Obesity is considered to be a worldwide epidemic disease characterized by an accumulation of AT. Increased adiposity can perturb normal metabolic functions and lead to the development of diseases like insulin resistance and other metabolic disorders. A large amount of clinical studies have been shown that changes in inflammatory signaling in adipose tissue cells, increased infiltration of immune cells into AT as well as stress of endoplasmic reticulum belong to the key molecular steps leading to the development of metabolic disturbances associated with this disease. Adverse metabolic effects of AT accumulation can be diminished by calorie restriction resulting in weight loss. In addition, stress of endoplasmic reticulum could be alleviated by chemical chaperones including bile acids. These two approaches for the treatment of obesity or the obesity-associated disturbances were basis for this PhD thesis. In the first part of this work, we studied inflammation status of gluteal in comparison with abdominal AT and differentiation and secretory capacity of adipocytes after weight loss in obese patients. We revealed that inflammatory profile of gluteal AT, estimated by mRNA level of macrophages and cytokines as markers of inflammatory status of the body, did not explain the different clinical impact of...

Obesity is considered to be a worldwide epidemic disease characterized by an accumulation of AT. Increased adiposity can perturb normal metabolic functions and lead to the development of diseases like insulin resistance and other metabolic disorders. A large amount of clinical studies have been shown that changes in inflammatory signaling in adipose tissue cells, increased infiltration of immune cells into AT as well as stress of endoplasmic reticulum belong to the key molecular steps leading to the development of metabolic disturbances associated with this disease. Adverse metabolic effects of AT accumulation can be diminished by calorie restriction resulting in weight loss. In addition, stress of endoplasmic reticulum could be alleviated by chemical chaperones including bile acids. These two approaches for the treatment of obesity or the obesity-associated disturbances were basis for this PhD thesis. In the first part of this work, we studied inflammation status of gluteal in comparison with abdominal AT and differentiation and secretory capacity of adipocytes after weight loss in obese patients. We revealed that inflammatory profile of gluteal AT, estimated by mRNA level of macrophages and cytokines as markers of inflammatory status of the body, did not explain the different clinical impact of...

The important factor in regulation of metabolic processes is regulatory proteins, which are able to react by feed-back to energetic state of the cell. Big attention is focused on the AMP activated kinase (AMPK) and NAD+ activated deacetylase SIRT1. These enzymes interact together and their stimulation increases mitochondrial biogenesis and fatty acid oxidation. Due to this it functions beneficially against the onset of obesity, insulin resistance and ageing. Fasting, exercise and some antidiabetogenic drugs act by these regulators. n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) are also known because of their stimulative effects on mitochondrial biogenesis and -oxidation. Previous work of our group have showed that intake of higher dose of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in diet lead to increase in activity of AMPK in white adipose tissue. New results presented in this thesis show that SIRT1 is essential for increase in expression of stimulators of -oxidation (PPAR etc) in response to n-3 PUFA in diet. n-3 PUFA futher improve the metabolic profile synergistically with calorie restriction probably through SIRT1.

The prevention and treatment of obesity is a major problem of health care systems in affluent societies. Metabolism of adipose tissue belongs to the therapeutical targets, since accumulation of adipose tissue is the basis of obesity development. Experiments using transgenic mice with ectopic expression of brown- fat uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) in white adipose tissue (WAT), verified a concept that obesity could be ameliorated by increasing energy expenditure in WAT. The goal of the experiments of this PhD Thesis was to characterize in detail the phenotype of this unique animal model of obesity resistance. We have shown that mitochondrial uncoupling in WAT resulted in increased oxidation of fatty acids (FA), in face of decreased lipogenesis and induced mitochondrial biogenesis in this tissue. In further studies, we aimed to modulate propensity to obesity be increasing FA oxidation in WAT in response to physiological stimuli. This could be accomplished in response to the combination treatment using n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) and mild calorie restriction in mice fed high-fat diet. Synergistic induction of mitochondrial oxidative capacity and lipid catabolism in epididymal WAT was associated with suppression of low-grade inflammation of WAT, which is typical for obesity. The improvement of lipid...

This thesis deals with the evaluation of the vestibulo-ocular reflex in patients indicated for neurosurgical resection of vestibular schwannoma, executed at the Motol University Hospital. To evaluate the function of the vestibulo-ocular reflex, three types of clinical examinations were used. In periods before the surgery, early after the surgery and before leaving the hospital we monitored the patients' ability to perceive subjective visual vertical, which reflects tonic function of otolith organs. Before the surgery we also tested relative dynamic visual acuity during passive isolated head movements in the transversal plane, whose impairment is related to dysfunction of lateral semicircular canals. Furthermore, we obtained patients' preoperative values achieved in caloric reflex test. In the early postoperative period, bordered by the first day after the vestibular schwannoma surgery and the last day of the hospitalization, patients underwent specialized vestibular rehabilitation. Based on statistical analysis of acquired data, we found out that in some patients there was a lesion of the vestibulo-ocular reflex already before the surgery and moreover, there was a correlation between dysfunction of translational and rotational parts of the vestibulo-ocular reflex. Although variance of subjective...

In cardiology, there are different conditions associated with the release of free radicals in some forms of hypoxia, such as ventilatory hypoxia or reduced perfusion. The role of free radicals during hypoxia in cardiology is the key point of our interest. In presented thesis, we have focused on hypoxia-induced pulmonary vasoconstriction and acute myocardial ischemia. Hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction (HPV), an important physiological mechanism, is regulated by changes in the production of and interactions among reactive oxygen species (ROS). There is controversy, however, over whether HPV is mediated by an increase or a decrease in ROS production. Also, the role of nitric oxide (NO) in HPV remains unclear. Our results indicate that inhibition of HPV by the superoxide dismutase mimetic tempol does not depend on either NO production or a decrease in basal vascular tone. The effect of three-day fasting on cardiac ischemic tolerance was investigated in another experimental model. Short-term fasting conclusively decreases ROS production. Three-day fasting effectively protected rat hearts against major endpoints of acute ischemia-reperfusion injury. It prevented severe ventricular arrhythmias and reduced the extent of myocardial infarction. These beneficial effects can be linked to altered mitochondrial redox...