Role of sensory afferent neurons in hypertonic damage and restitution of the rat gastric mucosa

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Gastric mucosal hyperemia is a protective response mediated at least in part by the response of sensory afferent neurons to hydrogen ions. The aim of this study was to determine if other pathways to the hyperemic response are present and if these neurons have an effect exclusive of hyperemia on mucosal protection and repair. METHODS: Rat sensory afferent neurons were ablated by capsaicin treatment. Chambered stomachs were damaged by hypertonic saline followed by either acidic or neutral isotonic saline. Blood flow was measured by laser Doppler velocimetry, and mucosal morphology was quantitatively evaluated by microscopy. RESULTS: Mucosal damage alone evoked a strong hyperemic response in both control and ablated rats. Ablated rats lost gastric protection despite this hyperemic response. Acid exposure after damage sustained the hyperemic response. Rapid epithelial restitution occurred faster (even over hemorrhagic lesions) in control rats. CONCLUSIONS: The hyperemic response to mucosal damage alone is not mediated by sensory neurons. Protection of the stomach by sensory afferent neurons occurs by mechanisms also unrelated to their elicitation of hyperemia. Restitution during acid challenge is enhanced by the sustained hyperemic response mediated through sensory afferent neurons. (Gastroenterology 1996 Dec;111(6):1474-83)     

Interleukin-3 and interleukin-1 alpha allow earlier bone marrow progenitors to respond to human colony-stimulating factor 1

By using human bone marrow cells enriched for early progenitors by selective immunoadsorption and plated at low cell density (10(3) to 10(4) cells/mL/9.6 cm2) in semisolid methylcellulose culture, we have analyzed the cooperative effects of human colony-stimulating factor 1 (CSF-1), granulocyte-macrophage-CSF (GM-CSF), interleukin-1 alpha (IL-1 alpha), and gibbon as well as human recombinant IL-3 on the formation of monocytic colonies. CSF-1 alone stimulated mature monocytic colony formation by human CFU-M. However, in the presence of IL-3 and erythropoietin, CSF-1 stimulated maximal immature monocytic colony formation at low concentrations and inhibited the formation of granulomonocytic, erythrocytic, and mixed colonies. Cultures with CSF-1 and IL-3 contained more immature monocytic colonies than did cultures with CSF-1 alone. IL-1 alpha alone had little effect. However, IL-1 alpha in combination with optimal concentrations of either CSF-1, GM- CSF, or IL-3 increased the number of colonies containing immature or mature monocytic colonies.     

Iron incorporation into ferritin and hemoglobin during differentiation of murine erythroleukemia cells

Hemoglobin and ferritin iron content have been followed during differentiation in tissue cultures of murine erythroleukemia cells (MELC) using the techniques of Mossbauer spectroscopy and electron microscopy. In undifferentiated cells grown without DMSO, only iron stored in ferritin was detected. The amount of iron in a cell grown in the presence of iron citrate is approximately 1.2 X 10(-14) g, whereas in a cell grown in the presence of transferrin the amount is approximately 0.28 X 10(-14) g. These quantities do not depend on the iron concentration in the nutrition medium in a range from 0.3 to 2.0 microgram Fe/ml and are the same for growth times between 8 hr and 7 days. Cells grown with DMSO contain, in addition to ferritin, increasing concentrations of hemoglobin. Chase experiments prove that ferritin iron participates in hemoglobin synthesis. The amount of ferritin iron reaches saturation within less than 8 hr in MELC grown with or without DMSO. In differentiating cells grown with iron citrate there is a decrease with time in ferritin iron content concomitant with the increase in hemoglobin. Cells grown with transferrin incorporate additional amounts of iron, which are approximately equal to the amounts used for hemoglobin synthesis maintaining a constant ferritin iron level. In the electron microscope, iron is seen only as ferritin within lysosomes. The density of the ferritin in lysosomes correlates with the ferritin iron concentrations determined by Mossbauer spectroscopy.     

Lutein/zeaxanthin isomers regulate neurotrophic factors and synaptic plasticity in trained rats

Background/aim This study was conducted to elucidate the effects of lutein/zeaxanthin isomers (L/Zi) on lipid metabolism, oxidative stress, NF-κB/Nrf2 pathways, and synaptic plasticity proteins in trained rats.Materials and methods Wistar rats were distributed into four groups: 1) control, 2) L/Zi: rats received L/Zi at the dose of 100 mg/kg by oral gavage, 3) exercise, 4) exercise+L/Zi: rats exercised and received L/Zi (100 mg/kg) by oral gavage. The duration of the study was eight weeks. Results Exercise combined with L/Zi reduced lipid peroxidation and improved antioxidant enzyme activities of muscle and cerebral cortex in rats (p < 0.001). In the Exercise + L/Zi group, muscle and cerebral cortex Nrf2 and HO-1 levels increased, while NF-κB levels decreased (p <0.001). Also, L/Zi improved BDNF, synapsin I, SYP, and GAP-43 levels of the cerebral cortex of trained rats (p < 0.001). The highest levels of BDNF, synapsin SYP, and GAP-43 in the cerebral cortex were determined in the Exercise+L/Zi group.Conclusion These results suggested that exercise combined with L/Zi supplementation might be effective to reduce neurodegeneration via improving neurotrophic factors and synaptic proteins, and oxidative capacity in the cerebral cortex.     

Evaluation of systemic involvement of Coronavirus disease 2019 through spleen; size and texture analysis

Background/aimTo investigate the changes in the spleen size, parenchymal heterogeneity, and computed tomography (CT) texture analysis features of patients diagnosed with Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)Materials and methodsThe size and parenchymal structure of the spleen in 91 patients who underwent thoracic CT examination due to COVID-19 were evaluated. For the evaluation of parenchymal heterogeneity, CT texture analysis was performed using dedicated software (Olea Medical, France). The texture analysis of each case consisted of 15 first-order intensity-based features, 17 gray level co-occurrence matrix-based features, and 9 gray level run length matrix-based features.ResultsA total of 91 patients (45 males, 46 females) with a mean age of 54.31 ± 16.33 years (range: 18–81) were included in the study. A statistically significant decrease in spleen size was seen in the follow-up CT examinations (p < 0.001) whereas no statistically significant difference was found between the Hounsfield unit (HU) values. The radiomics consisted of first-order intensity-based features such as 90th percentile, maximum, interquartile range, range, mean absolute deviation, standard deviation, and variance, all of which showed statistically significant differences (p - values: < 0.001, < 0.001, 0.001, 0.003, 0.001, 0.001, and 0.004, respectively). “Correlation” as a gray level co-occurrence matrix-based feature and “gray level nonuniformity” as a gray level run length matrix-based feature showed statistically differences (p-values: 0.033 and < 0.001, respectively).ConclusionsAlthough COVID-19 manifests with lung involvement in the early stage, it can also cause systemic involvement, and the spleen may be one of its target organs. A decrease in the spleen size and parenchymal microstructure changes can be observed in the short follow-up time. It is hoped that the changes in the parenchymal microstructure will be demonstrated by a noninvasive method: texture analysis.