Increased adhesiveness of white blood cells in patients with unstable angina: additional evidence for an involvement of the immune-inflammatory system

BACKGROUND

Data are being accumulated on the presence of inflammatory response in patients with acute coronary syndromes.

HYPOTHESIS

The study was undertaken to confirm that the adhesive state of the peripheral blood leukocytes can provide information on an inflammatory process in patients with unstable angina pectoris.

METHODS

The study included 21 patients with unstable angina, 32 patients with stable angina, and 13 patients with chest pain and no evidence of coronary artery disease.

RESULTS

The percentage of aggregated leukocytes in patients with unstable angina (5.8 +/- 3.2%) was significantly (p < 0.02) increased compared with that of patients with no evidence of active coronary disease (3.2 +/- 2.6%).

CONCLUSION

Additional evidence for an existing smoldering inflammatory process in unstable angina pectoris can be provided by testing the percentage of aggregated leukocytes in peripheral blood.

Oral absorption of biologically active insulin in common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.)

1. Bovine insulin dissolved in 0.05 M deoxycholic acid was absorbed through oral intubation in fish weighing 200-300 g. 2. The peak of absorption appeared in all fish, 30-45 min after intubation and was followed by a gradual decrease. The extent of absorption was extremely variable, with up to a 20-fold difference between individuals. No detectable insulin was found in fish intubated with vehicle. 3. The absorbed hormone retained 17-88% of its lipogenic bioactivity in vitro. The absorbed insulin lowered the levels of several amino acids in the intubated fish, indirectly indicating that its bioactivity was also retained in vivo.

Absorption of bioactive human growth hormone after oral administration in the common carp (Cyprinus carpio) and its enhancement by deoxycholate

Recombinant human growth hormone was administered orally to carp and serum levels of absorbed bioactive hormone were investigated using a highly sensitive Nb2 rat lymphoma cell bioassay and radioimmunoassay. Serum levels of bioactive hGH reached maximum values 30 min after oral intubation and then gradually decreased. Co-administration of the hormone with deoxycholate to fasted carp resulted in up to a 1000-fold increase in absorption compared to aqueous solutions of the hormone, but had no effect on the kinetics of the absorption process. Absorption of the hormone in starved fish was significantly greater than in fed fish. A linear dose-response relationship was observed for hGH in starved fish and the level of absorption in fed fish was influenced by the time interval from the last meal. The ratio of bioactive to immunoactive hGH in fasted fish indicated little loss of bioactivity and also that deoxycholate may be protective against hGH degradation. The present study demonstrates for the first time that biologically active hGH is absorbed in the common carp after oral intubation. Furthermore, the use of a biological detergent dramatically increased the extent of hGH absorption. Additional studies are required to establish the appropriate conditions (diet composition, feeding level, and frequency, etc.) in which polypeptide hormones could be introduced orally to fish.