Search

A group of patients with moderate hypertension (149-150/90-99 mmHg) performed physical exercise for 3 months; we determined the oxidative stress in blood samples, by calculating the level of some antioxidative markers, the enzymes SOD, CAT, GPx, MDA and comparing the results with the values obtained from a group of healthy subjects. We found an increased oxidative stress at the hypertensive patients, with initial higher values of SOD and MDA and with lower values of CAT and GPx, compared to the normal subjects. After the 3 months of physical training, the oxidative stress improved, with decreasing activity of SOD, GPx, MDA and increasing CAT, maintaining the ratio CAT/SOD and GPx/SOD superior compared to normal subjects. The clinical study proved that after 3 months of physical exercise, there wasn't any increased oxidative stress at the hypertensive patients; however, the oxidative stress is present, proved by the values of MDA, significantly higher compared to the normal subjects.

Acute diarrhea is a major problem with high morbidity and mortality rates in developing countries, especially in children. Complex laboratory investigations are required to define the etiology because of the broad spectrum of etiological agents and the non-specific clinical signs. In the last decade, Cyclospora cayetanensis--a new acid-fast coccidian species--was pointed to be the cause of watery self-limited or prolonged diarrhea in immunocompetent and immunocompromised patients, with very good evolution after treatment with co-trimoxazole. Unlike Cryptosporidium parvum, nonsporulated Cyclospora oocysts are eliminated in feces, with no risk of human to human transmission. Cyclospora cayetanensis is widely spread, producing endemic infections, in Asia and South America and was reported to produce infections in foreign travellers in these areas and epidemic outbreaks of foodborne diarrhea. We describe the first case of acute diarrhea associated with Cyclospora cayetanensis in an immunocompetent child admitted to Iaşi "Sf. Maria" Hospital.

Fibrates are hypolipemic agents used in noninsulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) because these drugs have no influence on glycemia control. The efficiency of fenofibrate (Lipanthyl) was studied in a group of 22 subjects, 30-70 years, obese (body mass index-BMI over 30 kg/m2) or overweight (BMI = 28-30 kg/m2) with hypertension or/and diabetes. All the patients received 200 mg fenofibrate daily, for 6 month, and they had a hypocaloric diet. We measured seric lipids. The results were compared with a control group (20 normal subjects). Under treatment, atherogenic lipids (total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol and triglycerides) had significantly decreased (p < 0.05) and antiatherogenic fraction (HDL-cholesterol) significantly increased (p < 0.05) compared to initial values. In the mean time, the BMI has significantly decreased under fenofibrate treatment, this body mass loss having a positive influence on lipid metabolism. We observed a better therapeutically response in obese patients vs. the overweight ones, probably due to a higher prevalence of the hypertension in the second subgroup. In conclusion fenofibrate is the drug which can be choose in diabetic dyslipidemia without cardiac disease.