the outcome of these so-called incomplete SLE patients. Two aspects of the outcome were studied: (i) the disease course, defined by the presence or absence of clinical symptoms; and (ii) the number of patients that eventually developed full SLE. METHODS: Outcome parameters were the ACR criteria, the SLE disease Activity Index (SLEDAI), the European Consensus Lupus Activity Measure (ECLAM) and the requirement for treatment. In 10 European rheumatology centres, patients who had been evaluated in the last 3 months of 1994 and had been diagnosed as having incomplete SLE on clinical grounds for at least 1 yr were included in the study. All 122 patients who were included in the study were evaluated annually during 3 yr of follow-up. RESULTS: Our results are confined to a patient cohort defined by disease duration of at least 1 yr, being under clinical care at the different centres in Europe. These patients showed disease activity that was related mostly to symptoms of the skin and the musculoskeletal system, and leucocytopenia. During the follow-up, low doses of prednisolone were still being prescribed in 43% of the patients. On recruitment to the study, 22 of the 122 incomplete SLE patients already fulfilled the ACR criteria for the diagnosis of SLE. In the 3 yr of follow-up only three patients developed SLE. CONCLUSIONS: A high proportion of patients in our cohort defined on clinical grounds as having incomplete SLE eventually showed disease activity defined by the SLEDAI as well as ECLAM. However, only three cases developed to SLE during the follow-up. This suggests that incomplete SLE forms a subgroup of SLE that has a good prognosis.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2001

The rkp-3 gene region of Sinorhizobium meliloti Rm41 contains strain-specific genes that determine K antigen structure.

The rkp-3 region is indispensable for capsular polysaccharide (K antigen) synthesis in Sinorhizobium meliloti Rm41. Strain Rm41 produces a K antigen of strain-specific structure, designated as the KR5 antigen. The data in this report show that the rkp-3 gene region comprises 10 open reading frames involved in bacterial polysaccharide synthesis and export. The predicted amino acid sequences for the rkpL-Q gene products are homologous to enzymes involved in the production of specific sugar moieties, while the putative products of the rkpRST genes show a high degree of similarity to proteins required for transporting polysaccharides to the cell surface. Southern analysis experiments using gene-specific probes suggest that genes involved in the synthesis of the precursor sugars are unique in strain Rm41, whereas sequences coding for export proteins are widely distributed among Sinorhizobium species. Mutations in the rkpL-Q genes result in a modified K antigen pattern and impaired symbiotic capabilities. On this basis, we suggest that these genes are required for the production of the KR5 antigen that is necessary for S. meliloti Rm41 exoB (AK631)-alfalfa (Medicago sativa) symbiosis.

Antigens, Bacterial↗

PubMed2001

Mutation in the ntrR gene, a member of the vap gene family, increases the symbiotic efficiency of Sinorhizobium meliloti.

In specific plant organs, namely the root nodules of alfalfa, fixed nitrogen (ammonia) produced by the symbiotic partner Sinorhizobium meliloti supports the growth of the host plant in nitrogen-depleted environment. Here, we report that a derivative of S. meliloti carrying a mutation in the chromosomal ntrR gene induced nodules with enhanced nitrogen fixation capacity, resulting in an increased dry weight and nitrogen content of alfalfa. The efficient nitrogen fixation is a result of the higher expression level of the nifH gene, encoding one of the subunits of the nitrogenase enzyme, and nifA, the transcriptional regulator of the nif operon. The ntrR gene, controlled negatively by its own product and positively by the symbiotic regulator syrM, is expressed in the same zone of nodules as the nif genes. As a result of the nitrogen-tolerant phenotype of the strain, the beneficial effect of the mutation on efficiency is not abolished in the presence of the exogenous nitrogen source. The ntrR mutant is highly competitive in nodule occupancy compared with the wild-type strain. Sequence analysis of the mutant region revealed a new cluster of genes, termed the "ntrPR operon," which is highly homologous to a group of vap-related genes of various pathogenic bacteria that are presumably implicated in bacterium-host interactions. On the basis of its favorable properties, the strain is a good candidate for future agricultural utilization.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2001

Glucocorticosteroid dependent decrease in the activity of calcineurin in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the activity of calcineurin in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of 32 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and 35 healthy controls. METHODS: The activity of calcineurin was assayed in the supernatants of sonicated mononuclear cells. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the calcineurin activity of patients with SLE not taking glucocorticosteroids (GCS) compared with the healthy controls. On the other hand, the activity of calcineurin was reduced in patients with SLE taking GCS, correlating negatively with the dose of GCS. The stimulation of PBMC by phorbol ester and calcium ionophore decreased the calcineurin activity both in patients with SLE and in healthy controls. GCS could also reduce calcineurin activity in the mononuclear cells of healthy subjects in vitro. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with SLE the decrease in the calcineurin activity of PBMC depended on the dose of GCS used for treatment, and it was not a disease specific alteration. The higher the dose of GCS, the greater the inhibition of calcineurin activity. The reduction of calcineurin activity is a new element in the immunosuppressive effects of GCS during the treatment of patients with SLE.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2001

Systemic lupus erythematosus. Disease outcome in patients with a disease duration of at least 10 years: second evaluation.

Data related to the disease course of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) with special attention to the persistence of disease activity in the long term are scarce. At this moment reliable figures are only known about the survival rate as a measure of outcome. The aim of this multicenter study was to describe the outcome of SLE patients with a disease duration of greater than 10 y. Outcome parameters were two disease activity-scoring systems (SLEDAI and ECLAM), the end organ damage (SLICC/ACR damage index) and treatment. Our results are derived from 187 SLE patients followed at 10 different centres in Europe over a period of 1 y. Serious clinical signs or exacerbations, defined by the occurrence or detoriation of already existing symptoms of renal and cerebral nervous systems were observed in 2-11% of the patients, seizures and psychosis in 3%, proteinuria in 11% and an increase in serum creatinine in 5% of the patients. No change took place in the overall damage index. Yet, the disease course in most patients was characterized by periods of tiredness (42-60%), arthritis (20-25%), skin involvement such as malar rash (32-40%), migraine (15-20%), anaemia (15%) and leucopenia (17-19%). Summarizing these results it is shown that patients, still under care after such a long time of having this disease, do have a disease that is far from extinguished.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

Evaluation of genetic diversity of poplar genotypes by RAPD and AP-PCR analysis.

RAPD (randomly amplified polymorphic DNA) and AP-PCR (arbitrarily primed PCR) were utilized to establish the genetic diversity of 19 Populus genotypes. A set of 40 primers of random sequence was tested, of which 35 exhibited polymorphism. Eighteen primers generated 162 easily detectable bands between 250 and 2,500 base pairs in size, sufficient to distinguish between the genotypes. Similarity measures, cluster and multidimensional scaling analysis were performed to evaluate the RAPD and AP-PCR data. Our study demonstrated that in most instances similarity in the RAPD and AP-PCR banding patterns reflected the relationship due to origin. Nineteen primers gave a species or hybrid-specific pattern. One primer generated a specific pattern in P. euramericana. Ten primers produced specific fragments in VIF (P. alba), 4 primers in KOR (P. pyramidialis x P. berolinensis) and 4 primers in UNA and RAS (P. trichocarpa x P. deltoides). The results of this study demonstrated that RAPD or AP-PCR can be used to distinguish between poplar genotypes.

Genetic Variation↗

PubMed2001

Decreased arachidonic acid release in peripheral blood monocytes of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the release of arachidonic acid (AA) in unfractionated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), separated monocytes and T lymphocytes of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). METHODS: AA release was measured in cells from 56 patients with SLE and from 48 controls. Of the 56 patients with SLE, 38 were receiving glucocorticosteroids and 18 were not. [3H]AA was incorporated into the membranes of PBMC and purified subsets of monocytes and T lymphocytes. The release of [3H]AA was measured both in nonstimulated cells cultured for 24 h and in cell cultures stimulated by phorbol ester (PMA) and Ca2+ ionophore for 4 h. RESULTS: In the PBMC of SLE patients not taking glucocorticosteroids, the release of AA was decreased in both stimulated and nonstimulated cells. There was a decrease of AA production in monocytes but not in T lymphocytes. This phenomenon could be observed in the active and inactive phases of the disease. CONCLUSION: A defect in AA production may exist in the peripheral monocytes of patients with SLE, resulting in decreased release of AA in patients not receiving glucocorticosteroid therapy.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2000

[Comparative analysis of clinical and laboratory charactiristics of antiphospholipid syndrome].

The authors detected lupus anticoagulant and/or anticardiolipin antibodies in 1519 patients' blood samples between 1986-1999 in 3rd Department of Internal Medicine of Medical School of Debrecen. Examining only the proved thrombotic events and fetal losses as symptoms of antiphospholipid syndrome 218 patients had suffered from this syndrome. Secunder antiphospholipid syndrome was the diagnosis in case of 420 patients, the most common in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (288 patients). In 704 antiphospholipid antibody positivity cases the diagnosis of antiphospholipid syndrome was not fulfilled. Analysing the antibodies profile of primary and secondary antiphospholipid syndrome in SLE, IgG type anticardiolipin antibody positivity was significantly higher in blood samples of SLE patients (82 patients, p < 0.01). Among thrombotic manifestations of antiphospholipid syndrome cerebrovascular thrombosis were significantly higher in patients suffering from SLE (128 patients, p < 0.04), while the occurrence of venous thrombosis, thrombosis of coronary, carotic, aorta and peripheral arteries and recurrent abortions was not significantly different in case of primary and secondary antiphospholipid syndrome. Lupus anticoagulant positivity means higher risk for venous thrombosis (94 patients, p < 0.0001), but anticardiolipin antibody positivity associated with a higher risk for thrombosis of coronary, carotic, aorta and peripheral arteries (59 patients, p < 0.00006). Comparing IgG- and IgM-type anticardiolipin antibody positivity the authors found significantly higher cerebrovascular thrombosis events in IgG-anticardiolipin group (p < 0.004). Sneddon syndrome were detected in 17 patients in the primary antiphospholipid syndrome group and in 16 cases in secundary, SLE-associated antiphospholipid syndrome group. One of the patients had died because of the Catastrophic Antiphospholipid Syndrome.

Antibodies, Anticardiolipin↗

PubMed2000

Phosphorylation of MYPT1 by protein kinase C attenuates interaction with PP1 catalytic subunit and the 20 kDa light chain of myosin.

The effect of phosphorylation in the N-terminal region of myosin phosphatase target subunit 1 (MYPT1) on the interactions with protein phosphatase 1 catalytic subunit (PP1c) and with phosphorylated 20 kDa myosin light chain (P-MLC20) was studied. Protein kinase C (PKC) phosphorylated threonine-34 (1 mol/mol), the residue preceding the consensus PP1c-binding motif ((35)KVKF(38)) in MYPT1(1-38), but this did not affect binding of the peptide to PP1c. PKC incorporated 2 mol P(i) into MYPT1(1-296) suggesting a second site of phosphorylation within the ankyrin repeats (residues 40-296). This phosphorylation diminished the stimulatory effect of MYPT1(1-296) on the P-MLC20 phosphatase activity of PP1c. Binding of PP1c or P-MLC20 to phosphorylated MYPT1(1-296) was also attenuated. It is concluded that phosphorylation of MYPT1 by PKC may therefore result in altered dephosphorylation of myosin.

Animals↗

PubMed2000

Speciation of insulin-mimetic VO(IV)-containing drugs in blood serum.

The biospeciations of three potential insulin-mimetic VO(IV) compounds, VO(maltolate)2, VO(picolinate)2 and VO(6-Me-picolinate)2, in blood serum were assessed via modelling calculations, using the stability constants reported in the literature for the binary insulin-mimetic complexes and their ternary complexes formed with the most important low molecular mass binders in the serum: oxalic acid, lactic acid, citric acid and phosphate. The binding capabilities of two high molecular mass serum proteins, albumin and transferrin, were also taken into account.

Citric Acid↗