Wyższa ekspresja genu dehydrogenazy 11-β-hydroksysteroidowej w białej tkance tłuszczowej u samców niż samic szczurów

Background: 11-β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type I (11-β-HSD1) in the white adipose tissue (WAT) of rats catalyses the conversion of 11-dehydrocorticosterone to corticosterone, a more active glucocorticosteroid. Glucocorticosteroids in WAT stimulate adipocytes differentiation and increase adipocytes size. The aim of this study was to examine the association between expression of 11-β-HSD1 in the WAT of male and female rats and adipose tissue mass as well as body mass. Material and methods: Perirenal WAT from male and female Wistar rats aged three months, and ovariectomized females of the same age, was used in the study. 11-β-HSD1 gene expression was assayed in the perirenal WAT of rats by real-time PCR. Results: 11-β-HSD1 gene expression in the perirenal WAT of male rats was higher than in female rats. The WAT and body mass of male rats was also higher than in females. 11-β-HSD1 gene expression in the perirenal WAT as well as WAT mass and body mass increased simultaneously after ovariectomy. Conclusions: The results presented in this paper suggest that higher 11betaHSD1 gene expression in the WAT is associated with higher body and adipose tissue mass. Moreover, our results suggest that oestradiol can modulate 11-β-HSD1 gene expression in the WAT of rats. (Pol J Endocrinol 2011; 62 (4): 331–334)Wstęp: Dehydrogenaza 11-β-hydroksysteroidowa typu 1 (11&#946HSD1) w tkance tłuszczowej szczurów katalizuje przemianę mniej aktywnego 11-dehydrokortykosteronu w bardziej aktywny kortykosteron. Glukokortykosteroidy stymulują różnicowanie adipocytów i powodują zwiększenie ich rozmiarów. Celem pracy było zbadanie zależności pomiędzy ekspresją 11βHSD1 w tkance tłuszczowej z okolicy nerek samców i samic szczura a masą tkanki tłuszczowej oraz masą ciała. Materiał i metody: W białej tkance tłuszczowej z okolicy nerek pobranej od samców i samic oraz samic poddanych owariektomii szczurów rasy Wistar w wieku 3 miesięcy badano poziom mRNA 11βHSD1 metodą real-time PCR. Wyniki: U samców stwierdzono znacząco wyższą ekspresję genu 11βHSD1 w tkance tłuszczowej niż u samic. Samce szczurów miały również wyższą masę ciała i masę tkanki tłuszczowej niż samice. Owariektomia spowodowała równoczesne zwiększenie masy ciała, masy tkanki tłuszczowej oraz wzrost ekspresji genu 11βHSD1 w tkance tłuszczowej z okolicy nerek u samic szczurów. Wnioski: Przedstawione wyniki wskazują, że wyższa ekspresja genu 11βHSD1 wiąże się z większą masą ciała oraz tkanki tłuszczowej. Ponadto przedstawione wyniki wskazują, że ekspresja genu 11βHSD1 w tkance tłuszczowej zależy od estradiolu. (Endokrynol Pol 2011; 62 (4): 331–334

Variations in hepatic vascularisation : lack of a proper hepatic artery : two case reports

The blood supply of the liver and other abdominal organs plays a significant role during abdominal surgery. Knowledge of the most common patterns of vascularisation should be broadened and new anomalies of the celiac trunk and its branches dutifully reported. This paper presents two case reports which describe the lack of a proper hepatic artery. Case 1 describes the cadaver of a 64-year-old female in whom the right hepatic artery was observed to arise from the common hepatic artery and run behind the portal vein. The common hepatic artery was observed to be divided into three terminal vessels: the left hepatic artery, the gastroduodenal artery, and the right gastric artery. Case 2 describes the cadaver of a 75-year-old male with a liver that was supplied from 3 different sources: the left hepatic artery from the left gastric artery (which arose directly from the aorta), the right hepatic artery from the superior mesenteric artery, and the middle hepatic artery from the common hepatic artery - (branch of the hepato-splenic trunk). Moreover, the left inferior phrenic artery arose from the left hepatic artery

Searching for external sources of the riboflavin stored in earthworm eleocytes

Riboflavin (vitamin B2) is essential to maintain immune potency in animals and plants. So far is accepted that animals cannot synthesise riboflavin; they rely on plant-sourced diets and intestinal bacteria for their supplies. A unique feature of earthworm ‘hepatocyte-like’ chloragocytes and chloragocyte-derived eleocytes floating in celomic cavity is the storage of riboflavin within intracellular granules. The hypothesis was that vegetarian food-deprivation or antibiotic/antifungal treatment inhibits riboflavin accumulation in eleocytes of Eisenia andrei. The 7-week starvation inhibited worm body weight gain and worm reproduction but had insignificant effects on celomocytes, both amoebocytes and eleocytes, and eleocyte riboflavin accumulation. The 1 week or 3 week antibiotic exposure had insignificant effects on worm coelomocytes and riboflavin content. Thus, a vegetarian diet and intestinal bacteria are not the exclusive or perhaps even the main sources of eleocyte riboflavin. The role of endosymbionts in earthworm flavonoid economy warrants targeted investigation. Moreover, the possibility of horizontal transfer of riboflavin biosynthesis genes from bacteria/fungi to earthworm genomes cannot be neglected

Anatomical variations of the anterior communicating artery complex : gender relationship

PURPOSE: The anatomy of the anterior communicating artery complex plays a critical role in surgical treatment of anterior cerebral circulation aneurysms. A thorough description of vascular variations of the anterior communicating artery complex seems to be lacking. The aim of this study was to describe the anatomical variations of the anterior communicating artery complex. METHODS: The study group consisted of 411 subjects (52.31 % women), without any intracranial pathologies, that had undergone head computed tomography angiography. We used maximum intensity projections, volume rendering and multi planar reconstructions to study and classify the anatomical variations of the anterior communicating and anterior cerebral arteries. RESULTS: Male subjects had a significantly higher prevalence of the typical anterior communicating artery complex (59.69 vs. 46.05 %; p < 0.01). The aplastic anterior communicating artery (23.26 vs. 15.88 %; p = 0.04) and triple A2 segment of the anterior cerebral artery (1.86 vs. 0.00 %; p = 0.05) were more common in women than in men. CONCLUSION: Female subjects have a higher incidence of variations in the anterior communicating artery complex. There is a higher incidence of anterior communicating artery aplasia among women