Influence of Heat Stress on Intestinal Epithelial Barrier Function, Tight Junction Protein, and Immune and Reproductive Physiology.

The potential threat of global warming in the 21st century is on the ecosystem through many aspects, including the negative impact of rising global temperature on the health of humans and animals, especially domestic animals. The damage caused by heat stress to animals has been more and more significant as the worldwide climate continues to rise, along with the breeding industry's expanding scale and stocking density, and it has become the most important stress-causing factor in southern China. In this review, we described the effects of heat stress on animal immune organs and immune system. The much-debated topic is how hyperthermia affects the tight junction barrier. Heat stress also induces inflammation in the body of animals causing low body weight and loss of appetite. This review also discussed that heat stress leads to hepatic disorder, and it also damages the intestine. The small intestine experiences ischemia, and the permeability of the intestine increases. Furthermore, the oxidative stress and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways have a significant role in stress-induced cellular and organ injury. The study has shown that MAPK activity in the small intestine was increased by heat stress. Heat stress caused extreme small intestine damage, enhanced oxidative stress, and activated MAPK signaling pathways.

The use of contrast-enhanced ultrasound in uterine leiomyomas / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Ultrasound (US) is a popular method in the diagnosis and treatment of uterine leiomyomas, but the lack of accuracy greatly limits its application. Recently, microbubble enhancement technique affords direct depiction of tumor neovascularity and establishes a more precise vascular map of the tumor. This study was undertaken to describe the distribution patterns of SonoVue, a second-generation contrast agent, in the microcirculation of uterine leiomyomas, and to investigate the potential use of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in the characterization and treatment of uterine leiomyomas.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Ninety-six patients with uterine leiomyomas were enrolled in this study. The CEUS was performed using cadence pulse sequencing technique (CPS) and SonoVue. Enhancement patterns of different lesions were observed. The diagnostic accuracy of CEUS was compared with that of conventional ultrasound.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>After contrast injection, vessels of macro- and micro-circulation of the myoma first appeared, followed by the normal myometrium and finally the endometrium. During the washout phase, the myoma exhibited homogeneous enhancement followed by apparent hypoenhancement. The margin of the tumor was depicted clearly. There was no agent perfusion in the benign degenerative or necrotic area. However in sarcomas degeneration, the feeding vessels appeared markedly earlier than those in myometrium. In addition, the tumor exhibited heterogeneous hyperenhancment with no agent perfusion in the center and no membraniform sign was observed in the late phase. In subserous and submucous leiomyomas, the feeding arteries in the pedicle arising from the uterine could be seen. In this study, the diagnostic accuracy of CEUS and conventional US for uterine leiomyomas was 96.7% (160/165) and 82.4% (136/165) respectively.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>CEUS can provide a precise description of the leiomyomas vascularization. The specific enhancement pattern may be helpful for the characterization, treatment choice and therapeutic monitoring of leiomyomas.</p>