Apnea‐related sleep fragmentation and poor vigilance in children with well‐controlled asthma

It has been reported that sleep problems and neurocognitive deficit in asthmatic children is prevalent. However, systematic studies on these problems in stable asthma using polysomnography have rarely been performed. We therefore investigated sleep and neurocognitive functioning in children with well‐controlled asthma. Forty‐three children with well‐controlled, stable asthma and 31 controls (age range: 6–9 years) were enrolled in the study. Subjects were questioned for daytime sleepiness using the Paediatric Daytime Sleepiness Scale. Complete overnight polysomnography and neurocognitive function tests were performed on all subjects. Children with stable asthma had lower pulmonary function in comparison to their age‐matched controls. Asthmatic children had a higher apnea–hypopnea index (P < 0.001) and apnea–hypopnea‐related arousal index (P < 0.001) as compared with non‐asthmatics. Deep sleep was decreased in asthmatics (P = 0.001). In the vigilance test, the mean number of correct answers was lower (P = 0.005) and the mean reaction time was slower (P = 0.002) in asthmatic children. A hierarchical multiple linear regression showed that deep sleep and apnea–hypopnea‐related arousal index were significant predictors of vigilance. The data suggest that the prevalence of paediatric sleep‐disordered breathing and sleep fragmentation could be very high among children with well‐controlled asthma. Moreover, vigilance, the ability to maintain attention and alertness, was worse in stable asthmatic children when compared with healthy controls. Sleep‐disordered breathing should be checked even in stable asthmatic children as they are at risk for developing neurobehavioural deterioration associated with frequent arousals during sleep. Furthermore, early treatment for asthma may be required in order to prevent airway remodelling that could cause sleep problems.     

Evaluation of inhibitory potential of some selective methanolic plants extracts on biological characteristics of Acanthamoeba castellanii using human corneal epithelial cells in vitro

Acanthamoeba is an opportunistic protozoan pathogen and known to be one of the most ubiquitous organisms, play a vital role in ecosystem, and recognized to cause blinding keratitis and rare but fatal granulomatous encephalitis involving the central nervous system with a very poor prognosis. This is due to limited availability of effective anti-Acanthamoeba drugs. The objective of the present study was to determine the efficacy of methanolic plants crude extracts on the viability and biological properties of Acanthamoeba castellanii (T4 genotype) and its cytotoxic effects on human corneal epithelial cells (HCEC). Using HCEC, it was observed that Acanthamoeba exhibited binding (>90 %) and cytotoxicity (>80 %) to host cells. However, plant crude extracts remarkably inhibited more than 70 and 60 % of Acanthamoeba binding and cytotoxicity to HCEC, respectively. It was further established that crude extracts (ranging from 0.1 to 1.5 mg/ml) exhibited amoebicidal effects, i.e., >50 % of trophozoites were killed/reduced at maximum dose (1.5 mg/ml) within 1 h incubation. However, the residual subpopulation remained static over longer incubations. Furthermore, growth assay demonstrated crude extracts inhibited >50 % Acanthamoeba numbers up to 7 days. Our results confirmed that plant crude extracts has inhibitory effects on Acanthamoeba growth and viability. Overall, these findings revealed that tested plant extracts is inhibitory to Acanthamoeba properties associated with pathogenesis. To the best of our knowledge, our findings demonstrated for the first time that selected methanol plant crude extracts exhibits inhibitory effects on biological properties of Acanthamoeba without any toxic effects on HCEC cells in vitro.     

Evaluation of bone metabolism and bone mass in patients with type-2 diabetes mellitus

The objectives of this study were to determine whether type-2 diabetes was associated with a higher bone mineral density (BMD) in men and women and to evaluate the differences in mineral metabolism between diabetic and normal subjects by using biochemical bone turnover markers. In this study, 52 patients (37 females/15 males) aged 41-64 with type-2 diabetes mellitus and 48 nondiabetic control subjects (34 females/14 males) were evaluated. In men, BMD was significantly higher in diabetics at the forearm (p <0.05), whereas in women tended to be higher at the hip (p=0.002). Serum osteocalcin (p<0.0001), bone alkaline phosphatase (BAP) (p<0.05) and carboxyterminal telopeptide (CTx) (p<0.05) were higher in the control group than in diabetics. In men, serum osteocalcin (p<0.05) and CTx (p<0.005) and, in women, serum osteocalcin (p<0.0001) and BAP (p<0.05) were lower in diabetic subjects. In conclusion, our findings suggest that although bone formation is decreased in type-2 diabetes, diabetic patients are not susceptible to bone resorption. This low bone turnover can slow the rate of bone loss and cause a higher bone density than expected for their age.     

Inhibition of renin-angiotensin system in experimental acute pancreatitis in rats: A new therapeutic target?

ObjectivePancreatic renin-angiotensin system has been implied to play a role in the regulation of pancreatic functions and could be a new therapeutic target in acute pancreatitis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic potential of angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibition by captopril and angiotensin II type1 receptor inhibition by L-158809 and losartan experimentally in acute pancreatitis.DesignRats were randomly divided into 15 groups. Acute edematous pancreatitis was induced by injection of cerulein 20 μg/kg SC four times at hourly intervals. Severe necrotizing pancreatitis was induced by retrograde injection of 3% taurocholate into the biliary-pancreatic duct.InterventionsCaptopril, L-158809 and losartan were given intraperitoneally. Main outcome features: pancreatic pathology, pancreatic myeloperoxidase activity and serum amylase activity were assessed.ResultsCaptopril decreased serum amylase (10,809±1867 vs. 4085±1028 U/L, p<0.01), myeloperoxidase activity (3.5±0.5 vs. 1.5±0.1, p<0.05) and histopathological score (5.0±0.4 vs. 1.1±0.5, p<0.01) in acute edematous pancreatitis. In taurocholate induced severe necrotizing pancreatitis captopril ameliorated histopathological score (10.1±1.2 vs. 3.4±0.5, p<0.01), pancreatic parenchymal necrosis (4.5±0.6 vs. 0.0±0.0, p<0.001), fatty necrosis (2.8±0.9 vs. 0.1±0.1, p<0.01) and edema (2.1±0.3 vs. 1.4±0.3, p<0.05). However, L-158809 did not have similar beneficial effects on acute pancreatitis in rats while losartan decreased pancreatic parenchymal necrosis and neutrophil infiltration.ConclusionsThis study not only demonstrated the differential effects of captopril, losartan and L-158809 in acute pancreatitis but also showed that there is still much to investigate about pancreatic renin-angiotensin system. Inhibition of angiotensin-converting enzyme should be evaluated carefully as a potential new therapeutic target in acute pancreatitis.     

Atorvastatin exerts anti-nociceptive activity and decreases serum levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and tumor necrosis factor-α in a rat endometriosis model

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of atorvastatin in the treatment of experimental endometriosis.

Methods

Endometriosis was induced in 24 female rats. 4 weeks after the procedure dimensions of the foci were recorded. Rats were divided into three groups: in Group 1 (n = 8), a daily dose of 10 mg/kg atorvastatin was given for 14 days. In the second group (n = 8), a single dose of 1 mg/kg leuprolide acetate was injected intraperitoneally. The rats in Group 3 (n = 8) were received 1 mg/kg i.p. 0.9 % NaCl. At the end of the treatment, laparotomy was performed, and the dimensions of the endometriotic foci were recorded. Biochemical, histopathological and immunohistochemical studies were performed and nociception was compared in groups.

Results

Atorvastatin treatment exhibited significant analgesic activity in hot plate model (P = 0.022). The serum hs-CRP and tumor necrosis TNF-α levels were similar between the Group 2 and Group 3 (P > 0.05); however atorvastatin caused significant decrease in both serum markers. The histological and immunohistochemical scores were also found to be markedly lower in Group 1 and Group 2 (P < 0.05).

Conclusion

Atorvastatin treatment may have a therapeutic potential in the treatment of endometriosis through its anti-inflammatory and anti-nociceptive properties.     

Increased vasoconstrictor reactivity and decreased endothelial function in high grade varicocele; functional and morphological study

The pathophysiology of human varicocele is not fully understood. We investigated vasoconstrictor reactivity, endothelial function and morphological changes in different grades of varicocele to clarify the pathophysiology. Contractile responses to phenylephrine, norepinephrine, serotonin and histamine were determined in isolated human varicose spermatic veins using the organ bath technique. Endothelial function was tested with acetylcholine-induced relaxation after phenylephrine-induced precontraction in the absence and presence of nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, L-NAME, and cyclooxygenase inhibitor, indomethacin. The cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) level was measured in the spermatic vein and peripheral plasma. Morphological changes were evaluated with light microscopy. Phenylephrine, norepinephrine, serotonin and histamine induced concentration-dependent contractions. The maximum contractions for all of these agents except norepinephrine were significantly higher in grade III than grade I and II (P<0.05). The sensitivity to phenylephrine was significantly higher in grades II and III than in grade I (P<0.05). In the presence of L-NAME and indomethacin, the difference from respective control phenylephrine-induced contractions was higher in grade I and II than grade III. Acetylcholine did not induce stable relaxation but the level of cGMP, which is responsible for the vasorelaxant effect of NO, in veins was lower in grades II and III than grade I (P<0.05). Vessel wall thickness increased in grade II and dilatation developed in grade III when compared to grade I (P<0.05). Our findings suggest that endothelium produces less vasorelaxant which results in the more enhanced effects of vasoconstrictor substances in grade III, indicating that endothelial dysfunction develops at high grades of varicocele.     

Cardiac CT angiography (CTA) and nuclear myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI)-a comparison in detecting significant coronary artery disease

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: Endowed with sufficient diagnostic accuracy, electron beam computed tomography angiography (CTA) is being increasingly used to evaluate coronary arteries. However, data on direct comparisons with nuclear myocardial perfusion studies are limited. In this study, we sought to compare the accuracies of CTA and myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) for identifying symptomatic patients with hemodynamically significant obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD). MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a single-center study, symptomatic outpatients who were scheduled for cardiac catheterization were prospectively enrolled. Only patients with exertional angina or dyspnea were included. After fulfilling the inclusion criteria, 30 patients were enrolled in the study (mean age 54 +/- 9 years and 70% males). Patients underwent MPI, CTA including coronary artery calcification (CAC) measure, and invasive coronary angiography for evaluation of obstructive coronary artery disease. Significant CAD was defined as >50% left main artery stenosis or >70% stenosis of any other epicardial vessel by invasive angiography. The sensitivities, specificities and predictive values of MPI, CAC, and CTA were analyzed per patient RESULTS: CTA demonstrated significant higher sensitivity than MPI (95% vs. 81%, P < .05). CTA demonstrated significantly higher specificity than both MPI (89% versus 78%, P = .04) and CAC (56%, P = .002). CTA also performed better in a per-vessel analysis (sensitivity 94%, specificity 96%) than both nuclear and CAC. There were no significant differences between the sensitivities and specificities of MPI and CAC. CONCLUSION: CTA accurately detects obstructive CAD in symptomatic patients and may be more accurate than MPI or CAC assessment. Larger studies in a more diverse population are needed.     

The effects of acrylamide and Vitamin E administration during pregnancy on adult rats testis

Thirty rats, with confirmed pregnancies by vaginal smear, were divided into five groups, each including six rats, as the Control, Corn Oil, Vitamin E, Acrylamide, Vitamin E + Acrylamide groups. The births were monitored on the 21st day to select the male rats, and the selected male rats were decapitated at the end of the 8th week. Oxidant–antioxidant parameters, serum hormone levels and histopathological examinations were performed on testis tissues of the rats. It was found that acrylamide (AA) negatively affected the serum hormone levels (Total Testosterone, Progesterone, FSH, LH, Estradiol), oxidant–antioxidant parameters in the tissues (MDA, GSH, NO, SOD, CAT, TAS, TOS) (p < 0.05) and the histological findings (the Johnson's score, seminiferous tubule diameter, histopathological images), and Vitamin E administration resulted with an increase in the total testosterone, progesterone, FSH, LH, GSH, TAS, NO, SOD, CAT levels (p < 0.05) and an improvement in histopathological findings. Currently, it is almost inevitable to be exposed to food‐induced AA toxicity and such toxicity is likely to cause lifelong damage. It was concluded that Vitamin E was able to present a protective effect in the testis tissue against AA toxicity; however, further studies are necessary.