Etiology of chronic calcifying pancreatitis in Brazil: a report of 329 consecutive cases

Journal of Gastrointestinal Cancer - The authors observed 329 consecutive cases of chronic calcifying pancreatitis (CCP) from January 1963 to January 1986. Alcoholism was the etiological agent in...     

Down-regulation of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in rat with congenital hydronephrosis

BACKGROUND: Most of our knowledge concerning obstructive uropathy has been derived mainly from surgically manipulated animal models, and the pathogenesis of congenital obstructive hydronephrosis is not fully elucidated. Nitric oxide (NO) acts as an important biological modulator with diverse physiological functions, which can be either toxic or protective depending on the situation. NO is synthesized from l-arginine by nitric oxide synthase, and in the kidney iNOS is expressed spontaneously. The aim of our study is to investigate the expression of iNOS protein and its relationship with tubulointerstitial fibrosis and tubular cell apoptosis in congenital hydronephrosis. METHODS: We conducted histological studies on 18 kidneys of six-week-old-rats from an inbred colony of congenital hydronephrosis with reference to the histological grading of the affected kidney, tubulointerstitial fibrosis, renal tubular atrophy, and tubular cell apoptosis. Renal transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) level was determined by a sandwich ELISA assay and the expression of iNOS was analyzed by western blotting. RESULTS: Most of the hydronephrotic kidneys were markedly enlarged with dilatation of the collecting system, parenchymal thinning, tubular atrophy, interstitial infiltration and fibrosis. Renal TGF-beta1 level was higher in hydronephrotic kidneys than normal control kidneys (364.81 +/- 52.60 vs. 221.19 +/- 22.53 pg/mg protein, P < 0.05). Tubular apoptotic score in hydronephrotic kidneys was also significantly higher than in the normal control kidneys (1.97 +/- 0.42 vs. 0.14 +/- 0.02/HPF, P < 0.01). The expression of iNOS protein was lower in the affected kidneys compared with the normal control kidneys (8.79 +/- 0.78 vs. 14.00 +/- 0.83 arbitrary unit, P < 0.01). There was a negative correlation between iNOS expression and histological grading in congenital hydronephrosis. The iNOS expression also correlated negatively with renal interstitial fibrosis, TGF-beta1 level and tubular cell apoptosis. CONCLUSION: Our study confirmed the down-regulation of iNOS expression in affected kidneys from rats with congenital hydronephrosis, in which the cytoprotective effect of NO may be lost or weakened.     

Observations on the management of childhood acute asthma in a large hospital.

OBJECTIVE: To study the documentation of assessment, the treatment and the follow-up arrangements for children admitted to hospital with acute asthma. DESIGN: A retrospective audit of case notes. SETTING: Tertiary level teaching hospital. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: A comparison with the asthma management plan issued by the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand. RESULTS: We found poor documentation of assessment of asthma severity, low referral rates for asthma education, and inappropriate use of chest radiography. Bronchodilator therapy did not follow published guidelines. Good follow-up arrangements were achieved. CONCLUSIONS: The proportion of children with documentation of the assessment of acute asthma was unacceptably low.     

A protease inhibitor attenuates gastric erosions and microcirculatory disturbance in the early period after thermal injury in rats

The effects of camostat mesilate, a synthetic serine protease inhibitor on gastric microcirculation and active oxygen species generated by leucocytes from the gastric and jugular veins in the early period after thermal injury were assessed. Male Wistar rats were anaesthetized and a 30% full skin-thickness dorsal burn was inflicted. Camostat mesilate (100 mg/kg) was dissolved in distilled water and administered orally to rats 40 min before thermal injury (the camostat group). The control animals (the vehicle group) were administered distilled water orally. Rolling leucocytes as well as Monastral blue B deposits in venules were observed using in vivo microscopy. Active oxygen species were measured by chemiluminescence. Camostat mesilate decreased the total length of gastric erosion, venular deposits of Monastral blue B, and rolling of leucocytes in venules, and relatively increased luminol-dependent chemiluminescence activity generated by zymosan-stimulated leucocytes 15 min after thermal injury. These results suggest that serine proteases are involved in the formation of gastric erosions and gastric microcirculatory disturbance in the early period after thermal injury.     

人骨髓间质干细胞体外扩增和向内皮细胞定向诱导分化的研究

目的：体外分离、扩增成人骨髓间质干细胞（MSCs）和向内皮细胞（ECs）定向诱导分化，开辟心血管组织工程种子细胞的新来源。 方法： 采用Percoll(1 073 g/L)从正常成人骨髓中分离出MSCs，纯化和扩增后流式细胞仪鉴定其纯度；用血管内皮生长因子(VEGF)诱导MSCs向ECs分化，Ⅷ因子(vWF)免疫组化和透射电镜(TEM)鉴定细胞性质。 结果： 5.0×105个MSCs在体外扩增15代后，获得8.0×1012个MSCs，扩增了约1.6×107倍；MSCs在加入VEGF诱导培养大约14-21 d，80%-90%的诱导细胞对Ⅷ因子相关抗原呈阳性反应；TEM可观察到胞浆内有Weible-palade小体，证实为ECs。 结论： 成人骨髓MSCs在体外具有定向诱导分化为ECs的潜能，这为心脏组织工程瓣体外构建, 尤其是在小儿先天性心脏病组织工程研究中种子细胞的来源提供了可能性。     

Plasma cell counts on human jejunal biopsy specimens examined by immunofluorescence and immunoperoxidase techniques: a comparative study.

Ten human jejunal biopsy specimens were examined by both immunofluorescence (IF) and immunoperoxidase (IP) methods to compare both plasma cell counts and the distribution of extracellular immunoglobulins. Each specimen was cut into at least two portions, one fixed in 5% formaldehyde in phosphate-buffered saline before being snap-frozen and sectioned on a cryostat for IF, the other being fixed in half-strength Zenker and embedded in paraffin wax by standard methods for IP. Plasma cell counts were comparable in the eight biopsy specimens for which they could be estimated, geometric mean values being IgA 22.9 (IF), 19.3 (IP) and IgM 9.5 (IF), 10.6 (IP). Two specimens showing subtotal villous atrophy had too much extracellular IgA for plasma cell counts to be feasible. For these the IF methods had the advantage that the extracellular immunoglobulin was more readily distinguishable from background staining.