Pseudomyxoma peritonei – two novel orthotopic mouse models portray the PMCA-I histopathologic subtype

Background  

Pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP) is a rare malignant disease, most commonly originating from appendiceal lesions and characterized by accumulation of mucinous tumor tissue in the peritoneal cavity. Since the disease is infrequent, the task of carrying out studies of treatment efficacy and disease biology in the clinical setting is challenging, warranting the development of relevant in vitro and in vivo PMP models.     

Elevated endothelial microparticle-monocyte complexes induced by multiple sclerosis plasma and the inhibitory effects of interferon-beta 1b on release of endothelial microparticles, formation and transendothelial migration of monocyte-endothelial microparticle complexes

Monocyte migration through the disrupted cerebral endothelial cell (EC) junctions plays an essential role in formation of multiple sclerosis (MS) demyelinating lesions. During pathogenesis of MS, activated ECs release endothelial microparticles (EMP), which possibly facilitate transendothelial migration (TEMIG) of monocytes. To assess functional roles of EMP in MS, specifically, their (i) interaction with monocytes, (ii) effect on monocyte TEMIG in an in vitro model of the brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMVEC), (iii) phenotypic profiles of EMP elicited by MS plasma and (iv) the effects of IFN-beta 1b on release of EMP and on TEMIG of monocytes (mono) and monocytes:EMP complexes (mono:EMP) through the BMVEC. The effect of IFN-beta 1b on the release of EMP and the TEMIG of mono and mono:EMP was assessed by preincubating BMVEC cultures of IFN-beta 1b prior to addition of plasma. Three EMP phenotypes, CD54, CD62E and CD31 were assayed. Plasma specimens from 20 patients with relapsing remitting MS (11 in exacerbation, MS-E, and 9 in remission, ME-R) and 10 healthy controls were studied. Incubation of BMVEC with MS-E plasma yielded elevated levels of EMPCD54, EMP62E and EMPCD31 relative to MS-R and control plasmas. MS-E but not MS-R or control plasma also augmented TEMIG of monocytes, respectively. Mono:EMP complexes further augmented TEMIG relative to mono alone, but only in the presence of MS-E plasma; there was no significant effect with MS-R or control plasmas. The presence of IFN-beta 1b inhibited TEMIG of mono and mono:EMP by 20% and 30%, respectively. MS-E but not MS-R plasma elicited release of activation-derived EMP and enhanced TEMIG of mono and mono:EMP. IFN-beta 1b inhibited TEMIG and release of EMP, suggesting a role of EMP and a novel therapeutic mechanism for IFN-beta 1b in MS.     

Effects of early intake of fruit or vegetables in relation to later asthma and allergic sensitization in school-age children

AIM: To assess the associations between nutrition supplements in infancy and later asthma and allergy in school-age children, and to explore the impact of environmental factors in early life. METHODS: Five hundred and two children underwent clinical examination, skin prick test and a second parentally completed questionnaire within 2 y of a cross-sectional questionnairebased study, including 4585 primary school children (6-16 y old) in 1994 from urban Oslo (37%), the mountainous area of Hallingdal (42%), and the industrial, coastal area of Odda (21%). The children were selected from the 1994 survey on the basis of reported diagnosed asthma (n=166), wheeze in the last 12 mo (n=155) and no asthma/no wheeze (n=181). Questions were related to nutrition and environmental exposure in early life. Possible associations between allergic sensitization or asthma at school age and exposures were estimated by logistic regression analysis, adjusting for potential confounders. RESULTS: Daily intake of fresh fruit or vegetables, but not extra vitamins or cod liver oil supplements, in infancy decreased the risk of asthma (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 0.57 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.37-0.88). Early supplements of cod liver oil and extra vitamins were associated with increased allergic sensitization (aOR 1.78 (95% CI: 1.03-3.07) and 1.71 (95% CI: 1.01-2.88), respectively). A significantly higher prevalence of allergic sensitization was found in children living in Hallingdal compared to Odda, while the latter children, on the other hand, had the highest prevalence of house dust mite allergy (p = 0.001 vs Hallingdal and p = 0.04 vs Oslo). CONCLUSION: The present study suggests that the early introduction of daily fresh fruit or vegetables may decrease the risk of asthma after 1 y of life, whereas allergic sensitization at school age seemed to increase with extra vitamin and cod liver oil supplements during infancy. Living area influenced allergic sensitization, with differences between coastal and inland areas.     

Fatigue in patients with lupus is not associated with disturbances in cerebral blood flow as detected by SPECT

Abstract Objectives Fatigue is a common complaint in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We investigated whether focal or general disturbances of cerebral blood flow (CBF), as assessed by SPECT, were associated with the presence of fatigue in an unselected group of SLE patients. Methods Fifty-six patients were included. Mean age was 47.5 years (±12.7), mean disease duration 14.7 years (±8.9), and disease activity measured by SLE disease activity index (SLEDAI) was 5.7 (±5.4). Fatigue was assessed by the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) and CBF by Tc-99m-hexamethyl propylamine oxime (HMPAO)-SPECT. The images were read and processed quantitatively by a computer program using the primary visual cortex as reference region and > 15% CBF deviation as definition of abnormality. Results The mean FSS score was 4.6 (±1.8). SPECT revealed focal CBF disturbances in 17 patients (30.4 %). Generalized symmetrical CBF reductions were present in 32 patients (57.1 %). There were no significant associations between CBF disturbances in any region of the brain and the degree of fatigue. Conclusions Fatigue in SLE patients is not related to focal or general CBF disturbances. Therefore, factors that do not influence blood flow seem responsible for the fatigue phenomenon.     

Stent-graft treatment of a ruptured aortic graft: a case report

The authors report the clinical and imaging features of a patient with rupture of an aortoiliac graft successfully treated by endovascular approach. The endovascular treatment is easy to perform and effective. The main pitfall of this technique is the limited availability of stent-grafts.     

Perception of general and oral health in White and African American adults: assessing the effect of neighborhood socioeconomic conditions

OBJECTIVES: This study investigates the independent and joint effects of family income and neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES) on general health and oral health before and after controlling for traditional risk factors in a representative sample of adults aged 18+ years residing in the Detroit tri-county area, Michigan. METHODS: Individuals data were obtained through interviews, while neighborhood data came from the 1990 US Census. SUDAAN was used to accommodate the complex sampling design and correlation of outcomes within the same neighborhoods. RESULTS: Whites in disadvantaged neighborhoods were four times more likely to rate their oral health as fair or poor [odds ratio (OR): 4.0; 95% confidence intervals (CI): 1.6-10.3] than their counterparts in advantaged neighborhoods. When evaluating the joint effects of family income and neighborhood SES, low-income Whites in disadvantaged neighborhoods were six times more likely to rate their oral health as fair or poor (OR: 6.4; 95% CI: 1.6-26.5) than their high-income counterparts in advantaged neighborhoods. The odds of rating general health as fair or poor was six times greater in low-income African Americans in disadvantaged neighborhoods (OR: 6.1; 95% CI: 1.6-23.8) than high-income African Americans in advantaged neighborhoods. Similarly, low-income African Americans in disadvantaged neighborhoods were almost three times (OR: 2.8; 95% CI: 1.0-8.1) more likely to rate their oral health as fair/poor than high-income African Americans in advantaged neighborhoods. CONCLUSIONS: SES conditions at the neighborhood-level, independently or jointly with individual-level income, appear to be important in evaluating racial/ethnic differences in self-rated oral health. Neighborhood conditions could tap into constructs not captured by individual-level variables on self-rated oral health.     

Resuscitation with 100% O2 increases cerebral injury in hypoxemic piglets

Perinatal asphyxia is a major cause of immediate and postponed brain injury in the newborn. We hypothesized that resuscitation with 100% O2 compared with ambient air is detrimental to the cerebral tissue. We assessed cerebral injury in newborn piglets that underwent global hypoxia and subsequent resuscitation with 21 or 100% O2 by extracellular glycerol, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) expression levels, and oxidative stress. Extracellular glycerol was sampled by cerebral microdialysis. MMP levels were analyzed in cerebral tissue by gelatin zymography, broad matrix degrading capacity, and real-time PCR. Total endogenous antioxidant capacity was measured by the oxygen radical absorbance capacity assay. Extracellular glycerol increased 50% after resuscitation with 100% O2 compared with 21% O2. Total MMP activity was doubled in resuscitated animals at endpoint compared with baseline (p=0.018), and the MMP-2 activity was significantly increased in piglets that were resuscitated with 21% O(2) (p=0.003) and 100% O2 (p=0.001) compared with baseline. MMP-2 mRNA level was 100% increased in piglets that were resuscitated with 100% O2 as compared with 21% O2 (p < 0.05). Oxygen radical absorbance capacity values in piglets that were resuscitated with 100% O2 were considerably reduced compared with both baseline (p=0.001) and piglets that were resuscitated with 21% O2 (p=0.001). In conclusion, our data show increased MMP-2 activity at both gene and protein levels, accompanied with cerebral leakage of glycerol, presumably triggered by augmented oxidative stress. Our findings suggest that resuscitation of asphyxiated piglets with 100% O2 is detrimental to the piglet brain compared with resuscitation with 21% O2.