Influence of acoustic stress by noise on gastrointestinal motility in dogs

The effects of acoustic stress (AS) on gastrointestinal motility and their prevention by previous treatment with naloxone, phentolamine, propranolol, muscimol, and diazepam were investigated in intact and vagotomized fasted dogs fitted with chronically implanted strain gauges on the antrum at 10 cm from pylorus and on the jejunum at 70 and 140 cm from the pylorus. These effects were compared to those produced by intracerebroventricular administration of ovine corticotropin releasing factor (oCRF). Beginning 40–50 min after the occurrence of a gastric migrating motor complex (MMC), a 1-hr hearing of prerecorded intense music through earpieces (<100 dB) delayed the occurrence of the next gastric MMC observed after 2.8±1.2 hr, while jejunal MMC were still present at a normal frequency. During AS, heart rate and plasma cortisol were significantly increased by 32.7 and 215%, respectively, 10–15 min after the beginning of hearing. The AS-induced lengthening of the gastric MMC cycle as well as cortisol increase were abolished after previous administration of diazepam (0.5 mg/kg intramuscular) or muscimol (10 g/kg intravenous), while they were still present after naloxone (0.1 mg/kg intravenous), phentolamine (0.2 mg/kg intravenous), or propranolol (0.1 mg/kg intravenous). CRF administered intracerebroventricularly (100 ng/kg) also delayed the occurrence of gastric MMC without affecting jejunal motility, and this effect was not antagonized by previous treatment with diazepam or muscimol. Both the effects of AS and CRF were abolished after bilateral thoracic vagotomy. These results suggest that the selective inhibition of gastric motility induced by noise in dog is due to the CNS release of CRF which affects, in turn, the vagal output to the stomach. The suppressive action of diazepam or GABA agonist on noise-induced gastric hypomotility may be related to blockade of the AS-induced CRF release.     

Diamond-Blackfan anemia: promotion of marrow erythropoiesis in vitro by recombinant interleukin-3

To clarify the defective erythropoiesis in eight patients with Diamond- Blackfan anemia, we studied their bone marrow response in vitro to recombinant human interleukin-3 (IL-3) and recombinant granulocyte- macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF). In an erythropoietin- containing assay system, specimens from six of the eight patients yielded low numbers of erythroid colonies compared to control values, and in five of these no erythropoietin dose-response could be elicited. Addition of IL-3, GM-CSF or both to cultures from the six patients had no effect on CFU-E-derived colonies. In contrast, IL-3 but not GM-CSF induced a marked increase in the number (183%) and size of the BFU-E- derived colonies in five of the six cases and partially corrected the impaired dose-response to erythropoietin in four. Bone marrow from the other two patients yielded numbers of CFU-E and BFU-E colonies comparable to controls and manifested similar increments in colonies with increasing concentrations of erythropoietin. When IL-3 was added to these cultures, further increments were observed in the number and size of BFU-E colonies. We conclude that IL-3 enhanced the marrow erythropoiesis in most of the patients and exerted a corrective effect on the aberrant colony formation in the presence of erythropoietin. The data raise the possibility of IL-3 as a therapeutic agent in Diamond- Blackfan anemia.     

Side-to-side nerve bridges reduce muscle atrophy after peripheral nerve injury in a rodent model

Background

Peripheral nerve injury can result in muscle atrophy and long-term disability. We hypothesize that creating a side-to-side bridge to link an injured nerve with a healthy nerve will reduce muscle atrophy and improve muscle function.

Methods

Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into four groups (n = 7 per group). Group 1: transection only—a 10-mm gap was created in the proximal tibial nerve; group 2: transected plus repaired—the transected tibial nerve was repaired; group 3: transected plus repaired plus nerve bridge—transected nerve repaired with a distal nerve bridge between the tibial and peroneal nerves via epineurial windows; and group 4: transected plus nerve bridge—transected tibial nerve left unrepaired and distal bridge added. Gait was assessed every 2 wk. At 90 d the following measures were determined: gastrocnemius mass, muscle and nerve nuclear density, and axonal infiltration into the nerve bridge.

Results

Groups 3 and 4 had greater improvements in walking track recovery than groups 1 and 2. Group 3's gastrocnemius muscles exhibited the least amount of atrophy. Groups 1, 2, and 4 exhibited greater histologic appearance of muscle breakdown compared with group 3 and control muscle. Finally, most bridges in groups 3 and 4 had neuronal sprouting via the epineurial windows.

Conclusions

Our study demonstrated reduced muscle atrophy with a side-to-side nerve bridge in the setting of peripheral nerve injury. These results support the application of novel side-to-side bridges in combination with traditional end-to-end neurorrhaphy to preserve muscle viability after peripheral nerve injuries.     

Abrogation of E-cadherin-mediated adhesion induces tumor cell invasion in human skin-like organotypic culture

The role of cell-cell adhesion in the transition from premalignancy to invasive cancer is not well understood. The purpose of this study was to determine how abrogation of E-cadherin-mediated adhesion influenced early neoplastic progression in tissues that mimic human, premalignant disease. To accomplish this, E-cadherin function was abrogated in a human cell line representing an early stage in the transformation process (HaCaT-II-4 cells) that was grown in three-dimensional, organotypic cultures with intact basement membrane. Before modification, this cell line showed a paucity of cell adhesion structures by ultrastructural and immunohistochemical analysis, whereas immunoblot studies demonstrated that expression and association of E-cadherin and catenins were not diminished when compared with normal keratinocytes. To further reduce functional E-cadherin, II-4 cells were infected with a dominant-negative, recombinant adenovirus, expressing E-cadherin lacking an extracellular domain (AdECadEC). AdECadEC infection resulted in loss of endogenous E-cadherin and completely disrupted II-4 cell adhesion, as seen by loss of beta-catenin from II-4 cell junctions in monolayer culture. In three-dimensional cultures, AdECadEC-infected cells demonstrated disruption of tissue architecture, loss of cell-cell adhesion, and the invasion of individual tumor cells into the stroma. The induction of this invasive phenotype was associated with loss of basement membrane integrity, as seen by degradation of type IV collagen and laminin 5. These studies showed that loss of E-cadherin-mediated adhesion enabled acquisition of an invasive phenotype, suggesting that maintenance of intercellular adhesion and tissue organization plays a crucial part in suppressing the incipient stages of squamous cell cancer progression.     

Dissociation of glucose tracer uptake and glucose transporter distribution in the regionally ischaemic isolated rat heart: application of a new autoradiographic technique

Fluorine-18 fluoro-2-deoxyglucose ((18)FDG) and carbon-14 2-deoxyglucose ((14)C-2-DG) are both widely used tracers of myocardial glucose uptake and phosphorylation. We have recently shown, using positron emission tomography (PET) and nuclear magnetic resonance, that ischaemia-reperfusion (I-R) causes differential changes in their uptake. We describe here the novel application of an autoradiographic technique allowing the investigation of this phenomenon at high resolution, using tracer concentrations of both analogues in the dual-perfused isolated rat heart. We also investigate the importance of glucose transporter (GLUT 1 and GLUT 4) distribution in governing the observed phosphorylated analogue accumulation. Hearts ( n=5) were perfused with Krebs buffer for 40 min, made regionally zero-flow ischaemic for 40 min and reperfused for 60 min with Krebs containing tracer (18)FDG (200 MBq) and tracer (14)C-2-DG (0.37 MBq). Hearts were then frozen and five sections (10 micro m) were cut per heart, fixed and exposed on phosphor storage plates for 18 h (for (18)FDG) and then for a further 9 days (for (14)C-2-DG). Quantitative digital images of tracer accumulation were obtained using a phosphor plate reader. The protocol was repeated in a second group of hearts and GLUT 1 and GLUT 4 distribution analysed. Post-ischaemic accumulation of (18)FDG-6-P was inhibited by 38.2%+/-1.7% and (14)C-DG-6-P by 19.0%+/-2.2%, compared with control ( P<0.05). After placing seven "lines of interrogation" across each heart section and analysing the phosphorylated tracer accumulation along them, a transmural gradient of both tracers was observed; this was highest at the endocardium and lowest at the epicardium. GLUT 4 translocated to the sarcolemma in the ischaemic/reperfused region (from 24%+/-3% to 59%+/-5%), while there was no cellular redistribution of GLUT 1. We conclude that since decreased phosphorylated tracer accumulation occurs after ischaemia-reperfusion, despite greater externalisation of GLUT 4, hexokinase or the affinities of the GLUT transporters are changed under these conditions.     

Is a functional sarcoplasmic reticulum necessary for preconditioning?

Several studies have shown that the protective effect of ischemic preconditioning (PC) is associated with decreased calcium release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR). However, no study has yet demonstrated whether these changes are essential in the mechanism of PC. In order to investigate whether a functional SR was necessary for PC, we manipulated SR calcium handling using (i) 0.1microM ryanodine (RY), a concentration known to lock the SR calcium release channel in the open state and (ii) 50microM cyclopiazonic acid (CPA), a specific inhibitor of the SR calcium ATPase. Initial experiments confirmed that both RY and CPA eliminated the ability of the SR to accumulate calcium. Isolated rat hearts (n=6-7/group) were perfused normoxically for 30 min prior to either a further 40 min of perfusion [control (C)] or 4x[5 min ischemia (I) + 5 min reperfusion (R)] (PC). All hearts were then subjected to a further 40 min I + 40 min R. The C and PC protocols were then repeated in the presence of RY or CPA, introduced after 10 min of perfusion.(31)P-NMR was used to measure ATP, PCr, P(i)and intracellular pH. RY and CPA decreased developed pressure (DP) by 75% and 59%, respectively. Percentage recovery of LVDP was significantly higher in PC (72+/-8%), PC+RY (72+/-7%) and PC+CPA (49+/-7%) groups compared with their respective controls (43+/-7%, 47+/-7% and 10+/-4%) (P<0.05). Thus, PC remains protective in the presence of a SR unable to accumulate calcium, suggesting that the changes in SR calcium release are not essential in the mechanism of preconditioning.