protective effect of exercise on lung damage following hindlimb ischemia reperfusion injury in adult male rats

Aim of the study: This study was undertaken to investigate the potential role of exercise to attenuate remote pulmonary damage fallowing rat hindlimb ischemia reperfusion injury [I/R]

Materials and methods: forty five adult male rats were divided into three groups [15 animals each]: The sham group, I/R group and the exercised group [E + I/R group]. The rats were made to swim for 1 h, five vines a week, for 4 weeks before I/R. Bilateral hindlimb ischemia was induced by application of rubber bands above the greater trochanter for 3 h. Following 3 h of reperfusion, blood samples were taken for determination of arterial partial pressure of oxygen [PaO[2]], arterial partial pressure of carbon dioxide [PaCO[2]], malondialdehyde [MDA], superoxide disniutase [SOD], tumor necrosis-alpha [TNF-alpha] and interleukin-6 [IL-6]. The animals were scarified and right lung were prepared for histological evaluation and immunohistochemical analysis for caspas-3 and the left lung used for lung tissue wet- to-dry weight with [W/D]

Results: In I/R group, the PaO[2] and SOD levels were decreased, plasma levels of MDA, TNF- alpha and IL-6 and W/D ratio were significantly increased when compared to sham group, there was prominent thickening of the interalveolar sepia and hypertrophy of the smooth muscles around the bronchioles. Interstitial edema and capillary congestion can he observed. The bronchial epithelium revealed apoptotic changes. Also, there was a positive immune reaction for caspase-3 of the rat lung in alveolar cells and interalveolar septa. Exercise increased PO2 and SOD, attenuated the inflammatory edema [as assessed by alien nation of lung W/D ratio and the lung showed more or less normal architecture with few areas of slight thickening of the interalveolar sepia. The bronchioles showed normal epithelium and circularly arranged smooth muscles], accompanied by significant reduction in plasma levels of MDA, TNF-alpha and IL- 6 in E+ L/R group when compared with I/R group. A slight positive immune reaction for caspase-3 was shown

Conclusions: Exercise could attenuate the remote lung injury after hindlimb ischaemia reperfusion injury through its ant: oxidative, anti-inflammatory and anti apoptotic effects

Gender differences in hemostasis, inflammatory markers and sympathetic nerve activity in adult rats after chronic sleep restriction

Background: It is known that sleep loss is associated with increased cardiovascular diseases. However, scanty data are available on the effects of chronic sleep restriction [SR] on hemostasis, systemic inflammation and sympathetic nerve activity and the gender differences in those effects

Aim of the study: This study was designed to investigate the effects of long term SR on some hemostatic parameters, on the inflammatory markers C-reactive protein [CRP,] and tumor necrosis factor alpha [TNF-alpha] and on the sympathetic nerve activity in male and female rats. In addition to examine whether the sympathetic nervous system plays a role in mediating these effects

Materials and Methods: This study was carried out on 24 adult male and 24 adult female rats divided into six groups: male control [n=6 rats], male sleep restriction [male SR, n=10 rats], male sleep restriction + carvedilol [male SR+ carvedilol, n=8], female control group [n=6 rats], female sleep restriction [female SR, n=10 rats] and female sleep restriction+ carvedilol [female SR+ carvedilol, n=8]. Carvedilol [adrenoreceptor antagonist] was administrated daily for 21 days at a dose of 0.5 mg/kg oraly. Sleep restriction rats were submitted to chronic sleep deprivation for 18 h by the multiple platform method for 21 days. The bleeding time, blood clotting time, prothrombin time, and plasma fibrinogen were measured .for all rats. The systolic blood pressure [SBP] and the sciatic nerve activity [SNA] were determined, plasma CRP and TNF-alpha levels were estimated

Results: Twenty one days of SR significantly reduced blood clotting time, prothrombin time and increased plasma fibrinogen levels in female. SR rats compared with female control rats, while male SR rats showed a less pronounced changes in those parameters. Female rats in SR+/ carvedilol group had higher blood clotting time and lower plasma fibrinogen levels than SR females. A significant increase of SBP was observed in male and, female SR groups compared to their baseline and their control values. Male and female groups subjected to SR together with carvedilol supplementation had SBP values comparable to their controls and to baseline values. SNA was significantly higher in the SR and SR+ carvedilol groups than in controls, but SNA was less in the male and female SR treated with carvedilol than in SR rats. Plasma levels of TNF-alpha showed a significant increase in male and female SR groups than controls, while plasma CRP mean level was significantly elevated only in female SR group. Male and female in SR + carvedilol groups exhibit lower levels of TNF-alpha than male and female SR groups

Conclusion: These data suggest that gender had differential effects on the hemostasis, systemic inflammation and sympathetic nerve activity in response to sleep restriction. Those sleep restriction effects result, at least in part, from increased sympathetic activity. All those factors were altered in a direction that is recognized to contribute to the development of cardiovascular disease in females more than males

Evaluation of microalbuminuria in patients with systemic sclerosis as an indicator of early renal damage and increased morbidity

Renal involvement and systemic vascular damage have been shown to be significantly affecting prognosis in systemic sclerosis. Microalbuminuria detection in SSc patients as an indicator of early renal involvement and its correlation with various SSc clinical, laboratory parameters and severity of organ systems' damage assessed by Scleroderma Assessment Questionnaire. Forty SSc patients [33 females and 7 males] with mean age of 27.48 +/- 12.56 years and mean disease duration of 6.2 +/- 4.14 years were included. Twenty-four [60%] had lSSc; 13 [32.5%] had dSSc and 3 [7.5%] patients had SSc sine scleroderma. Eight [20%] had microalbuminuria and 9 [22.5%] patients had decreased creatinine clearance. Albumin/creatinine ratio was significantly higher among dSSc patients compared to those with lSSc and SSc sine scleroderma [X[2] = 9.077; p = 0.01]. Albumin/creatinine ratio showed significant positive correlations with telangiectasia [r = 0.322; p = 0.04] and mRodnan's skin score [r = 0.352; p = 0.026] and negative correlations with inter-incisor distance [r = -0.525; p = 0.001] and pleurisy [r = -0.446; p = 0.004]. Albumin/creatinine ratio correlated significantly and positively with IMSS and IDS indices of SAQ [r = 0.378, 0.32; p = 0.016, 0.044, respectively]. SSc patients with microalbuminuria showed significantly higher mean IDS than those without [1.058 vs. 0.631, p = 0.04]. No statistically significant correlations were found between creatinine clearance and the different demographic, clinical features and the indices of SAQ. Microalbuminuria compared to creatinine clearance may be a more sensitive indicator of early renal affection and predictor of increased morbidity

Prevention of postspinal shivering by using nefopam in comparison with clonidine

Postspinal shivering is a frequent complication following spinal anaesthesia. The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of nefopam with clonidine and placebo in the prevention of postspinal shivering. We studied 60 patients undergoing orthopedic surgery. Patients were located to one of three groups. Group A [n = 20] received 0.2mg.kg[-1] nefopam. Group B [n = 20] 1.5 ug.kg[-1] clonidine and group C [n = 20] saline 0.9% as placebo. We found a significant reduction in the incidence of shivering in group A compared to other groups. Both groups A and B showed reduction in the incidence and the seventy of shivering compared to placebo. At 5 minutes postoperatively clonidine treated patients showed a significant decrease in MAP. No haemodynamic or sedative adverse events were observed in the nefopam treated patients. The results of our study showed that nefopam [0.2 mg. kg[-1]] is superior to clonidine [1.5 ug.kg[-1]] in the prophylaxis of postanaesthetic shivering and not accompanied by sedative or haemodynamic side effects