Neuropeptides in the posterodorsal medial amygdala modulate central cardiovascular reflex responses in awake male rats

The rat posterodorsal medial amygdala (MePD) links emotionally charged sensory stimuli to social behavior, and is part of the supramedullary control of the cardiovascular system. We studied the effects of microinjections of neuroactive peptides markedly found in the MePD, namely oxytocin (OT, 10 ng and 25 pg; n=6/group), somatostatin (SST, 1 and 0.05 mu M; n=8 and 5, respectively), and angiotensin II (Ang II, 50 pmol and 50 fmol; n=7/group), on basal cardiovascular activity and on baroreflex- and chemoreflex-mediated responses in awake adult male rats. Power spectral and symbolic analyses were applied to pulse interval and systolic arterial pressure series to identify centrally mediated sympathetic/parasympathetic components in the heart rate variability (HRV) and arterial pressure variability (APV). No microinjected substance affected basal parameters. On the other hand, compared with the control data (saline, 0.3 mu L; n=7), OT (10 ng) decreased mean AP (MAP(50)) after baroreflex stimulation and increased both the mean AP response after chemoreflex activation and the high-frequency component of the HRV. OT (25 pg) increased overall HRV but did not affect any parameter of the symbolic analysis. SST (1 mu M) decreased MAP(50), and SST (0.05 mu M) enhanced the sympathovagal cardiac index. Both doses of SST increased HRV and its low-frequency component. Ang II (50 pmol) increased HRV and reduced the two unlike variations pattern of the symbolic analysis (P<0.05 in all cases). These results demonstrate neuropeptidergic actions in the MePD for both the increase in the range of the cardiovascular reflex responses and the involvement of the central sympathetic and parasympathetic systems on HRV and APV.Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)FAPERGSUniv Fed Ciencias Saude Porto Alegre, Dept Ciencias Basicas Saude Fisiol, Porto Alegre, RS, BrazilUniv Fed Rio Grande do Sul, Programa Posgrad Neurociencias, Porto Alegre, RS, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Inst Ciencia & Tecnol, Sao Jose Dos Campos, SP, BrazilUniv Fed Ciencias Saude Porto Alegre, Dept Fisioterapia, Porto Alegre, RS, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Inst Ciencia & Tecnol, Sao Jose Dos Campos, SP, BrazilCNPq: 501041/2012-5FAPERGS: 1016957Web of Scienc

Splenomegaly as a Primary Manifestation of Gaucher Disease in a Young Adult Woman

Gaucher disease is the most common lysosomal storage disease. It is caused by the defective activity of acid β-glucosidase, which results in the accumulation of lipid glucocerebroside in macrophages throughout the body. In this case report we describe the case of a young adult woman with splenomegaly as the primary manifestation of this pathology. This is a case of type 1 Gaucher disease because there is a lack of primary neurological involvement but we have, instead, an age-independent involvement of the visceral organs. It is very important to classify or characterize these patients in a precise manner and to make a complete diagnosis with the help of the many diagnostic resources now at our disposal, especially with genetics, radiology and new techniques of advanced microscopy, also because Gaucher disease requires a long and complex management from early life to adulthood

Intestinal permeability in cirrhotic patients with and without spontaneous bacterial peritonitis: is the ring closed?

OBJECTIVES: Impaired intestinal permeability (IP) may have a role in the pathogenesis of ascites and in spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) in patients with liver cirrhosis (LC). The aim of this study was to assess IP in LC patients with respect to healthy controls. METHODS: IP was evaluated by the (51)Cr-ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid ((51)Cr-EDTA) permeability test in 52 LC patients and in 48 sex- and age-matched controls. The presence of (51)Cr-EDTA was also evaluated in ascitic fluid after therapeutic paracentesis in all LC patients with ascites. RESULTS: An altered IP was found in 45% of LC patients compared with 4% of controls (P&lt;0.00001). IP impairment was significantly associated with Child-Pugh status (75% of Child C patients vs. 39% of Child B and 22% of Child A patients), with the presence of ascites (60% in ascitic patients vs. 31% in nonascitic patients), and with a history of SBP (100% of patients with SBP vs. 50% of those without SBP). (51)Cr-EDTA was present in all ascitic samples obtained from patients with SBP compared with 22% of patients without SBP. CONCLUSIONS: IP derangement was a common finding in LC, especially in patients with more advanced disease (presence of ascites and history of SBP). The presence of (51)Cr-EDTA in ascites in patients with SBP suggests an altered permeability of splancnic vessels and/or peritoneal membranes. Further studies are required to assess (51)Cr-EDTA urine and ascite cutoffs to set up SBP preventive strategies

Cholelitiasis: state of the art

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