Effect of endotoxin and a burn injury on lung and liver lipid peroxidation and catalase activity

Both endotoxin and a burn alone produce oxidant-induced tissue lipid peroxidation. The endotoxin response is due in large part to hydrogen peroxide. The combination of endotoxin after a burn results in an increased liver, but not lung, oxidant injury. Our purpose was to determine whether the burn oxidant injury inactivated endogenous liver tissue catalase, thereby amplifying a subsequent H2O2 insult. Twenty-six adult sheep were studied. Twelve sheep had a 15% TBS burn. Tissue catalase activity, measured in lung and liver 3 days postburn, was significantly decreased from a control of 3.58 +/- 1.8 and 193 +/- 63, respectively, to 1.72 +/- 0.63 and 148 +/- 33 k(sec-1)/0.5 gram tissue. The addition of endotoxin 3 days postburn resulted in an increase in liver malondialdehyde, MDA, a measure of lipid peroxidation, from a control of 110 +/- 80 to 450 +/- 54 nmol/gram tissue. This value was significantly greater than the 210 +/- 80 nmol/gram tissue seen after endotoxin alone. Lung tissue MDA with burn and endotoxin was 65 +/- 8 compared to 42 +/- 7 for control and 80 +/- 6 nmol/gram for endotoxin alone. We conclude that a decrease in liver catalase activity occurs after a burn. The decrease corresponds to an accentuated oxidant-induced lipid peroxidation after an added endotoxin insult where H2O2 is known to be an etiologic agent. The catalase activity also decreases in postburn lung, but accentuated lung damage was not seen, indicating a variable tissue response from the burn-induced decrease in antioxidant activity.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Urogenitale Infektionen beim Mann – können sie die Fertilität beeinflussen?

Urogenital infections are established as hazards to male fertility. Various pathophysiological hypotheses have evolved from experimental and clinical studies, facilitating explanation of the effects of bacteria and immunological events on reproductive tissues. Numerous current studies have identified and evaluated infectious mediators accounting for specific molecular events in urogenital infections. Valuable studies can be expected to appear in the future due to improvements in diagnostic procedures and new classifications of urogenital infections.     

Venous surgery in veno-occlusive dysfunction: long-time results after deep dorsal vein resection.

Follow-up of patients 1 year after deep dorsal vein resection gives evidence of an approximate 50-60% success rate. A careful selection of only this small percentage of patients, in whom abnormal drainage through the penile dorsum is obvious, is mandatory. Men with an arterial cofactor have to be excluded or to be subsequently treated by intracavernosal autoinjection of vasoactive substances. Late results from our study demonstrate a further loss of sufficient erection, also in men considered as persistent success by us, in the subjective view of the patient and/or his sexual partner.     

Distribution of spermatogenesis in the testicles of azoospermic men: the presence or absence of spermatids in the testes of men with germinal failure [published erratum appears in Hum Reprod 1998 Mar;13(3):780]

The aim of the study was to determine whether a prior diagnostic testicle biopsy can predict success or failure of testicular sperm extraction (TESE) with intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) in patients with non-obstructive azoospermia caused by testicular failure, and what is the minimum threshold of sperm production in the testis which must be surpassed for spermatozoa to reach the ejaculate. Forty- five patients with non-obstructive azoospermia caused by testicular failure underwent diagnostic testicle biopsy prior to a planned future TESE-ICSI procedure. The diagnostic testicle biopsy was analysed quantitatively, and correlated with the quantitative findings of spermatogenesis in patients with normal spermatogenesis, as well as with the results of subsequent attempts at TESE-ICSI. Men with non- obstructive azoospermia caused by germinal failure had a mean of 0-6 mature spermatids/seminiferous tubule seen on a diagnostic testicle biopsy, compared to 17-35 mature spermatids/tubule in men with normal spermatogenesis and obstructive azoospermia. These findings were the same for all types of testicular failure whether Sertoli cell only, maturation arrest, cryptorchidism, or post-chemotherapy azoospermia. Twenty-two of 26 men with mature spermatids found in the prior testis biopsy had successful retrieval of spermatozoa for ICSI, 12 of their partners became pregnant, and are either ongoing or delivered. The study suggests that 4-6 mature spermatids/tubule must be present in the testis biopsy for any spermatozoa to reach the ejaculate. More than half of azoospermic patients with germinal failure have minute foci of spermatogenesis which are insufficient to produce spermatozoa in the ejaculate. Prior diagnostic testicle biopsy analysed quantitatively (for the presence of mature spermatids) can predict subsequent success or failure with TESE-ICSI. Incomplete testicular failure may involve a sparse multi-focal distribution of spermatogenesis throughout the entire testicle, rather than a regional distribution. Therefore, it is possible that massive testicular sampling from many different regions of the testes may not be necessary for successful TESE-ICSI.      

Adhesion inhibitory activity of β-lactoglobulin isolated from infant formulae

β-Lactoglobulin was isolated from infant formulae that were ultra high temperature (UHT) -treated, sterilized or spray-dried. The effect of the isolated β-lactoglobulin on SfaII-fimbriae-mediated adhesion of Escherichia coli to human ileostomy glycoproteins was studied in vitro. β-Lactoglobulin isolated from sterilized formulae was found to perform significantly less well than preparations from spray-dried formulae (p = 0:05). Great heterogeneity was observed in the adhesion inhibitory capacity of β-lactoglobulin isolated from UHT-treated formulae. Therefore, no significant difference was observed between UHT-treated and sterilized formulae or spray-dried formulae (p < 0:10). It can be hypothesized that β-lactoglobulin from spray-dried and some UHT-treated infant formulae may affect the colonization of mucous membranes by E. coli strains causing neonatal septicaemia and meningitis.     

Proteolytic artifacts in SDS-PAGE analysis of selected periodontal pathogen:

The aim of the study was to examine whether proteolytic artifacts, which result in a loss and poor resolution of protein bands, occur during sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis of cellular proteins from selected proteolytic ( Porphyromonas gingivalis, Prevotella nigrescens and Treponema denticola ) and non-proteolytic ( Fusobacterium nudeatum ) bacteria. Conditions to limit or prevent proteolysis were also investigated. Bacterial cells were incubated in solubilizing buffer (SDS +β mercaptoethanol) at room temperature for various periods of time before boiling. A control assay consisted of trichloroacetic acid-treated bacterial cells. Cellular proteins were separated by electrophoresis and stained with Coomassie blue. Proteolysis occurred very rapidly in the case of P. gingivalis (<30 s), whereas a longer incubation time (>1 h) was required to observe similar effects in P. nigrescens and T. denticola. No proteolysis was observed for F. nudeatum. In all cases, heat (100°C) and low pH (<4) treatments of bacterial cells could avoid production of proteolytic artifacts. Incorporation of specific protease inhibitors before solubilization of bacteria could also prevent proteolysis. More particularly, N -α- p -tosyl- l -lysine chloromethyl ketone (TLCK), iodoacetamide and diisopropylfluorophosphate (50 mM) were highly efficient for P. gingivalis, P. nigrescens and T. denticola , respectively. When outer membranes of P. gingivalis were prepared in the presence of TLCK, numerous additional protein bands, not seen in the absence of TLCK, were detected. The present study suggests that specific protease inhibitors, effective in preventing proteolysis. should be identified and added during cell fractionation and protein purification procedures.     

Spindle-cell adenomyoepithelioma of the breast. A microscopic, ultrastructural, and immunocytochemical study

Two patients developed nodular, well-circumscribed tumors of the breast, discovered by mammography. They were fibroadenoma-like by gross examination and biphasic by light microscopy, containing both tubular glands and spindled myoid cells. Immunocytochemical studies revealed cytokeratin and S-100 immunoreactivity in both the spindled myoid cells and in the tubuloglandular cells (S-100 was focal in the latter). In addition, the spindled myoid cells were immunoreactive for vimentin but negative for desmin. Ultrastructural studies showed the tubular glands to be composed of luminal epithelial cells focally surrounded by myoepithelial cells, but the stroma contained spindled myoepithelial cells admixed with occasional fibroblasts. The diagnostic term, "adenomyoepithelioma," is appropriate for biphasic tumors having both glandular and myoepitheliomatous differentiation. Although additional experience is necessary to be conclusive regarding the biologic behavior of these unusual lesions, the authors believe the adenomyoepitheliomas described here are benign. They were well circumscribed without invasion of adjacent breast, contained neither mitotic figures nor cytologic atypia, and have not recurred or metastasized (6 and 10 months after removal).