Assessment of the developmental toxicity of deferoxamine in mice

 Deferoxamine (DFO), an efficient chelating agent available for the treatment of iron and aluminium overload, was evaluated for developmental toxicity in Swiss mice. Intraperitoneal injections of DFO were given to pregnant animals at 0, 44, 88, 176, and 352  mg/kg per day on gestational days 6 through 15. Maternal clinical status was monitored daily during and after treatment. Fetal parameters, including external, visceral, and skeletal malformations and variations, were assessed. Mice were killed on day 18. No maternal mortality was observed, but dams exhibited reduced body weight gain during treatment at 88, 176, and 352 mg/kg per day. Body weight at termination, corrected body weight, and food consumption were reduced in all groups. In contrast, the only significant treatment-related embryo/fetal effect was a decrease in the number of live fetuses per litter at 352 mg/kg per day. The no-observable-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) for maternal toxicity of DFO was <44 mg/kg per day, whereas the NOAEL for developmental toxicity was 176 mg/kg per day. In summary, intraperitoneal administration of DFO to mice during organogenesis produced developmental toxicity in the presence of maternal toxicity. Because of the remarkable maternal toxicity of DFO, extreme caution in the use of this drug is recommended during pregnancy. Received: 4 October 1994/Accepted: 6 December 1994     

Situación actual del uso de redes sociales en Neurocirugía en España

Objective

To analyze the current situation in Spain of the use of Social Media in Neurosurgery.

Botulinum toxin therapy for treatment of spasticity in multiple sclerosis: review and recommendations of the IAB-Interdisciplinary Working Group for Movement Disorders task force

Botulinum toxin (BT) therapy is an established treatment of spasticity due to stroke. For multiple sclerosis (MS) spasticity this is not the case. IAB-Interdisciplinary Working Group for Movement Disorders formed a task force to explore the use of BT therapy for treatment of MS spasticity. A formalised PubMed literature search produced 55 publications (3 randomised controlled trials, 3 interventional studies, 11 observational studies, 2 case studies, 35 reviews, 1 guideline) all unanimously favouring the use of BT therapy for MS spasticity. There is no reason to believe that BT should be less effective and safe in MS spasticity than it is in stroke spasticity. Recommendations include an update of the current prevalence of MS spasticity and its clinical features according to classifications used in movement disorders. Immunological data on MS patients already treated should be analysed with respect to frequencies of MS relapses and BT antibody formation. Registration authorities should expand registration of BT therapy for spasticity regardless of its aetiology. MS specialists should consider BT therapy for symptomatic treatment of spasticity.     

The Drosophila larva as a tool to study gut-associated macrophages: PI3K regulates a discrete hemocyte population at the proventriculus

Immune cells not only patrol the body in the circulation but also importantly, associate with specific tissues, such as the intestinal epithelium. The complex interactions between immune cells and their target tissues are difficult to study and simple, genetically tractable models are lacking. Here, we present the first thorough characterization of gut-associated macrophages in Drosophila larvae. We analyze their gene expression, morphology, development and lineage and importantly, demonstrate that they are functional (phagocytic) macrophages. We test their regulation by phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) and show evidence that this pathway regulates the population size of gut hemocytes and their phagocytic activity, reminiscent of recent findings in mammalian colitis models. Our data suggest that PI3K signaling modifies the adhesive properties of hemocytes, a possible mechanism for gut-hemocyte regulation. These results demonstrate the potential of the Drosophila larva as a simple tool to uncover mechanisms regulating recruitment and maintenance of innate immune cells at their target tissues.     

Physical therapy for airway clearance improves cardiac autonomic modulation in children with acute bronchiolitis

Background

The effects of physical therapy on heart rate variability (HRV), especially in children, are still inconclusive.

Objective

We investigated the effects of conventional physical therapy (CPT) for airway clearance and nasotracheal suction on the HRV of pediatric patients with acute bronchiolitis.

Method

24 children were divided into two groups: control group (CG, n=12) without respiratory diseases and acute bronchiolitis group (BG, n=12). The heart rate was recorded in the BG at four different moments: basal recording (30 minutes), 5 minutes after the CPT (10 minutes), 5 minutes after nasotracheal suction (10 minutes), and 40 minutes after nasotracheal suction (30 minutes). The CG was subjected to the same protocol, except for nasotracheal suction. To assess the HRV, we used spectrum analysis, which decomposes the heart rate oscillations into frequency bands: low frequency (LF=0.04-0.15Hz), which corresponds mainly to sympathetic modulation; and high frequency (HF=0.15-1.2Hz), corresponding to vagal modulation.

Results

Under baseline conditions, the BG showed higher values in LF oscillations, lower values in HF oscillations, and increased LF/HF ratio when compared to the CG. After CPT, the values for HRV in the BG were similar to those observed in the CG during basal recording. Five minutes after nasotracheal suction, the BG showed a decrease in LF and HF oscillations; however, after 40 minutes, the values were similar to those observed after application of CPT.

Conclusions

The CPT and nasotracheal suction, both used for airway clearance, promote improvement in autonomic modulation of HRV in children with acute bronchiolitis.     

Evaluation of pH and Calcium Ion Release of a Dual-cure Bisphenol A Ethoxylate Dimethacrylate/Mineral Trioxide Aggregate–based Root-end Filling Material

Introduction

The incorporation of light-curable resins has been proposed for mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) to improve its properties and reduce its setting time. The aim of the present study was to assess the pH and calcium ion release of an experimental bisphenol A ethoxylate dimethacrylate/MTA-based root-end filling material (E-MTA) in comparison with white MTA Angelus (Angelus, Londrina, PR, Brazil) (W-MTA) and to evaluate the influence of the addition of calcium chloride (CaCl₂) on these properties.

Methods

Polyethylene tubes filled with the materials were immersed in deionized water for the measurement of pH (digital pH meter) and calcium release (atomic absorption spectrophotometry). The evaluations were performed at 3 and 24 hours and 7, 15, and 30 days. Data were measured using 2-way repeated measures of variance followed by the Holm-Sidak method (P < .05).

Results

All materials presented a reduction in the pH and released calcium ions during the 30 days of the study. E-MTA showed a significantly lower calcium ion release capacity when compared with W-MTA (P < .05). The calcium release of E-MTA + 5% CaCl₂ was similar to W-MTA (P > .05).

Conclusions

The monomer bisphenol A ethoxylate dimethacrylate added to MTA formed a material with a lower capacity of calcium release than W-MTA despite maintaining a similar pH. However, the addition of CaCl₂ improved the calcium release of this material.     

In vitro effect of sodium fluoride on antioxidative enzymes and apoptosis during murine odontogenesis

J Oral Pathol Med (2010) 39 : 709–714 Excessive fluoride ingestion has been identified as a risk factor for fluorosis and oxidative stress. The oxidative stress results from the loss of equilibrium between oxidative and antioxidative mechanisms that can produce kinase activation, mitochondrial disturbance and DNA fragmentation, resulting in apoptosis. Actually many people are exposed to no‐adverted fluoride consumption in acute or chronic way. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of sodium fluoride on first molar germ in relation to its effect on antioxidative enzymes immunoexpression and apoptosis. Thirty first molar germs from 1‐day‐old Balb/c mice were cultured for 24 h with sodium fluoride (0 mM, 1 mM and 5 mM). Immunoexpression determination of CuZnSod, MnSod, catalase, Bax, Bid, caspase 8, caspase 9, caspase 3 and TUNEL assay were perfomed. Cellular disorganization in ameloblast and odontoblast‐papilla zones was observed. CuZnSod and MnSod immunoexpression decrease in experimental groups. Caspase 8, caspase 3, Bax, Bid increase expression and more TUNEL positive cells in both experimental groups than control, suggest that apoptosis induced by fluoride is related to oxidative stress due to reduction of the enzymatic antioxidant.