Monocyte activation is consistently reported in patients with schizophrenia (SZ). We aimed to study the ultrastructure of monocytes and monocyte production of IL-1β in drug-free patients with SZ and ...controls. Monocytes from young (18–30 y.o.) healthy and SZ men in relapse were studied. Electron microscopy and morphometry were applied to estimate areas of monocytes, volume density (Vv), areas, and number of organelles. The production IL-1β by monocytes was estimated by the ELISA method. Group differences were examined using ANCOVA. Pearson’s correlation coefficients were used to examine the effects of possible confounding variables. Correlation analyses were applied to detect the relationships between the parameters of monocytes measured and between the parameters measured and the IL-1β production. Area of nucleolus, Vv and area of mitochondria and lysosomes, and the number of lysosomes were significantly increased in patients as compared to controls. Area of mitochondria was correlated significantly with Vv and area of lysosomes, and the number of lysosomes was significantly correlated with area of monocyte and Vv of vacuoles only in the control group. The production of IL-1β by monocytes was higher in patients than in controls (
p
= 0.01) and was correlated with Vv of lysosomes (
r
= 0.68,
p
= 0.04) and area of lysosomes (
r
= 0.78,
p
= 0.013). The data provide new evidence for over activation of monocytes in SZ and disturbed metabolic relationships between lysosomes, mitochondria, and vacuoles.
This study investigated the effect of various cultivation conditions (sucrose/phosphate concentrations, aeration level) on alginate biosynthesis using the bacterial producing strain
12 by the full ...factorial design (FFD) method and physicochemical properties (e.g., rheological properties) of the produced bacterial alginate. We demonstrated experimentally the applicability of bacterial alginate for tissue engineering (the cytotoxicity testing using mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs)). The isolated synthesis of high molecular weight (M
) capsular alginate with a high level of acetylation (25%) was achieved by FFD method under a low sucrose concentration, an increased phosphate concentration, and a high aeration level. Testing the viscoelastic properties and cytotoxicity showed that bacterial alginate with a maximal M
(574 kDa) formed the densest hydrogels (which demonstrated relatively low cytotoxicity for MSCs in contrast to bacterial alginate with low M
). The obtained data have shown promising prospects in controlled biosynthesis of bacterial alginate with different physicochemical characteristics for various biomedical applications including tissue engineering.
Monocyte activation is consistently reported in patients with schizophrenia (SZ). We aimed to study the ultrastructure of monocytes and monocyte production of IL-1beta in drug-free patients with SZ ...and controls. Monocytes from young (18-30 y.o.) healthy and SZ men in relapse were studied. Electron microscopy and morphometry were applied to estimate areas of monocytes, volume density (Vv), areas, and number of organelles. The production IL-1beta by monocytes was estimated by the ELISA method. Group differences were examined using ANCOVA. Pearson's correlation coefficients were used to examine the effects of possible confounding variables. Correlation analyses were applied to detect the relationships between the parameters of monocytes measured and between the parameters measured and the IL-1beta production. Area of nucleolus, Vv and area of mitochondria and lysosomes, and the number of lysosomes were significantly increased in patients as compared to controls. Area of mitochondria was correlated significantly with Vv and area of lysosomes, and the number of lysosomes was significantly correlated with area of monocyte and Vv of vacuoles only in the control group. The production of IL-1beta by monocytes was higher in patients than in controls (p=0.01) and was correlated with Vv of lysosomes (r=0.68, p=0.04) and area of lysosomes (r=0.78, p=0.013). The data provide new evidence for over activation of monocytes in SZ and disturbed metabolic relationships between lysosomes, mitochondria, and vacuoles.
to study the effect of olanzapine on the ultrastructure of different populations of lymphocytes and lymphoblasts in patients with schizophrenia.
Authors performed a morphometric study using electron ...microscopy of lymphocytes in 56 patients with schizophrenia treated for 8 weeks with olanzapine and 49 patients treated for 28 weeks with olanzapine before and after treatment. Authors estimated the frequency and ultrastructural parameters of small, large, large activated lymphocytes and lymphoblasts.
The frequency of small lymphocytes in patients treated with olanzapine increased and that of large lymphocytes decreased in treated patients as compared to the patients before treatment. The volume fraction of lysosomes increased significantly in small, large and large activated lymphocytes after treatment as compared to the patients before treatment.
The increased lysosome content in different lymphocyte subpopulations might contribute to the mechanism of olanzapine efficacy.
An electron microscopic analysis of a lymphocyte population from peripheral blood of 120 patients with schizophrenia (60 patients with acute and 60 with chronic form) and 31 healthy people has been ...conducted. The ultrastructure and percentage of 6 morphofunctional cell types are described. A statistical analysis of the data revealed that patients with chronic schizophrenia had the substantially increased content of activated lymphocytes, in particular lymphoblasts, while patients with acute schizophrenia had the ameliorated content of activated lymphocytes along with the increased number of lymphoblasts. The high content of lymphoblasts is believed to be a characteristic feature of patients with schizophrenia (this type of cells belongs to so-called atypical lymphocytes described earlier). The atypical cells include also destructive lymphocytes, phagocyting monocytes and phagocyting neutrophiles. These atypical cells are observed more often in patients with acute schizophrenia. It has been suggested that the presence of an increased number of lymphoblasts in the blood of schizophrenic patients indicates the constant production of antigens and the presence of phagocyting cells reflects the processes of antigen neutralization.
We studied the effect of porous composite scaffolds based on poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) loaded with simvastatin on the growth and differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells. The scaffolds have a ...suitable microstructure (porosity and pore size) and physicochemical properties to support the growth of mesenchymal stem cells. Scaffold loading with simvastatin suppressed cell growth and increased alkaline phosphatase activity, which can attest to their osteoinductive properties.
The study involved the fabrication of films with different roughness and scaffolds made of poly-3-hydroxybutyrate using various methods. Chaotic and oriented scaffolds with varying fiber thickness ...were obtained through the electrospinning method, depending on the polymer concentration and electrospinning parameters. Films with different surface roughness were obtained using spin coating and self-assembly methods. It was demonstrated that the varying microstructure of the surface does not affect the growth of mesenchymal stem cells over the course of 1 week; however, it does influence the morphology of the adhered cells.
Hydrolytic degradations of biodegradable poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB), polylactide (PLA) and their derivatives were explored by kinetic and structure methods at 37 and 70°C in phosphate buffer. It ...was revealed the kinetic profiles for copolymer PHBV (20% of 3-hydroxyvalerate) and the blend PHB-PLA (1:1 wt. ratio). The intensity of biopolymer hydrolysis depending on temperature is characterized by total weight loss and the viscosity-averaged molecular weight decrement (ΔMW) as well as by WAXS and AMF techniques. Characterization of PHB and PHBV includes both ΔMW and crystallinity evolution (x-ray diffraction) as well as the AFM analysis of PHB film surfaces before and after aggressive medium exposition. The degradation is enhanced in the series PHBV < PHB < PHB-PLA blend < PLA. The impact of MW on the biopolymer hydrolysis is shown.
A study of in vitro biodegradation of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) in model conditions was performed. The porcine pancreatic lipase solutions at different concentrations in the two buffer systems ...(phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) and simulating body fluid (SBF)) were chosen as model biodegradation media. At first, optimal concentration of pancreatic lipase (0.25 mg/ml in PBS) was determined: in these media the decomposition of PHB films realized faster according to the data of gravimetric analysis. Differential scanning calorimetry showed an increase in the crystallinity of the samples (from 49% to 59%) after enzymatic degradation. These data are confirmed by method of nanoindentation, where the increase of the Young's modulus during the degradation (from 1.37 GPa to 4.4 GPa) was shown. This is due to the crystallization of the amorphous polymer component, and its decomposition and dissolving. During biodegradation three types of polymer ultrastructure changes were observed on the surfaces of the films: appearance of new lamellae, disappearance of lamellae and disintegration of lamellae into shorter fragments.
To investigate the effect of olanzapine treatment on the ultrastructure of granulated platelets (GP) and vacuolated platelets (VP) and to find their association with platelet serotonin (PS) content ...and treatment efficacy in patients with schizophrenia.
Platelets of 49 patients with attack-like schizophrenia treated with olanzapine and 31 healthy people were explored. Electron microscopic morphometry of GP and VP was performed to estimate the ultrastructural parameters of platelets. Microfluorimetry was used to measure PS content. RESULTS; The number of pseudopodies in GP and VP were lower after 28 weeks with olanzapine (-13%, p<0.01) as compared to the patients before treatment but the mean platelet area was not changed. Vv of granules was reduced in VP after 8 and 28 weeks of olanzapine (-13%, p<0,05). Vv of vacuoles was increased in GP in 28 weeks with olanzapine vs. 8 weeks with olanzapine (+16%, p<0.01) and in VP in 28 weeks of treatment vs.patients before treatment (+13%, p<0.01). In patients before treatment, Vv of vacuoles in VP was significantly higher in nonresponders as compared to the responders (+11%, p<0.05) and significantly correlated with PS content (r=0.26, p=0.04). The association between the number and Vv of vacuoles in VP before treatment and time point for positive treatment effect was found for the first time.
Ultrastructural changes in Vv of vacuoles in platelets of schizophrenia patients treated with olanzapine are associated with serotonin metabolism and therapeutic efficacy.
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