Investigating the in vitro effect of taurine on the infant lymphocytes by sister chromatid exchange

BACKGROUND: Taurine (2-aminoethane sulphonic acid) is normally present in most mammalian tissues and the most abundant free amino acid in lymphocytes. It participates in various important physiological activities including modulation of the functioning of the central nervous system, cell proliferation, viability and prevention of oxidant-induced injury in many tissues. Its levels in human milk are very high which may be the most important difference from cow's milk. In contrast, an inverse association between breast-feeding and carcinogenesis in childhood or later in life has been suggested by several studies. METHODS: The study group consisted of eight healthy infants. Peripheral blood was collected and lymphocytes were cultured with either Taurine or Mitomycin C (MMC). Sister chromatid exchange in lymphocytes of the infants were calculated. RESULTS: Statistical differences were found between untreated and MMC-treated lymphocytes, untreated and MMC plus taurine-treated lymphocytes, and between MMC and MMC plus taurine-treated lymphocytes (P = 0.012). CONCLUSION: The results indicated that taurine plays a protective role in MMC-induced sister chromatid exchange in human lymphocytes. The authors suggest that the high levels of taurine found in human milk may induce protecting effects from breast-feeding against DNA damage and malignancy.     

Intratesticular varicocele: Report of two cases

Intratesticular varicocele is a rare entity and describes dilated intratesticular veins radiating from the mediastinum testis into the testicular parenchyma. Scrotal ultrasonography of two patients who presented to our urology clinic due to left scrotal pain revealed multiple tubular structures in the testes with diameters of more than 2 mm. Duplex spectral analysis showed a reversed flow response to Valsalva's maneuver. Apropos of two cases, intratesticular varicocele is reviewed.     

Pneumatosis coli: a case report with ultrastructural study

A case of pneumatosis intestinalis studied by light and electron microscopy is presented. The cysts are dilated lymphatic vessels. Abundant fine fatty globules are found in the cysts and in the histiocytes and mutlinucleated giant cells which line the lymphatics and which are present in the interstitium. The giant cell formation and florid histiocytic reaction are most probably due to leakage of fatty material from the dilated lymphatics.     

Increase in local cerebral blood flow induced by circulating adrenaline: involvement of blood-brain barrier dysfunction

The influence of intravenous infusion of adrenaline (8 μg · kg^-1· min^-1) upon local cerebral blood flow (CBF) in paralyzed and artificially ventilated rats was measured autoradio-graphically with ¹⁴C-iodoantipyrine as the diffusible tracer. At this dose, adrenaline invariably increased local CBF even though blood pressure was close to normal at the time of the CBF measurement. In average, local CBF increased to 400% of control. In 6 of 9 animals the increase in flow was inhomogenous with randomingly distributed areas of very high flow rates. Experiments with i.v. administration of Evans blue prior to infusion of adrenaline showed that areas of Evans blue extravasation appeared in 3 of 4 animals. Although areas of extravasation often corresponded to areas of high flow rates the former were much more circumscribed. Furthermore, very high flow rates were found in areas showing no sign of blood-brain barrier dysfunction. It is concluded that the increase in CBF was at least partly due to a pressure-mediated passage of adrenaline across the blood-brain barrier but that such a passage can occur in the absence of macroscopically visible extravasation of protein.