Differential effects of lower limb revascularisation on organ injury and the role of the amino acid taurine

Lower torso revascularisation following ischaemia results in a systemic inflammatory response. Endothelial barrier function is disrupted by neutrophil-derived proteases and oxidants. Taurine, an amino acid found in large quantities in neutrophils, is a powerful endogeneous anti-oxidant. The aims of this study were to investigate the systemic effects of reperfusion following lower limb revascularisation and to evaluate the role of taurine administration in preventing this injury. A rat model of aortic occlusion (30 min) followed by 2 h of reperfusion was used. Animals were randomised to one of three groups (n = 10 per group): control; ischaemia reperfusion untreated (IR) and taurine-treated. Taurine (4% solution) was administrated orally for 48 h prior to the experiment. Neutrophil infiltration and microvascular permeability were assessed by measuring tissue myeloperoxidase activity and wet/dry weights respectively in lung, liver, kidney, and in cardiac and skeletal muscle. Statistical analysis was by means of analysis of variance (ANOVA). Reperfusion resulted in pulmonary and renal microvascular injury as assessed by organ oedema. Hepatic tissue, skeletal and cardiac muscle were unaffected by lower limb revascularisation. Taurine was effective in preventing neutrophil-mediated pulmonary but not renal microvascular injury. These data suggest that, whilst reperfusion-induced pulmonary injury is predominantly neutrophilmediated, agents other than neutrophil-derived oxidative metabolites, capable of independently causing organ injury through direct endothelial damage, are produced during reperfusion

Income, Consumption and Remittances: Evidence from Immigrants to Australia

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Can Second-Generation Endogenous Growth Models Explain the Productivity Trends and Knowledge Production in the Asian Miracle Economies?

Using data for six Asian miracle economies over the period from 1953 to 2006, this paper examines the extent to which growth has been driven by R&D and tests which second-generation endogenous growth model is most consistent with the data. The results give strong support to Schumpeterian growth theory but only limited support to semi-endogenous growth theory. Furthermore, it is shown that R&D has played a key role for growth in the Asian miracle economies. © 2011 The President and Fellows of Harvard College and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.