A new organ preservation solution for static cold storage of the liver. Amniotic fluid

Abstract Purpose: To evaluate the effect of amniotic fluid in liver preservation in organ transplantation, and compare it with standard preservation solutions. Methods: The groups consisted of Group 1: Ringer Lactate (RL) group, Group 2: HTK group, Group 3: UW group, Group 4: AF group. The livers of rats from Group 1, 2, 3, and 4 were perfused and placed into falcon tubes containing RL, HTK, UW, and AF solutions at +4‎°C, respectively. The tubes were stored for 12 hours in the refrigerator at +4°C. Tissue samples were taken at the 6th and 12th hours for histopathological examinations of the perfused livers, and storage solutions for biochemical analyzes at 6th and 12th hours. Results: AF was shown to maintain organ viability by reducing the number of cells undergoing apoptosis. Histopathological changes such as sinusoidal dilatation, hydropic degeneration, and focal necrosis were found to be similar to the groups in which the standard organ preservation solutions were used. Additionally, the results of INOS, IL-10, and TNF-α,which were evaluated immunohistochemically, have been shown to be similar to the UW and HTK groups. Conclusions: AF provided conservation similar to UW and HTK in the 12-hour liver SCS process. The fact that apoptosis values are comparable to standard preservation solutions supports the success of AF in the cold storage of the liver.

Maternal administration of cannabidiol promotes an anti-inflammatory effect on the intestinal wall in a gastroschisis rat model

Gastroschisis (GS) is an abdominal wall defect that results in histological and morphological changes leading to intestinal motility perturbation and impaired absorption of nutrients. Due to its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and neuroprotective effects, cannabidiol (CBD) has been used as a therapeutic agent in many diseases. Our aim was to test the effect of maternal CBD in the intestine of an experimental model of GS. Pregnant rats were treated over 3 days with CBD (30 mg/kg) after the surgical induction of GS (day 18.5 of gestation) and compared to controls. Fetuses were divided into 4 groups: 1) control (C); 2) C+CBD (CCBD); 3) gastroschisis (G), and 4) G+CBD (GCBD). On day 21.5 of gestation, the fetuses were harvested and evaluated for: a) body weight (BW), intestinal weight (IW), and IW/BW ratio; b) histometric analysis of the intestinal wall; c) immunohistochemically analysis of inflammation (iNOS) and nitrite/nitrate level. BW: GCBD was lower than CCBD (P<0.005), IW and IW/BW ratio: GCBD was smaller than G (P<0.005), GCBD presented lower thickness in all parameters compared to G (P<0.005), iNOS and nitrite/nitrate were lower concentration in GCBD than to G (P<0.005). Maternal use of CBD had a beneficial effect on the intestinal loops of GS with decreased nitrite/nitrate and iNOS expression.

Expression profiles of eNOS, iNOS and microRNA-27b in the corpus cavernosum of rats submitted to chronic alcoholism and Diabetes mellitus

Abstract Purpose: To evaluate the expression of endothelial and inducible NOS in addition to the miRNA-27b in the corpus cavernosum and peripheral blood of healthy rats, diabetic rats, alcoholic rats and rats with both pathologies. Methods: Forty eight Wistar rats were divided into four groups: control (C), alcoholic (A), diabetic (D) and alcoholic-diabetic (AD). Samples of the corpus cavernosum were prepared to study protein expressions of eNOS and iNOS by immunohistochemistry and expression of miRNA-27b in the corpus cavernosum and peripheral blood. Results: Immunohistochemistry for eNOS and iNOS showed an increase in cavernosal smooth muscle cells in the alcoholic, diabetic and alcoholic-diabetic groups when compared with the control group. Similarly, the mRNA levels for eNOS were increased in cavernosal smooth muscle (CSM) in the alcoholic, diabetic and alcoholic-diabetic groups and miRNA-27b were decreased in CSM in the alcoholic, diabetic and alcoholic-diabetic groups. Conclusion: The major new finding of our study was an impairment of relaxation of cavernosal smooth muscle in alcoholic, diabetic, and alcoholic-diabetic rats that involved a decrease in the nitric oxide pathway by endothelium-dependent mechanisms accompanied by a change in the corpus cavernosum contractile sensitivity.

Estrés oxidativo en los músculos soleo y extensor digitorum longus (EDL) de ratas espontáneamente hipertensas / Oxidative stress in soleus and extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscles of spontaneously hypertensive rats

Las enfermedades sistémicas crónicas afectan el músculo esquelético, siendo la inflamación y el estrés oxidativo algunos de los mecanismos involucrados. El efecto de la hipertensión arterial esencial sobre el músculo esquelético no es bien conocido. Se estudiaron los músculos soleo y extensor digitorum longus (EDL) de ratas espontáneamente hipertensas (SHR), comparadas con las controles normotensas Wistar Kyoto (WKY). Se determinaron los niveles de nitritos y nitratos en µmoles/mg-proteína; las sintasas del óxido nítrico: endotelial (eNOS); neuronal (nNOS); e inducible (iNOS), nitrotirosina y el factor de necrosis tumoral-alfa (TNF-α) en ng/mg-proteína. En las SHR, en el soleo y el EDL respectivamente, se incrementó la nitrotirosina (24,4 ± 5,0 vs. 3,3 ± 0,3, p<0,001; 20,2 ± 4,3 vs. 4,5 ± 0,4, p<0,0037), iNOS (26,6 ± 3,7 vs. 8,3 ± 0,9; 21,3 ± 3,7 vs. 11,0 ± 0,8 ambos p<0,0001), y TNF-α (2,2 ± 0,5 vs. 0,6 ± 0,1, p<0,05; 1,9 ± 0,2 vs. 0,6 ± 0,1, p<0,02); hubo disminución de eNOS en el soleo (20,6 ± 1,4 vs. 30,3 ± 1,2, p<0,00001); de nNOS (soleo 16,8 ± 1,4 vs. 20,7 ± 1,8, p< 0,05; EDL 13,6 ± 1,3 vs. 21,9 ± 1,8, p<0,005) y de nitrito en el EDL (5,8 ± 0,3 vs. 7,1 ± 0,5, p<0,026). En las SHR se observó correlación positiva entre TNF-α vs. nitrotirosina: soleo (r=0,798; p<0,031) y tendencia en EDL (r=0,739; p<0,057); iNOS vs. nitrotirosina (soleo: r=0,908 p<0,0001; EDL: r=0,707; p=0,01), tendencia entre TNF-α vs. iNOS en EDL (r=0,736; p=0,059); y correlación negativa entre eNOS vs. nitrotirosina en soleo (r=-0,816; p=0,0012). En conclusión, las SHR presentan un proceso inflamatorio muscular, evidenciado por el incremento de TNF-α, nitrotirosina, e iNOS. La disminución de las sintasas constitutivas, con incremento de la iNOS es evidencia de la disfunción endotelial.

Systemic diseases affect skeletal muscle, and inflammation and oxidative stress are some of the involved mechanisms. There is scarce information about the effects of essential hypertension on skeletal muscle. The soleus and extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscles of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) were studied compared to control Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rats. The levels of nitrite and nitrate in µmol/mg-protein; endothelial (eNOS), neuronal (nNOS), and inducible (iNOS) nitric oxide synthases, nitrotyrosine and tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) in ng/mg-protein were determined. Compared with controls, the SHR showed increased levels of nitrotyrosine (soleus 24.4 ± 5.0 vs. 3.3±0.3, p<0.001; EDL 20.2 ± 4.3 vs. 4.5 ± 0.4, p<0.0037), iNOS (soleus 26.6 ± 3.7 vs. 8.3 ± 0.9; EDL 21.3 ± 3.7 vs. 11.0 ± 0.8, both p<0.0001) and TNF-α (soleus 2.2 ± 0.5 vs. 0.6 ± 0.1, p<0.05; EDL 1.9 ± 0.2 vs. 0.6 ± 0.1, p<0.02). A decrease of eNOS was found in soleus muscle (20.6 ± 1.4 vs. 30.3 ± 1.2, p<0.00001); of nNOS (soleus 16.8 ± 1.4 vs. 20.7 ± 1.8, p< 0.05; EDL 13.6 ± 1.3 vs. 21.9 ± 1.8, p<0.005) and nitrite in EDL (5.8 ± 0.3 vs. 7.1 ± 0.5, p<0.026).There was a positive correlation between TNF-α vs. nitrotyrosine in soleus (r=0.798; p<0.031) and a tendency in EDL (r=0.739; p=0.059); iNOS vs. nitrotyrosine (soleus: r=0.908; p<0.0001; EDL: r=0.707; p<0.01), a tendency between TNF-α and iNOS (EDL: r=0.736; p<0.059); and a negative correlation between eNOS vs. nitrotyrosine in soleus muscle (r=-0.816; p<0.0012). In conclusion, in skeletal muscles of SHR an inflammatory process was found evidenced by the increase in TNF-α, nitrotyrosine and iNOS. The decreased levels of constitutive synthases, together with the higher level of iNOS, are indicative of endothelial dysfunction.

Evaluation of prognostic factors in stage IIA breast tumors and their correlation with mortality risk

Breast tumors exhibit extensive molecular and clinical heterogeneity. One of the most utilized breast carcinoma classifications is based on its molecular aspects and subdivides breast cancer into five major groups based on the expression of certain genes. In this study, we evaluated which factors are important in determining a prognosis after 5 years of follow-up for patients with clinical stage IIA breast tumors. We took into consideration the different phenotypes (luminal A luminal B HER-2 overexpression, basal and triple-negative), various epithelial-mesenchymal (EMT) molecular markers and adhesion molecules (E-cadherin, P-cadherin, N-cadherin, vimentin, twist snail and slug) and NOS-2, in addition to clinical and demographic data, tumor characteristics and treatment types. METHODS: The study population consisted of 82 patients with breast cancer. We analyzed eight molecular markers by immunohistochemistry on tissue microarrays containing breast tumor specimens from patients with ten years of follow-up, and we classified each tumor according to its estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor and HER-2 expression. We then placed the tumor into one of the above categories. RESULTS: The presence of several clinical and demographic factors, various histopathologies, treatment forms and several immunohistochemical markers were not associated with a worse prognosis for group IIA patients. The factors that were associated with a mortality risk were the triple-negative (odds ratio (OR) = 11.8, 95 percent confident interval (CI) = 2.0-70.3, P = 0.007) and basal (OR =18.4, 95 percent CI = 1.8-184.7, P= 0.013) phenotypic patterns. CONCLUSIONS: The EMT markers and NOS-2 were not mortality risk factors. Basal and triple-negative phenotypic patterns were related to a higher mortality risk in patients with stage IIA tumors.

Cyclooxygenase-2 and Inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase Expression in Thyroid Neoplasms and Their Clinicopathological Correlation

To evaluate the expressions of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in thyroid neoplasms in a Korean population, we studied a total of 154 cases: papillary carcinoma of classical type (PTC), 86; follicular adenoma (FA), 21; follicular carcinoma (FC), 35; medullary carcinoma (MC), 3; undifferentiated carcinoma (UC), 5; and Hurthle cell neoplasm (HN), 4. Using immunohistochemical staining, COX-2 expression was detected in 62 (72.1%) PTC specimens, 5 (23.8%) FA specimens, 10 (28.6%) FC specimens, 0 (0.0%) MC specimens, 1 (20.0%) UC specimen, and 3 (75%) HN specimens. iNOS expression was detected in 66 (76.7%) PTC specimens, 4 (19.0%) FA specimens, 13 (37.1%) FC specimens, 0 (0.0%) MC specimens, 3 (60.0%) UC specimens, and 4 (100%) HN specimens. The results showed that COX-2 and iNOS were frequently expressed in the PTC and HN specimens, and iNOS was more frequently overexpressed in the FC specimens than in the FA specimens. In PTC, COX-2 and iNOS were significantly overexpressed in patients over 45 yr of age (p=0.029, p=0.041), and iNOS expression was increased in patients with a large primary tumor (p=0.028). These results suggest that the upregulation of COX-2 and iNOS may contribute to the tumor progression of thyroid gland, particularly in PTC and HN, and iNOS may play an adjuvant role during the tumor progression of FC.