Central origin of vagal nerve fibres innervating the fundus and corpus of the stomach in rat

The origin of vagal nerve fibres innervating the anterior and posterior walls of the fundus and corpus of the rat stomach was investigated using the axon tracing dye, Fast blue. The secretomotor nerve supply to the rat stomach was predominantly ipsilateral. A large majority (98-99%) of the vagal perikarya innervating the anterior fundus and corpus were located on the left side of the brainstem. A large majority (96-99%) of the vagal perikarya innervating the posterior fundus and corpus were located on the right side. Vagal perikarya were arranged in longitudinal, dorsal cell columns which extended beyond the normally accepted cytoarchitectural limits of the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus (DMV). A few vagal cells innervating the fundus were also found in the nucleus ambiguus. Vagal cell columns innervating the anterior and posterior fundus extended rostrocaudally over a distance of up to 4 mm and projected caudally as far as the cervical spinal cord. Vagal cell columns innervating the anterior and posterior corpus were more compact, extended over a distance of 2-3 mm, and projected rostrally as far as the inferior salivatory nucleus of the glossopharyngeal nerves. Vagal cell columns for the fundus and corpus overlapped in the region of the DMV which lay immediately ventral to the area postrema. Between one-third to one-half of the vagal cells innervating the fundus and corpus were concentrated under the area postrema. A simple form of viscerotopic organisation appears to occur within the vagal cell columns innervating the fundus and corpus.     

Postoperative infections following autologous and homologous blood transfusions

Perioperative homologous blood transfusion has been linked to immune suppression and increased risk of postoperative infection. Autologous blood transfusion may not be associated with increased risk of infection because it presumably is not immunosuppressive. Fifty recipients of preoperatively donated autologous blood were matched to 50 recipients of homologous blood who underwent the same procedure, and the hospital course was reviewed for evidence of postoperative infection in both groups. Postoperative leukocytosis and febrile episodes were more common in homologous blood recipients (17 and 6 vs. 12 and 4, respectively). Sixteen percent of the 50 homologous blood recipients had positive cultures, as compared to 4 percent of the 50 autologous blood recipients (p less than 0.05). This study suggests that the association of blood transfusion with infection may be partially abrogated by the use of autologous blood.     

The effect of the convulsant allylglycine (2-amino-4-pentenoic acid) on the activity of glutamic acid decarboxylase and the concentration of GABA in different regions of guinea pig brain

Intraperitoneal administration of allylglycine to guinea pigs resulted in convulsions approximately 3 hr later. The concentration of GABA and the activity of GAD were significantly reduced in three brain areas, namely the cochlear nucleus, inferior colliculus and cerebral cortex, with the smallest changes being observed in the cortex. There were large in vitro regional variations in the extent of the allylglycine inhibition in brain areas from guinea pig, cat and rat, with those areas rich in GAD activity being least affected. Endogenous GAD activities in the brain regions were found to be inversely correlated with the percentage allylglycine inhibition (P < 0.005). Other inhibitors of GAD activity i.e. NaCl, Zn²⁺ and thiosemicarbazide showed no such regional variation of inhibition. The results suggest that the regional differences in allylglycine inhibition reflect anomalies of the metabolism of the drug per se, and probably do not indicate regional differences in GABA turnover and metabolism.     

Adrenoceptor-mediated responses in human skin studied by iontophoresis

The adrenoceptor-mediated responses in human skin (blanching and erythema) were studied by an iontophoretic technique. It is concluded that the receptors in superficial dermal blood vessels belong to the subclasses alpha 1 and beta 2.     

Pathogenic role of the IgA molecule in IgA nephropathy

SUMMARY: Deposits of IgA together with complement in different body tissues support the hypothesis that IgA can trigger inflammatory mechanisms. IgA nephropathy (IgAN) is characterized by predominant mesangial IgA₁ deposits of a polymeric nature. So far, the mechanism of polymeric IgA₁ deposition in the kidney mesangium is poorly understood in IgAN. the exact pathophysiological sequel preceding renal fibrosis following the mesangial deposition of IgA immune complexes remains speculative. Recent in vitro studies revealed that binding of IgA to mesangial cells led to increased expression of growth factors, cytokines, and integrins. the release of these proinflammatory factors is likely to enhance inflammatory injury. In addition, the local renin-angiotensin system present in renal tissues also contributes to renal fibrosis through the activation of transforming growth factor-β. the question of whether polymeric IgA isolated from patients with IgAN exerted any upregulatory effect on the synthesis of macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) and components of the renin-angiotensin system in human mesangial cells was explored. the in vitro studies revealed that polymeric IgA from IgAN patients upregulated the gene expression of renin and MIF in human mesangial cells in a dose-dependent manner. These findings further support the notion that glomerular deposition of IgA is not only a pathological epiphenomenon of IgAN, but that polymeric IgA exerts a pathophysiologic effect on the mesangial cells leading to renal fibrosis.     

An aqueous Chlorella extract inhibits IL-5 production by mast cells in vitro and reduces ovalbumin-induced eosinophil infiltration in the airway in mice in vivo

An aqueous extract of the edible microalga (CP) (1), has recently been tested for its immunomodulatory effects in a human clinical trial. Here, the CP extract was dialyzed and fractionated using Sephadex G 100 chromatography. The effects of a dialyzed aqueous CP extract, fraction 2 , on mast cell mediator release in vitro and ovalbumin-induced allergic airway inflammation in vivo were examined. In vitro, treatment of mouse bone marrow-derived mast cells with 2 for 18 h significantly inhibited antigen (trinitrophenyl-BSA)-induced IL-5 production. In vivo, treatment of mice with 2 during ovalbumin sensitization and stimulation process significantly reduced eosinophil and neutrophil infiltration in the airways. Moreover, fractions obtained by size exclusion chromatography of 2 inhibited IgE-dependent cytokine GM-CSF production from human cord blood-derived mast cells. Taken together, these results suggest that 2 is composed of biopolymers with anti-allergic potential.