Effect of crowding stress on lung and heart of the adult albino rats and the possible protective role of sulpiride

Exposure to crowding stress is associated with increased respiratory system morbidity, However, the underlying mechanisms are unclear. Thus, there is a need for more study of this harmful effect. Sulpiride had been shown to have a protective role against crowding stress on other systems but this role was not studied well on the respiratory and cardiovascular systems. Investigating the possible harmful effects of crowding on adult albino rats' lung and heart and the possible protective role of combined sulpiride treatment. The present study was carried out on 24 adult albino rats of local strain weighing 120 +/- 3 g which were randomly divided equally into Group 1[C, untreated negative control], Group 2 [Cr, crowding exposed or positive control] where rats were exposed to crowding in a cage [20x20x20 cm- 6 rats /cage] for 1 month, Group 3[D, sulpiride-treated] where the rats were exposed to sulpiride "0.028 mg/B.W./day" and Group 4 [Cr+D, crowding + sulpiride-treated]. Paraffin sections were prepared for histological, histochemical and morphometric studies. The data were statistically analysed. The rats exposed to crowding only or sulpiride only showed highly significant damaging changes on lung such as thickening in the interalveolar septa and obliteration of the alveoli, inflammatory cells infiltration within the pulmonary interstitium, peribronchiolar infiltration and fibrosis, thickening of the pulmonary blood vessels walls, interstitial collagen fibres deposition and apoptotic cellular changes. On the level of heart, significant decrease in the diameters of the myocardial muscle fibres with focal areas of necrosis, apoptotic changes and increased collagen fibres deposition was marked in sulpiride group. When crowding and sulpiride treatments were combined, the damaging effects were maximized on the lung and heart. These results provided evidence that crowding stress causes obvious lung and heart tissue damages. No protective role for sulpiride was proofed. This is because using sulpiride alone or in combination with crowding showed marked damaging effects on the lung and heart tissues

Effect of different hormonal treatment modalities on biochemical markers of bone remodling in postmenopausal women

Is to measure some of the biochemical markers of bone formation and bone resorption in postmenopausal women before and after hormone replacement therapy. Thirty postmenopausal women and fifteen healthy pre-menopausal women were included in this work. Postmenopausal women were allocated into two groups. Group I: receiving Estrogen replacement therapy. Group II: receiving Combined hormone replacement therapy. The following serum markers were evaluated before the start and two weeks after the end of the study; total and ionized calcium, inorganic phosphorus, alkaline phosphataseiso enzyme, osteocalcin. Also urinary deoxypyridinoline cross links were assessed. Bone densitometry using quantitative computed tomography was done. In postmenopausal women of this study, there was an increase in both bone formation markers as well as bone resorption markers but in favour of bone resorption with diminished bone mass. There was significant reduction of both serum alkaline phosphatase and osteocalcin in both groups following treatment. This reduction was also noticed in both groups in urinary deoxypyridinoline / creatinine after hormonal therapy. However, bone mineral density showed no obvious changes in both groups after three months of replacement therapy. Changes in biochemical markers of bone turnover preceded changes in bone density observed by densitometry. These effects were similar in both groups receiving two different forms of hormone replacement therapy

Detection of metastatic potential capacity in colorectal carcinoma using flow cytometry and imunocytochemistry

Improved staging in all forms of gastro intestinal cancers is a desirable task because many of these cancers are understaged even after curative surgical resection. Indeed, early dissemination of isolated tumour cells is a frequent characteristic of epithelial tumours. The present work at detection of these micrometastatic cells in BM of colorectal cancer [CRC] patients using flow cytometry and immunocytochemistry on mononuclear cells [MNC] and on bone marrow [BM] smears, and comparing the results of the 3 techniques. Presence of micrometastasis was assessed using monoclonal antibody [MoAb] against intracellular cytokeratin 18. the material of the study consisted of 40 cases of CRC constituting the subjects of the study, 28 of them with no overt metastasis while the remaining 12 patients expressed overt metastasis. The results of the cases revealed the following: 1. Using flow cytometry the mean number of micrometastatic cells detected was much higher than those detectd by immunocytochemistry on BM and MNC. 2. The presence of positive micrometastasis was 70% with flow cytometry and 69.2% with immunocytochemistry on BM smear and 50% on MNC. 3. All cases having macrometastasis were positive for micrometastasis using the 3 techniques. In cases showing no overt metastasis, more than half of the patients [57%] were positive for micrometastasis using flow cytometry and a nearly similar% age [55%] with immunocytocemistry on BM smear, while only 37% of these cases had micrometastasis with immunocytochemistry on MNC. As regards the comparison between the 3 techniques, we found that nearly all positive cases by flow cytometry were positive by immunocytochemistry on BM smear except for 2 cases, while only 17 cases were positive by immunocytochemistry on MNC out of 22 cases positive by flow cytometry. Thus flow cytometry can be considered a more sensitive technique, followed by immunocytochemistry on BM smear. Immunocytochemistry on MNC revealed no positive cells at all when applied on negative control cases, while 30% of the cases showd moderately staining cells when using immunocytochemistry on BM smear. Also 20% of negative control cases showed low positivity with flow cytometry. Thus immunocytochemistry on MNC can be considered less sensitive but more specific than the 2 other methods

carcinoembryonic antigen level in malignant and benign serous effusions

Carcinoembryonic antigen [CEA] level was estimated in malignant and benign pleural and ascitic serous effusions. It was also estimated in the corresponding serum samples of the same patients. It was found that CEA level was very high in malignant effusions with positive cytology and in the corresponding serum samples. While, in malignant effusions with negative cytology, CEA level showed no significant change when compared with the benign group. Within the benign group itself, CEA was significantly higher in bacterial effusions than in other types of effusions. Proper evaluation of the test was made, discussed and compared with other reports on the same topic

Study of effects of insulin on haemostatic system in obese and control subjects

The haemostatic effect of intravenous insulin administration was investigated in obese and control subjects. A hypercoagulability state was elucidated by enhancement of thromboplastin generation and increase of platelet adhesiveness. Stimulation of catecholamine release is supposed to be an underlying factor. An associated enhancement of fibrinolysis was observed and was less marked in obese than control subjects. Such findings point to paradoxical effects of insulin on the haemostatic parameters