Effects of St John's wort and its active constituents,hypericin and hyperforin,on isolated rat urinary bladder

Objectives To investigate the effect of St John's wort (SJW) and its active constituents hypericin and hyperforin on detrusor smooth muscle contractility and their possible neuroprotective role against ischaemic‐like conditions, which could arise during overactive bladder disease. Methods In whole bladders, intrinsic nerves underwent electrical field stimulation (EFS). The effect of drugs on the contractile response and its recovery in reperfusion phase (R) was monitored at different concentrations during 1 or 2 h of anoxia‐glucopenia (A‐G) and the first 30 min of R. The effects of the drugs were also investigated on rat detrusor muscle strips contracted with carbachol, KCl and electrically. Key Findings SJW has spasmolytic activity, which increases with increasing concentration and it worsens the damage induced by A‐G/R on rat urinary bladder. Hypericin and hyperforin had no effect during ischemic‐like conditions but they both exert a dual modulation of rat detrusor strips contraction. At high micromolar concentrations they showed a relaxing effect, but at submicromolar range hypericin increased the plasma membrane depolarisation and hyperforin showed a stimulatory effect on the cholinergic system. Conclusions The results of our study showed that SJW and its constituents could modulate urinary bladder contractility and even worsen A‐G/R injury.     

Mesenchymal stem cells display hepato-protective activity in lymphoma bearing xenografts

A disseminated model of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma with prevalent liver metastasis was generated by intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of EBV⁺ B lymphoblastoid SKW6.4 in nude-SCID mice. The survival of SKW6.4 xenografts (median survival = 27 days) was significantly improved when hyaluronan scaffolds embedded with mesenchimal stem cells (MSC) were implanted in the abdominal area 4 days after SKW6.4 injection (median survival = 39.5 days). Mice implanted with MSC showed a significant improvement of hepatic functionality in lymphoma xenografts, as demonstrated by measurement of serum ALT/AST levels. Co-culture of MSC with lymphoma cells enhanced the release of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) by MSC. These data suggest that hyaluronan-embedded MSC exert anti-lymphoma activity by ameliorating hepatic functionality.     

Rigid and flexible spinal stabilization devices: a biomechanical comparison

The surgical devices for the treatment of degenerative disc disease are based on different concepts (rods for spine fusion, ROM-restricting or load-bearing devices for dynamic stabilization). In the present work, the effects of some stabilization systems on the biomechanics of the lumbar spine were investigated by means of a finite element model of the L2-L5 spine segment. Pedicular screws and stabilization devices were added at L4-L5. Different rods were considered: stainless steel, titanium, PEEK and the composite ostaPek. Two pedicular devices aimed at motion preservation were also considered: the FlexPLUS and the DSS. All models were loaded by using the hybrid protocol in flexion, extension, lateral bending and axial rotation. The spine biomechanics after implantation resulted significantly sensitive to the design and the materials of the device. The impact of all rods in reducing the ROM was found to be critical (>70% in flexion and extension). The dynamic devices were able to preserve the motion of the segment, but with different performances (ROM reduction from 30% (DSS) to 50% (FlexPLUS)). The shared load was more sensitive to the elastic modulus of the device material than the calculated ROMs (from 7% (PEEK) to 48% (stainless steel)). Regarding devices aimed at motion preservation, the authors suggest to distinguish "flexible" devices, which are able to preserve only a minor fraction (e.g. at most 50%) of the physiological ROM, from "dynamic" devices, which induce a smaller ROM restriction. However, the optimal characteristics of a stabilization device for the treatment of degenerative disc disease still need to be determined by means of basic science and clinical studies.     

Analysis of heat-induced changes in protein expression of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia K279a reveals a role for GroEL in the host-temperature adaptation

Stenotrophomonas maltophilia is a microorganism of environmental and clinical importance as well as a frequent airway colonizer of cystic fibrosis (CF) individuals. We combined 2-DE and MALDI-TOF MS to profile the protein expression in S. maltophilia K279a, a completely sequenced clinical isolate, grown at 37 °C with respect to the strain grown at 26 °C. Among the proteins up-regulated at 37 °C, we identified GroEL, a molecular chaperone that mainly assist the folding and unfolding of proteins under both normal and stress conditions. A 2.4-kb groESL mRNA was detected independently by Northern blot analyses with a groES- and a groEL-specific probe, indicating that S. maltophilia groES and groEL form an operon. Primer extension analysis of S. maltophilia groESL done in Escherichia coli showed that 2 promoters, Pσ(32) and Pσ(70), were utilized under the heat-shock and normal condition, respectively, whereas S. maltophilia groEL was shown to act as a heat-shock gene at 37 °C, 42 °C, and, to a lesser extent, at 50 °C by real-time RT-PCR analyses. Finally, immunoblot analyses revealed that S. maltophilia GroEL strongly reacted with sera from CF patients chronically infected by the microorganism, but did not with sera from CF patients with sporadic infection or uninfected.     

Leiomyoma of oral cavity: case report and literature review

Leiomyoma is a benign smooth muscle tumour, that occurs most frequently in the uterine myometrium, gastrointestinal tract, skin and lower extremities of middle-aged women. Leiomyomas are uncommon in the oral cavity, but in this location are usually localized on the tongue, lips and palate. Most lesions are asymptomatic, although occasional tumours can be painful. The diagnosis is mainly determined by histological studies due to its unspecific clinical appearance.The purpose of this article is to present a case report of 49-year-old male patient with a lesion of the lower lip. After surgical resection hematoxylin-eosin staining confirmed the diagnosis of leiomyoma.     

Validity of preoperative ultrasound-guided aspiration in the revision of hip prosthesis

Preoperative diagnosis of septic loosening hip prosthesis is often challenging. Culture test on joint samples obtained during revision surgery is the diagnostic gold standard while the role of preoperative hip aspiration is still controversial. The aims of this prospective randomized study were to compare the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of preoperative ultrasound-guided and fluoroscopic-guided aspiration, and to identify associated laboratory parameters or scintigraphy that could help in predicting septic loosing hip prosthesis. Sixty patients affected by persistent pain after hip prosthesis randomly received fluoroscopic-guided or ultrasound-guided hip aspiration before revision surgery. The results of culture tests of joint fluid presurgically and at surgery were compared. In addition, associated blood inflammatory markers and scintigraphy were evaluated. Ultrasound-guided aspiration showed a better sensitivity (69% vs. 27%), specificity (94% vs. 75%) and accuracy (83% vs. 40%) than fluoroscopic-guided aspiration. The combination of ultrasound-guided aspiration and C-reactive protein represents the best model to predict septic loosening hip prosthesis preoperatively.