Role of IL33 in chronic inflammation and microvascular damage as a reflection of organ damage on a cohort of patients with acromegaly.

AIM: Acromegaly is a rare chronic disease, caused by the over-secretion of growth hormone (GH), that creates a pro-inflammatory state, but the exact mechanisms by which GH or insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) act on inflammatory cells are not fully understood. Aim of the study was to evaluate Interleukin-33 (IL33) and the skin perfusion of hands in patients with acromegaly (AP) and healthy controls (HC). METHODS: IL33 have been assessed in 40 AP and 40 HC. IL 33 was determined and skin perfusion of hands was assessed by laser speckle contrast analysis (LASCA) in both populations. RESULTS: IL33 was significantly higher in AP compared to HC [45.72 pg/ml (IQR 28.74-60.86) vs 14 pg/ml (IQR 6.5535); p < 0.05]. At LASCA, peripheral blood perfusion (PBP) was significantly lower in AP compared to HC [53.39 pU (IQR 40.94-65.44) vs 87 pU (IQR 80-98) p < 0.001]. The median values of ROI1, ROI2 and ROI3 were significantly lower in AP compared to HC [97.32 pU (IQR 50.89-121.69) vs 131 pU (IQR 108-135); p < 0.001], [58.68 pU (IQR 37.72-84.92) vs 83 pU (IQR 70-89), p < 0.05] and HC [52.16 (34.47-73.78) vs 85 (78-98), p < 0.001], respectively. The proximal-distal gradient (PDG) was observed in 18 of 40 (45%) AP. CONCLUSION: Serum IL33 is higher in AP compared to HC; conversely a reduction of PBP of hands was present in AP compared to HC, probably due to endothelial dysfunction, strictly dependent on acromegaly and are not influenced by the choice of treatment.

Effect of hypoxia/reoxygenation on the contractility of the isolated bovine digital vein.

The bovine digital vasculature contractility has been implicated in the development of laminitis. To investigate the effect of hypoxia/reoxygenation on the contractility of isolated peripheral bovine digital veins (BDVs), vessel rings were studied under isometric conditions and submitted to 30 min of hypoxia (95%N(2)-5%CO(2)) and reoxygenation (95%O(2)-5%CO(2)) conditions, respectively. The BDVs contracted with a high K(+) depolarizing solution, developed hypoxia-induced relaxation, followed by an increase in tension upon reoxygenation. In contrast, phenylephrine-contracted BDVs displayed a rapid, sustained and reversible hypoxia-induced contraction. Reoxygenation caused a rapid relaxation in phenylephrine-contracted BDVs. The presence of the endothelium did not modify the hypoxia/reoxygenation effects and hypoxia-induced contraction was still observed in a nominal Ca(2+)-free Krebs, however, the last effect was not maintained over time. The hypoxia-induced contraction in an isolated peripheral vein may contribute to the understanding of the physiology and pathophysiology of superficial venous smooth muscle contractility, particularly in the alteration of bovine digital haemodynamics under hypoxia/reoxygenation conditions.

Cambios en la patogenicidad de eimeria acervulina en presencia de aflatoxina B1 en pollos de engorde / Patonenicity changes of eimeria acervulina in presence of aflatoxin B1 in broiler chickens

Con objeto de estudiar los efectos de la Aflatoxina B1 (AFB1), Eimeria acervulina (E. acervulina) y la combinación de ambos factores, sobre los pollos de engorde, se realizó un estudio bajo un diseño completamente aleatorizado con arreglo factorial 32, con dos factores: niveles de AFB1 de no detectables, 20 y 200 mg/kg y tres niveles de infestación con E. acervulina de 0, 250.000 y 500.000 oocystos. El experimento contó con un total de 216 aves y una duración de 5 semanas. El alimento fue contaminado con un estándar de AFB1 y se verificó los niveles deseados con la técnica de inmunoafinidad Aflatest©. Cada réplica recibió alimentación adálibitum y a la cuarta semana fueron inoculados con oocystos de E. acervulina. A la quinta semana, se realizó la necropsia y toma de muestras para histología y parasitología. Los frotis por aposición para E. acervulina resultaron positivos para los tratamientos donde hubo infección. Los resultados histológicos para E. acervulina evidencian los efectos de los dos niveles de inóculo sobre el duodeno. Cuando están presentes las dos variables se presentan dos situaciones. Para el nivel de 20 mg/kg de AFB1, hubo un aumento de la patogenicidad por E. acervulina para ambos inóculos, en cambio para el nivel de 200 mg/kg de AFB1, por el efecto de erosión epitelial de ésta sobre la vellosidad, hubo una disminución de la patogenicidad para los dos inóculos de E. acervulina. Sobre la ganancia de peso no se evidenció interacciones estadísticamente significativa entre las variables; hubo influencia tanto de la AFB1 con sus dos niveles, como con los dos inóculos de E. acervulina, produciendo una disminución estadísticamente significativa en comparación con el tratamiento control. En conclusión, existe evidencia de que niveles de 20 mg/kg de AFB1 pareciesen hacer al duodeno más susceptible para la infección con E. acervulina, mientras que nivel de 200 mg/kg de AFB1 parece disminuir la patogenicidad de E. acervulina.

Effect of acute sublethal endotoxaemia on in vitro digital vascular reactivity in horses.

Endotoxaemia is a syndrome linked to the development of equine laminitis; however, the relationship between them is uncertain. The aim of this experiment was to evaluate the effect of an experimental acute sublethal endotoxaemia model on in vitro equine palmar digital vascular reactivity. Rings of arteries and veins of each forelimb were obtained from 11 clinically healthy horses submitted to two surgical procedures, 3 weeks apart. Before the second surgery, 0.25 microg/kg of lipopolysaccharide from Escherichia coli O55:B5 in saline, was administered i.v. in 30 min. After 3 h, the vessels were harvested and submitted to in vitro vascular reactivity experiments and histopathology. The response to depolarizing Krebs solution (DKS, 40 mm), phenylephrine (PHE), acetylcholine (ACh) and sodium nitroprusside (SNP) were evaluated. All horses showed colic pain and watery diarrhoea, tachycardia, tachypnea, hyperthermia and leucopenia. Concentration-response curve (CRC) to PHE was shifted to the left in arteries rings from endotoxemic horses without any effect on vein rings. The CRC to ACh was shifted to the right with a reduction in the maximal response. The response to SNP and DKS was similar between groups. There was no evidence of histopathological effects. The increased response to PHE in digital arteries together with a reduction of the endothelium-dependent response to ACh in arteries and veins, confirm the existing reports where endotoxaemia was found to modify the digital vascular reactivity during the acute phase. As the digital endothelial function is impaired, there may be an increased potential to develop a digital prothrombotic state with a reduced vasodilatory capacity.