Detection of Helicobacter pylori specific DNA in human atheromatous coronary arteries and its association to prior myocardial infarction and unstable angina.

BACKGROUND: Chronic infections have been proposed to play a role in the aetiology or progression of atherosclerotic plaques. Increased risk of coronary artery disease has been suggested in patients seropositive for Helicobacter pylori. AIM: To analyse coronary specimens in patients with severe (coronary artery disease) for Helicobacter pylori specific DNA. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Atherosclerotic plaques were obtained in 46 consecutive patients (9 female, 37 male, mean age 62.7+/-9.17 years) during coronary bypass procedures. Serum was analysed for IgG -/cagA-antibodies specific for Helicobacter pylori. Polymerase chain reaction and sequence analysis were used to identify bacterial DNA. Coronary artery biopsies from 19 autopsies without coronary artery disease were examined as a control group. RESULTS: Of the 46 coronary artery disease patients, 32 (69.6%) were Helicobacter pylori seropositive. Positive results for Helicobacter pylori DNA showed 18 seropositive and 4 seronegative (with anamnesis of eradication therapy). A total of 22 patients (47.8%) of the coronary artery disease group but none of controls revealed positive DNA. In the coronary artery disease group, a correlation between DNA presence and prior myocardial infarction (p=0.008) and unstable angina (p<0.001) was found. CONCLUSION: Identification of DNA in atherosclerotic plaques of patients with severe coronary artery disease supports the hypothesis that Helicobacter pylori infection may influence the development of atherosclerosis. Our results may indicate an direct involvement of Helicobacter pylori in the progression and instability of plaques in these patients.

Leptin modulates the inflammatory response in acute pancreatitis.

BACKGROUND: Leptin is a pleiotropic hormone that is involved in the regulation of food intake and body weight. Recent findings demonstrated that leptin receptors are present in the pancreas but the involvement of leptin in pancreatitis remains unknown. The aim of the present study was: (1) to assess plasma leptin levels in rats with caerulein-induced pancreatitis (CIP) and humans with acute pancreatitis; and (2) to determine the effects of exogenous leptin on the course of acute CIP in rats. METHODS: CIP was produced in Wistar rats by s.c. infusion of 5 microg of caerulein for 5 h. Plasma leptin was measured by specific RIA and leptin expression in the pancreas was determined at the transcriptional and protein levels. In addition, the effects of exogenous leptin at the doses of 1 or 10 microg/kg i.p. on the course of CIP and the plasma levels and mRNA expression in pancreas of cytokines TNFalpha and IL-4 were studied. Furthermore, pancreatic cNOS and iNOS expression at mRNA level were measured in rats with CIP and pretreated with leptin. Parallel to these studies, the plasma levels of leptin were measured in 15 patients with acute edematous pancreatitis and in 30 healthy controls of comparable age and body mass index. RESULTS: In rats, plasma leptin rose significantly from the median of 0.14 (0.03-0.3 ng/ml) in the control group to 0.56 (0.2-3.2 ng/ml) in rats with CIP. The CIP was associated with an upregulation of mRNA and protein for leptin in the pancreas. The administration of exogenous leptin significantly reduced the weight of pancreas, histological manifestations of pancreatitis, plasma TNFalpha and mRNA expression for iNOS in the pancreatic tissue. The assessment of leptin plasma level in humans demonstrated significantly higher median values of plasma leptin in patients with acute pancreatitis [7.5 (4.3-18.4 ng/ml)] than in healthy controls [2.1 (1.0-11.8 ng/ml)]. CONCLUSIONS: (1) Acute pancreatitis in rats and in humans is associated with a marked increase in the plasma level of leptin. (2) The transcriptional upregulation of leptin in the pancreas after induction of pancreatitis indicates that the inflamed pancreas could be the source of local production of leptin. (3) Exogenous leptin protects the pancreas against development of acute CIP in rats and one possible mechanism of action of leptin might be attributed to the activation of nitric oxide pathway.

Expression of hepatocyte growth factor, transforming growth factor alpha, apoptosis related proteins Bax and Bcl-2, and gastrin in human gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND: Gastric cancer is one of the most frequent neoplasms and a leading cause of the death world-wide. In recent years, epidemiological and animal studies demonstrated a link between gastric cancer and chronic infection with H. pylori. The exact mechanism responsible for the development of gastric cancer in H. pylori-infected patients still remains unclear. There is evidence that the up-regulation of certain growth factors could play an important role in the promotion of the gastric carcinogenesis. AIMS: The present study was designed to determine the gene expression of major known growth factors such as transforming growth factor alpha (TGFalpha), hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and gastrin in the gastric cancer tissue, the surrounding mucosa and, for comparison, in the normal gastric mucosa. Furthermore, the luminal and plasma levels of gastrin in patients with gastric cancer were determined. In addition, the gene and protein expressions of apoptosis-related proteins such as Bax and Bcl-2 were investigated by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and Western blot. Twenty-five gastric cancer patients and 40 age- and gender-matched control subjects hospitalized with non-ulcer dyspepsia were included into this study. RESULTS: An overall H. pylori-seropositivity among gastric cancer patients was about 72% and was significantly higher than in the controls (56%). The prevalence of CagA-positive strains was also significantly higher among gastric cancer patients than in controls (56% vs. 32%). The gene expression of HGF and TGFalpha was detected more frequently in gastric cancer tissue samples than in normal gastric mucosa (52% vs. 12% for HGF and 48% vs. 24% for TGFalpha). The extent of protein expression in Western blotting analysis for HGF and TGFalpha correlated with the mRNA expression of these factors. Gene expression of gastrin was detected in the antrum of all tested patients and in the majority (84%) of gastric cancer patients. The median plasma and luminal concentrations of gastrin in gastric cancer patients were significantly higher than in controls. The gene expression of bcl-2 was detected in all (100%) and that of proapoptotic bax only in 56% of gastric cancer samples. In comparison to the surrounding non-tumorous tisssue, the gene expression of bax was significantly down-regulated and the gene expression of bcl-2 was up-regulated in gastric cancer tissue. At the protein level, Bax was not detectable and Bcl-2 was seen in 80% of gastric cancer samples. CONCLUSIONS: It is concluded that the patients infected with H. pylori, especially with CagA-positive strains, are at a higher risk of developing a gastric cancer. An increased production and release of gastrin, as well as an over-expression of growth factors such as HGF and TGFalpha, might contribute to the gastric carcinogenesis. In addition, a dysregulation of the Bax/Bcl-2 system with significant up-regulation of Bcl-2 is observed in gastric cancer.

Role of leptin in ulcer healing.

Leptin was shown to exhibit similar to cholecystokinin (CCK) cytoprotective activity against acute gastric lesions, but its role in ulcer healing has not been examined. The aims of this study were: (1) to compare the effects of exogenous leptin to those of CCK on the course of healing of chronic gastric ulcers; (2) to study the gene and protein expression of leptin at the ulcer margin during ulcer healing; and (3) to assess the effects of leptin administration on the mucosal gene expression of main growth factor such as transforming growth factor alpha (TGFalpha). Gastric ulcers were produced in rats by the acetic acid method. Rats with ulcers were divided in following treatment groups: (1) vehicle; (2) leptin (10 microg/kg i.p.); (3) CCK (10 microg/kg s.c.); and (4) leptin or CCK with or without tyrphostin A46 (200 microg/kg i.p.), an inhibitor of epidermal growth factor (EGF)-receptor tyrosine kinase or NG-nitro-L-arginine (20 mg/kg i.g.), a blocker of nitric oxide synthase. Animals were euthanized 9 days after ulcer induction. The area of gastric ulcers and the gastric blood flow at the ulcer area were determined. In addition, mucosal biopsy samples were taken from the ulcer area for histological evaluation as well as for the determination of mRNA and protein expression for leptin and constitutive nitric oxide synthase (cNOS) and inducibile nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) by reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blot, respectively. In addition, the gene expression for TGFalpha was analyzed by RT-PCR. Both leptin and CCK reduced significantly the ulcer area as compared to vehicle-treated group by approximately 50%. The treatment with tyrphostin or N(G)-nitro-L-arginine reversed in part the acceleration of ulcer healing by leptin and CCK. The expression of leptin mRNA and protein was significantly increased at the ulcer edge. The leptin-induced acceleration of ulcer healing was associated with increased expression of transcripts for TGFalpha as well as increased mRNA and protein expression for cNOS and iNOS at the ulcer margin. We conclude that leptin accelerates ulcer healing by mechanisms involving the up-regulation of TGFalpha and increased production of nitric oxide due to up-regulation of cNOS and iNOS in the ulcer area.

Central and peripheral neural aspects of gastroprotective and ulcer healing effects of lipopolysaccharides.

Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) are major components of the outer membrane of gram-negative bacteria playing a central role as potent endotoxins in the pathogenesis of endotoxic shock. Although large amounts of endotoxin may produce hemorrhagic lesions in the stomach, the possible gastroprotective effect of central or peripheral LPS against the acute gastric lesions has not been extensively studied. The aim of the present study was to compare the effect of intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) and parenteral (i.p.) injection of LPS against gastric lesions induced by 100% ethanol. Male Wistar rats were treated either with a) vehicle (control); b) E-coli-LPS in various concentrations (1-10 microg/kg i.c.v or 0.1-40 mg/kg i.p.) followed 30 min later by 100% ethanol. The effects of pretreatment with nonselective inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase (L-NAME, 20 mg/kg i.g.) or selective inhibitor of inducible nitric oxide synthase, L-NIL (30 mg/kg i.g.) on the gastroprotection induced by LPS was investigated. One hour after ethanol application, the gastric blood flow (GBF) and the area of gastric lesions were determined. In addition, the mucosal expression of iNOS, cNOS and leptin was assessed using RT-PCR. LPS applied i.c.v. or i.p. dose dependently reduced gastric lesions induced by ethanol and this effect was similar to that observed after the administration of NO donor (SNAP). LPS-induced protection was significantly abolished by L-NAME and significantly attenuated by the selective inhibitor of iNOS (L-NIL). The expression of cNOS was detected in vehicle treated gastric mucosa and did not change after LPS administration. iNOS was not detectable in intact mucosa but its expression dose-dependently increased after the LPS administration. The i.c.v. administration of LPS did not upregulate further the iNOS expression, and dose-dependently inhibited the leptin mRNA expression in gastric mucosa. We conclude that LPS applied centrally or peripherally protects gastric mucosa against ethanol-induced damage through an increase in gastric microcirculation mediated by NO due to overexpression of iNOS. Transcriptional downregulation of leptin in gastric mucosa is probably due to the increased leptin release induced by the intracerebroventricular application lipopolysaccharide.

Activation of genes for superoxide dismutase, interleukin-1beta, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 during healing of ischemia-reperfusion-induced gastric injury.

BACKGROUND: Ischemia followed by reperfusion (I/R) induces gastric lesions, probably due to excessive formation of free radicals, but the role of the scavenger of these radicals, proinflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), in the healing of these lesions has not been extensively studied. It is also unknown whether expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), which mediates neutrophil-induced injury and neutrophil infiltration, is involved in the recovery from I/R lesions. METHODS: I/R lesions were induced in Wistar rats by applying a small clamp to the celiac artery for 30 min (ischemia phase), followed by the removal of the clamp for 60 min (reperfusion phase). The influence of I/R on gastric secretion was also tested in rats equipped with a gastric fistula (GF) without or with the exposure to a standard period of I/R. Two series of rats (A and B) were used to determine the effects of exogenous and endogenous superoxide dismutase SOD (series A) and allopurinol, a xanthine oxidase inhibitor (series B), on the mucosal recovery from the gastric lesions induced by I/R. The animals were killed immediately after the exposure to I/R (0 h) and at 3 h, 24 h, or 3, 5, or 10 days after this I/R, the area of gastric lesions being measured by planimetry, and the gastric blood flow (GBF) determined by the H2 gas clearance method. Blood was withdrawn for measurement of plasma IL-1beta and TNF-alpha levels with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and plasma gastrin with radioimmunoassay. Biopsy samples of oxyntic mucosa were taken for the assessment of SOD, IL-1beta, TNF-alpha, and ICAM-1 mRNAs by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction and Southern blot. RESULTS: Exposure to I/R resulted in acute gastric erosions, with the maximal increase of the area of these lesions observed 3 h after the end of I/R. This effect was accompanied by a decrease in the GBF, a significant increase in blood free radicals and plasma gastrin increments, and almost complete suppression of gastric secretion. Starting 24 h after I/R, the gastric superficial lesions progressed into deeper ulcers that healed progressively within 10 days, and this was accompanied by gradual restoration of the gastric secretion and the GBF. Treatment with SOD and allopurinol accelerated significantly the healing of I/R erosions, and this effect was accompanied by a significant increase in the GBF and the attenuation of blood free radicals. At 0, 3, and 12 h after I/R a significant decrease in SOD mRNA was observed, whereas expression of TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, and ICAM-1 showed a progressive increase starting immediately after I/R, reaching a maximum on day 3. The plasma level of TNF-alpha and IL-1beta started to increase on day 3 and peaked on day 5 after I/R, being still significantly higher at day 10 than that measured in the vehicle-treated control gastric mucosa. On day 10 the gastric ulcers were almost completely healed, and a decrease in the expression for TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, and ICAM-1 mRNA and an increase in the expression of SOD mRNA were observed. CONCLUSIONS: 1) exposure to I/R produces gastric lesions mediated by the excessive formation of free radicals, resulting in suppression of both gastric microcirculation and secretory activity of the stomach; 2) SOD and allopurinol accelerate the healing of I/R lesions, probably due to suppression of oxygen free radicals and improvement of gastric microcirculation; and 3) the upregulation of SOD mRNA, with subsequent increase in the SOD production and local release of IL-1beta and TNF-alpha, may activate ICAM-1 expression and neutrophil infiltration, which appear to play an important role in the progression of I/R-induced acute gastric erosions into chronic ulcers.

Time domain evaluation of resonance antireflection (RAR) signals for ultrasonic density measurement.

This paper presents an ultrasonic method for measuring the mass density of liquids with a solid layer separating a reference fluid and a test fluid. By adjusting the frequency of the exciting signal according to the thickness of the layer, it is possible to generate destructive interference of the waves reflected at the first and second boundary of the layer. Thus, the layer appears to vanish for the incident waves. In the steady state the resulting echo signal depends only on the acoustic impedances of the reference fluid and the test fluid and the density of interest can be extracted. Short- and long-term drifts of the electronics and the ultrasonic transducer (implied) are eliminated by using the well-known pulse-echo technique, with additional frontwave detection. The method presented here is a first step in developing an ultrasonic mass flow meter.

Helicobacter pylori induces apoptosis in gastric mucosa through an upregulation of Bax expression in humans.

BACKGROUND: Maintenance of gastric mucosal integrity depends on the balance between cell loss due to apoptosis and cell proliferation. Helicobacter pylori induces apoptosis in gastric epithelial cells, but the regulation of this process has been little studied. The Bcl-2 proteins are the best-studied family of proteins involved in the mechanism of apoptotic death. Some members of this family, such as Bcl-2, inhibit apoptosis, whereas others, such as Bax, induce it. The present study was performed to determine the apoptosis rate and mRNA and protein expression for Bax and Bcl-2 in the gastric mucosa of duodenal ulcer (DU) patients with H. pylori infection before and after H. pylori eradication. We recruited 8 H. pylori-negative control subjects and 20 DU patients (H. pylori-positive) given a 1-week triple therapy to eradicate H. pylori. The apoptosis was analyzed by means of terminal deoxyribonucleotide transferase-mediated digoxigenin-11-deoxyuridine triphosphate biotin nick-end labeling (TUNEL) staining, and the expression of mRNA for Bax and Bcl-2 by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Southern blot. In all patients gastritis was assessed histologically on the basis of the Sydney classification, the presence of H. pylori, and analysis of cagA status. RESULTS: All 20 DU patients were H. pylori-positive, and 18 (90%) were CagA-positive. The apoptotic cells were infrequently identified in gastric surface epithelium by TUNEL histochemistry in H. pylori-negative controls. In DU patients infected with H. pylori, apoptotic cells were more numerous and seen deep in the gastric glands. The infection was associated with significantly upregulated expression of mRNA and protein for Bax and suppressed mRNA and protein expression for Bcl-2, as determined using RT-PCR and Western blot analysis. The Bax overexpression was significantly stronger in the antrum than in the corpus of H. pylori-infected patients. Four weeks after the eradication a marked decrease of neutrophil infiltration, an improvement of the grade of gastritis (mononuclear infiltration), and significant reduction in apoptosis rate were observed. After eradication the Bax mRNA expression was still at an increased level, whereas the Bcl-2 mRNA expression remained suppressed. CONCLUSIONS: 1) H. pylori induces apoptosis in the gastric epithelium, at least in part, due to an upregulation of proapoptotic Bax and downregulation of antiapoptotic Bcl-2, and 2) Bax mRNA and protein expression was higher in the antrum than in the corpus, and this was probably due to greater inflammatory changes observed in the antrum than in the corpus.

Enhanced expression of leptin following acute gastric injury in rat.

Leptin, a product of ob-gene plays an important role in the regulation of food intake. Recently, leptin expression has been detected in gastric epithelium, but the physiologic role of gastric leptin remains unknown. The purpose of this study was: 1) to determine the effect of gastric injury by ethanol and aspirin on the expression of leptin in gastric mucosa and 2) to investigate whether exogenous leptin affects the integrity of gastric mucosa exposed to noxious agents such as ethanol or aspirin. In Wistar rats the acute gastric lesions were induced by intragastric application of 1.5 ml of 75% ethanol or acidified aspirin (100 mg/kg in 0.2 N HCl). Rats were divided into two groups and pretreated either with leptin (1-10 microg/kg i.p.) or vehicle (saline). Rats were anesthetized 1 h after i.g. induction of acute gastric lesions and the gastric blood flow (GBF) was measured by H2 gas clearance method. Then the rats were sacrificed, the stomach was excised and the mean lesions area was assessed by planimetry. In addition, mRNA and protein expression for leptin was analyzed in the gastric mucosa by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blot, respectively. Both ethanol and acidified aspirin induced acute gastric lesions and led to significant reduction in GBF. In the intact gastric mucosa, the mRNA and protein expression for leptin was small but detectable. The exposure of gastric mucosa to noxious agents such as ethanol and aspirin was associated with markedly increased expression for gastric leptin at mRNA and protein level. Application of 75% ethanol or acidified aspirin caused wide-spread mucosal lesions. The pretreatment with exogenous leptin reduced dose-dependently these ethanol or aspirin-induced gastric lesions. The protective effects of exogenous leptin were accompanied by a significant attenuation of the fall of GBF. We conclude that: 1) Exogenous leptin exerts potent gastroprotective and hyperemic actions on gastric mucosa, and 2) Acute injury of gastric mucosa is associated with increased expression of leptin suggesting a possible role of this peptide in mediating of repair process in injured gastric mucosa.

K-ras point mutations are rare events in premalignant forms of Barrett's oesophagus.

OBJECTIVE: In Barrett's adenocarcinomas, in contrast to squamous oesophageal carcinomas, K-ras point mutations are thought to be a frequent event. The frequency of K-ras point mutations in premalignant forms of Barrett's oesophagus (metaplasia, dysplasia) leading to adenocarcinoma with increased risk is currently not known. To establish the frequency of K-ras mutations in premalignant forms of Barrett's oesophagus, we investigated oesophageal biopsy specimens with Barrett's metaplastic and dysplastic epithelium for point mutations in the K-ras gene/codons 12, 13. DESIGN: A total of 412 biopsies from patients with Barrett's oesophagus were histologically classified into biopsies with metaplasia (n = 252), dysplasia (n = 105) and adenocarcinoma (n = 11), as well as biopsies distant from disease (normal, n = 37 and hyperplastic squamous epithelium, n = 7). METHODS: DNA from biopsy specimens was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with a modified primer for generating a restriction site in the case of wild type in codon 12. Wild-type or point mutations in the K-ras gene/codons 12, 13 were detected by restriction fragment length analysis of the PCR products. RESULTS: Point mutations in K-ras/codon 12 were found in 9 biopsies (n = 1 in metaplasia, n = 4 in dysplasias, n = 4 in adenocarcinomas). All the other biopsies showed the wild type of K-ras/codon 12. No K-ras/codon 13 mutation (GGCgly-->GACasp) was observed. CONCLUSION: Mutations in K-ras/codon 12 were rarely found in premalignant forms of Barrett's oesophagus. Whereas the screening for K-ras point mutations in metaplastic sites of Barrett's epithelium seems not to be of practical value, the screening for mutations in dysplastic lesions might be helpful to estimate the individual risk for progression of Barrett's epithelium to adenocarcinoma. A further evaluation in larger numbers of patients is needed.

Ultrasonic piezomotor with longitudinally oscillating amplitude-transforming resonator.

An ultrasonic piezoelectric motor concept is presented that is based on the transformation of the longitudinal oscillations of a rod-shaped resonator into continuous motion by arranging the resonator diagonally to a drum. The efficiency of the motor was enhanced by increasing the amplitude of motion at the point of motion transfer by tapering the resonator. To optimize the resonator design, the validity of the predictions derived from the one-dimensional analytical theory for longitudinal ultrasonic resonators was tested with respect to this application by means of finite-element calculations. The one-dimensional calculation turned out to be hardly applicable at all to real resonators. The finite-element calculations showed that maximum final amplitude is attained when the resonator tapers as steeply as possible, no preference being shown for any special mathematical form of cross-sectional reduction. Efficiencies of 35% and torques of 25 N-cm were attained at 150 r/min.

New type of piezoelectric ultrasonic motor.

The authors describe a newly developed motor concept which allows a bidirectional piezoelectric ultrasonic motor to be operated with only a single voltage feed and thus only one power amplifier. The motor concept is based on the superposition of a longitudinal and a flexural oscillation of a rod-shaped resonator. In a way analogous to the generation of a Lissajous figure, this superposition produces a rotary movement of the resonator end by means of which a rotor is directly driven. By selecting the relative phase of the electrical stimulations of both modes, the speed can be continuously varied in both directions. The motor can be driven in both right and left directions with speeds of 0 to 300 r/min, and a freewheeling state can be set up by means of a suitable phase between the oscillation modes. In the off state, the motor blocks the motion.