In situ saphenous vein bypass grafts: angiographic evaluation and interventional repair of complications

In situ saphenous vein grafts are being used with increasing frequency for bypass procedures involving the femoral and popliteal arteries. Complications of these procedures include anastomotic stenoses and persistent arteriovenous fistulae that may result in failure of the graft. Balloon angioplasty and embolotherapy with detachable balloons were employed successfully in three or four recent cases of patients with complications from in situ grafts. Tailored angiography is essential for evaluating in situ grafts, and interventional techniques are extremely useful for managing complications.     

The effects of antioxidant supplementation during Percoll preparation on human sperm DNA integrity

The integrity of sperm DNA is crucial for the maintenance of genetic health. A major source of damage is reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation; therefore, antioxidants may afford protection to sperm DNA. The objectives of the study were, first, to measure the effects of antioxidant supplementation in vitro on endogenous DNA damage in spermatozoa using the single cell gel electrophoresis (comet) assay and, second, to assess the effect of antioxidant supplementation given prior to X-ray irradiation on induced DNA damage. Spermatozoa from 150 patients were prepared by Percoll centrifugation in the presence of ascorbic acid (300, 600 microM), alpha tocopherol (30, 60 microM), urate (200, 400 microM), or acetyl cysteine (5, 10 microM). DNA damage was induced by 30 Gy X-irradiation. DNA strand breakage was measured using the comet assay. Sperm DNA was protected from DNA damage by ascorbic acid (600 microM), alpha tocopherol (30 and 60 microM) and urate (400 microM). These antioxidants provided protection from subsequent DNA damage by X-ray irradiation. In contrast, acetyl cysteine or ascorbate and alpha tocopherol together induced further DNA damage. Supplementation in vitro with the antioxidants ascorbate, urate and alpha tocopherol separately has beneficial effects for sperm DNA integrity.      

Lymphoid tissue homing chemokines are expressed in chronic inflammation

Secondary lymphoid tissue chemokine (SLC) and B lymphocyte chemoattractant (BLC) are homing chemokines that have been implicated in the trafficking of lymphocytes and dendritic cells in lymphoid organs. Lymphotoxin-alpha (LTalpha), a cytokine crucial for development of lymphoid organs, is important for expression of SLC and BLC in secondary lymphoid organs during development. Here we report that transgenic expression of LTalpha induces inflammation and ectopic expression of SLC and BLC in the adult animal. LTbeta was not necessary for induction of BLC and SLC in inflamed tissues, whereas, in contrast, tumor necrosis factor receptor-1 was found to be important for the LTalpha-mediated induction of these chemokines. The ectopic expression of LTalpha is associated with a chronic inflammation that closely resembles organized lymphoid tissue and this lymphoid neogenesis can also be seen in several chronic inflammatory diseases, including in the pancreas of the prediabetic nonobese diabetic (NOD) mouse. Expression of SLC was also observed in the pancreas of prediabetic NOD mice. This study implicates BLC and SLC in chronic inflammation and presents further evidence that LTalpha orchestrates lymphoid organogenesis both during development and in inflammatory processes.