Continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis for infantile chronic renal failure (A case report)

Pungky AK, Damanik MP, lijima K - Continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis for infantile chronic renal failure (A case report). A two month old male infant with lethargy, vomiting, and loss of body weight was referred to Kobe University Hospital, Kobe, Japan. He had increased levels of BUN and serum creatinine, and severe metabolic acidosis. Ultrasonography exhibited hypoplasia kidney. Treatment with continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD), recombinant human erythropoietin, and recombinant human growth hormone was started immediately on the admission day. All of his symptoms were disappeared and he grew up well. He was discharged 3 months after admission and he had been treated with the above therapy in Out Patient Clinic. CAPD on CRF patient is the most essential management. CAPD system should be introduced to save infants and children with chronic renal failure in Indonesia. Key words : chronic renal failure - peritoneal dialysis â infant - hypoplasia kidney - recombinant growth hormon

Chemocytoarchitecture of the rat locus ceruleus

I shall elaborate on the cytochemical classifications of the rat locus ceruleus (LC) and state how each of these could be identified. In the LC, 80% ( 1,30911,642) of the noradrenergic (NA) neurons are also GABAergic. This is found by demonstrating that two immunoreactivities coexist in adjacent sections alternately immunostained by anti-TH or anti-GABA antibody. Pharmacological manipulations with pargyline (75 mglkg, i.p., 2 h prior to perfusion) and L-tryptophan (1 50 mglkg, 1.5 h prior to perfusion) revealed 5-HT-like immunoreactivity (5-HT-LI) in most LC cells (masked 5-HT cells) that produce 5-HT but not other indoleamines. If 5-HTP is applied instead of tryptophan, 5-HT-L1 is shown by the raphe nuclei and a few LC cells (masked indoleamine cells) in the marginal zone. Anti- GAD antibody reveals GAD-L1 in 32% of GABA neurons predominantly in the dorsal division. In situ hybridization studies detected tryptophan hydroxylase mRNA and GAD mRNA in many small- and mediumsized neurons. It is concluded that the LC consists mostly of an NA population that is possibly synthesizing multiple transmitters, such as GABA, GAD and 5-HT in single neurons so that the system enables the LC simultaneously to innervate the entire CNS

Induction of abundant osteoclast-like multinucleated giant cells in adjuvant arthritic rats with accompanying disordered high bone turnover

The development of an in vivo system for investigating osteoclast differentiation is important because molecular events occurring in vivo can be observed during the differentiation of the authentic osteoclasts. In adjuvant arthritic rats, an experimental model of human rheumatoid arthritis, extensive bone resorption is observed in the distal diaphysis of the tibia. In the area of extensive bone resorption, it is always accompanied with clusters of numerous multinucleated giant cells (MGCs) as well as bone-resorbing osteoclasts. Here we characterized the morphological properties of these MGCs with the use of enzymehistochemical and immunohistochemical techniques. Extensive destruction but also a marked formation of the inner and outer bone surfaces were the predominant features in the tibiae of such arthritic rats 4 weeks after the adjuvant injection. Numerous MGCs were frequently clustered in the bone marrow spaces located apart from the bone matrices. Although the MGCs lacked ruffled borders, these cells were rich in mitochondria and vacuoles. These multinucleated cells revealed a positive reaction for tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase but a negative reaction for non-specific esterase staining. Most of these MGCs expressed the Kat l-antigen, an immunological marker specifically expressed on the cell surface of rat osteoclasts. In a dentin resorption experiment using a cluster of MGCs excised from the bone marrow tissues of the tibial distal diaphyses of rats with adjuvant arthritis, many resorption lacunae were formed on dentin slices after a 3-day culture. These results suggest that the majority of the MGCs are osteoclasts but not macrophage polykaryon

In vitro studies indicate that acid catalysed generation of N-nitrosocompounds from dietary nitrate will be maximal at the gastro-oesophageal junction and cardia

Background: Dietary nitrate increases saliva nitrite levels and swallowed saliva is the main source of nitrite entering the acidic stomach. In acidic gastric juice, this nitrite can generate potentially carcinogenic N-nitrosocompounds. However, ascorbic acid secreted by the gastric mucosa can prevent nitrosation by converting the nitrite to nitric oxide. Methods: To study the potential for N-nitrosocompound formation in a model simulating salivary nitrite entering the acidic stomach and the ability of ascorbic acid to inhibit the process. Concentrations of ascorbic acid, total vitamin C, nitrite, nitrosomorpholine, oxygen and nitric oxide were monitored during the experiments. Results: The delivery of nitrite into HCl containing thiocyanate resulted in nitrosation of morpholine, with the rate of nitrosation being greatest at pH 2.5. Under anaerobic conditions, ascorbic acid converted the nitrite to nitric oxide and prevented nitrosation. However, in the presence of dissolved air, the ascorbic acid was ineffective at preventing nitrosation. This was due to the nitric oxide combining with oxygen to reform nitrite and this recycling of nitrite depleting the available ascorbic acid. Further studies indicated that the rate of consumption of ascorbic acid by nitrite added to natural human gastric juice (pH 1.5) was extremely rapid with 200 μmol/l nitrite consumed 500 μmol/l ascorbic acid within 10 s. Conclusions: The rapid consumption of ascorbic acid in acidic gastric juice by nitrite in swallowed saliva indicates that the potential for acid nitrosation will be maximal at the GO junction and cardia where nitrite first encounters acidic gastric juice. The high incidence of mutagenesis and neoplasia at this anatomical location may be due to acid nitrosation arising from dietary nitrate

GLYCOALKALOID METABOLISM1 Is Required for Steroidal Alkaloid Glycosylation and Prevention of Phytotoxicity

Steroidal alkaloids (SAs) are triterpene-derived specialized metabolites found in members of the Solanaceae family that provide plants with a chemical barrier against a broad range of pathogens. Their biosynthesis involves the action of glycosyltransferases to form steroidal glycoalkaloids (SGAs). To elucidate the metabolism of SGAs in the Solanaceae family, we examined the tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) GLYCOALKALOID METABOLISM1 (GAME1) gene. Our findings imply that GAME1 is a galactosyltransferase, largely performing glycosylation of the aglycone tomatidine, resulting in SGA production in green tissues. Downregulation of GAME1 resulted in an almost 50% reduction in a-tomatine levels (the major SGA in tomato) and a large increase in its precursors (i.e., tomatidenol and tomatidine). Surprisingly, GAME1-silenced plants displayed growth retardation and severe morphological phenotypes that we suggest occur as a result of altered membrane sterol levels caused by the accumulation of the aglycone tomatidine. Together, these findings highlight the role of GAME1 in the glycosylation of SAs and in reducing the toxicity of SA metabolites to the plant cell