The protective effect of ischemic preconditioning on rat testis

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Life-long Programming Implications of Exposure to Tobacco Smoking and Nicotine Before and Soon After Birth: Evidence for Altered Lung Development

Tobacco smoking during pregnancy remains common, especially in indigenous communities, and likely contributes to respiratory illness in exposed offspring. It is now well established that components of tobacco smoke, notably nicotine, can affect multiple organs in the fetus and newborn, potentially with life-long consequences. Recent studies have shown that nicotine can permanently affect the developing lung such that its final structure and function are adversely affected; these changes can increase the risk of respiratory illness and accelerate the decline in lung function with age. In this review we discuss the impact of maternal smoking on the lungs and consider the evidence that smoking can have life-long, programming consequences for exposed offspring. Exposure to maternal tobacco smoking and nicotine intake during pregnancy and lactation changes the genetic program that controls the development and aging of the lungs of the offspring. Changes in the conducting airways and alveoli reduce lung function in exposed offspring, rendering the lungs more susceptible to obstructive lung disease and accelerating lung aging. Although it is generally accepted that prevention of maternal smoking during pregnancy and lactation is essential, current knowledge of the effects of nicotine on lung development does not support the use of nicotine replacement therapy in this group

Fetal and Neonatal Nicotine Exposure in Wistar Rats Causes Progressive Pancreatic Mitochondrial Damage and Beta Cell Dysfunction

Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) is currently recommended as a safe smoking cessation aid for pregnant women. However, fetal and neonatal nicotine exposure in rats causes mitochondrial-mediated beta cell apoptosis at weaning, and adult-onset dysglycemia, which we hypothesize is related to progressive mitochondrial dysfunction in the pancreas. Therefore in this study we examined the effect of fetal and neonatal exposure to nicotine on pancreatic mitochondrial structure and function during postnatal development. Female Wistar rats were given saline (vehicle control) or nicotine bitartrate (1 mg/kg/d) via subcutaneous injection for 2 weeks prior to mating until weaning. At 3–4, 15 and 26 weeks of age, oral glucose tolerance tests were performed, and pancreas tissue was collected for electron microscopy, enzyme activity assays and islet isolation. Following nicotine exposure mitochondrial structural abnormalities were observed beginning at 3 weeks and worsened with advancing age. Importantly the appearance of these structural defects in nicotine-exposed animals preceded the onset of glucose intolerance. Nicotine exposure also resulted in significantly reduced pancreatic respiratory chain enzyme activity, degranulation of beta cells, elevated islet oxidative stress and impaired glucose-stimulated insulin secretion compared to saline controls at 26 weeks of age. Taken together, these data suggest that maternal nicotine use during pregnancy results in postnatal mitochondrial dysfunction that may explain, in part, the dysglycemia observed in the offspring from this animal model. These results clearly indicate that further investigation into the safety of NRT use during pregnancy is warranted

Persistent urogenital sinus with recto-vaginal fistula: the new variant in which the anus is normally positioned and literature review

Abstract Background Persistent urogenital sinus is a rare cloacal anomaly in which the urinary and genital tracts cannot be differentiated during embryonic development. However, the presence of concomitant recto-urogenital sinus or recto-vaginal fistula is much rarer. In the literature, only two cases with accompanying fistula have been presented so far. Case presentation We present the diagnosis and treatment management of a persistent urogenital sinus case with recto-vaginal fistula. We also aimed to reveal the difference between our patient, who is the 3rd case in the literature, and the other two and the described cloacal anomalies. By performing total urogenital sinus mobilization and fistula repair, the three systems were separated from each other, and both a functional and cosmetic appearance was obtained. Conclusion It should be kept in mind that there may be different variants other than the defined cloacal malformations. In patients with cloacal malformation, cystoscopy and rectoscopy should be performed to reveal the anatomy before reconstructive surgery in order to avoid any unexpected situation

The role of nitric oxide in testicular ischemia-reperfusion injury

Purpose: This study was designed to determine the role of nitric oxide (NO) in the ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury process in testes

Does maternal nicotine exposure during gestation increase the injury severity of small intestine in the newborn rats subjected to experimental necrotizing enterocolitis

Background/Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of maternal nicotine exposure during gestation on injury severity of small intestine in the newborn rats subjected to hypoxia-reoxygenation and cold stress

Urolithiasis in childhood

A retrospective review was performed of the records of 85 children with urinary-tract calculi evaluated and treated during a 12-year period. The study evaluated the patients' age, sex, initial complaints, etiology, relevant pathological factors, stone location, mode of treatment, and stone analysis. There were 68 boys and 17 girls, a ratio of 4:1. Patient age ranged from 10 months to 16 years (average 8.2 years). Flank pain was the most common manifestation. Seventy patients bad calculi in the upper urinary tract and 31 in the lower urinary tract; 16 had stones in more than one site and 15 had bilateral stones. Hypercalciuria was the most common metabolic disorder. Most patients underwent open surgical procedures for removal of their calculi; 5 stones were successfully removed endoscopically. In 3 cases, the stones passed spontaneously. Calcium oxalate and calcium phosphate stones were present in 32 cases, struvite in 5, cystine in 2, and uric acid in I Urolithiasis is still one of the most common pediatric urologic problems in Turkey, but as living standards improve, the incidence of the disease has tended to decline in recent years. Anatomic anomalies and metabolic disorders are of great importance in the etiology of stone disease

Malformation of the epididymis in undescended testis

During a 6-year period, 312 boys (mean age 4.7 years) underwent orchidopexy for cryptorchidism. A total of 388 epididymides were examined and the configurations were recorded as a prospective trial. This study consists of 166 ectopic testes and 222 undescended testes. The observed configurations of epididymides in the ectopic testes were: type la in 99 cases (59.6%), type Ib in 35 (21.1%), type 2 in 24 (14.5%), type 3 in 7 (4.2%), and type 4 in 1 (0.6%). There were no patients in the study with type 5 and 6 anomalies. The configurations of epididymides in the undescended testes were: type la in 105 (47.3%), type Ib in 63 (28.4%), type 2 in 26 (11.7%), type 3 in 13 (5.9%), type 4 in 5 (2.3%), type 5 in 7 (3.2%), and type 6 in 3 (1.4%). The data revealed that the incidence of epididymal abnormalities in undescended testes (41%) was higher than that in the ectopic testes (25.9%) (P < 0.05)

Effects of Leptin on Intestinal Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury

Many clinical conditions such as shock, sepsis, mesenteric thrombosis, necrotizing enterocolitis, and bowel transplantation can cause intestinal ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury. This study was designed to determine the effects of leptin on intestinal IR injury. Thirty rats were divided into three groups, each containing ten rats: group A (IR group), group B (treatment group), and group C (sham group). After 1 h of intestinal ischemia, the clamp was removed in order to perform reperfusion. In group B, 100 mg/kg leptin was administered subcutaneously 30 min before reperfusion. In groups A and C, 0.1 ml physiologic saline was injected. In group A, serum and tissue nitric oxide (NO) levels were significantly decreased, and malondialdehyde levels were significantly increased compared to sham group (p<0.05). Histopathologic injury was significantly lower in sham group compared to group A. In group B, serum and tissue malondialdehyde levels were significantly decreased (p<0.05), but serum and tissue NO levels were significantly increased compared to group A (p<0.05). Histopathologic injury was significantly lower in group B compared to group A (p<0.05). The results of the present study demonstrated that leptin decreases intestinal IR injury by increasing NO production, rearranging mucosal blood flow, and inhibiting polymorphonuclear leukocyte infiltration