Estudio de las alteraciones de las fibras elásticas de la piel en pacientes fumadores y su relación con el deterioro de la función pulmonar

Descripció del recurs: 12 desembre 2002Consultable des del TDXTítol obtingut de la portada digitalitzadaAntecedentes. El consumo de tabaco es un factor etiológico bien conocido del desarrollo de arrugas faciales así como la mayor causa de enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica en adultos. Las alteraciones de las fibras elásticas de la piel y del pulmón, respectivamente, parecen constituir el sustrato histopatológico de ambas alteraciones. Pacientes y método. A fin de analizar las alteraciones de las fibras elásticas de la piel secundarias al consumo de tabaco, así como la existencia de una posible relación con las alteraciones de la función pulmonar que el hábito de fumar induce, hemos estudiado prospectivamente 78 pacientes (20 no fumadores, 35 exfumadores y 23 fumadores), de 41 a 70 años de edad. A todos ellos se les practicó una biopsia de la cara interna del brazo, y se determinaron los parámetros morfométricos (número y densidad) de las fibras elásticas de la dermis superficial y de la dermis media y profunda. Asimismo se llevaron a cabo inmunotinciones con los anticuerpos antielastina, anticomponente P-amiloide, antiinhibidores de las proteasas plasmáticas y con las lectinas Concanavalina A y Triticum vulgaris. Para establecer el grado de obstrucción del flujo aéreo se realizó una espirometría forzada, la medición de los volúmenes pulmonares y de la capacidad de transferencia de CO. Resultados. Los resultados obtenidos muestran un incremento estadísticamente significativo del número de fibras y del área media relativa ocupada por las fibras elásticas de la dermis media y profunda en los pacientes fumadores respecto a los no fumadores. Este incremento parece ser secundario a un proceso degenerativo que afectaría tanto a la matriz amorfa como al componente microfibrilar de las fibras elásticas. Asimismo, hemos hallado una relación estadísticamente significativa e independiente del consumo de tabaco entre las alteraciones de las fibras elásticas de la dermis y el grado de deterioro de la función pulmonar. Conclusiones. El hábito de fumar conlleva una degeneración de las fibras elásticas de la piel. Por otra parte, la densidad de las fibras elásticas de la piel constituye un factor de riesgo independiente o un indicador de riesgo para el desarrollo de enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica, tanto en fumadores como en no fumadores.Background. Cigarette smoking constitutes a risk factor for the development of premature facial wrinkles and airflow obstruction. Similar changes in elastic fibers of skin and lung could play a role in the pathogenesis of both phenomena. Methods. Skin biopsies from the upper inner arm of 78 patients (20 nonsmokers, 35 former smokers and 23 smokers) aged between 41 and 70 years were taken. The mean relative area and number of superficial and deeper dermal elastic fibers were evaluated using morphometry. The specimens were immunostained using antibodies to elastin, P-amyloid component, plasma protease inhibitors and with lectins Concanavalin A and Triticum vulgaris. Spirometry, pulmonary volumes and diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide were used to establish the index of airflow obstruction. The results were statistically compared. Results. The mean relative area and number of the dermal elastic fibers were significantly increased in the cigarette smokers compared to non smokers. This increase seems to be due to degeneration of both components of elastic fibers, elastin and microfibrils. Moreover, after controlling for smoking habit, a significant statistical relationship between the level of airflow obstruction and the increase of dermal elastic fibers density in non-exposed skin was found. Conclusions. We have found abnormalities in the elastic tissue of the non-exposed skin of smokers. On the other hand, density of dermal elastic fibers constitutes an independent risk factor for the development of airflow obstruction in both smokers and non smokers

Dietary animal plasma proteins improve the intestinal immune response in senescent mice

Increased life expectancy has promoted research on healthy aging. Aging is accompanied by increased non-specific immune activation (inflammaging) which favors the appearance of several disorders. Here, we study whether dietary supplementation with spray-dried animal plasma (SDP), which has been shown to reduce the activation of gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) in rodents challenged by S. aureus enterotoxin B (SEB), and can also prevent the effects of aging on immune system homeostasis. We first characterized GALT in a mouse model of accelerated senescence (SAMP8) at different ages (compared to mice resistant to accelerated senescence; SAMR1). Second, we analyzed the SDP effects on GALT response to an SEB challenge in SAMP8 mice. In GALT characterization, aging increased the cell number and the percentage of activated Th lymphocytes in mesenteric lymph nodes and Peyer's patches (all, p < 0.05), as well as the expression of IL-6 and TNF-α in intestinal mucosa (both, p < 0.05). With respect to GALT response to the SEB challenge, young mice showed increased expression of intestinal IL-6 and TNF-α, as well as lymphocyte recruitment and activation (all, p < 0.05). However, the immune response of senescent mice to the SEB challenge was weak, since SEB did not change cell recruitment or the percentage of activated Th lymphocytes. Mice supplemented with SDP showed improved capacity to respond to the SEB challenge, similar to the response of the young mice. These results indicate that senescent mice have an impaired mucosal immune response characterized by unspecific GALT activation and a weak specific immune response. SDP supplementation reduces non-specific basal immune activation, allowing for the generation of specific responses

LWT

The aim of this paper is to develop a synthetic model reproducing more realistically the conditions of grape juice to study browning caused by laccase from Botrytis cinerea. The laccase browning kinetics were measured by monitoring the increase in absorbance at 420 nm over time in the presence of different substrates – one monophenol: 4-hydroxybenzoic acid; three orthodiphenols: caftaric acid, (+)-catechin and (−)-epicatechin; and one triphenol: gallic acid. The results indicate that orthodiphenols are better substrates than triphenols and that monophenols do not appear to be reactive. Of the orthodiphenols, (+)-catechin showed the greatest browning intensity, followed in decreasing order by (−)-epicatechin and caftaric acid. These results confirm that sulfur dioxide, ascorbic acid and glutathione really do protect grape juice against laccase browning. The effectiveness of ascorbic acid and glutathione also confirm that both antioxidants can be useful tools for reducing doses of sulfur dioxide in winemaking, especially when grey rot is present

Influence of cationic exchange for reducing pH on the composition and quality of sparkling wine

Climate change has without any doubt an important impact on viticulture and oenology. The composition of wine is being altered due to lack of rainfall and the increase in temperatures during the grape ripening period; it is therefore becoming more common to find wines with low titratable acidity, high ethanol content and high pH. The increase in pH is especially problematic in sparkling wines, because they need higher acidity to maintain adequate freshness. In this research, the effects of using cation exchange on sparkling wine composition and quality was studied

Bacteria isolated from lung modulate asthma susceptibility in mice

Asthma is a chronic, non-curable, multifactorial disease with increasing incidence in industrial countries. This study evaluates the direct contribution of lung microbial components in allergic asthma in mice. Germ-Free and Specific-Pathogen-Free mice display similar susceptibilities to House Dust Mice-induced allergic asthma, indicating that the absence of bacteria confers no protection or increased risk to aeroallergens. In early life, allergic asthma changes the pattern of lung microbiota, and lung bacteria reciprocally modulate aeroallergen responsiveness. Primo-colonizing cultivable strains were screened for their immunoregulatory properties following their isolation from neonatal lungs. Intranasal inoculation of lung bacteria influenced the outcome of allergic asthma development: the strain CNCM I 4970 exacerbated some asthma features whereas the pro-Th1 strain CNCM I 4969 had protective effects. Thus, we confirm that appropriate bacterial lung stimuli during early life are critical for susceptibility to allergic asthma in young adults

Dietary Animal Plasma Proteins Improve the Intestinal Immune Response in Senescent Mice

Increased life expectancy has promoted research on healthy aging. Aging is accompanied by increased non-specific immune activation (inflammaging) which favors the appearance of several disorders. Here, we study whether dietary supplementation with spray-dried animal plasma (SDP), which has been shown to reduce the activation of gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) in rodents challenged by S. aureus enterotoxin B (SEB), and can also prevent the effects of aging on immune system homeostasis. We first characterized GALT in a mouse model of accelerated senescence (SAMP8) at different ages (compared to mice resistant to accelerated senescence; SAMR1). Second, we analyzed the SDP effects on GALT response to an SEB challenge in SAMP8 mice. In GALT characterization, aging increased the cell number and the percentage of activated Th lymphocytes in mesenteric lymph nodes and Peyer’s patches (all, p &lt; 0.05), as well as the expression of IL-6 and TNF-α in intestinal mucosa (both, p &lt; 0.05). With respect to GALT response to the SEB challenge, young mice showed increased expression of intestinal IL-6 and TNF-α, as well as lymphocyte recruitment and activation (all, p &lt; 0.05). However, the immune response of senescent mice to the SEB challenge was weak, since SEB did not change cell recruitment or the percentage of activated Th lymphocytes. Mice supplemented with SDP showed improved capacity to respond to the SEB challenge, similar to the response of the young mice. These results indicate that senescent mice have an impaired mucosal immune response characterized by unspecific GALT activation and a weak specific immune response. SDP supplementation reduces non-specific basal immune activation, allowing for the generation of specific responses

Biotechnological strategies to reduce the doses of sulfur dioxide in white winemaking and avoid problems of browning

This communication studies some possible strategies to reduce or even to replace sulfur dioxide in winemaking. Specifically, the aim of this work was to study the protective effect against oxidation of a commercial inactivated dry yeast (IDY) with very high level of glutathione, and of a selected non-Saccharomyces yeast, Metschnikowia pulcherrima strain in comparison with sulfur dioxide