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J Dusek

Publications and source records attributed to J Dusek.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

[Bergenia crassifolia (L.) Fritsch in vitro].

Sterile germinating plants were used to derive a tissue culture. The greatest stimulating effect on the growth of the culture was exerted by NAA cultures in all concentrations tested, by IAA in concentrations of 1.0 and 10.0 mg.l-1, by IBA in a concentration of 0.1 mg.l-1, and by the combination of IBA + K. The difference between the values of growth on these media was statistically insignificant. TLC analysis of callus extracts demonstrated the presence of bergenin, arbutin, hydroquinone, and methylarbutine. HPLC analysis confirmed the findings (arbutin 0.25%, hydroquinone 0.05%, methylarbutin 0.28%). The results of biotransformation tests show that the highest increase in arbutin took place after addition of 4-hydroxybenzoic acid and withdrawal of the sample after 24 hours (3.82%). No transformation of arbutin or 4-methoxyphenol to produce methylarbutin took place in the culture under the given conditions. The highest increase in the summary content of phenolic substances occurred with the use of the elicitor Pseudomonas aeruginosa--88% (conc. 0.0001 g/100 ml, 12-hour action).

Arbutin↗
PubMed2000

Impact of group psychological interventions on pregnancy rates in infertile women.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the efficacy of two different group psychological interventions on viable pregnancy rates in women experiencing infertility of less than 2 years' duration. DESIGN: Prospective, controlled, single-blind, randomized study. SETTING: Large tertiary-care teaching hospital. PATIENT(S): One hundred eighty-four women who had been trying to get pregnant for 1 to 2 years. INTERVENTION(S): Participants were randomized into a 10-session cognitive-behavioral group, a standard support group, or a routine care control group. They were followed for 1 year. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Viable pregnancy. RESULT(S): Sixty-four [corrected] women discontinued participation in the study within the first year. There were a total of 47 in the cognitive-behavioral group, 48 in the support group, and 25 in the control group. There were statistically significant differences between participants in the two intervention groups versus the control group. CONCLUSION(S): Group psychological interventions appear to lead to increased pregnancy rates in infertile women.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Relation of Bcl-2 expression to androgen receptor, p21WAF1/CIP1, and cyclin D1 status in prostate cancer.

BACKGROUND: There is currently no effective treatment for recurrent hormone refractory carcinomas of the prostate gland. An understanding of the underlying mechanisms responsible for the progression of these lesions is likely to be important for the development of new therapeutic approaches. Recently, it has been suggested that the transition to a hormone independent state is accompanied by increased proliferation and bcl-2 gene expression, as well as by a decreased apoptotic state. AIM: To investigate the possible role of Bcl-2 and other cell cycle regulating proteins in the development of prostatic tumours. METHODS: Immunohistochemistry was used to study the relation between the expression of Bcl-2 and the androgen receptor, as well as p21WAF1/CIP1 (p21), and cyclin D1 status, in a series of 89 prostate cancer samples taken before androgen withdrawal treatment. RESULTS: Androgen receptor negative tumours expressed significantly higher amounts of Bcl-2 than those prostate carcinomas with low/medium androgen receptor values. However, in tumours expressing the highest amounts of androgen receptor, Bcl-2 expression was also high. A significant positive relation between Bcl-2 and p21 expression, as well as an inverse relation between Bcl-2 and cyclin D1 expression, was noted. Androgen receptor positive samples also expressed significantly higher amounts of cyclin D1. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that p21 and cyclin D1 expression in prostatic cancer might be modulated by Bcl-2 and by androgens and in turn this could be relevant to the progression of prostatic cancer.

Cyclin D1↗
PubMed2000

[Effect of linoleic acid on the production of secondary metabolites].

The paper examines the effect of linoleic acid in various concentrations on the production of flavonoids in an Ononis arvensis culture in vitro and the production of anthracene derivatives in a Rheum palmatum culture in vitro. The content of the metabolites under study after elicitation with linoleic acid, which is the precursor of jasminic acid intervening into the course of elicitation, was examined after 12; 24; 48 and 168 hours. The maximal increase in the content of flavonoids (118%) was found after the application of linoleic acid in a concentration of 2 mg/ml after 48 hrs. In concentrations of 0.01; 0.20, and 1 mg/ml after 48 hours of application of the elicitor, the highest increase in the content of flavonoids was observed after 24 hrs in a concentration of 2.0 mg/ml. In the elicitation of the Rheum palmatum culture, the highest response (100%) in the production of anthracene derivatives was observed in linoleic acid in a concentration of 1 mg/ml.

Anthracenes↗
PubMed2000

[Biological characteristics of multiple myeloma].

On a series of thirty trephine bone marrow biopsies from patients with multiple myeloma, the authors evaluated expression of markers of cell proliferation or of its blockade (Ki-67, PCNA, topoisomerase IIa, cyclin D-1, AgNOR, and p27kip1) and markers indicating multidrug resistance (P-170 and Bcl-2). Expression of Ki-67 and of topoisomerase IIa was unfrequent. Marked positivity of PCNA was expressed in about one third of cases, negative staining was exceptional. No expression of cyclin D-1 was noted. Positivity of p27kip1 was frequent. P-170 was demonstrated in a small number of cases, Bcl-2 was strongly positive in most cases. The results characterise multiple myeloma as a tumour with low proliferation rate and, simultaneously, with high resistance to apoptosis.

ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily B, Mem↗
PubMed2000

The cosmos and CHAT, prompting blood pressure and heart rate monitoring for Dérer's week.

BACKGROUND: The effects of natural environmental factors upon health, documented in Minnesota, support the proposition of Bratislava's champions of the cosmos and of the biological week, gauged via circaseptan rhythms by the late Ladislav Dérer, whose "macro-rhythm" lasted "most frequently about 6 days". MAIN PURPOSE: To introduce 7-day monitoring of blood pressure and heart rate into routine practice. STARTING POINTS AND METHODS: Cosinor analysis on 7-day series determines (conventionally ignored) consistent blood pressure overswinging, i.e., circadian hyper-amplitude-tension (CHAT), a disease risk syndrome, whether it is associated with a normal average blood pressure or a high blood pressure. RESULTS: Summary of information understandable by the general population on the dynamics of blood pressure. CONCLUSIONS AND MEANING FOR PRACTICE AND THEORY: Space weather reports may prompt preventive measures. Caution dictates in any event monitoring blood pressure and heart rate for 7 days to attempt to prevent strokes, rather than to ignore the greatest yet detectable risk of catastrophic vascular disease, CHAT, a risk greater than old age or high blood pressure. (Tab. 1, Fig. 3, Ref. 31.)

Blood Pressure Monitoring, Ambulatory↗
PubMed1999

Phase I/II study of stage III and IV non-small cell lung cancer patients taking a specific dietary supplement.

This phase I/II study evaluates the influence of selected vegetables (SV) that contain known antitumor components on the survival of stage III-IV non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. All patients were treated with conventional therapies. SV was added to the daily diet of 5 stage I patients in the toxicity study group (TG) and 6 stage III and IV patients in the treatment group (SVG), but not to the diet of 13 stage III and IV patients in the control group (CG). Age, Karnofsky performance status (KPS), and body mass index of SVG and CG patients were comparable at entry. KPS declined in the CG patients (79 +/- 8 to 55 +/- 11) but improved in the SVG patients (75 +/- 8 to 80 +/- 13) one to three months after entry. Weight change in the CG, SVG, and TG patients was -12 +/- 5%, -2 +/- 2%, and +4 +/- 4%, respectively. The median survival time and mean survival of the CG patients were 4 and 4.8 months, but in the SVG patients they were 15.5 and 15 months (p < 0.01). No clinical signs of toxicity were found in the TG patients in the 24-month study period. Adding SV to the daily diet of NSCLC patients was found to be nontoxic and associated with improved weight maintenance, KPS, and survival of stage III and IV NSCLC patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

[Mantle cell lymphoma as a diagnostic and therapeutic problem].

The authors present the characteristics of a group of 23 patients with mantle cell lymphoma. In the group only a slight predominance of men over women was found (1.1:1), the median age was 63 years. Twenty-one (91%) of the patients were diagnosed in stage IV (Ann Arbor). In all these patients the bone marrow was affected. In 19 of them immunoflowcytometric analysis revealed the typical clone of B lymphocytes (CD5 positive)/CD 23 negative). The majority of patients had at the time of diagnosis a large tumourous mass with massive splenomegaly (61%), hepatomegaly (57%) and bulky disease (52%). The node was excised in 17 patients, but in four patients (24%) during the first session the diagnosis was not assessed correctly. In the laboratory findings an inclination to anaemia, thrombocytopenia, lymphocytosis and in particular to high levels of serological indicators of activity of the disease dominated--lactate dehydrogenase, beta-2-microglobulin and serum thymidine kinase. All patients were treated by chemotherapy. Complete remission was achieved by the date of evaluation in one patient (4%), partial remission in seven patients (30%) but 48% patients did not respond to first line treatment. Nine patients of the group died, their median of survival was 14 months (0-24), the median of the follow up of the remaining patients was 133 months (2-31). Two female patients had large-dose treatment with subsequent administration of autologous stem cells. The first one is after 370 days of treatment in complete remission, the second one developed a relapse 100 days after the procedure. From the results and analysis of the literature ensues that mantle cell lymphoma is one of the aggressive malignant B-lymphoproliferations with a very adverse prognosis and it deserves therefore special diagnostic and intense therapeutic attention.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

[New diagnostic possibilities in Alport's syndrome].

An overview of immunohistological and molecular genetic methods for diagnosis of Alport syndrome (AS) is given with practical experience from groups of authors' observations. Immunofluorescent investigation using antibodies against alfa chains of collagen IV was performed on cryostat sections from 29 punction nephrobiopsies and 9 skin excisions taken for support of differential diagnosis of AS particularly against the thin membranes glomerulopathy. Alfa chains deviations in other renal diseases were followed in another 14 cases. Molecular genetical investigation of AS by an indirect DNA diagnostics was performed in 35 families with presumed AS and in 27 patients with probable mutation a mutation screening of COL4AS gene by a direct method SSCP was made. The mutation was proved in 10 cases. Because of genotypical and phenotypical variability of AS the diagnostic gain only increases when all the accessible methods are combined.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Morphology of non-ventilated transplanted rat lungs.

Morphological changes in lung tissue of heterotopic heart-lung transplants have been studied 28 days following transplantation in 20 rats. Lung tissue showed disperse haemorrhagic necrosis often sparing bronchi and branches of pulmonary artery and conspicuous accumulation of bronchial secretion. Partial disappearance of cardiac muscle cells from the walls of pulmonary veins has been ascribed to tissue hypoxia.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

[Inflammatory stromal reaction in epithelial neoplasia of the uterine cervix in correlation with HPV infection].

260 cases of women with epithelial neoplasias of the uterine cervix were studied: HPV infection was detected by DNA in situ hybridization and serology, simultaneously structure and intensity of stromal inflammatory reaction (SR) were evaluated (semiquantitatively) as well as standard clinical immunological parametres investigated by serology. Results proved the same character of SR in intraepithelial lesions and invasive carcinomas and the intensity of SR increasing in relation to the gravity of epithelial dysplasia. There was not found any significant difference in SR between cases with detected HPV infection and cases lacking it. Summarized immunological parametres were in limits of normal reference range.

Female↗
PubMed1997

Meta-analyzed heart rate variability, exposure to geomagnetic storms, and the risk of ischemic heart disease.

The aim was to examine how heart rate variability (HRV) relates to the risk of ischemic heart disease (IHD) and may provide a means to assess effects of exposure to geomagnetic storms. In Stockholm, the 24-hour SD of hourly estimates of heart rate (HR) were obtained by Holter monitoring from 50 men who had had an acute myocardial infarction or had angina pectoris and compared to that of 50 clinically healthy men of similar age. In Tokyo, the HR 121 normotensives and 176 treated hypertensives was monitored. The incidence of IHD was recorded prospectively for 6 years. These results are aligned with those of a retrospective analysis of archived data on all crews of the Soyuz spacecraft for 1990-1994 focused on ECG from cosmonauts (47 male and 2 female) at times corresponding to geomagnetic storms. The results clearly indicate a decrease in HRV in association with IHD (20.5%, p=0.002 in Stockholm, 20.0%, p=0.04 in Tokyo). By comparison, the about 30% decrease (p=0.041) in rms SD of HR in cosmonauts studied during a geomagnetic storm as compared to cosmonauts monitored on quiet days adds supportive evidence to the proposition that exposure to geomagnetic disturbances increases cardiovascular disease risk.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Differential chemosensitivity of leukemic cells in the myeloid and lymphoid phases of stem cell leukemia (a case report).

A five-year-old girl, initially diagnosed as having acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL; FAB-L1) relapsed with ALL 4 months after completion of chemotherapy (BFM 83). The initial ALL presentation and subsequent ALL relapse were analyzed using conventional morphology, cytochemistry, cytogenetics and immunophenotyping. The results were consistent with a diagnosis of B-lymphocyte precursor ALL. Bone marrow leukemic cells revealed a 46, XX karyotype at diagnosis and a 46, XX, del(7) (q22; qter) when the girl first relapsed. The case was managed with a BFM REZ-ALL 90 protocol. Upon completion of the first cycle of the protocol, severe myelosuppression developed. This was treated with GM-CSF. Three days later, however, GM-CSF was stopped because the WBC reached 1.1 x 10(9) per liter with 60% of blasts in peripheral blood. Laboratory characteristics were typical of AML. Cytogenetic analysis revealed 46, XX, del(7) (q22; qter) karyotype as before. The bcr-abl fusion gene was not detected. Myeloid blasts were placed in a culture and maintained at 37 degrees C and 7.5% CO2 for two weeks. During this period, formation of hemopoietic colonies was observed and subsequently analyzed using histology and electron microscopy. This showed that the colonies consisted of differentiating erythroid, megakaryocytic and myeloid cells. Further, the chemosensitivity of leukemic cells was examined in both "lymphoid" and "myeloid" relapse instances. While the "lymphoid" phenotype was characterized by good sensitivity to corticosteroids, a typical feature of the "myeloid" phenotype was a high resistance to corticosteroids with marginally increased sensitivity to ARA-C.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗
PubMed1997

[Clinical characteristics of mycosis fungoides and Sézary syndrome].

Mycosis fungoides and Sézary syndrome are typical representatives of malignant lymphomas of the T-series affecting the skin. Both affections have a varied clinical picture, a different spectrum of histological and laboratory findings and lack a uniform prognosis. In the submitted review the authors discuss in more detail all mentioned aspects of the disease and draw attention to new therapeutic possibilities.

Humans↗
PubMed1996

[Antineoplastic effects of natural substances].

The present paper surveys natural substances with antitumour activity, particularly primary metabolites--polysaccharides, lectins and lipids tested in vitro or on laboratory animals. The presented data cover the period of 1990-1995.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

[24-hour ambulatory monitoring of blood pressure in patients with essential hypertension: the effectiveness of enalapril therapy].

The aim of the present paper was to study 24-h blood pressure profile in twenty patients with essential hypertension (mild to moderate) before and after treatment with ACE inhibitor enalapril in one day dose in the morning (15.6 +/- 6.1 mg). 24-h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring was examined after 14 days of placebo administration and after one month of enalapril therapy. Enalapril treatment decreased systolic blood pressure of 11.3 mmHg during daytime and of 9.4 mmHg at night, diastolic blood pressure of 6.1 mmHg during daytime and 5.8 mmHg at night, all differences were significant in comparison to placebo (p < 0.01). The through-peak ratios were 63.2% for systolic blood pressure and 54.0% for diastolic blood pressure. We can conclude that enalapril treatment in one day morning dose is efficient to decrease blood pressure during 24-h span without altering the diurnal profile.

Adult↗