Morphology of the dorsal nasal, frontal and facial veins in adult gilts

Morphological examinations conducted on adult gilts indicate that the dorsal nasal, frontal and facial veins belong to the myoelastic type with a well-developed internal elastic lamina and a thick tunica media with elastic fibers. Smooth muscle cells in the tunica media are mainly arranged circularly. A characteristic feature of individual veins, and even their parts, was the difference in the distribution and number of elastic fibers and amount of collagen, both in the internal elastic lamina and tunica media. Slight thickening of the vessel walls and a decrease in the number of elastic fibers were observed in the distal part of the dorsal nasal vein and in the proximal parts of the frontal and facial veins. No valves were found in the frontal vein. The bundles of smooth muscle cells in the tunica media and elastic fibers surrounding them were rounded, not laminar like in the other veins. Characteristic, sandwich-like arranged smooth muscle bundles, elastic fibers and large amounts of collagen were observed in the tunica media of the distal part of the facial vein. A distinctive feature of the middle auricular and radial veins was the presence of a well-visible external elastic lamina in the adventitia. An evaluation of the luminous vein surface in a SEM shows that endothelial cells are elongated and arranged consistently with the direction of blood flow in almost all of the veins analyzed. Endothelial cells were less elongated in the distal part of the facial vein, and microvilli were present on them

Progress in the search for blood substitutes, part 1 Preparations currently used in haemotherapy as an indicator of new drug development

The hospital pharmacy in polish conditions, rarely participates in the logistic process related to the transport, storage and administration of blood, however, it is involved in supplying the hospital with a variety of blood products and blood substitutes such as crystalloids, colloids and albumins. The awareness of logistic and technological problems, as well as the analysis of costs, legal and ethical restrictions related to the use of blood products, becomes essential for good, effective, merit-based cooperation between a clinical pharmacist and other health care specialists. Introducing a good blood substitute would solve the problem of donating blood, costly storage, transport and testing. Due to the specific nature of the blood administration procedure, it cannot be used in some situations for ethical and religious reasons. Current research in the search for blood substitutes does not focus on the exact reconstitution of blood with its cellular components. While it seems impossible to create a perfect preparation, products intended to partially replace the role of blood have a greater chance of being used. Examples include not only preparations for filling the vascular bed, but also a variety of oxygen carriers. It should be noted that the use of cell-free preparations solves numerous technological problems related to the use and administration of blood products. The lack of proteins in the product supporting the transport of oxygen and carbon dioxide in human tissues or medical equipment means no risk of allergic reactions, coagulation and the need to conduct tests before administration of the drug, which improves access to therapy by reducing technological problems, and increases the level of patient safety and allows you to improve the effectiveness of the therapeutic process. The series of articles will present the current state of the art, directions of research and development possibilities of blood products and blood substitutes, with particular reference to acellular oxygen transfer agents

Chemically-Induced Inflammation Changes the Number of Nitrergic Nervous Structures in the Muscular Layer of the Porcine Descending Colon

The enteric nervous system (ENS) is the part of the nervous system that is located in the wall of the gastrointestinal tract and regulates the majority of the functions of the stomach and intestine. Enteric neurons may contain various active substances that act as neuromediators and/or neuromodulators. One of them is a gaseous substance, namely nitric oxide (NO). It is known that NO in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract may possess inhibitory functions; however, many of the aspects connected with the roles of this substance, especially during pathological states, remain not fully understood. An experiment is performed here with 15 pigs divided into 3 groups: C group (without any treatment), C1 group (“sham” operated), and C2 group, in which experimental inflammation was induced. The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of inflammation on nitrergic nervous structures in the muscular layer of the porcine descending colon using an immunofluorescence method. The obtained results show that inflammation causes an increase in the percentage of nitric oxide synthase (nNOS)-positive neurons in the myenteric plexus of the ENS, as well as the number of nitrergic nerve fibers in the muscular layer of the descending colon. The obtained results suggest that NO is involved in the pathological condition of the large bowel and probably takes part in neuroprotective and/or adaptive processes

Estradiol-17β-induced changes in the porcine endometrial transcriptome in vivo

Estradiol-17β (E2) is a key hormone regulating reproductive functions in females. In pigs, E2, as the main conceptus signal, initiates processes resulting in prolonged corpus luteum function, embryo development, and implantation. During early pregnancy the endometrium undergoes morphological and physiological transitions that are tightly related to transcriptome changes. Recently, however, the importance of E2 as a primary conceptus signal in the pig has been questionable. Thus, the aim of the present study was to determine the effects of E2 on the porcine endometrial transcriptome in vivo and to compare these effects with transcriptome profiles on day 12 of pregnancy. Microarray analysis revealed differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in response to E2 with overrepresented functional terms related to secretive functions, extracellular vesicles, cell adhesion, proliferation and differentiation, tissue rearrangements, immune response, lipid metabolism, and many others. Numerous common DEGs and processes for the endometrium on day 12 of pregnancy and E2-treated endometrium were identified. In summary, the present study is the first evidence for the effect of E2 on transcriptome profiles in porcine endometrium in vivo in the period corresponding to the maternal recognition of pregnancy. The presented results provide a valuable resource for further targeted studies considering genes and pathways regulated by conceptus-derived estrogens and their role in pregnancy establishment

ORIGINAL PAPER Local

vascular pathway for progesterone transfer to the brain after nasal administration in gilt

Concentration of Zearalenone, Alpha-Zearalenol and Beta-Zearalenol in the Myocardium and the Results of Isometric Analyses of the Coronary Artery in Prepubertal Gilts

The carry-over of zearalenone (ZEN) to the myocardium and its effects on coronary vascular reactivity in vivo have not been addressed in the literature to date. Therefore, the objective of this study was to verify the hypothesis that low ZEN doses (MABEL, NOAEL and LOAEL) administered per os to prepubertal gilts for 21 days affect the accumulation of ZEN, α-ZEL and β-ZEL in the myocardium and the reactivity of the porcine coronary arteries to vasoconstrictors: acetylcholine, potassium chloride and vasodilator sodium nitroprusside. The contractile response to acetylcholine in the presence of a cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitor, indomethacin and / or an endothelial nitric oxide synthase (e-NOS) inhibitor, L-NAME was also studied. The results of this study indicate that the carry-over of ZEN and its metabolites to the myocardium is a highly individualized process that occurs even at very low mycotoxin concentrations. The concentrations of the accumulated ZEN metabolites are inversely proportional to each other due to biotransformation processes. The levels of vasoconstrictors, acetylcholine and potassium chloride, were examined in the left anterior descending branch of the porcine coronary artery after oral administration of ZEN. The LOAEL dose clearly decreased vasoconstriction in response to both potassium chloride and acetylcholine (P < 0.05 for all values) and increased vasodilation in the presence of sodium nitroprusside (P = 0.021). The NOAEL dose significantly increased vasoconstriction caused by acetylcholine (P < 0.04), whereas the MABEL dose did not cause significant changes in the vascular response. Unlike higher doses of ZEN, 5 μg/kg had no negative influence on the vascular system