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During the past 10 years, the health of people in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union has undergone changes very different from the health patterns seen in their Western counterparts. Mortality from cardiovascular disease has been decreasing continuously in the USA and many Western European countries, but it has increased or remained unchanged in many of the states of Eastern Europe. Analysis of this phenomenon has been hindered by insufficient information. The International Registry of Acute Coronary Syndromes registry study in Transitional Countries (ISACS-TC) is both a retrospective - over a 1-year period - and prospective study which was designed in order to obtain data of patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACSs) in countries with economy in transition in Central and Eastern Europe, and herewith control and optimize internationally guideline recommended therapies in these countries. Adhesion to the project was given by 112 Collaborating Centres in 17 countries with economy in transition (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belarius, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Russian Federation, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Ukraine). A total of 47 cluster sites in 11 countries in Central and Eastern Europe are currently collaborating in ISACS-TC. The registry encourages optimal individualization of evidence-based therapies and the international patient body ensures good representation of multiple practice patterns. It may help to make an additional improvement in clinical outcomes of countries with economy in transition.

IGFBP-2 is highly expressed in both the serum and tumor tissues of most cancers, and is considered one of the most significant genes in the signature of major cancers. IGFBP-2 mainly modulates IGF actions in the pericellular space; however, there is considerable evidence to suggest that IGFBP-2 may also act independently of the IGFs. These IGF-independent actions of IGFBP-2 are exerted either via interactions at the cell surface or intracellularly, via interaction with cytoplasmic or nuclear-binding partners. The precise mechanism underlying the intracellular/intranuclear localization of IGFBP-2 remains unclear. In this study, we investigated IGFBP-2 nuclear localization in several common cancer cells with the aim of dissecting the mechanism of its nuclear trafficking. IGFBP-2 is detected in the nuclei of common cancer cells, including breast, prostate and several neuroblastoma cell lines, using cell fractionation and confocal microscopy. Via nuclear import assays, we show that nuclear entry of IGFBP-2 is mediated by the classical nuclear import mechanisms, primarily through importin-α, as demonstrated by the use of blocking, competition and co-immunoprecipitation assays. Bioinformatics analysis of the IGFBP-2 protein sequence with PSORT II identified a classical nuclear localization signal (cNLS) sequence at 179PKKLRPP185, within the IGFBP-2 linker domain, mutagenesis of which abolishes IGFBP-2 nuclear import. Accordingly, the NLSmutIGFBP-2 fails to activate the VEGF promoter, which would otherwise occur in the presence of wild-type IGFBP-2. As a consequence, no activation of angiogenic processes were observed in NLSmutIGFBP-2 expressing SHEP cells when implanted onto our in vivo quail chorio-allantoic membrane model. Taken together, these data show for the first time that IGFBP-2 possesses a functional NLS sequence and that IGFBP-2 actively translocates into the nucleus by a classical nuclear import mechanism, involving formation of IGFBP-2 complexes with importin-α. Nuclear IGFBP-2 is required for the activation of VEGF expression and consequent angiogenesis.

Introduction Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a rapidly progressive dementia syndrome which is probably caused by prions. The annual incidence of this disease is 1/1,000,000. Most cases are sporadic in type, although 10-15% are familial. The total incidence of CJD has not changed following the epidemic due to a new variant (nv-CJD); however, this has led to greater awareness of the subject. Objective To review current scientific knowledge of CJD. Development A search was made for relevant literature using MEDLINE. The criteria proposed for diagnosis of CJD include the presence of progressive dementia and at least two of the following characteristics: 1. Myoclonias, 2. Cortical blindness, 3. Pyramidal, extrapyramidal or cerebellar signs, 4. Akinetic mutism, or 5 Abnormal EEG. Laboratory and neuroimaging investigations may also help in diagnosis of CJD, although neuropathological confirmation is necessary for definite diagnosis. Two promising methods of pre mortem diagnosis of CJD are determination of 14-3-3 protein in the cerebrospinal fluid, in the case of sporadic CJD, and biopsy of the palatine tonsil in the case of nv-CJD. The physiopathology of CJD seems to be centred on the proteins forming prions, which are glycoproteins found in the plasmatic membrane and are very often expressed in the neurons, particularly at neuromuscular junctions and synapses. The pathological form resists proteolytic degradation, so that they accumulate in the CNS. The precise neurotoxic mechanism of these proteins is still not clear. Conclusions There is still no treatment for CJD. Further studies of the physiopathological mechanisms of prion diseases may help in the development of treatment to delay the progress of this disease.

An experiment with 20 gilts, fed at different levels of energy and protein intake, was conducted to investigate the apparent digestibility of nutrients during growth, gestation and lactation; and to compare apparent digestible energy (DE) and total digestible nutrients (TDN) as measures of the energy value of swine rations.Apparent protein digestibility averaged 76 per cent and did not vary between periods (growth, gestation, lactation), but apparent digestibility of other nutrients did vary. Digestibility of crude fat in the feeds ranged from 46 to 76 per cent, while 15 per cent added stabilized tallow had a digestibility of over 94 per cent. The digestibilities of dry matter, protein and crude fiber were improved and digestibility of nitrogen-free extract reduced when gilts received supplemental fat in their ration. Increasing the level of protein in the ration tended to increase protein digestibility. There was a significant littermate effect on digestibility of protein, fat and TDN.The determined DE and TDN values were similar to calculated values and did not differ significantly between periods. The correlation coefficient (r) between kcal. DE/gm. of feed and percentage TDN was.93. The r between coefficients of digestibility for energy and for dry matter was.95 and between coefficients of digestibility for energy and for organic matter was. 96. An average ratio of 2,028 kcal. DE/lb. TDN or 4.47 kcal. DE/gm. TDN was found. There were differences in this ratio between rations and between periods.

It is essential that context-appropriate health research and health interventions take place in countries with economy in transition. The aims of this study were to describe the clinical characteristics, management, and in-hospital outcomes of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients with heart failure (HF) in Montenegro and Serbia. The data of this study are a framework of the International Survey of Acute Coronary Syndromes in Transitional Countries (ISACS-TC; [NCT01218776][1]), a multi-national and multicentre registry of patients hospitalized with ACS in the European countries that emerged from the Socialist era. The present analysis focused on participants admitted to 15 hospitals in Montenegro and Serbia with a diagnosis of ACS during the period between October 2012 and August 2013. Among 1115 patients, 94 (8.4%) had an admission diagnosis of HF (Killip Class II or III). Heart failure patients were significantly older ( P < 0.001). Heart failure was more frequently associated with hypertension. When compared with patients presenting without HF (Killip Class I), those with HF had lower rates of reperfusion therapy either by percutaneous coronary intervention (47.9 vs. 60.7%, P = 0.015) or by fibrinolysis (2.1 vs. 11.8%, P = 0.004). In multivariate logistic regression analysis, older age, prior coronary artery bypass graft, and ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction were the relevant predictor of HF at admission. Heart failure on admission was associated with a marked increase in mortality rates during hospitalization (13.8 vs. 3.7%, P < 0.001). After adjustment for differences in clinical characteristics, HF was still associated with higher mortality (odds ratio 2.88, 95% confidence interval 1.22–6.79, P = 0.016). Heart failure is observed in nearly 9% of patients with ACS in Serbia and Montenegro and is also associated with a significant increase in in-hospital mortality. More aggressive treatment of these patients is warranted to improve prognosis. [1]: /lookup/external-ref?link_type=CLINTRIALGOV&access_num=NCT01218776&atom=%2Fehjsupp%2F16%2Fsuppl_A%2FA61.atom