Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to M Ziółkowski.
The toxic effect of ethanol on pro-oxidant balance has been discussed. Ethanol administration induces an increase in lipid peroxidation either by enhancing the production of oxygen reactive species and/or by decreasing the level of endogenous antioxidants. Role of acetaldehyde in ethanol-induced oxidative stress has been shown.
The Diels-Alder reaction between 2-methylfuran and maleic anhydride leads to the formation of known racemic title adduct 3. The structure of this compound was confirmed by X-ray crystallography. An efficient enantiodifferentiation of 3 in 1H NMR spectroscopy was observed upon treatment with Eu(hfc)3.
Epidemiological studies suggest that abstinence periods in some patients with alcohol dependence may increase their cardiovascular risk via proatherogenic changes in plasma lipid levels. Because of this, drugs administered in withdrawal therapy should not exacerbate these effects. The aim of this study was to estimate the influence of naltrexone, carbamazepine, and lithium carbonate on plasma lipid levels in 160 alcohol-dependent males during withdrawal therapy. Plasma concentrations of total cholesterol (TC), HDL cholesterol (HDL-C), LDL cholesterol (LDL-C), and triglycerides (TGL) were determined every 2 weeks for 20 weeks. Pharmacotherapy (naltrexone 50 mg, carbamazepine 600-800 mg, lithium carbonate 500-1000 mg once per day or placebo) was given within the framework of a double-blind study between the fourth and twentieth weeks of the study. The results of 116 patients who maintained abstinence during the whole 20-week observation period were analysed. In patients treated with naltrexone significant decreases in TC (239 +/- 58 vs 216 +/- 52 mg/dl; P < 0.01) and TGL (125 +/- 68 vs 86 +/- 33 mg/dl; P < 0.02) concentrations after 16 weeks of pharmacotherapy were observed. In patients treated with carbamazepine, significant increases in TC (224 +/- 39 vs 243 +/- 54 mg/dl, P < 0.04) and HDL (40 +/- 10 vs 44 +/- 8 mg/dl, P < 0.01) after 16 weeks of pharmacotherapy were observed. After 16 weeks of pharmacotherapy, patients treated with naltrexone had lower mean TC (P < 0.03) and LDL-C (P < 0.01) concentrations than patients treated with carbamazepine, lower mean LDL-C levels than patients treated with lithium carbonate (149 +/- 54 vs 164 +/- 57 mg/dl, P < 0.01), and lower TGL concentrations than patients of the remaining pharmacotherapy groups. We conclude that naltrexone, by its hypolipaemic effect, could be useful for withdrawal therapy in alcoholic patients, because it may decrease the cardiovascular risk in abstinent patients with alcohol dependence by lipid mechanisms.
On the material of 178 fetuses of both sexes, ascending colon development in fetal period was studied. Variability of its measurements, shapes as well as of peritoneal and topographic proportions were traced.
In 237 male inpatients with alcohol dependence, clinical, demographic and biochemical data were analyzed in relation to alcohol tolerance. All subjects had a history of marked tolerance. At the time of assessment, 46% of subjects continued to meet the criteria for marked tolerance and 54% of the subjects reported a loss or decreased tolerance. Subjects with decreased tolerance were older than those with high tolerance and had a longer duration of illness. The age of onset was similar in both groups. Patients with decreased tolerance had more mental confusion and psychotic symptoms, and were less likely to be currently married.
The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of alexithymia by means of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS) in 60 male outpatients with alcohol dependence showing various durations of abstinence. Alexithymia (> or = 74 points on TAS) was found in 48% of subjects. In patients with a shorter duration of abstinence (< 1 year) both total scores of TAS as well as the scores for all three subscales were significantly higher than in subjects abstaining for more than 1 year. The findings may suggest a negative relationship between alexithymia and maintaining abstinence in male alcoholic outpatients.
The number of arteries providing blood supply for the thyroid gland as well as the origin of the superior thyroid and inferior thyroid arteries were examined in 132 fetuses from single pregnancies and in 144 fetuses from twin pregnancies, aging 4 to 9 months. Most frequently (81% cases) four thyroid arteries were observed. Five thyroid arteries were noted in 14.4% cases. Sources of additional thyroid arteries were described.
The authors disposed of numerous cases of fetuses normally aborted during the long period of time therefore the studies of time dependent variability of some somatotropic features in relation to the degree of development were decided. The studies on the fetal material should be always performed with great care as many errors could be introduced. Some of them are related to not enough accurate determination of the fetal age and the variability of the causes of abortion. These would result the inconsistency of stages of fetal development among the material used for the study. Therefore the research was performed using only the fetuses with accurate estimated calendar age and of similar environmental conditions for development. The causes of the abortion were related only to external factors but not to the course of pregnancy. For the analysis only the fetuses of 5th and 6th month of fetal age were used. All fetuses were aborted in the years 1965, 1970, 1975, 1980, 1985. The intersexual differences were also taken into consideration and calculated means of the features were related to identical points of the fetal age. The variations in the seating body length (v-tub), the head perimeter, the shoulder width (a-a) and the body weight were analysed in such individualised groups.
Of 100 male patients with alcohol dependence, clinical and biochemical data were analysed in relation to family history of alcoholism and alexithymic personality traits. Family history was found in 38 patients and alexithymic personality traits in 79. No relationship was established between these two factors. In patients with a family history alcoholism began at a younger age with more severe clinical symptoms than in the remaining subjects. Patients with alexithymia had lower intensity of psychopathology but higher frequency of concomitant hypertension. Patients with family history had higher leukocyte counts and lower alcohol-induced elevations of liver enzymes and plasma lipids. In patients with alexithymia, higher values of hemoglobin and hematocrit were found. The results suggest that two predisposing factors to alcohol dependence such as family history of alcoholism and alexithymic personality determine the different clinical and biochemical features of the disease.
The personality trait of alexithymia was assessed in 100 male inpatients with alcohol dependence using the Schaling-Sifneos Personality Scale. The score indicative of alexithymia (below 50 points) was found in 78 patients, a prevalence which exceeds that found in psychosomatic subjects. Patients with alexithymia did not differ from non-alexithymics in regard to demographic factors and severity of alcohol dependence. They were younger and had a shorter duration of illness what may indicate that alexithymia is not a result of the dependence. Alcoholic patients with concomitant hypertension had greater alexithymic scores. It is hypothesized that psychological and biological features of alexithymic subjects may render them more vulnerable to alcohol and more prone to subsequent development of the dependence.
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