Alterations in oxidative, inflammatory and apoptotic events in short-lived and long-lived mice testes

Aged testes undergo profound histological and morphological alterations leading to a reduced functionality. Here, we investigated whether variations in longevity affect the development of local inflammatory processes, the oxidative state and the occurrence of apoptotic events in the testis. To this aim, well-established mouse models with delayed (growth hormone releasing hormone-knockout and Ames dwarf mice) or accelerated (growth hormone-transgenic mice) aging were used. We hereby show that the testes of short-lived mice show a significant increase in cyclooxygenase 2 expression, PGD2 production, lipid peroxidation, antioxidant enzymes expression, local macrophages and TUNEL-positive germ cells numbers, and the levels of both pro-caspase-3 and cleaved caspase-3. In contrast, although the expression of antioxidant enzymes remained unchanged in testes of long-lived mice, the remainder of the parameters assessed showed a significant reduction. This study provides novel evidence that longevity confers anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and anti-apoptotic capacities to the adult testis. Oppositely, short-lived mice suffer testicular inflammatory, oxidative and apoptotic processes.Fil: Matzkin, Maria Eugenia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Fundación de Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Departamento de Bioquímica Humana; ArgentinaFil: Miquet, Johanna Gabriela. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica; ArgentinaFil: Fang, Yimin. Southern Illinois University. School Of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Hill, Cristal Monique. Southern Illinois University; Estados UnidosFil: Turyn, Daniel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Química y Físico-Química Biológicas "Prof. Alejandro C. Paladini". Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Instituto de Química y Físico-Química Biológicas; ArgentinaFil: Calandra, Ricardo Saul. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Fundación de Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental; ArgentinaFil: Bartke, Andrzej. Southern Illinois University; Estados UnidosFil: Frungieri, Monica Beatriz. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Fundación de Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Departamento de Bioquímica Humana; Argentin

Hot hadronic matter and strange anti-baryons

We demonstrate that both quark-gluon plasma (QGP) and hadronic gas (HG) models of the central fireball created in S -> W collisions at 200 GeV A are possible sources of the recently observed strange (anti-) baryons. From the theoretical point of view, the HG interpretation we attempt remains more obscure because of the high fireball temperature required. The thermal properties of the fireball as determined by the particle ratios, are natural for the QGP state. We show that the total particle multiplicity emerging from the central rapidity region allows to distinguish between the two scenarios.Comment: 10 pages, LaTeX, 1 postscript figure

pi-/pi+ ratio in heavy ions collisions: Coulomb effect or chemical equilibration?

We calculate the pi-/pi+ ratio for Pb+Pb at CERN/SPS energies and for Au+Au at BNL/AGS energies using a (3+1) dimensional hydrodynamical model. Without consideration of Coulomb effect an enhancement of this ratio at low mt is found compatible with that observed in these experiments. Our calculations are based on previous (3+1) dimensional hydrodynamical simulations (HYLANDER), which described many other aspects of experimental data. In this model the observed enhancement is a consequence of baryon and strangeness conservation and of chemical equilibration of the system and is caused by the decay of produced hyperons, which leads to a difference in the total number of positive and negative pions as well. Based on the same approach, we also present results for the pi-/pi+ ratio for S+S (CERN/SPS) collisions, where we find a similar effect. The absence of the enhancement of the pi-/pi+ ratio in the S+S data presented by the NA44 Collaboration, if confirmed, could indicate that chemical equilibration has not yet been estabilished in this reaction.Comment: 8 pages and 2 figures, submmited to Phys. Lett. B. This reviewed version (Nov.29,1996) contains more details about the model simulated efficiency considering the experimental detection conditions. Other small modifications were mad

A solvable model of a one-dimensional quantum gas with pair interaction

We propose a solvable model of a one-dimensional harmonic oscillator quantum gas of two sorts of particles, fermions or bosons, which allows to describe the formation of pairs due to a suitable pair interaction. These pairs we call "pseudo-bosons" since the system can be approximated by an ideal bose gas for low temperatures. We illustrate this fact by considering the specific heat and the entropy function for N=8 pairs. The model can also be evaluated in the thermodynamic limit if the harmonic oscillator potential is suitable scaled

Inflammatory and Glutamatergic Homeostasis Are Involved in Successful Aging

Whole body studies using long-lived growth hormone receptor gene disrupted or knock out (GHR-KO) mice report global GH resistance, increased insulin sensitivity, reduced insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), and cognitive retention in old-age, however, little is known about the neurobiological status of these mice. The aim of this study was to determine if glutamatergic and inflammatory markers that are altered in aging and/or age-related diseases and disorders, are preserved in mice that experience increased healthspan. We examined messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) expression levels in the brain of 4- to 6-, 8- to 10-, and 20- to 22-month GHR-KO and normal aging control mice. In the hippocampus, glutamate transporter 1 (GLT-1) and anti-inflammatory nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NFκB)-p50 were elevated in 8- to 10-month GHR-KO mice compared with age-matched controls. In the hypothalamus, NFκB-p50, NFκB-p65, IGF-1 receptor (IGF-1R), glutamate/aspartate transporter (GLAST), and 2-amino-3-(5-methyl-3-oxo 2,3-dihydro-1,2 oxazol-4-yl) propanoic acid receptor subunit 1 (GluA1) were elevated in 8- to 10- and/or 20- to 22-month GHR-KO mice when comparing genotypes. Finally, interleukin 1-beta (IL-1β) mRNA was reduced in 4- to 6- and/or 8- to 10-month GHR-KO mice compared with normal littermates in all brain areas examined. These data support the importance of decreased brain inflammation in early adulthood and maintained homeostasis of the glutamatergic and inflammatory systems in extended longevity

Comment on ``Strangeness enhancement in p+Ap+A and S+A+A interactions at energies near 200 AA GeV"

We argue that the recent analysis of strangeness production in nuclear collisions at 200 $A$ GeV/$c$ performed by Topor Pop {\it et al.} \cite{To:95} is flawed. The conclusions are based on an erroneous interpretation of the data and the numerical model results. The term ``strangeness enhancement" is used in a misleading way.Comment: 4 pages REVTEX 3.0, no figures; Comment submitted to Physical Review