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The ability of bacteria to degrade organic pollutants influences their fate in the environment, impact on the other biota and accumulation in the food web. The aim of this study was to evaluate abundance and expression activity of the catabolic genes targeting widespread pollutants, such as polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and hexachloro-cyclohexane (HCH) in the Black Sea water column and sediments. Concentrations of PAHs, PCBs and HCH were determined by gas chromatography (GC) coupled to mass spectrometry (MS) and electron capture (ECD) detectors. bphA1, PAH-RHDα, nahAc, linA and linB that encode biphenyl 2,3 dioxygenase, α-subunits of ring hydroxylating dioxygenases, naphthalene dioxygenase, dehydrochlorinase and halidohydrolase correspondently were quantified by quantitative PCR. More recalcitrant PAHs, PCBs and HCH tended to accumulate in the Black Sea environments. In water samples, 3- and 4-ringed PAHs outnumbered naphthalene, while PAHs with > 4 rings prevailed in the sediments. Congeners with 4-8 chlorines with ortho-position of the substituents were the most abundant among the PCBs. β-HCH was determined at highest concentration in water samples, and total amount of HCH exceeded its legacy Environmental Quality Standard value. bphA1, was the most numerous gene in water layers (10 5 copies/mL) and sediments (10 5 copies/mg), followed by linB and PAH-RHDα genes (10 3 copies/mL; 10 5 copies/mg). The least abundant genes were linA (10 3 copies/mL; 10 4 copies/mg) and nahAc (10 2 copies/mL; 10 4 copies/mg). The most widely distributed gene bphА1 was one of the least expressed (10 -3 -10 -2 copies/mL; 10 -1 copies/mg). The most actively expressed genes were linB (10 1 -10 2 copies/mL; 10 3 copies/mg), PAH-RHDα (10 1 copies/mL; 10 2 copies/mg) and linA (10 -1 -10 0 copies/mL; 10 0 copies/mg). Interaction of bacteria with PAHs, PCBs and HCH is evidenced by high copy numbers of the catabolic genes that initiate their degradation. More persistent compounds, such as high-molecular weight PAHs or β-HCH are accumulating in the Black Sea water and sediments, albeit microbial activity is directed against them., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-10 gene polymorphism and the short-term risk of postoperative cardiovascular events in patients with peripheral artery disease receiving elective surgery and also to evaluate the endothelial function., Methods and Results: We determined preoperatively IL-6 gene polymorphism (-174 G/C and nt565 G/A), IL-10 polymorphism (-1082G/A, -819C/T, -592C/A), and brachial artery vasodilatation using ultrasound in 48 patients undergoing vascular surgery. Eight patients (16.7%) developed over a period of 30 days cardiovascular events (cardiovascular death, resuscitated cardiac arrest, acute myocardial infarction, unstable angina, stroke). Cardiovascular events were more frequent in the subgroups of patients with genotypes associated with high serum levels of IL-6: -174CC (57.14% vs 12.5% for -174GC genotype and 8% for -174GG, P = .007) and nt565AA (50% vs 17.6% for nt565GA genotype and 8% for nt565GG genotype, P = .021) and in subgroups with haplotypes associated with low serum levels of IL-10: ATA (57.14% vs 14.8% for haplotype ACC and 7.4% for GCC, GCA, GTA, GTC haplotypes, P = .004). Flow-mediated dilatation was significantly lower in patients with IL-6 -174CC genotype (7.05% +/- 1.49% vs 8.41% +/- 1.9% for IL-6 -174GC and 9.42% +/- 2.46% for IL-6 -174GG, P = .009) and IL-6 nt565AA genotype (7.14 +/- 1.61% vs 8.49% +/- 1.91% for IL-6 nt565GA and 9.42% +/- 2.46% for IL-6 nt565GG, P = .018) and in patients with IL-10ATA haplotype (6.45% +/- 0.57% vs 9.13% +/- 2.52% for IL-10ACC and 9.24% +/- 2.09% for IL-10 GCC/GCA/GTA/GTC, P = .004) respectively., Conclusions: IL-6 -174CC and nt565AA genotypes and IL-10ATA haplotypes are correlated with a high short-term risk of acute postoperative cardiovascular events in patients with peripheral artery disease receiving elective surgical revascularization and with endothelial dysfunction in these patients., (Copyright (c) 2010 Society for Vascular Surgery. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Norepinephrine (NE) and epinephrine (E) responses to upright posture were investigated in 25 patients with orthostatic hypotension due to brainstem ischemic lesions and in 25 control subjects. In controls the postural stimulus induced constantly a rise in NE urinary excretion and a reduction in E excretion, while in patients with orthostatic hypotension it caused a depression in NE urinary excretion and a rise in E urinary excretion; the last alteration was noticed in all but one patient. The E discharge induced by posture in patients with orthostatic hypotension may be involved in the reduction of vascular peripheral resistance and then in postural fall of blood pressure displayed by such patients.

Catecholamine urinary excretion under basal conditions and after head down tilting (4 degrees) was studied in normo- and hypertensive controls and in patients with hemisphere and brainstem infarction, respectively. Both the normo- and hypertensive controls and patients with hemisphere infarction displayed a conspicuous decrease (about 40%) in noradrenaline (NA) urinary excretion after head down tilting. In contrast the patients with brainstem infarction increased NA urinary excretion after the manoeuvre, suggesting activation instead of deactivation of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS). In normo- and hypertensive controls the values of night NA excretion were lower than those of day NA excretion, whereas in brainstem infarct patients the night NA excretion was close to the day NA excretion. This finding also supports the view that the brainstem infarct patients are not able to deactivate their SNS during night recumbency. The SNS reactivity disorder of such patients if associated with impairment of autoregulation of cerebral circulation might generate an abnormal increase in cerebral circulation during night recumbency.

Epinephrine (E) and norepinephrine (NE) as well as vanilmandelic acid (VMA) urinary excretion was investigated in 54 patient with Parkinsonism and 29 controls. In Parkinsonians the mean value of NE excretion was normal, while that of E was significantly higher than in controls (P less than 0.001). Analysis of results in terms of age showed that only the patients in the 5th and 6th decades displayed significant increases in E excretion when compared to age-matched controls. No age-group differences were found for NE excretion. VMA was significantly higher in Parkinsonians than in controls. Both in Parkinsonians and in controls VMA excretion correlated significantly with that of NE but not with the E excretion. Ten-day treatment with levodopa (1.5 g/day) of Parkinsonians below the age of 60 was followed by a constant decrease in the excretion of E and a less consistent, nonsignificant increase in the excretion of NE. The abnormality of E excretion noticed in younger Parkinsonians suggests involvement in the pathologic process, of adrenal medulla, the main site of E synthesis.