INTRODUCTION: To date, there is not generally accepted and universal indicator of activity, and functional integrity of the small intestine in patients with coeliac disease. The aim of our study was to investigate whether serum concentrations of the non-essential amino acids citrulline and ornithine might have this function. METHODS: We examined serum citrulline and ornithine concentrations in a subgroup of patients with proven coeliac disease and healthy controls (blood donors). RESULTS: A total of 94 patients with coeliac disease (29 men, mean age 53 ± 18 years; 65 women, mean age 44 ± 14 years) and 35 healthy controls (blood donors) in whom coeliac disease was serologically excluded (10 men, mean age 51 ± 14 years; 25 women, mean age 46 ± 12 years) were included in the study. Significantly lower concentrations of serum ornithine were found in patients with coeliac disease (mean 65 ± 3 μmol/L; median 63 μmol/L, IQR 34 μmol/L, p < 0.001). No statistically nor clinically significant differences were found in the citrulline concentrations between the study and control group. CONCLUSIONS: Serum ornithine (but not citrulline) may be useful for assessing the functional status of the small intestine in uncomplicated coeliac disease. Further studies involving more detailed analysis of dietary and metabolic changes in patients will be needed to reach definitive conclusions.

• MeSH
• celiakie * MeSH
• citrulin * metabolismus   MeSH
• dieta MeSH
• dospělí MeSH
• lidé středního věku MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• ornithin metabolismus   MeSH
• senioři MeSH
• Check Tag
• dospělí MeSH
• lidé středního věku MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• senioři MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

BACKGROUND: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a heterogeneous condition with multiple clinical faces. Metabolomic profiling studies small molecules present in biological samples by combined use of chromatography with mass spectrometry. OBJECTIVES: The goal of our work was to perform a high performance liquid chromatography combined with tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) metabolomic study to compare the concentrations of metabolites in COPD patients and in controls. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Participants were recruited at the University Hospital, Hradec Králové, Czech Republic, with the approval of the ethics committee. The analysis of blood samples was performed at Health Sciences Center (HSC) in Kuwait. The blood samples were analyzed for concentrations of acylcarnitines and amino acids by high performance liquid chromatography (Waters 2690 HPLC; Waters, Milford, USA) and a triple-quadruple tandem mass spectrometer (Quattro LC, Micromass, Manchester, United Kingdom). RESULTS: Groups of 10 subjects with COPD and 10 healthy controls were analyzed. Carnitine analysis showed that the free carnitine to acylcarnitine ratio (C0/AC ratio) was significantly lower in COPD (0.58 μM/L) compared to the controls (0.73 μM/L; p = 0.002). The mean C8/C2 ratio in the COPD group was significantly higher (0.03 μM/L) - in the control group it was 0 μM/L (p = 0.03). Amino acid analysis showed lower levels of phenylalanine in the COPD group (22.05 μM/L) compared to the controls (30.05 μM/L; p = 0.008). The alanine concentrations were significantly lower in the COPD group (173 μM/L) than in the control group (253 μM/L; p = 0.001). The pyroglutamate levels were higher in COPD (1.58 μM/L) than in the controls (1 μM/L; p = 0.040). CONCLUSIONS: The carnitine and acylcarnitine levels in COPD subjects in this study possibly indicate a predisposition to atherosclerosis as a result of inadequate β-oxidation of fatty acids and show the presence of oxidative stress. Furthermore, the high sensitivity to changes in circulating amino acid levels may allow us to detect subclinical malnutrition and take early preventative interventions such as nutritional supplementation and patient education.

• MeSH
• aminokyseliny krev   MeSH
• analýza dat MeSH
• chronická obstrukční plicní nemoc krev   metabolismus   MeSH
• karnitin analogy a deriváty   krev   MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• studie případů a kontrol MeSH
• tandemová hmotnostní spektrometrie metody   MeSH
• vysokoúčinná kapalinová chromatografie metody   MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

The activity of human cholinesterases, erythrocyte acetylcholinesterase (AChE; EC 3.1.1.7) and plasma butyrylcholinesterase (BChE; EC 3.1.1.8) represents an important marker when monitoring exposure to pesticides/nerve agents, and may also be used in occupational medicine in diagnosis and prognosis of some diseases. In this study "normal/baseline" AChE and BChE activity has been investigated in a young and healthy population, with subsequent evaluation of several intra-population factors including sex, age (categories 18-25, 26-35 and 36-45 years old) and smoker status. The modified Ellman's method was used for enzyme activity assessment in 387 young and healthy individuals (201 males and 186 females aged 18-45). A significant inter-sexual difference in AChE and BChE activity was found (AChE: 351±67 for males and 377±65 for females, (μmol/min)/(μmol of hemoglobin), p<0.001; BChE: 140±33 for males and 109±29 for females, μkat/l, p<0.001; mean±SD). Despite the finding that mean AChE activity somewhat decreased whereas BChE activity grew within the age categories of the tested subjects, no significant effect of age on cholinesterase activity was found (p>0.05). Smoking influenced cholinesterase activity - AChE activity in smokers was elevated (approx. 3% in males; 8% in females) relative to that in non-smokers (p<0.05). Smoking was found not to have any effect on BChE activity. Reference values based on confidence intervals for AChE and BChE activity were established. The presented results might be useful in routine clinical practice where the monitoring of blood AChE and plasma BChE activity is crucial for prognosis and diagnosis of organophosphate poisoning, in occupational medicine and in relevant mass casualty scenarios.

• MeSH
• acetylcholinesterasa krev   MeSH
• biologické markery krev   MeSH
• butyrylcholinesterasa metabolismus   MeSH
• dospělí MeSH
• GPI-vázané proteiny krev   MeSH
• hemoglobiny analýza   MeSH
• hromadné neštěstí MeSH
• hygiena práce MeSH
• kouření krev   MeSH
• lidé středního věku MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mladiství MeSH
• mladý dospělý MeSH
• otrava organofosfáty krev   enzymologie   MeSH
• referenční hodnoty MeSH
• sexuální faktory MeSH
• věkové faktory MeSH
• zdraví dobrovolníci pro lékařské studie MeSH
• Check Tag
• dospělí MeSH
• lidé středního věku MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mladiství MeSH
• mladý dospělý MeSH
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Česká republika MeSH

Foetal calf serum (FCS) is a standard supplement used in media for in vitro stem cell cultivation. This xenogeneic supplement remains widely used for its favourable growth-promoting properties and ease of accessibility; however, it is inherently not fit for human medicine due to its capacity to temper with the cultured cell quality. For this reason, the international community encourages research and development of allogeneic sera, which would expunge this issue. This study aims to investigate the differences in proliferative capacity, phenotype, and differentiation capacity of ecto-mesenchymal stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHED) cultured in vitro in media supplemented with allogeneic and xenogeneic sera. To address these aims, we cultured three lineages of stem cells in media supplemented with FCS in a concentration of 2% + growth factors; human blood plasma and platelet-rich plasma in concentrations of 2% + growth factors, and 10%. Here, the xenogeneic cultivation was considered as a basis for comparison because this serum is commonly used in studies concerning ecto-mesenchymal stem cells. The study shows that multipotent ecto-mesenchymal SHED can be feasibly cultivated in media where the xenogeneic FCS is substituted by allogeneic platelet-rich plasma, considering the cultured cell proliferative and differentiation capacities. We have also proved that different sera impact the cultured cells' phenotype differently, which has major implications for previous and future stem cell research and regenerative therapy.

• MeSH
• buněčná diferenciace účinky léků   MeSH
• chondrogeneze účinky léků   MeSH
• dítě MeSH
• fenotyp MeSH
• kultivační média farmakologie   MeSH
• kultivované buňky MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mezenchymální kmenové buňky cytologie   MeSH
• neurogeneze účinky léků   MeSH
• osteogeneze účinky léků   MeSH
• předškolní dítě MeSH
• proliferace buněk účinky léků   MeSH
• tvar buňky účinky léků   MeSH
• viabilita buněk účinky léků   MeSH
• vývoj svalů účinky léků   MeSH
• zuby mléčné cytologie   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• dítě MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• předškolní dítě MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH

• Publikační typ
• abstrakt z konference MeSH

AIMS: Our aims were to isolate and cultivate mesenchymal dental pulp stem cells (DPSC) in various media enriched with human blood components, and subsequently to investigate their basic biological properties. METHODS: DPSC were cultivated in five different media based on α MEM containing different concentrations of human plasma (HP), platelet-rich plasma (PRP), or fetal calf serum (FCS). The DPSC biological properties were examined periodically. RESULTS: We cultivated DPSC in the various cultivation media over 15 population doublings except for the medium supplemented with 10% HP. Our results showed that DPSC cultivated in medium supplemented with 10% PRP showed the shortest average population doubling time (DT) (28.6 ± 4.6 hours), in contrast to DPSC cultivated in 10% HP which indicated the longest DT (156.2 ± 17.8 hours); hence this part of the experiment had been cancelled in the 6th passage. DPSC cultivated in media with 2% FCS+ITS (DT 47.3 ± 10.4 hours), 2% PRP (DT 40.1 ± 5.7 hours) and 2% HP (DT 49.0 ± 15.2 hours) showed almost the same proliferative activity. DPSC's viability in the 9th passage was over 90% except for the DPSC cultivated in the 10% HP media. CONCLUSIONS: We proved that human blood components are suitable substitution for FCS in cultivation media for long-term DPSC cultivation.

• MeSH
• buněčné kultury metody   MeSH
• čas MeSH
• fetální krev * MeSH
• kultivační média MeSH
• kultivované buňky MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mezenchymální kmenové buňky * MeSH
• plazma bohatá na destičky * MeSH
• proliferace buněk MeSH
• skot MeSH
• zubní dřeň cytologie   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• skot MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH