Effect of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor in experimental methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus sepsis

Background: Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is the leading pathogenic cause of nosocomial infections, especially in bacteraemia and sepsis. The essential therapy for MRSA infection is glycopeptides. Therapeutic failure can be seen with this therapy and the mortality is still high. The aim of this study was to evaluate the additional effect of G-CSF on the traditional antibiotic treatment in an experimental MRSA sepsis

Perinatal expression of HSP70 and VEGF in neonatal rat lung vessels exposed to nicotine during gestation

We assessed the influence of maternal nicotine exposure during gestation on perinatal expression of HSP70 and VEGF in rat lung parenchyma and lung vessels. Adult white Sprague-Dawley virgin rats were mated with adult male rats over 2 days, with two females for every male. After confirming pregnancy, 30 gravid rats (dams) were then randomly assigned to two equal groups (one experimental and one control; n=15 in each). Experimental dams were treated with subcutaneus (s.c.) (-)-nicotine tartrate, 3 mg/kg body weight/day, during pregnancy from gestational days 9 through 21. After sacrifice, lungs were removed en bloc and formalin-fixed, and paraffinembedded tissue sections were evaluated by immunohistochemistry using a three-step streptavidin-biotin-peroxidase method with monoclonal antibodies directed against HSP70 or VEGF. HSP70 and VEGF expression was increased in the vascular smooth muscle cells of the experimental group (t1) compared to the control group (t(2))t(1)=7.593, t(2)=4.666, p < 0.05). The number of bronchioles that stained positively with HSP70 was higher in the nicotineexposed group than in the control group (t(1)=9.274, t(2)=6.956, p < 0.05). In conclusion, gestational nicotine exposure increased the expression of VEGF and HSP70 in rat lung parenchyma, especially in the airway epithelium and vascular smooth muscle cells. In vascular smooth muscle cells, these molecules may contribute to nicotine-related hypoxic pulmonary hypertension

Cutaneous lupoid leishmaniasis: A case report

This article has been peer reviewed and approved by Michael Fisher, MD, Professor of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Review date: December 2005

Diagnosis of chromosomal abnormalities in a patient with thanatophoric dysplasia (TD) type I: The first report describing an important association between cytogenetic findings and TD

Background: Thanatophoric dysplasia (TD) is the most lethal and most severe type of dysplasia. It has distinct features, the most important of which is short tubular bones and short ribs with platyspondyly, allowing a precise radiologic and prenatal ultrasonographic diagnosis. It has been reported to be caused by mutations in the FGFR3 gene, but exactly how cytogenetic abnormalities might lead to TD is unclear. Case Report: We report a case of TD with different prenatal sonographic features compatible with the classification of type I. In the result of cytogenetic examination, we found de novo CAs in 28% of cells analyzed from the affected infant; 75% of the abnormalities were numerical, and of those, 25% were structural aberrations; 21% of cells revealed predominantly numerical aberrations. Monosomy 18, 21 and 22 was observed in 4% of cells, monosomy 20 in 2%, and monosomy 7, 8, 14, 17 and 19 in 1%. Structural changes were observed in 7% of cells. Conclusions: It appears that these chromosomes may be preferentially involved in and important for TD development. © Am J Case Rep

with Primary Gastrointestinal Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma

Objective: P53, Bcl-2, and Fas proteins play significant roles in lymphoid cell apoptosis. These proteins affect the prognosis and treatment response of lymphoma and various malignancies. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of P53, Bcl-2, and Fas protein expression on treatment and prognosis in patients with primary gastrointestinal diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.Materials and Methods: Thirty-nine patients with primary gastrointestinal diffuse large B-cell lymphoma were included in the study. Immunohistochemical staining was performed to analyze P53, Bcl-2, and Fas protein expression levels in paraffin sections.Results: We examined 39 patients with primary gastrointestinal diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, 21 males and 18 females, with a median age of 54 years. P53 protein expression was detected in 24 patients (61.5%), Bcl-2 protein expression was detected in 26 (67%), and Fas protein expression was detected in 28 (72%). The five-year overall survival rate was significantly lower in patients with P53 and Bcl-2 expression; on the other hand, we did not find a significant difference in the five-year overall survival with respect to Fas protein expression.Conclusion: We found that P53 and Bcl-2 protein expression had a negative effect on prognosis and survival in patients with primary gastrointestinal diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. However, Fas protein expression had no effect on prognosis and survival. Taken together, patients with P53 and Bcl-2 expression should be considered to have a high risk from the beginning, and these patients should undergo aggressive treatments

Subclinical alveolar involvement in ulcerative colitis

Background: Although pulmonary dysfunction has been described in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC), the pathogenesis remains unclear. Our aim was to study alveolar ephitelial damage using technetium-99m diethylene triamine penta acetic acid (Tc-99m DTPA) aerosol scintigraphy in patients with UC but without respiratory symptoms

The effect of amrinone on liver regeneration in experimental hepatic resection model

Background. The phosphodiesterase inhibitors (PDEIs) have been proposed to improve hepatic reperfusion injury and hepatosplanchnic circulation, but the effects of these agents on liver regeneration have not been investigated thoroughly. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of amrinone, a PDEI, on liver regeneration in rats

The effects of pentoxifylline on diabetic renal changes in streptozotocin-induced diabetes mellitus

The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of pentoxifylline on the renal growth, the epidermal growth factor receptor expression, and renal total nitric oxide content in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Adult male Wistar albino rats were randomly divided into three groups: normal control (the N group), diabetic nephropathy (the DN group), and diabetic nephropathy treated with pentoxifylline at the dosage of 20 mg (.) kg(-1) (.) d(-1), intraperitoneally (the group DNP). Diabetes was induced by injection of streptozotocin intraperitoneally. The kidney wet weight (KWW) and dry weight (KDW), fractional kidney weight (FKW), glomerular volume (VG), renal tissue protein (RTP) contents, and renal tissue total nitric oxide (NO) production were determined after the rats were sacrificed on 10th day. There was a significant increase in KWW and KWD in the DNP and DN groups when compared to the N group (p = 0.000 for the DNP group, p = 0.000 and p < 0.01 for the DN group). In the DN group, FKW was increased for both wet and dry kidney weight (p<0.05 and p=0.001, respectively) while in the DNP group there was increase in FKW only for dry kidney weight. VG was increased in both two diabetic groups (p<0.05), but this increase was less prominent in the rats treated with pentoxifylline. RTP was significantly decreased in the DNP group when compared with the values in the DN group (p<0.05). Immunohistochemically epidermal growth factor receptor expression was increased in diabetic rats, and it was not affected by pentoxifylline treatment. In diabetic rats renal content of total NO was decreased (p<0.05 for the DNP group, p<0.01 for the DN group). in conclusion, the results provide that pentoxifylline may have some beneficial effects on renal changes in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats