Pentoxifylline has favorable preventive effects on experimental chronic pancreatitis model

Abstract

Background: To investigate the protective efficacy of pentoxifylline through biochemical parameters and histopathological scores in a caerulein- and alcohol-induced experimental model of chronic pancreatitis in rats.

Methods: A model of chronic pancreatitis with caerulein and alcohol was created in female rats of the genus Sprague Dawley. Pentoxifylline was administered in doses of 25?mg/kg (low dose) and 50?mg/kg (high dose) as a protective agent. Each group contained 8 animals. The groups were: group 1 (control group); caerulein?+?alcohol, group 2 (low-dose pentoxifylline group); caerulein?+?alcohol?+?pentoxifylline 25?mg/kg, group 3 (high-dose pentoxifylline group); caerulein?+?alcohol?+?pentoxifylline 50?mg/kg, group 4 (placebo); caerulein?+?alcohol?+?saline, group 5 (sham group); only saline injection.Rats were sacrificed 12?h after the last injection, and TNF-α, TGF-β, MDA, and GPx concentrations were measured in blood samples. The histopathologic examination was conducted by a pathologist who was unaware of the groups.

Results: The biochemical results of the treatment groups (group 2 and group 3) were statistically significantly lower compared with the control group (group 1) (p?<?.05). The difference between the low-dose treatment group (group 2) and high-dose treatment group (group 3) was significant in terms of biochemical parameters (p?<?.05). The difference between group 2 and the control group was not significant in terms of histopathologic scores (p?>?.05), whereas the difference between the group 3 and the control group was statistically significant (p?<?.05).

Conclusions: As a result, pentoxifylline, which has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, was shown to have protective efficacy in an experimentally generated model of chronic pancreatitis.     

Relationship between exercise-induced heart rate increase and the formation of microbubbles and high-intensity transient signals in mechanical heart valve implanted patients

Introduction

The formation and collapse of vapor-filled bubbles near a mechanical heart valve is called cavitation. Microbubbles can be detected in vivo by doppler ultrasonography (USG) as HITS (high intensity transient signals) in cranial circulation. We investigated the relationship between exercise induced heart rate increase and HITS formation in cranial circulation.

Material and methods

Thirty-nine mechanical heart valve implanted (8 aortic valve replacement (AVR) + mitral valve replacement (MVR), 9 AVR, 22 MVR) patients aged 18-80 years old were included in our study. Microbubbles were counted in the left ventricular cavity via transthoracic echocardiography at rest per cardiac cycle. Afterwards transcranial Doppler USG was performed and HITS were counted in each patient''s middle cerebral artery at 5 min duration. Subsequently an exercise test according to the Bruce protocol was performed. After achieving maximal heart rate, microbubbles in the left ventricle and HITS were counted again.

Results

Microbubbles in the left ventricle and transcranial HITS increased after exercise significantly compared to resting values (15.79 ±10.91 microbubbles/beat vs. 26.51 ±18.00 microbubbles/beat, p < 0.001; 6.13 ±8.07 HITS/5 min vs. 13.15 ±15.87 HITS/5 min, p = 0.001). There was a significant correlation between microbubbles and HITS counts after peak exercise (r = 0.55, p < 0.001).

Conclusions

In our study, we found that the microbubbles were increasing as the heart rate increased and more HITS were propelled to the cerebral circulation. As previously shown, HITS can alter cognitive functions. Therefore heart rate control is essential in mechanical heart valve patients to protect neurocognitive functions.     

Effects of P-wave dispersion on atrial fibrillation in patients with acute anterior wall myocardial infarction

Backround: P‐wave dispersion (P dispersion), defined as the difference between the maximum and the minimum P‐wave duration (P minimum), and maximum P‐wave duration (P maximum) have been used to evaluate the discontinuous propagation of sinus impulse and the prolongation of atrial conduction time respectively. The aim of this study was to investigate whether early assessment of P dispersion predicts paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients with acute anterior wall myocardial infarction (MI). Methods: We prospectively evaluated 147 consecutive patients (45 women, 102 men; aged 55 ± 9 years) with a first acute anterior wall MI. All patients were evaluated by echocardiography to measure the left atrial diameter and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). Electrocardiography was recorded from all patients on admission and every day during hospitalization. Results: AF occurred in 25 patients. In 122 patients, AF did not occur. P maximum was found to be significantly higher in patients with AF than in patients without AF (115 ± 17.3 ms vs 101 ± 14.7 ms, P = 0.001 ). P dispersion also was significantly higher in patients with AF than in patients without AF (50 ± 12.5 ms vs 43 ± 10.1 ms, P = 0.01 ). There was no significant difference between the two groups in P minimum (64 ± 12.5 ms vs 59 ± 11.7 ms, P = 0.057 ). The echocardiographically left atrial diameters were not significantly higher in the patients with AF than those without (25 ± 3.38 mm and 23 ± 3.36 mm , respectively, P = 0.76 ). LVEF was found to be significantly different in the patients who developed AF and in those who did not (37.96 ± 6.18% vs 47.70 ± 6.01%, P = 0.0001 ). Conclusions: Although P maximum and P dispersion are significant predictive factors of AF in patients with acute anterior wall MI in the univariate analysis, on the basis of multivariate analysis, only age and LVEF were independent predictive parameters for AF.     

Evaluation of coronary bypass graft occlusion and stenosis with 64-detector-row computed tomography angiography

Background: A noninvasive imaging modality is desirable for the evaluation of coronary bypass graft stenosis and occlusion.

Purpose: To prospectively evaluate the effectiveness of 64-detector-row computed tomography (DCT) for the assessment of coronary bypass grafts.

Material and Methods: Forty-two patients (35 male, seven female, mean age 66.3 years) with 103 bypass grafts (32 arterial, 71 venous) were examined with 64-DCT. The evaluations were done by two radiologists blinded to the results of quantitative coronary angiography (QCA), used as the reference standard.

Results: All of the 26 occluded grafts, nine of the 10 stenosed grafts, and 66 of the 67 patent grafts were correctly diagnosed with 64-DCT angiography. The sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values for 64-DCT in detecting graft stenosis were 90%, 99%, 90%, and 99%, respectively. For graft occlusion, all were 100%. No statistically significant difference was found between 64-DCT and QCA for the evaluation of bypass grafts. Intermodality and interobserver agreement were excellent.

Conclusion: 64-DCT angiography is a reliable, noninvasive diagnostic method for the assessment of coronary bypass grafts. It can be considered as a useful tool for follow-up purposes and may function as a gatekeeper before invasive procedures.     

Living donor liver hilar variations: surgical approaches and implications

BACKGROUND: Varied vascular and biliary anatomies are common in the liver. Living donor hepatectomy requires precise recognition of the hilar anatomy. This study was undertaken to study donor vascular and biliary tract variations, surgical approaches and implications in living liver transplant patients. METHODS: Two hundred living donor liver transplantations were performed at our institution between 2004 and 2009. All donors were evaluated by volumetric computerized tomography (CT), CT angiography and magn...     

Anthropometric measurements in male breast cancer

Background: 1% of breast cancers occur in men.The etiology is obscure. An elevated BMI has been postulated to be a cause. Methods: All male breast cancer patients operated from January 1990 to May 2001 were retrospectively reviewed. Relation between BMI and male breast cancer was examined. Results: 43 males underwent breast surgery for breast cancer during this period. 3 patients were excluded from the study because of other risk factors for breast cancer.The average BMI of 40 patients was 26.54 kg/m², which is mildly above the level for normal weight. Conclusions: Excessive adipose tissue may increase risk of male breast cancer.     

Hepatic adenomatosis: MRI demonstration with the use of superparamagnetic iron oxide

This case report describes a case of a 38-year-old woman with hepatic adenomatosis. MRI revealed five hyperintense nodular liver lesions on T1-weighted images which were hypo-isointense with the liver parenchyma on T2-weighted images. Serial gadolinium-enhanced images did not reveal distinctive imaging findings. With the use of superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) particles, hyperintense adenomas revealed signal loss on T1-weighted images after SPIO. Two subcapsular adenomas were resected based on MRI findings and histopathology confirmed MRI diagnosis.