Detrimental effects of chemotherapeutics and other drugs on the endothelium: A call for endothelial toxicity profiling.

The vascular endothelium is a real "maestro of circulation", and endothelial dysfunction leads to atherothrombosis, its cardiovascular complications, as well as to many other diseases. It is surprising that quite a large number of drugs seem to hamper the vasoprotective mechanisms of the endothelium, possibly promoting the development of cardiovascular diseases in patients initially treated for non-cardiological conditions. Toxicity profiling (including cardiac and liver toxicity assessment) is a routine procedure performed during pre-clinical drug development.

The impact of prenatal stress on insulin-like growth factor-1 and pro-inflammatory cytokine expression in the brains of adult male rats: the possible role of suppressors of cytokine signaling proteins.

Stress, inflammation and the reduced expression of neurotrophic factors are risk factors for depression. The objective of this study was to determine if prenatal stress affects IGF-1 - cytokine interactions by influencing suppressors of cytokine signaling (SOCS) in the brains of adult rats, in basal conditions and after acute lipopolysaccharide (LPS) treatment. We demonstrated that prenatal stress leads to depression-like behavior, decreased IGF-1, increased IL-1β, TNF-α and IFN-γ release and disturbed SOCS-1, SOCS-2 and SOCS-3 expression in the hippocampus and frontal cortex of adult offspring.

Prenatal stress affects insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) level and IGF-1 receptor phosphorylation in the brain of adult rats.

It has been shown that stressful events occurring in early life have a powerful influence on the development of the central nervous system. Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) promotes the growth, differentiation and survival of both neurons and glial cells and is thought to exert antidepressant-like activity. Thus, it is possible that disturbances in the function of the IGF-1 system may be responsible for disturbances observed over the course of depression.

Catalase activity in blood fractions of patients with sporadic ALS.

Background: Oxidative stress may be a key element in pathogenesis of sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (sALS). Several studies proved that markers of peroxidation of lipids, proteins or nucleic acids are increased in postmortem tissue of sALS patients. However, much less is known about enzymatic antioxidant defense mechanism in sALS.

Possible contribution of IGF-1 to depressive disorder.

Depression is an illness of unknown origin and involves the dysregulation of many physiological processes disturbed in this disease. It has been postulated that the pathomechanism of depression is complex, and apart from changes in neurotransmitters, a dysregulation of the immune and endocrine systems also plays an important role in the development of this disorder. Recent studies indicate that an impairment of synaptic plasticity in specific areas of the central nervous system (CNS), particularly the hippocampus, may be an important factor in the pathogenesis of depression.

Validation of the Polish version of the EORTC QLQ-OV28 module for the assessment of health-related quality of life in women with ovarian cancer.

The aim of our study was to undertake a prospective validation study of the Polish version of the EORTC ovarian cancer (EORTC QLQ-OV28) module used together with the EORTC QLQ-C30. The translated module was pilot-tested according to the EORTC guidelines. Patients with histological confirmation of ovarian cancer were eligible for the study.

Maternal immune activation leads to age-related behavioral and immunological changes in male rat offspring - the effect of antipsychotic drugs.

Background: Prenatal immune system disturbances have been postulated to play an important role in pathogenesis of schizophrenia and related disorders. In the present study, we sought to answer the question whether behavioral changes in the neurodevelopmental model of schizophrenia in rats are accompanied by alterations in proliferative activity of splenocytes and pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine levels. Furthermore, the effects of two antipsychotic drugs on these parameters were determined.

A new animal model of (chronic) depression induced by repeated and intermittent lipopolysaccharide administration for 4 months.

Chronic activation of immune-inflammatory and oxidative and nitrosative stress (O&NS) pathways plays an important role in the pathophysiology of clinical depression. Increased IgA responses directed against LPS of gram-negative bacteria, indicating increased bacterial translocation, may be one of the drivers underpinning these pathways. There is a strong association between signs of bacterial translocation and chronicity of depression and O&NS, but not pro-inflammatory cytokines.