To assess cellular immunoreactivity, lipopolysaccharide (LPS), Concanavalin A (Con A), or LPS together with Con A was added to the whole blood for 18 hours. LPS preferentially stimulated release of tumor necrosis factor-alfa (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-10 and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) by blood cells, whereas Con A significantly enhanced secretion of interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and IL-2. Addition of heparin to blood slightly decreased cellular secretion of IL-2 and VEGF, but not other cytokines. This test can be used to assess innate and adaptive blood immunoreactivity and may be useful in surgical practice for preparation of blood components (serum, plasma, leukocyte- and platelet-rich plasma) and objective immunologic monitoring.

he data presented in this review article characterize the key role of alterations in humoral and cellular immunity factors detectable during post-infarction period. According to these data, immune reactivity may define both a level of the myocardial lesion, and a subsequent clinical course of the disease.

Abstract. Blood cell reactions to a submaximal physical load were studied in nine male athletes aged from 18 to 22 years, involved in wrestling sports. Subpopulational profiling of blood cell was performed 7, 35, and 60 min after completing the physical exercises. An absolute increase in total nucleated cells, erythrocytes, neutrophils, monocytes, and T-lymphocytes was noted in blood counts at the 7-min time-point. Both absolute and relative increases were revealed for СD16+ and СD56+ natural killer cells, CD19+ B-cells, as well as for stem-like cell population (CD34+CD133+) at this period. It is worth of mention that all the tested blood parameters returned to basal ranges within 35 min after the physical exercise was completed. We suggest that the changes in blood cell parameters observed during first minutes after the physical load may characterize a physical potential of athletes. Thus, evaluation of these indices may be used for optimizing their training efforts.

results are unreliable (ratio <60% or interquartile range/stiffness (IQR/LSM) >30%) in 15.8% (Castera et al.Hepatology 2010).Aims: To identify the variables associated with an inadequate LSM (failure and unreliable) in patients with chronic liver diseases (CLD).Methods: All LSM evaluated from March 2011 to March 2012 were included.LSM were categorized as inadequate (no values or ratio <60% and/or IQR/LSM >30%) and adequate.Results: We perfomed 895 LSM in 840 patients with CLD: chronic hepatitis by HCV (52.4%),HBV (18.8%),HIV-HCV coinfection (11.5%), non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (4.4%), alcoholic liver disease (3.7%), autoimmune (2.8%) and cholestatic diseases (1.9%).Inadequate LSM were obtained in 164 (18.3%) patients: IQR/LSM >30% in 90 (54.9%), no values in 59 (36%) and ratio <60% in 15 (9.1%).Patients with inadequate LSM were older and had higher weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference and levels of glucose and lower levels of albumin than patients with adequate measurements (p < 0.01 in all cases).Multivariate analysis (odds ratio, OR; confidence interval 95%, CI95, p) identified BMI (OR: 0.91; CI95: 0.86-0.97;p < 0.01), waist circumference (OR: 0.98; CI95: 0.96-0.99;p = 0.02), glucose (OR: 0.99; CI95: 0.98-1.0;p = 0.04), albumin (OR: 1.6; CI95: 1.01-2.6;p = 0.04) and age (OR: 0.98; CI95: 0.97-1.0;p = 0.07) as independent predictors to obtain an inadequate LSM.Patients with a BMI (kg/m2) <20 (n = 56), from 20 to 28 (n = 581) and >28 (n = 249) showed an inadequate LSM in 19.6%, 11.7% and 34.1%, respectively (p < 0.001).Conclusions: BMI is the main variable to obtain inadequate LSM.The rate of inadequate examinations is higher in patients with obesity or underweight probably due to anatomical reasons.

Ghrelin is an endogenous ligand for growth hormone receptor, which is synthesized as a prohormone, and then proteolytically converted into 28-amino acid peptide. This peptide stimulates the secretion of growth hormone, regulates food intake, effect on carbohydrate and lipid metabolism. Ghrelin enhances the bioavailability of nitric oxide and maintains the balance between endothelin-1 and nitric oxide in the vascular wall. It increases cardiac output, and reduces blood pressure and systemic vascular resistance. Antiinflammatory effect of ghrelin is also appreciated. Since ghrelin is a circulating peptide that stimulates appetite and regulate energy balance, and its role in the development of obesity and type 2 diabetes it is the subject of intense research. A variety of metabolic functions of ghrelin requires extreme caution in the use of therapeutic approaches aimed at the stimulation or blockade of its action.

Ghrelin is an endogenous ligand for growth hormone receptor, which is synthesized as a prohormone, and then proteolytically converted into 28-amino acid peptide. This peptide stimulates the secretion of growth hormone, regulates food intake, effect on carbohydrate and lipid metabolism. Ghrelin enhances the bioavailability of nitric oxide and maintains the balance between endothelin-1 and nitric oxide in the vascular wall. It increases cardiac output, and reduces blood pressure and systemic vascular resistance. Antiinflammatory effect of ghrelin is also appreciated. Since ghrelin is a circulating peptide that stimulates appetite and regulate energy balance, and its role in the development of obesity and type 2 diabetes it is the subject of intense research. A variety of metabolic functions of ghrelin requires extreme caution in the use of therapeutic approaches aimed at the stimulation or blockade of its action.