Detection of bronchial function of NHBD lung following one-h warm ischemia by organ bath model / 华中科技大学学报（医学）（英德文版）

This study investigated the feasibility and effects of organ bath to be used for detection of bronchial function of non-heart-beating donor (NHBD) lung after 1-h warm ischemia. Sixteen Swedish pigs were divided into two groups randomly: heart-beating donor (HBD) group and NHBD with 1-h warm ischemia (NHBD-1 h) group. The bronchial rings whose lengths and inner diameters were both 1.5 mm were obtained from isolated left lungs of all the pigs. Acetylcholine, arachidonic acid natrium and papaverine were used to test and compare the contractile and relaxant function of bronchial smooth muscles and epithelium-dependent relaxation (EpiDR) response between HBD and NHBD-1 h groups. The results showed that there was no significant difference in the values of bronchial precontraction between HBD and NHBD-1 h groups (5.18+/-0.07 vs 5.10+/-0.11 mN, P>0.05). No significant difference in the values of EpiDR responses between HBD and NHBD-1 h groups (1.26+/-0.05 vs 1.23+/-0.07 mN, P>0.05) was observed either. During the process of EpiDR induction, the rings had no spontaneous relaxation in two groups. In addition, papaverine solution completely relaxed the bronchial smooth muscles of all bronchial rings. It was concluded that after warm ischemia for 1 h, the contractile and relaxant abilities of bronchial smooth muscles, and the epithelium-dependent adjustment both kept intact. Organ bath model could be a liable and scientific way to evaluate the bronchial function of NHBD lung.

Cell-matrix interactions in Schistosomal portal fibrosis: a dynamic event

In recent years, one of the most significant progress in the understanding of liver diseases was the demonstration that liver fibrosis is a dynamic process resulting from a balance between synthesis and degradation of several matrix components, collagen in particular. Thus, fibrosis has been found to be a very early event during liver diseases, be it of toxic, viral or parasitic origin, and to be spontaneously reversible, either partially or totally. In liver fibrosis cell matrix interactions are dependent on the existence of the many factors (sometimes acting in combination) which produce the same events at the cellular and molecular levels. These events are: (i) the recruitment of fiber-producing cells, (ii) their proliferation, (iii) the secretion of matrix constituents of the extracellular matrix, and (iv) the remodeling and degradation of the newly formed matrix. All these events represent, at least in principle, a target for a therapeutic intervention aimed at influencing the experimentally induced hepatic fibrosis. In this context, hepatosplenic schistosomiasis is of particular interest, being an immune cell-mediated granulomatous disease and a model of liver fibrosis allowing extensive studies in human and animals as well as providing original in vitro models.