Stem cells in endometrium and their role in the pathogenesis of endometriosis

The human endometrium is a dynamic tissue that undergoes cycles of growth and regression with each menstrual cycle. Adult progenitor stem cells are likely responsible for this remarkable regenerative capacity; these same progenitor stem cells may also have an enhanced capacity to generate endometriosis if shed in a retrograde fashion. The progenitor stem cells reside in the uterus; however, less-committed mesenchymal stem cells may also travel from other tissues such as bone marrow to repopulate the progenitor population. Mesenchymal stem cells are also involved in the pathogenesis of endometriosis and may be the principle source of endometriosis outside of the peritoneal cavity when they differentiate into endometriosis in ectopic locations. Finally, besides progenitor stem cells, recent publications have identified multipotent stem cells in the endometrium. These multipotent stem cells are a readily available source of cells that are useful in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Endometrial stem cells have been used to generate chondrocytes, myocytes, neurons, and adiposites in vitro as well as to replace dopaminergic neurons in a murine model of Parkinson`s disease.

Response to Sham and Active Gamma Ventral Capsulotomy in Otherwise Intractable Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

This case regards a 34-year-old woman with severe and refractory obsessive-compulsive disorder, who was enrolled in a double-blind, randomized controlled trial of radiosurgery. She was at first submitted to a sham radiosurgical procedure, and 1 year later to an active intervention. Opposite clinical responses were observed in the follow-up of these different phases. During the sham surgery follow-up, no improvements were observed, but a remarkable amelioration was seen a few months after the active procedure. Detailed descriptions of psychopathological changes and neuroimaging findings as well as a discussion regarding the surgical technique are provided. Copyright (C) 2010 S. Karger AG, Basel

Phenolics and Antioxidant Properties of Fruit Pulp and Cell Wall Fractions of Postharvest Banana (Musa acuminata Juss.) Cultivars

Banana fruits are important foods, but there have been very few studies evaluating the phenolics associated with their cell walls. In the present study, (+) catechin, gallocatechin, and (-) epicatechin, as well as condensed tannins, were detected in the soluble extract of the fruit pulp; neither soluble anthocyanidins nor anthocyanins were present. In the soluble cell wall fraction, two hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives were predominant, whereas in the insoluble cell wall fraction, the anthocyanidin delphinidin, which is reported in banana cell walls for the first time, was predominant. Cell wall fractions showed remarkable antioxidant capacity, especially after acid and enzymatic hydrolysis, which was correlated with the total phenolic content released after the hydrolysis of the water-insoluble polymer, but not for the posthydrolysis water-soluble polymer. The acid hydrolysis released various monosaccharides, whereas enzymatic hydrolysis released one peak of oligosaccharides. These results indicate that banana cell walls could be a suitable source of natural antioxidants and that they could be bioaccessible in the human gut.

Hypomania: a transcultural perspective

This study examined the transcultural robustness of a screening instrument for hypomania, the Hypomania Checklist-32. first revised version(HCL-32 R1) It was carried out in 2606 patients from twelve countries in five geographic regions (Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe, South America and East Asia) In addition, GAMIAN Europe contributed data from its members Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were used to examine the transregional stability of the measurement properties of the HCL-32 R 1, including the influence of sex and age as covariates A cross cultures, a two-factor structure was confirmed the first factor (F 1) reflected the more positive aspects of hypomania (being more active, elated, self-confident, and cognitively, enhanced), the second factor (F2) reflected the more negative aspects (being irritable, impulsive, careless. more substance use). The measurement properties of the HCL-32 R1 were largely invariant across cultures Only few items showed transcultural differences in their relation to hypomania as measured by the test F2 was higher among men and in more severe manic syndromes, F1 was highest in North and East Europe and lowest in South America Vie scores decreased slightly with age The frequency of the 32 items showed remarkable similarities across geographic areas, with two exceptions. South Europeans had lower symptom frequencies in general and East Europeans higher rates of substance use These findings support the international applicability of the HCL-32 R1 as a screening instrument for hypomania

Molecular cloning and characterization of a ripening-induced polygalacturonase related to papaya fruit softening

Pulp softening is one of the most remarkable changes during ripening of papaya (Carica papaya) fruit and it is a major cause for post-harvest losses. Although cell wall catabolism has a major influence on papaya fruit, quality information on the gene products involved in this process is limited. A full-length polygalacturonase cDNA (cpPG) was isolated from papaya pulp and used to study gene expression and enzyme activity during normal and ethylene-induced ripening and after exposure of the fruit to 1-MCP. Northern-blot analysis demonstrated that cpPG transcription was strongly induced during ripening and was highly ethylene-dependent. The accumulation of cpPG transcript was paralleled by enzyme activity, and inversely correlated to the pulp firmness. Preliminary in silica analysis of the cpPG genomic sequence revealed the occurrence of putative regulatory motifs in the promoter region that may help to explain the effects of plant hormones and non-abiotic stresses on papaya fruit firmness. This newly isolated cpPG is an important candidate for functional characterization and manipulation to control the process of pulp softening during papaya ripening. (C) 2009 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Ten-year Retrospective Study of Treatment of Malignant Colonic Obstructions with Self-expandable Stents

Purpose: To describe the use of self-expandable metallic stents to manage malignant colorectal obstructions and to compare the radiation dose between fluoroscopic guidance of stent placement and combined endoscopic and fluoroscopic guidance. Materials and Methods: From January 1998 to December 2007, 467 oncology patients undergoing colorectal stent placement in a single center were included in the study. Informed consent was obtained in all cases. All procedures were performed with fluoroscopic or combined fluoroscopic and endoscopic guidance. Inclusion criteria were total or partial colorectal obstruction of neoplastic origin. Exclusion criteria were life expectancy shorter than I month, suspicion of perforation, and/or severe colonic neoplastic bleeding. Procedure time and radiation dose were recorded, and technical and clinical success were evaluated. Follow-up was performed by clinical examination and simple abdominal radiographs at 1 day and at I, 3, 6, and 12 months. Results: Of 467 procedures, technical success was achieved in 432 (92.5%). Thirty-five treatments (7.5%) were technical failures, and the patients were advised to undergo surgery. Significant differences in radiation dose and clinical success were found between the fluoroscopy and combined-technique groups (P < .001). Total decompression was achieved in 372 cases, 29 patients showed remarkable improvement, 11 showed slight improvement, and 20 showed clinical failure. Complications were recorded in 89 patients (19%), the most significant were perforation (2.3%) and stent migration (6.9%). Mean interventional time and radiation dose were 67 minutes and 3,378 dGy.cm(2), respectively. Conclusions: Treatment of colonic obstruction with stents requires a long time in the interventional room and considerable radiation dose. Nevertheless, the clinical benefits and improvement in quality of life justify the radiation risk.

Novel potential therapies for septic shock

Sepsis is the systemic inflammatory response syndrome secondary to a local infection. Septic shock, the severe complication of sepsis associated with refractory hypotension, is frequently a near-fatal condition requiring prompt diagnosis and management. Although the recent years have been associated with considerable improvements in the knowledge of the pathophysiology of the disease and remarkable advances have been achieved in sepsis treatment, the morbidity and mortality of this disease are still unacceptably high. In this review, we will briefly discuss the ongoing standard treatment of septic shock and describe novel potential therapies, aiming to improve hemodynamic support and/or control inflammatory response in sepsis. These therapies were associated with benefits in experimental studies and have been tested or are currently under testing in randomized controlled studies with septic patients.

GABA(A) receptor blockade in dorsomedial and ventromedial nuclei of the hypothalamus evokes panic-like elaborated defensive behaviour followed by innate fear-induced antinociception

Dysfunction in the hypothalamic GABAergic system has been implicated in panic syndrome in humans. Furthermore, several studies have implicated the hypothalamus in the elaboration of pain modulation. Panic-prone states are able to be experimentally induced in laboratory animals to study this phenomenon. The aim of the present work was to investigate the involvement of medial hypothalamic nuclei in the organization of panic-like behaviour and the innate fear-induced oscillations of nociceptive thresholds. The blockade of GABA(A) receptors in the neuronal substrates of the ventromedial. or dorsomedial hypothalamus was followed by elaborated defensive panic-like reactions. Moreover, innate fear-induced antinociception was consistently elicited after the escape behaviour. The escape responses organized by the dorsomedial and ventromedial hypothalamic nuclei were characteristically more elaborated, and a remarkable exploratory behaviour was recorded during GABA(A) receptor blockade in the medial hypothalamus. The motor characteristic of the elaborated defensive escape behaviour and the patterns of defensive alertness and defensive immobility induced by microinjection of the bicuculline either into the dorsomedial. or into the ventromedial hypothalamus were very similar. This was followed by the same pattern of innate fear-induced antinociceptive response that lasted approximately 40 min after the elaborated defensive escape reaction in both cases. These findings suggest that dysfunction of the GABA-mediated neuronal system in the medial hypothalamus causes panic-like responses in laboratory animals, and that the elaborated escape behaviour organized in both dorsomedial and ventromedial hypothalamic nuclei are followed by significant innate-fear-induced antinociception. Our findings indicate that the GABA(A) receptor of dorsomedial and ventromedial hypothalamic nuclei are critically involved in the modulation of panic-like behaviour. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effect of baroreceptor denervation on the autonomic control of arterial pressure in conscious mice

This study evaluated the role of arterial baroreceptors in arterial pressure (AP) and pulse interval (PI) regulation in conscious C57BL mice. Male animals, implanted with catheters in a femoral artery and a jugular vein, were submitted to sino-aortic (SAD), aortic (Ao-X) or carotid sinus denervation (Ca-X), 5 daysprior to the experiments. After basal recording of AP, the lack of reflex bradycardia elicited by administration of phenylephrine was used to confirm the efficacy of SAD, and cardiac autonomic blockade with methylatropine and propranolol was performed. The AP and PI variability were calculated in the time and frequency domains (spectral analysis/fast Fourier transform) with the spectra quantified in low-(LF; 0.25-1Hz) and high-frequency bands (HF; 1-5Hz). Basal AP and AP variability were higher after SAD, Ao-X or Ca-X than in intact mice. Pulse interval was similar among the groups, whereas PI variability was lower after SAD. Atropine elicited a slight tachycardia in control mice but did not change PI after total or partial denervation. The bradycardia caused by propranolol was higher after SAD, Ao-X or Ca-X compared with intact mice. The increase in the variability of AP was accompanied by a marked increase in the LF and HF power of the AP spectra after baroreceptor denervation. The LF and HF power of the PI were reduced by SAD and by Ao-X or Ca-X. Therefore, both sino-aortic and partial baroreceptor denervation in mice elicits hypertension and a remarkable increase in AP variability and cardiac sympathetic tonus. Spectral analysis showed an important contribution of the baroreflex in the power of LF oscillations of the PI spectra. Both sets of baroreceptors seem to be equally important in the autonomic regulation of the cardiovascular system in mice.

Sympathetic activity is not increased in L-NAME hypertensive rats

Santos FM, Dias DPM, Silva CAA, Fazan Jr R, Salgado HC. Sympathetic activity is not increased in L-NAME hypertensive rats. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 298: R89-R95, 2010. First published November 4, 2009; doi:10.1152/ajpregu.00449.2009.-The role played by the sympathetic drive in the development of N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME)-induced hypertension is not firmly established. Therefore, the present study was undertaken in conscious rats in which hypertension was induced by treatment with L-NAME over the course of either 2 or 14 days. Mean arterial pressure (MAP) was measured via a catheter placed in the femoral artery, drugs were administered via a cannula placed in the femoral vein, and renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA) was monitored using an implanted electrode. Despite the remarkable increase in arterial pressure, heart rate did not change after treatment with L-NAME. RSNA was similar in L-NAME-induced hypertensive rats treated over the course of 2 or 14 days, as well as in normotensive rats. It was also demonstrated that L-NAME-induced hypertensive rats displayed a resetting of the baroreflex control of RSNA to hypertensive levels, with decreased sensitivity over the course of 2 or 14 days. Furthermore, the sympathetic-vagal balance examined in the time and frequency domain and the renal and plasma norepinephrine content did not differ between groups. In conclusion, the evaluation of the sympathetic drive in conscious rats demonstrated that the arterial hypertension induced by L-NAME treatment over the course of 2 and 14 days does not show sympathetic overactivity.

Exercise reduces inflammation and cell proliferation in rat colon carcinogenesis

Purposes: There is evidence that the risk of colon cancer is reduced by appropriate levels of physical exercise. Nevertheless, the mechanisms involved in this protective effect of exercise remain largely unknown. Inflammation is emerging as a unifying link between a range of environment exposures and neoplastic risk. The carcinogen dimethyl-hydrazine (DMH) induces an increase in epithelial cell proliferation and in the expression of the inflammation-related enzyme cyclooxigenase-2 (COX-2) in the colon of rats. Our aim was to verify whether these events could be attenuated by exercise. Methods: Four groups of eight Wistar rats were used in the experiment. The groups G1 and G3 were sedentary (controls), and the groups G2 and G4 were submitted to 8 wk of swimming training, 5 d wk(-1). The groups G3 and G4 were given subcutaneous injections of DMH immediately after the exercise protocols. Fifteen days after the neoplasic induction, the rats were sacrificed and the colon was processed for histological examination and immunohistochemistry staining of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and COX-2. Results: We found a significant increase in the PCNA-labeling index in both DMH-treated groups of rats. However, this increase was significantly attenuated in the training group G4 (P < 0.01). Similar results were observed in relation to the COX-2 expression. Conclusions: From our findings, we conclude that exercise training exerts remarkable antiproliferative and antiinflammatory effects in the rat colonic mucosa, suggesting that this may be an important mechanism to explain how exercise protects against colonic cancer.

The improvement of care for paediatric and congenital cardiac disease across the World: a challenge for the World Society for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery

The diagnosis and treatment for paediatric and congenital cardiac disease has undergone remarkable progress over the last 60 years. Unfortunately, this progress has been largely limited to the developed world. Yet every year approximately 90% of the more than 1,000,000 children who are born with congenital cardiac disease across the world receive either suboptimal care or are totally denied care. While in the developed world the focus has changed from an effort to decrease post-operative mortality to now improving quality of life and decreasing morbidity, which the focus of this Supplement, the rest of the world still needs to develop basic access to congenital cardiac care. The World Society for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery [http://www.wspchs.org/] was established in 2006. The Vision of the World Society is that every child born anywhere in the world with a congenital heart defect should have access to appropriate medical and surgical care. The Mission of the World Society is to promote the highest quality comprehensive care to all patients with pediatric and/or congenital heart disease, from the fetus to the adult, regardless of the patient`s economic means, with emphasis on excellence in education, research and community service. We present in this article an overview of the epidemiology of congenital cardiac disease, the current and future challenges to improve care in the developed and developing world, the impact of the globalization of cardiac surgery, and the role that the World Society should play. The World Society for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery is in a unique position to influence and truly improve the global care of children and adults with congenital cardiac disease throughout the world [http://www.wspchs.org/].

Low-intensity Treadmill Exercise-related Changes in the Rat Stellate Ganglion Neurons

Stellate ganglion (SG) represents the main sympathetic input to the heart. This study aimed at investigating physical exercise-related changes in the quantitative aspects of SG neurons in treadmill-exercised Wistar rats. By applying state-of-the-art design-based stereology, the SG volume, total number of SG neurons, mean perikaryal volume of SG neurons, and the total volume of neurons in the whole SG have been examined. Arterial pressure and heart rate were also measured at the end of the exercise period. The present study showed that a low-intensity exercise training program caused a 12% decrease in the heart rate of trained rats. In contrast, there were no effects on systolic pressure, diastolic pressure, or mean arterial pressure. As to quantitative changes related to physical exercise, the main findings were a 21% increase in the fractional volume occupied by neurons in the SG, and an 83% increase in the mean perikaryal volume of SG neurons in treadmill-trained rats, which shows a remarkable neuron hypertrophy. It seems reasonable to infer that neuron hypertrophy may have been the result of a functional overload imposed on the SG neurons by initial posttraining sympathetic activation. From the novel stereological data we provide, further investigations are needed to shed light on the mechanistic aspect of neuron hypertrophy: what role does neuron hypertrophy play? Could neuron hypertrophy be assigned to the functional overload induced by physical exercise? (C) 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Anandamide prior to sensitization increases cell-mediated immunity in mice

The endocannabinoid system has become a topic of great interest in pharmacology due to its remarkable distribution in mammal organisms and capacity to play a modulatory role on several physiological systems, including modulation of immunity. Many studies have shown that administration of cannabinoids causes inhibitory effects on immune cells, including decreased proliferation and antigen-presenting cell (APC) costimulatory activity. In contrast, other groups have shown that some cannabinoids might present stimulatory actions on macrophage activity and T cell activation. Therefore, we aimed to investigate whether a treatment in vivo with a low dose of anandamide (0.1 mg/kg) immediately prior to sensitization would have an immunosuppressive or immunostimulatory effect on cell-mediated immunity (Th1 response) in mice. We report here that anandamide, prior to sensitization, was able to increase the Th1 response to ovalbumin in vivo and ex vivo. Anandamide increased delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH), splenocyte proliferation, and IFN-gamma production in a co-culture of adherent and non-adherent splenocytes. Moreover, anandamide prior to sensitization increased both the expression of DC co-stimulatory molecules (CD80/CD86) and IL-12/IL23 (p40) production ex vivo. We have also assessed direct effects of anandamide in the IFN-gamma/IL-4 balance of ConA-stimulated splenocytes in vitro. Anandamide at nanomolar concentrations increased the production of IFN-gamma, while such production decreased at micromolar range. Thus, anandamide induced both the increment of DC activation and IFN-gamma production, which are likely the mechanisms involved in the increase of Th1 response reported here. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Experimental infection of Crested Caracara (Caracara plancus) with Toxoplasma gondu simulating natural conditions

Toxoplasma gondu affects mainly warm-blooded animals including birds Even though previous experimental data indicate that raptors are resistant to clinical infection there is no information regarding the susceptibility of Brazilian birds of prey to T gondii The present study aimed to observe how the crested caracara a common raptor in Brazil Interacts with T gondu, using an experimental model Seven crested caracaras seronegative for T gondu were separated into infected (n = 5) and control groups (n = 2) Birds from the infected group were fed T gondu-Infected Calomys callosus a rodent present in Brazilian savanna and described as highly susceptible to infection by the parasite for three consecutive days while control animals were fed non-Infected rodents All Infected birds produced T gondu-specific IgG antibodies that were firstly detected at day 7 post-Infection with peak production detected between 15 and 30 dpi No significant alterations in clinical and hematological parameters were observed throughout the experimental period and parasites were sparsely found in muscular tissues after the birds were euthanized In conclusion our results demonstrated that crested caracaras are resistant to oral infection with T gondu suggesting that the host-parasite relationship between both species has reached a remarkable equilibrium (C) 2010 Elsevier B V All rights reserved