Tacrolimus, cyclosporine and plasma lipoproteins in renal transplant recipients.

To compare the effect of tacrolimus (FK506) and cyclosporine (CsA) on plasma lipoproteins in renal transplant recipients receiving maintainance therapy, the following prospective study was undertaken. Blood from nineteen recipients on tacrolimus (FK group) and from twenty-one on CsA (CsA group) was collected at baseline, 3-, 6-, and 10-month intervals. Plasma lipids, lipoproteins and oxidation properties of lipoproteins were determined.

Vitamins C and E inhibit O2- production in the pig coronary artery.

Background: We previously found in a pig coronary balloon injury model that vitamins C and E as well as probucol had beneficial effects on the vessel response to injury measured by morphometry These effects correlated with an inhibition in the ability to oxidize LDLs ex vivo, suggesting that the morphological response was due to the antioxidant effect of the treatments.

Methods And Results: In the present study, the production of O2- by vessels 14 days after balloon injury was determined and correlated with circulating and tissue levels of vitamins C and E. Twenty-five domestic pigs were divided into four groups: control (n=7), vitamin C (500 mg/d, group C, n=6), vitamin E (1000 IU/d, group E, n=6), and vitamins C and E (500 mg/d and 1000 IU/d, group C+E, n=6).

Oxidized lipoprotein (a) induces cell adhesion molecule Mac-1 (CD 11b) and enhances adhesion of the monocytic cell line U937 to cultured endothelial cells.

Because of structural similarities between low density lipoproteins (LDL) and lipoprotein (a) (Lp(a)), we have investigated the properties and the functional activities of oxidized Lp(a) and focused on whether oxidized Lp(a), like oxidized LDL, can induce monocyte differentiation and adhesion of monocytic cells to endothelial cells grown in culture. Oxidized Lp(a), prepared in vitro by cupric ion oxidation, gave absorption curves of conjugated dienes with a lag-phase of 61.7 +/- 6.

AquaLite bioluminescence assay of thyrotropin in serum evaluated.

We studied a new commercially available thyrotropin (TSH) assay, the AquaLite Bioluminescence TSH-Immunoassay (SeaLite Inc.). This assay has a detection limit of 0.

Combination of vitamins C and E alters the response to coronary balloon injury in the pig.

Restenosis is the major limitation of the long-term success of percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty. The process of restenosis involves repair of vascular injury and remodeling of vessel architecture. Therapeutic interventions that improve vascular function may therefore be beneficial in the treatment of restenosis.