RESUMEN
The aim of this study was to evaluate the acute effect of high-dose acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) on kidney and testis, and the potential protective and therapeutic effects of melatonin on ASA-related pathology. A total of 40 rats were randomly divided into the following 5 groups (n = 8): group 1: control, not given any drug; group 2: only 200 mg/kg ASA was given; group 3: 5 mg/kg melatonin was given 45 min before administering 200 mg/kg ASA; group 4: 5 mg/kg melatonin was given 45 min after administering 200 mg/kg ASA; and group 5: only 5 mg/kg melatonin was given. The histopathological changes and the biochemical findings; such as malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPX), reduced glutathione (GSH), and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) as well as serum creatinine (Cr) levels were evaluated. ASA significantly increased MDA levels in both kidney and testis, whereas it significantly decreased the values of SOD, CAT, GPX, and GSH in kidney and CAT levels in testis. Melatonin significantly decreased MDA levels in kidney and ameliorated it in testis, whereas it caused elevation in the levels of antioxidants. BUN and Cr levels were higher after ASA, whereas these levels were diminished after melatonin administration. The improvement obtained by melatonin on ASA-induced histological alterations was more prominent when it was used after ASA in kidney and before ASA in testis. In this study, we demonstrated the beneficial effect of melatonin on high-dose ASA-related pathology of kidney and testis for the first time.
Asunto(s)
Aspirina/farmacología , Riñón/efectos de los fármacos , Melatonina/farmacología , Testículo/efectos de los fármacos , Animales , Nitrógeno de la Urea Sanguínea , Peso Corporal/efectos de los fármacos , Catalasa/metabolismo , Creatina/sangre , Glutatión/metabolismo , Glutatión Peroxidasa/metabolismo , Riñón/enzimología , Riñón/metabolismo , Riñón/patología , Masculino , Malondialdehído/metabolismo , Tamaño de los Órganos/efectos de los fármacos , Ratas , Ratas Wistar , Superóxido Dismutasa/metabolismo , Testículo/enzimología , Testículo/metabolismo , Testículo/patologíaRESUMEN
AIM: Ischemia/reperfusion (IR) injury (IRI) in liver transplant patients may negatively affect graft function. Although ß-glucan protects kidneys against IRI, its effect on the liver is unknown. This study sought to investigate ß-glucan effects on oxidative damage to the liver after IRI in rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-two rats were randomly divided into 4 experimental groups n = 8 in each group: sham, IR, ß-glucan and IR + ß-glucan. ß-Glucan (50 mg.kg(-1) . day(-1)) was orally administered for 10 days to rats in the ß-glucan and IR + ß-glucan groups. The rats in the IR and IR + ß-glucan groups were subjected to ischemia and reperfusion (IR) for 60 minutes each. All rats were killed on day 11 to evaluate histological changes as well as tissue levels of oxidants and antioxidants. RESULTS: Malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were significantly higher in the IR than the sham group (P = .001). MDA level was significantly higher in the IR group than in the IR + ß-glucan group (P = .001). The levels of tissue antioxidant markers (superoxide dismutase [SOD], glutathione-peroxidase [GPx], and catalase [CAT]) were significantly lower in the IR group than in the sham group (P < .05). SOD and GPx levels did not differ significantly between the IR and IR + ß-glucan groups. CAT activity was significantly higher in the IR than the IR + ß-glucan group (P = .001). Histological tissue damage was reduced in the IR + ß-glucan than the IR group. CONCLUSION: Liver IRI is an inevitable problem during liver surgery. Our results suggested that ß-glucan pretreatment suppressed oxidative stress and increased antioxidant levels in an rat model of liver IRI.
Asunto(s)
Antioxidantes/administración & dosificación , Hígado/irrigación sanguínea , Hígado/efectos de los fármacos , Estrés Oxidativo/efectos de los fármacos , Daño por Reperfusión/prevención & control , beta-Glucanos/administración & dosificación , Administración Oral , Animales , Catalasa/sangre , Modelos Animales de Enfermedad , Glutatión Peroxidasa/sangre , Hígado/enzimología , Hígado/patología , Masculino , Malondialdehído/sangre , Ratas , Ratas Sprague-Dawley , Daño por Reperfusión/metabolismo , Daño por Reperfusión/patología , Superóxido Dismutasa/sangreRESUMEN
Three-dimensional measurements made using photogrammetry have recently gained popularity with the development of real-time detection facilities and up-to-date equipment. The modelling of human bones presents a particular challenge as the measurements required are difficult to obtain, especially from uneven surfaces. In this study, the articular surfaces of 12 radius bones were evaluated using photogrammetry to obtain three-dimensional coordinates of certain points. Morphometric characteristics of the digital topography of the articular surface were analysed using three-dimensional data from more than 200 points for each specimen. The coronal plane curve, from the tip of the styloid process to the centre of the distal radioulnar articular notch, was found to be similar to the fourth degree polynomial function. A mathematical expression representing the sagittal curve passing through scapholunate border could not be found. Close-range photogrammetry is a safe and precise technique that can provide reliable, reproducible and accurate data for evaluating complex morphological surfaces.
Asunto(s)
Antropometría/métodos , Cartílago Articular/anatomía & histología , Procesamiento de Imagen Asistido por Computador/métodos , Fotogrametría/métodos , Radio (Anatomía)/anatomía & histología , Humanos , Modelos Anatómicos , Modelos Teóricos , Radiación , Radio (Anatomía)/patologíaRESUMEN
In Venezuela, the isolation of hantaviruses from rodents and the detection, in 1999, of a clinically confirmed human case of hantavirus infection led to increased interest in these viruses. In an attempt to estimate the problem posed by such viruses in Venezuela, ELISA based on purified, recombinant, nucleoprotein were used to check 1380 human serum samples for the presence of IgG antibodies to hantavirus. The ELISA results, as confirmed by indirect immunofluorescence and Western-blot assays, indicated that 23 (1.7%) of the serum samples contained antibodies to hantaviruses. Seroprevalences were similar among all age-groups and for both genders and were no higher among rural populations with a relatively high risk of exposure to rodents than among the overall study population. Although the numbers of samples involved were small, the seroprevalence among the subjects who were residents of Carabobo state was much higher than the overall value (10.3% v. 1.7%; P < 0.01). Human infection with hantavirus appears uncommon but widely distributed in Venezuela.
Asunto(s)
Anticuerpos Antivirales/análisis , Infecciones por Hantavirus/inmunología , Inmunoglobulina G/análisis , Orthohantavirus/inmunología , Adolescente , Adulto , Western Blotting/métodos , Ensayo de Inmunoadsorción Enzimática/métodos , Femenino , Técnica del Anticuerpo Fluorescente/métodos , Orthohantavirus/aislamiento & purificación , Infecciones por Hantavirus/epidemiología , Humanos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Estudios Seroepidemiológicos , Venezuela/epidemiologíaRESUMEN
Salbutamol, a beta 2-adrenergic agonist, is being extensively used in Venezuela as a brochodilator in the treatment of asthma in children. Previous reports have shown oral salbutamol either to inhibit or not to affect growth hormone (GH) secretion. We evaluated the effect of oral salbutamol (0.1 mg/kg every 6 hours for 3 months) on GH secretion in eight prepubertal short children with mild asthma. Levels of GH during sleep (samples taken every 30 minutes from 9 PM to 6 AM) and after GH-releasing hormone ([GHRH] 1 microgram/kg intravenously [IV]) were measured before, at 24 hours, and at 3 months of salbutamol treatment. Overnight integrated concentrations of GH and peak GH levels following GHRH diminished significantly after 24 hours of salbutamol therapy (from 4.5 +/- 1.3 to 3.4 +/- 0.8 micrograms/L and from 46.6 +/- 47.3 to 16.2 +/- 7.9 micrograms/L, respectively, P < .05). However, GH levels after 3 months of salbutamol were not different from basal levels (4.5 +/- 1.3 v 5.1 +/- 5.1 +/- 2.9 micrograms/L during the overnight studies and 46.6 +/- 47.3 v 37.8 +/- 30.4 micrograms/L after GHRH). Our data suggest an inhibition of both spontaneous and stimulated GH secretion following short-term oral salbutamol ingestion, but this suppressive effect is not maintained with its long-term use.