Treatment of Raynaud's syndrome with calcium entry blockers

The authors have presented the results of a 14-day open randomized trial of the efficacy of 3 calcium inlet blocking agents: nifedipine, verapamil and phendilin in 61 patients with Raynaud's syndrome. In the group of patients receiving 30-80 mg of nifedipine (20) there was a significant decrease in the frequency and expression of Raynaud's syndrome attacks, a positive effect of varying degree was noted in 19 patients. The drug raised slightly the skin and muscular blood flow and skin temperature. The use of 120-360 mg of verapamil in 21 patients caused no significant inhibition of Raynaud's syndrome and rise of hemocirculation. Phendilin (150-300 mg) though being comparable with nifedipine in efficacy, often produced side-effects resulting in the drug cancellation (8 out of 20). The efficacy of the calcium inlet blocking agents, especially nifedipine, for therapy of Raynaud's syndrome was emphasized.     

Effect of peptide Pro-Gly-Pro on stress-induced behavioral changes in rats

Tripeptide PGP in a dose of 1 mg/kg had a correcting effect on behavioral disorders in rats induced by stress exposure (forced swimming). PGP prevented the increase in anxiety and decrease in orientation and exploratory activity. Our results suggest that the effect of this peptide is realized via central nervous structures involved in organism’s response to stress factors. Translated fromByulleten’ Eksperimental’noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 138, No. 7, pp. 9–11, July, 2004     

Protective and therapeutic effects of glyprolines in psychoemotional stress induced by cholecystokinin-4 injection

Experiments on outbred albino male rats showed that psychoemotional stress induced by intraperitoneal injection of cholecystokinin-4 (100 μg/kg) increased anxiety, impaired orientation and exploration activities in the elevated plus-maze and hole-board tests, and increased the level of depression of Porsolt test. Preliminary intranasal administration of glyprolines (15 min before cholecystokinin) in a dose of 3.7 μmol/kg prevented the development of stress-induced behavioral disturbances. Administration of peptides 30 min after cholecystokinin-4, i.e. to rats with developed behavioral disturbances, almost completely abolished these disturbances. __________ Translated from Byulleten’ Eksperimental’noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 145, No. 3, pp. 270–274, March, 2008     

The sclerodermatous group of diseases

The paper is concerned with the author's considerations on a sclerodermic group of diseases including a wide spectrum of diseases with systemic or local "primary" fibrosis on the basis of the results of her own investigations and the literature data. Multifactorial genesis of diseases, cellular mechanisms and the interrelationship of fibrosis with immune and microcirculatory disturbances are discussed with regard to sclerodermia systematic. Recently defined, hitherto unknown diseases and syndromes were described: diffuse eosinophilic fasciitis, the paraneoplastic sclerodermic syndrome "induced" sclerodermia, local fibroses. An analysis of the sclerodermic group of diseases and the chief mechanisms of their development is important for improved diagnosis and development of effective programs of pathogenetic therapy, prevention and mass screening.