Subject(s)
Biomedical Research/methods , HIV Infections/drug therapy , Pharmacology, Clinical/methods , Biomedical Research/standards , Coinfection/drug therapy , Humans , National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (U.S.) , Pharmacology, Clinical/standards , Program Development , Quality Control , United StatesABSTRACT
PURPOSE: In order to determine the sensitivity and specificity of the test and to optimize experimental conditions utilizing the SBT in a rat model of chemotherapy-induced small intestinal damage. METHODS: Initially, a 13C-sucrose dose-response study was performed in rats to determine an optimal sucrose concentration for the SBT; then applied to assess chemotherapy-induced intestinal damage. A further study was conducted to establish a SBT time-course of methotrexate-induced small intestinal damage and repair. Animals were killed at 96 or 144 h. RESULTS: A sucrose concentration of 0.25 g/ml was optimal (20% CV) for reproducibility and detection of intestinal damage. Maximal damage occurred at 72 h, small intestinal repair was initiated by 96 h and continued at 144 h post-MTX, as determined by the SBT and confirmed by biochemical analyses. Levels of sensitivity and specificity for the SBT were 98 and 94%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The SBT is a reliable non-invasive marker of small intestinal health and damage with a high degree of sensitivity and specificity.
Subject(s)
Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic/toxicity , Breath Tests/methods , Methotrexate/toxicity , Mucositis/chemically induced , Sucrose/analysis , Animals , Body Weight/drug effects , Carbon Isotopes/analysis , Disease Models, Animal , Dose-Response Relationship, Drug , Eating/drug effects , Female , Intestine, Small/metabolism , Organ Size/drug effects , Rats , Sensitivity and Specificity , Sucrase/metabolismABSTRACT
A unique model of formula feeding in the neonatal rat was utilized to investigate the effects of an enterally delivered artificial milk formula on clinically relevant immunological and biological characteristics in the gut, compared to naturally reared pups. Hooded Wistar rat pups were randomly allocated to two treatment groups: formula-fed (FF) or naturally suckled (NS). A flexible silastic intra-gastric cannula was surgically implanted into the FF pups, through which an artificial rat milk supplement was continuously delivered from day 4 to day 10 of life. Rat pups were sacrificed at 10 days of age. Body weight, small intestinal weight, mucosal CD8(+) cell numbers, and ileal lactase activity in FF animals were significantly decreased compared to their NS counterparts (P < 0.05). Numbers of eosinophils, mucosal mast cells, CD4(+) T-cells, ileal villus height and gastric emptying times were significantly increased in FF pups (P < 0.05). We have developed a new rat model of artificial feeding which possesses important immunological and biological similarities to the premature human infant.
Subject(s)
Enteral Nutrition , Intestines/immunology , Models, Animal , Animals , Animals, Newborn , Breast Feeding , Breath Tests , Gastric Emptying/physiology , Ileum/cytology , Ileum/enzymology , Lactase/metabolism , Milk, Human/immunology , Rats , Rats, Wistar , Weight Loss/physiologyABSTRACT
Small intestinal permeability was employed to assess the efficacy of commercially available yoghurts containing probiotics in a rat model of methotrexate (MTX)-induced mucositis. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were allocated to four groups (n = 8): MTX + water, MTX + cow's milk yoghurt (CY; fermented with Lactobacillus johnsonii), MTX + sheep's milk yoghurt (SY; containing Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus), and saline. Treatment gavage occurred twice daily for 7 days pre-MTX and 5 days post-MTX. Intestinal permeability was assessed on days -7, -1, 2, and 5 of the trial. Intestinal sections were collected at sacrifice for histological and biochemical analyses. Histology revealed that rats receiving CY and SY did not have a significantly damaged duodenum compared to controls. However, an improved small intestinal barrier function was evident, determined by a decreased lactulose/mannitol ratio. Probiotics containing SY and CY may be useful in preventing disruption to intestinal barrier function in MTX-induced mucositis.
Subject(s)
Intestine, Small/pathology , Lactobacillus , Probiotics/pharmacology , Streptococcus thermophilus , Yogurt/microbiology , Administration, Oral , Analysis of Variance , Animals , Bacterial Translocation/drug effects , Bacterial Translocation/physiology , Intestine, Small/microbiology , Male , Methotrexate/toxicity , Mucositis/microbiology , Mucositis/pathology , Permeability , Rats , Rats, Sprague-DawleyABSTRACT
Certain parents use their child as a representative of their own unacceptable impulses, perceiving the youngster as evil and seeking experts to confirm their opinion. They come to mental health clinics for diagnoses but not treatment; evidence that contradicts their view is ignored out of a need to protect their own precarious psychological balance. The child, in spite of good early adjustment, tends to conform to the parents' preferred perception. Legal and ethical implications for professionals working with such cases are discussed.
Subject(s)
Child Behavior Disorders/psychology , Child Reactive Disorders/psychology , Parent-Child Relations , Child , Child Abuse , Child Rearing , Female , Humans , Juvenile Delinquency/psychology , Male , Problem Solving , Psychopathology , Self ConceptABSTRACT
Women raising children alone after divorce often find their new socio-psychological world frightening and unmanageable. Perceiving this, their young sons may undertake a counterphobic defense of themselves and their mothers, manifested as antisocial behavior. Clinical experience outlined in this paper suggests that both mother and son can benefit quickly and dramatically from family interventions focused on recognizing and utilizing aggression.
