OBJECTIVE To examine the relationship between cytokine levels of transforming growth factor-beta-1 (TGF-β1), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) in the plasma of esophageal carcinoma patients and radiation-induced pneumonitis (RP). MATERIALS AND METHODS Sixty-three patients with esophageal carcinoma were treated with three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (RT...

Interleukin-2 receptor (IL-2R) is an activation molecule that, when expressed on peripheral blood lymphocyte (PBL) membranes, indicates the secretion of IL-2 and initiation of an immune system activation cascade. Comparing the average of IL-2R expression in 34 patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP) syndrome (561 +/- 282 cells/mm3; mean +/- standard deviation) with 35 age-matched normal subject...

We examined the reflex change in refractory period (RP) of the left ventricle produced by stimulation of the central end of the caudovagal nerve (CVS). RP was recorded in the region of distribution of the left anterior descending coronary artery. During the determination of RP, hearts were paced at cycle lengths between 244 and 315 msec. Initially, the tonic effects of removing vagal and sympat...

The aim of this work was to investigate possible differences in peripheral blood concentrations of 13, 14 dihydro 15 keto PGF alpha (PGFM) and 6 keto PGF1 alpha (PGIM), between dairy cows retaining (RP) and not retaining (NRP) their placenta. Blood samples were collected 5, 30, and 60 minutes postpartum from 8 RP and 17 NRP cows. PGFM concentrations were significantly lower in RP cows than in N...

Radical prostatectomy (RP) is a recognized treatment method of organ-confined prostate cancer. Among post-surgery complications, urinary incontinence is a major one. The aim of this study was to determine the incontinence rate after RP and to analyze factors that might affect it. Between March 2007 and December 2008, 132 RP's were performed at Warsaw Cancer Center. A questionnaire to assess the...

Pulmonary congestion leads to an increase in airway resistance. It is still unknown whether this is due to vascular engorgement or to submucosal oedema. The present study was designed to determine the relative contribution of these two potential mechanisms. We examined the effect of intravenous volume loading on canine peripheral airway resistance (Rp). Bronchoscopes were wedged in contralatera...

PURPOSE We evaluated the biochemical recurrence (BCR) of prostate cancer patients treated by radical prostatectomy (RP) or radiotherapy (RT). MATERIALS AND METHODS Patients who underwent RP or RT as primary definitive treatment from 2007 were enrolled for this study. They were divided into two groups; the low-intermediate risk group and the high risk group according to the National Comprehens...

In the previous paper from this series, we proposed mass spectrometric fingerprinting of complex botanical samples upon the examples of the pharmacologically important phenolic acids and flavonoids selectively extracted from Salvia lavandulifolia. In this study, we explore fingerprinting efficiency with a novel two-dimensional analytical system composed of the reversed-phase thin-layer chromato...

PURPOSE To study the functional changes in the macula of the retina in the early stage of retinitis pigmentosa (RP), by analyzing each component of the focal macular electroretinogram (fmERG). METHODS fmERGs were recorded from 39 patients with RP with normal visual acuity (>1.0) under direct fundus observation using a modified infrared fundus camera and 5 degrees , 10 degrees , and 15 degrees...