Search Results
You are looking at 41 - 50 of 53 items for
- Author or Editor: A. Takács x
- Refine by Access: All Content x
The significance of co-infections with novel hepatitis viruses Hepatitis G (GBV-C, HGV) and TT virus (TTV) in chronic hepatitis C is not clear. We determined the prevalence of HGV RNA and TTV DNA in chronic hepatitis C patients and in asymptomatic hepatitis C virus (HCV) carriers, and assessed the influence of these agents on the course of HCV infection. Seventy-seven patients with chronic hepatitis C - 50 of them treated with interferon (IFN) - and 33 HCV carriers with normal alanine aminotransferase have been investigated. Previous HBV infection was detected by testing serum HBsAg and aHBc. HGV RNA and TTV DNA were detected by PCR. In the healthy population, the prevalence of anti-HCV was 0.3%, HGV RNA 8.0% and TTV DNA 18.5%. In chronic hepatitis C HGV RNA occurred in 9.09% and TTV DNA in 40.25% of cases. In IFN-treated patients with sustained remission, the frequency of TTV was 20% vs. 45.7% found in non-responders. Among asymptomatic HCV-carriers, the prevalence of HGV RNA was 9.09% and TTV DNA 75.7%. Neither HGV RNA nor TTV DNA had apparent effect on the HCV infection. TTV was detected with the lowest frequency in persons with sustained remission due to IFN, suggesting antiviral effect of IFN on TTV.
Abstract
Cardiac electromechanical resynchronisation therapy (CRT) is an effective non-pharmacological treatment of patients suffering from drug refractory heart failure. However, approximately 20–30% of patients are non-responder. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) may play significant role in clarifying many questions in this patient population. Forty-five patients, suffering from severe drug refractory heart failure, underwent CMR before applying CRT. Left ventricular end-diastolic, end-systolic volumes, ejection fraction, myocardial mass, wall motion disturbances, localisation of non-viable myocardium were determined. Left ventricular dyssynchrony was determined by illustrating wall-time thickening in short-axis slices of left ventricle from basis to apex. CMR-proved underlying heart disease were postinfarction heart failure, dilated cardiomyopathy and non-compaction cardiomyopathy in 62, 27 and in 11%, respectively. Mean left ventricular ejection fraction was 24.5±10%, intraventricular dyssynchrony was 200±78 ms. In four patients, requiring surgical revascularisation after unsuccessful coronary sinus electrode implantation, optimal position for epicardial screw-in electrode was selected. According to the results of CMR, biventricular device was not implanted in 7 patients. During the follow-up of the 38 patients, 5 patients (13.16%) were non-responders, despite the approximately 22% non-responder ratio in our whole patient population treated by CRT but without performing previous CMR examination. In this patient population CMR may have a significant role in the selection of responder patient population.
Abstract
Introduction:The Natural Orifice Transluminal Endoscopic Surgery (NOTES) is an abdominal operation carried out with flexible endoscopic instruments and their advanced versions via natural orifices. The NOTES causes theoretically less pain, operative stress, shorter hospitalization, quicker recovery and it is scarless. The aim of this investigation was to evaluate the feasibility and safety of transgastric small bowel resection. Materials and methods: Seven domestic pigs were investigated and entered the study; body weight 25 kg in average. General anesthesia was performed. One trocar was used for laparoscopic observations during gastrotomy and transgastric penetration with the gastroscope, later for assistance with a grasper for manipulation of the bowel loops and for the application of the linear stapling device. Then the needle knife was used to complete a 1.5 cm long incision in the gastric wall. The gastroscope was advanced into the peritoneal cavity and a small bowel loop was identified and elevated with a flexible grasper. Through the second channel of the scope a coag grasper was used to dissect the mesentery. Then a linear stapler was inserted through the assisting trocar and the resection was performed. Afterwards the bowel ends were opened with the needle knife and the stapler was reinserted for a side-to-side anastomosis. The specimen was removed via the stomach. Gastric closure was completed by laparoscopic mini-instruments through the stapler-port. All special events and all problems were prospectively documented. Follow-up was performed over 2 weeks and body weight was recorded. Then a laparoscopy was performed to document adhesions or abscess formation. Finally the animals were sacrificed to evaluate further evidence of infection or adhesions. Results: The operations were carried without complications, there was no case of letal outcome. On the 12th day the abdominal laparoscopic revision was carried out, after the revision in one case adhesion could be detected, no other kinds of complications were noticed. Conclusion: According to our results, the transgastric small bowel resection is a safe procedure, but further special instruments are needed. These experimental procedures should be evaluated carefully and critically in clinical practice.
The reliable monitoring of field virus infections of crop species is important for both farmers and plant breeders. The aim of this study was to detect virus infections of winter wheat in the 2006/2007 season. Twelve well-known winter wheat varieties were sown on two different dates (11 th of October and 3 rd of November 2006). Leaves of two individuals from each genotype were collected on 23rd of April 2007 to detect the virus infections ( Barley stripe mosaic virus — BSMV, Barley yellow dwarf virus — BYDV-PAV, Wheat dwarf virus — WDV and Wheat streak mosaic virus — WSMV) after an extra mild autumn- and wintertime. Virus infections were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The aphid-transmitted BYDV-PAV was found frequently whereas other viruses were presented very rarely or were not detected. Forty-six per cent of the tested wheat plants proved to be infected by BYDV-PAV in ELISA, while using PCR, the virus infections with BYDV-PAV was found in 58% of the samples. Further, these results suggest that the optimal sowing time is critical in the control of cereal virus diseases, and additionally, that wheat varieties respond to the virus infections differently.
Abstract
Objectives
Conditions that have similar initial presentations as sepsis may make early recognition of sepsis in an emergency room (ER) difficult. We investigated whether selected physiologic and metabolic parameters can be reliably used in the emergency department to differentiate sepsis from other disease states that mimic it, such as dehydration and stroke.
Methods
Loess regression on retrospective follow-up chart data of patients with sepsis-like symptoms (N = 664) aged 18+ in a large ER in Hungary was used to visualize/identify cutoff points for sepsis risk. A multivariate logistic regression model based on standard triage data was constructed with its corresponding receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and compared with another model constructed based on current sepsis guidelines.
Results
Age, bicarbonate, HR, lactate, pH, and body temperature had U, V, W, or reverse U-shaped associations with identifiable inflexion points, but the cutoff values we identified were slightly different from guideline cutoff values. In contrast to the guidelines, no inflexion points could be observed for the association of sepsis with SBP, DPB, MAP, and RR and therefore were treated as continuous variables. Compared to the guidelines-based model, the triage data-driven final model contained additional variables (age, pH, bicarbonate) and did not include lactate. The data-driven model identified about 85% of sepsis cases correctly, while the guidelines-based model identified only about 70% of sepsis cases correctly.
Conclusion
Our findings contribute to the growing body of evidence for the necessity of finding improved tools to identify sepsis at early time points, such as in the ER.
A talajok tulajdonságainak javítása céljából végzett bioszénnel történő kezelések hatása a különböző fizikai, kémiai és biológiai tulajdonságú talajok esetében még nem teljesen ismert. Kísérleteinket homoktalajon végeztük az MTA ATK TAKI Őrbottyánban lévő kísérleti telepén, ahol kukoricát vetettek. Hét kezelést vizsgáltunk, négy ismétlésben. Három esetben a talaj különböző dózisban bioszenet és konstans dózisú műtrágyát tartalmazott (0,1 m/m%; 0,5 m/m%; 1 m/m%; jelölésük BC0,1M; BC0,5M; BC1,0M), három esetben pedig a fent említett bioszén dózisokat egységesen 10 t/ha komposzttal egészítettük ki (BC0,1K; BC0,5K; BC1,0K). Ezek mellett pedig kialakítottunk egy bioszén és komposzt mentes abszolút kontroll (K) kezelést is. Kutatásunk során talajszondákkal monitoroztuk a talajnedvességtartalmának alakulását, valamint statikus kamrás mintavételi eljárással a talajlégzést is mértük a kezelésekben.
A talajnedvesség éves átlagát nézve 1% bioszénnel és komposzttal kezelt parcella esetében a talaj nedvességtartalma nem szignifikáns mértékben növekedett a bioszén és komposzt mentes abszolút kontroll környezethez képest. Csapadékesemények alkalmával az 1% bioszenet és komposztot tartalmazó parcellában nőtt meg legjobban a talajnedvesség, illetve hasonlóan alakult a nedvességtartalom a 0,5% bioszénnel kezelt műtrágyás parcellában is. Csapadékesemények után az összes bioszenet és műtrágyát, illetve bioszenet és komposztot tartalmazó parcellában gyorsabban száradt ki a talaj a kontrollhoz képest. A csapadékban szegényebb, szárazabb időszak alkalmával egyedül az 1% bioszenet és komposztot tartalmazó kezelés talajnedvessége volt magasabb a kontrollhoz képest, a 0,5% bioszénnel és műtrágyával kezelt, komposzt mentes esetben a nedvesség hasonlóan alakult a kontrollhoz viszonyítva, az összes többi esetben jóval az alatt maradtak az értékek.
Összességében megállapítható, hogy a komposztot tartalmazó talajok érzékenyebben reagáltak a csapadékra, a legjobb vízgazdálkodást az 1% bioszén és komposzt kezelés esetében értük el. Önmagában a bioszén nagy mennyiségű (1,0 m/m%) adagolása nem volt egyértelműen talajnedvesség-növelő hatású.
A bioszén szén-dioxid forgalomra történő hatását a talajlégzés mérésével vizsgáltuk. A bioszénnel, valamint műtrágyával kezelt és a kontroll kezelések között csak néhány esetben volt különbség. A komposzttal kevert bioszén kezelések alkalmával hasonló eredményre jutottunk, mint a műtrágyával kevert bioszén esetében. Eredményeink alapján arra következtethetünk, hogy a talajlégzés nem függött a bioszén dózisától. A bioszén talajlégzésre gyakorolt hatása közvetett módon, a talajnedvesség befolyásolásán keresztül valósul meg, mivel bioszenet alkalmazva bizonyos esetekben a talajnedvesség emelkedett a kontrollhoz képest, ekkor a talajlégzés ugyancsak magasabb lett, amely jelenség a komposzttal kezelt esetekben jól megfigyelhető volt.
The aim of this study was to obtain prevalence estimates about the most important enteropathogenic bacteria: Lawsonia intracellularis, Brachyspira hyodysenteriae, Brachyspira pilosicoli, Salmonella enterica and Clostridium perfringens A and C in Hungarian farrow-to-finish pig herds. A total of 31 herds were selected, from where six pooled faecal samples, each containing three individual rectal faecal samples were collected from fattening pigs of 5–6 months of age. All 186 samples were examined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the presence of the pathogens mentioned above. Lawsonia intracellularis was found in 29 herds (93.55%) and in 108 samples (58.06%); B. hyodysenteriae in 14 herds (45.16%) and in 23 samples (12.37%); B. pilosicoli in 19 herds (61.29%) and in 53 samples (28.49%); S. enterica in 17 herds (54.83%) and in 40 samples (21.50%). We detected the presence of C. perfringens A in 19 herds (61.29%) and in 46 samples (24.73%), while C. perfringens C was found in 8 herds (25.81%) and in 11 samples (5.91%). All examined herds were infected with one or more of these agents. Herds with diarrhoea in the mid-to late finishing phase had almost 10 times higher prevalence of B. hyodysenteriae than herds without such a history.
The increasing consumer demand for less processed and more natural food products – while improving those products’ quality, safety, and shelf-life – has raised the necessity of chemical preservative replacement. Biopreservation refers to extended storage life and enhanced safety of foods using the natural microflora and (or) their antibacterial products. Chitinolytic enzymes are of biotechnological interest, since their substrate, chitin, is a major structural component of the cell wall of fungi, which are the main cause of the spoilage of food and raw plant material. Among the several organisms, many bacteria produce chitinolytic enzymes, however, this behaviour is not general. The chitinase activity of the lactic acid bacteria is scarcely known and studied.
The aim of the present study was to select Lactobacillus strains that have genes encoding chitinase, furthermore, to detect expressed enzymes and to characterise their chitinase activity. Taking into consideration the importance of chitin-bindig proteins (CBPs) in the chitinase activity, CBPs were also examined. Five Lactobacillus strains out of 43 strains from 12 different species were selected by their chitinase coding gene. The presence of the chitinase and chitin-biding protein production were confirmed, however, no chitinolytic activity has been identified.
Abstract
Increased intra-abdominal pressure during laparoscopy leads to hypoxia due to reduced blood flow. Aim of our study was to investigate whether preconditioning can reduce this negative effect of the pneumoperitoneum. Fifty female Wistar rats were used, divided into 5 groups. I: Sham operation (Sham), II: conventional pneumoperitoneum (PP), III: transvaginal pneumoperitoneum (TV), IV: preconditioning for 2.5 minutes in two cycles (Pre 2.5), V: preconditioning for 5 minutes (Pre 5). Malondialdehyde (MDA), reduced glutathione (GSH), sulfhydrylgroup (SH-) concentrations, superoxide-dismutase (SOD) and mieloperoxidase (MPO) activity, and anti-apoptotic pathway marker p-AKT level and inflammatory cytokine TNF-α were measured. SOD activity and GSH concentration were decreased in PP and TV groups comparing to Sham and preconditioning groups. MPO activity was decreased also in PP and TV groups comparing to the Sham group but in the preconditioning groups it has remained high. MDA concentration in plasma was increased in PP and TV groups comparing to Sham and preconditioning groups. There was no difference in the case of blood MDA and SH-concentrations between groups. Anti-apoptotic pathway marker p-AKT level was decreased in the TV group comparing to the sham and preconditioning groups. TNF-α level was increased in TV and preconditioning groups compared to the sham group. According to the results preconditioning can reduce negative effects of pneumoperitoneum.
