Vascular variation in atherosclerotic rabbit under the effect of lacidipine and valsartan

The antiatherogenic activity of lacidipine [calcium channel blocker] and valsartan [angiotensin Il receptor antagonist] was investigated in atherosclerotic rabbits. The hvpercholesterolemia was induced by cholesterol feeding; 200 mg/kg body weight of cholesterol in suspension of sunflower oil were given orally with standard diet for 8 weeks to local strain rabbits. Lacidipine and valsartan were given to hypercholestrolemic rabbit at a doses 10 mg, 8 mg/kg daily respectively. The drug treatment was started from the 5th weeks and continued till the end of 8th week. Blood samples were collected on the 8th weeks for lipid profile. At the end of experiment all animals were sacrificed. The vascular reactivity of aortic ring preparation was assessed towards nor-adrenaline[NE] and actyle choline [Ach].The histopathological study, calcium content, lipid profile as well as DNA image analysis were done.The hypercholesterolemia did not affect the contractile response to NE but attenuated the relaxant effect of Ach on isolated aortic ring preparation. Treatment with lacidipine or valsartan was not altered the contractile response to NE.This treatment tend to restore the normal reactivity of aorta toward Ach .Histopathologically the hypercholesterolemia was manifested with atheromatous plaque on the endocardium and intimal surface of great blood vessles. After drug treatment the lesions became less freqeunt and appeared as aggregates of foam cells with focal monocyte infiltration. Morphometric study revealed the intimal surface covered by atheroma [39.33 +/- 11.96] was greater than that observed in the treated animals [2562 +/- 7.32%, 28.43 +/- 4.52%] Marked increase in the intimal and medial thickness. l/M ratio [1.31 +/- 0.14] was elevated than that of control [0.09 +/- 0.02]. Treatments with lacidipine and valsartan effectively reduced I/M ratio [0 93 +/- 12, 1.01 +/- 0.15] significantly both drugs induced decrease in the deposited calcium either detected by staining or estimation. Chronic treatment with both drugs induced reduction of unfavourable LDL but elevation of unfavourable HDL cholesterol.By image analysis the total DNA content increased as reflected by the increase in proliferating fraction of smooth muscle cells in hypercholesteromic group which has been reduced after treatment with both drugs. It is evident that the use of lacidipine and valsartan is of great importance to suppress the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis

Histopathological and microbiological study of patients suffering from chronic gastritis

Endoscopic gastric biopsies were taken from two hundred patients suffering from dyspepsia, these patients were taken from those patients attending to the endoscopy unit of the department of Internal Medicine of Zagazig University Hospitals, in the period extended from January 1988 to March 1991. These group of patients showing endoscopic picture of gastritis only, other organic gastric lesions were excluded. Multiple biopsies from the antrum, body and fundus were taken. The specimens were processed as usual and studied histopathologically and microbiologically using H and E, Giemsa and Half Gram stains. Endoscopic examination revealed gastritis in all cases and the main endoscopic diagnosis was non specific gastritis [106 patients]. The histopathological diagnosis proved that 173 patients had gastritis and 27 patients had normal gastric mucosa. The leading diagnosis for typing and grading of gastritis proved to be histopathological data. The microbiological studies revealed that Helicobacter pylori [H. pylori] were detected in 65% of cases [75] with chronic superficial, quiescent, gastritis, in 94% of cases with chronic superficial active gastritis. While in cases with atrophic gastritis [8 quiescent, 20 active and 12 cases with intestinal metaplasia] the detection of H. pylori were 37.5%, 90% and 33.3% respectively. The H. pylori was detected in only 3 cases of those patients with normal gastric mucosa. These findings through a light on the role of H. pylori in the pathogenesis of different type of chronic non auto immune gastritis and clarify its role in the activities and progression of gastritis that lead to chronic dyspeptic illness with its complications