Apelin-13 increased food intake with serum ghrelin and leptin levels in male rats.

In this study, we aimed to explain the role of apelin-13 on body weight, food and water intake with serum leptin, ghrelin, neuropeptid Y (NPY) and peptid YY (PYY) levels in male rat. Thirty-two Sprague-Dawley male rats were used for the study. The rats were injected SP (0.9 %) intraperitoneally (i.p) in the control group and 30 (AP30), 100 (AP100) and 300 (AP300) µg/kg apelin-13 in the study groups, respectively, 10 min before the transition to dark period, for 10 days. During the experimental period, with light and dark periods of food and water intake, body weights were recorded in rats. Rats were euthanized and serum samples were obtained. In serum samples leptin, ghrelin, NPY and PYY levels were measured with specific ELISA kit. Apelin-13 was increased body weights in all three (AP30, AP100 and AP300) groups compared with the control group. AP100 and AP300 groups had increased food intake in the dark and the cumulative period, but in the light period food intake values were not significantly increased (p > 0.05). As for the value of water intake, compared with the control group, all dose of apelin-13 increased water intake during the dark and the cumulative period. There was no significant change in water intake in the light period. On the other hand, compared with the control group, serum leptin levels were found to increase in the groups administered 100 and 300 µg/kg of apelin-13 (p < 0.05). Ghrelin levels were found high in all groups treated with apelin-13. Serum levels of NPY decreased only in the 300 µg/kg apelin-13 treated group (p 0.05). Apelin-13 increases body weight in rats as well as food and water intake (dark and cumulative period). Additionally, ghrelin can mediate the orexigenic effect of apelin-13 in the regulation of food intake (Fig. 4, Ref. 37).

Perspective on rhabdomyolysis-induced acute kidney injury and new treatment options.

AIM: The purpose of this study was to assess the role of caspase-dependent apoptosis, caspase 1, calpain 1, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and the protective effect of grape seed proanthocyanidin extract (GSPE) in the development of rhabdomyolysis-induced acute kidney injury (AKI). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-one rats were divided into 3 groups - control, rhabdomyolysis and rhabdomyolysis + GSPE. Rhabdomyolysis was induced in the rhabdomyolysis and rhabdomyolysis + GSPE groups with the injection into both hind limbs of 10 ml/kg hypertonic (50%) glycerol following 24-hour dehydration on the 6th day. The rhabdomyolysis + GSPE group was given GSPE at 100 mg/kg by gavage for 7 days. The experiment was concluded 48 h after glycerol injection. Blood specimens were collected, and kidney tissues were extracted for histopathological examination. RESULTS: We identified an increase in blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, histopathological score, iNOS, caspase 3, caspase 1 and calpain 1 expression in the rhabdomyolysis group compared to the controls and a decrease in eNOS expression. In the rhabdomyolysis + GSPE group, however, there was a decrease in these mediators, together with an increase in eNOS expression. CONCLUSION: This study shows for the first time in the literature that calpain 1 is involved in the pathogenesis of rhabdomyolysis-induced AKI, and that GSPE may have a renoprotective effect.

Protective effects of dexmedetomidine in pneumoperitoneum-related ischaemia-reperfusion injury in rat ovarian tissue.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the effects of dexmedetomidine on pneuomoperitoneum-related ischaemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury in rat ovarian tissue. STUDY DESIGN: Animals were randomized into three groups: Group S (n=8), no pneumoperitoneum; Group C (n=8), pneumoperitoneum; and Group D (n=8), 100µg intraperitoneal dexmedetomidine 30min before pneumoperitoneum. Ovarian tissue was collected from all rats 30min after desufflation, and fresh frozen for histological and biochemical evaluation. RESULTS: Body weight was similar in all three groups (202.62±28.86, 211.00±14.45 and 212.87±15.71g in Groups S, D and C, respectively). The mean malondialdehyde level was higher in Group C than the other groups (p<0.03). When the histological samples of ovarian tissue were compared, vascular congestion, haemorrhage, follicular cell degeneration and infiltrative cell infiltration scores were higher in Group C compared with the other groups (p<0.05). Significantly lower scores for the histological parameters were found in Group D compared with Group C (p<0.05). Similar scores for follicular cell degeneration and inflammatory cell infiltration were found in Group D and Group S (p>0.05). Although vascular congestion and haemorrhage scores were significantly lower compared with Group C, higher scores were found for Group D compared with Group S (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Pneumoperitoneum caused oxidative injury in rat ovarian tissue. Dexmedetomidine reduced oxidative stress and histological injury related to I/R.

Experimental comparison of meshes for rectal prolapse surgery.

AIM: The aim of this experimental study is to investigate the foreign body tissue created by the meshes that are used for rectopexy. METHOD: Sixty rats were divided equally into 5 groups. Four mesh types (Surgipro, Ivalon, Gore-Tex and Vypro) were implanted into the retroperitoneal area except for the sham group. After a 5-week follow-up period, all animals were sacrificed. Specimens were evaluated macroscopically by using scoring systems and biochemically by determining tissue hydroxyproline and nitric oxide levels. RESULTS: The most evident foreign body reaction was observed in the Ivalon group, which showed higher 'macroscopic adhesion' scores (p < 0.005), although there were no significant differences in tissue hydroxyproline and nitric oxide levels between the groups (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: In rectal prolapse surgery, selecting the ideal mesh type is unclear, depending on evidence-based results. In the present study, we could not prove which mesh was definitely superior to the other, macroscopically, histologically and biochemically. The findings of this experimental rat model suggest that implantation of all 4 types of meshes are suitable for posterior rectopexy.

Association between anti-endomysial antibody and total intestinal villous atrophy in children with coeliac disease.

BACKGROUND: There is growing evidence to suggest that detection of anti-gliadin antibody (AGA) and anti-endomysial antibody (EmA) can serve as sensitive markers of the degree of histological abnormalities in patients with coeliac disease. AIM: To evaluate the association between the presence of AGA and EmA and villous atrophy in intestinal biopsies of children with suspected coeliac disease. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: Intestinal samples of 46 children with failure to thrive, chronic diarrhoea, malabsorption and short stature with either AGA and/or EmA positivity were evaluated, retrospectively. The diagnosis of coeliac disease was based on ESPGHAN criteria. METHODS AND MATERIAL: Patients with total villous atrophy who fulfilled the ESPGHAN criteria for the diagnosis of coeliac disease were diagnosed to have coeliac disease. Nine patients without villous atrophy were taken as negative controls for this study. AGA-IgA was measured both by immunoflourescence (IF) and ELISA and EmA-IgA by IF while patients were on normal diet. Relationship between autoantibody positivity and intestinal total villous atrophy was evaluated. RESULTS: Overall positivity for AGA IgA was 85% (39/46) by IF+ELISA and EmA positivity was 85% (39/46) by IF within the study group. Histological examination revealed total villous atrophy with lymphocyte infiltration and crypt hyperplasia in 37 (80%) patients. AGA IgA was positive in 14 (38%) and 31 (84%) of these children by ELISA and IF, respectively. EmA positivity was detected in 35/37 (95%) cases with atrophy and 4/9 (44%) without atrophy (p=0.002). Thirty out of 37 (81%) patients with villous atrophy had both AGA IgA (IF) and EmA positivity (p=0.186). All of the sixteen patients that had both positive AGA IgA (ELISA+IF) and EmA had total villous atrophy (p=0.037). CONCLUSION: A significant association between total villous atrophy and EmA positivity has been documented in this study.

Effect of polyethylene glycol 4000 on adhesion formation following thyroid surgery in rats.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: Difficulties in dissection encountered during reoperative thyroid surgery could be minimised by preventing formation of adhesions in the operative field. We studied the prevention of adhesion formation in rats after thyroid surgery by using polyethylene glycol 4000 (PEG 4000). METHODS: Twenty two rats in two equal groups were studied. Right hemithyroidectomy was performed in both groups with 0.9 per cent saline being instilled in the operative field in the control group and PEG 4000 solution in the study group. After 10 days, all rats were re-explored and the remaining thyroid tissue of the right lobe was excised. The specimens were scored according to the thickness of the connective tissue over the remainder of the thyroid gland. RESULTS: The connective tissue thickness over the remaining tissue of the thyroid gland in the control and study groups was 272.04 +/- 77.10 and 172.90 +/- 48.92 microns respectively. The decrease of the connective tissue thickness over the remainder of thyroid gland in the study group was significant (P < 0.05). INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSION: In this animal model although application of PEG 4000 did not completely prevent adhesion formation, a significantly decreased amount of adhesions was found.

An unusual presentation of Behçet's disease: intestinal perforation.

Behçet's disease (BD), when first described in 1937, consisted of three symptoms: recurrent oral and genital ulcerations and iridocyclitis. Today, it is known that BD is a multisystemic chronic vasculitic disorder which may involve both arteries and veins of all sizes, as well as the central nervous and gastrointestinal systems. The rate of gastrointestinal involvement of BD varies in different populations, being more common in Japan (50%-60%) and less common in the Mediterranean basin, including Turkey (0%-5%). We present a 34-year-old Turkish woman with BD who had ileal and colonic ulcerations complicated by perforation and gastrointestinal bleeding. Special emphasis was placed on the differential diagnosis between Crohn's disease (CD) and BD with gastrointestinal involvement.

Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor of small bowel wall in childhood: Report of a case and a review of the literature.

Benign intestinal tumors are rare in children, however we describe an inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor (IMT) of the jejunum in a 2-year-old girl who presented with an intestinal obstruction. During laparotomy, an annular mass around the jejunum was resected, from which a histological diagnosis of IMT was made. A review of the literature for this rare entity emphasizes the importance of histological confirmation of its benign nature. Because of the risk of local recurrence, IMT cases should have a long-term follow up.

Effects of somatostatin analogues and vitamin C on bacterial translocation in an experimental intestinal obstruction model of rats.

The passage of viable endogenous bacteria and their products across the intact intestinal mucosal barrier, disseminating to the mesenteric lymph nodes, peritoneal cavity, spleen, liver, and circulation, is defined as bacterial translocation. Intestinal obstruction induces bacterial translocation due to mucosal disruption, motility dysfunction, and increased intestinal volume, leading to bacterial overgrowth. In a rat model of intestinal obstruction, the effects of both high-dose vitamin C (350 microg/kg), an antioxidant agent known to have a cytoprotective effect in ischemia-reperfusion injury, and somatostatin (20 microg/kg), a gastrointestinal antisecretory agent, in preventing bacterial translocation were studied. Both intestinal and liver samples from the rats was observed, and it was found that the rate of bacterial translocation was 100% in the control group, and only 43% for the rats who were given intraperitoneal vitamin C and somatostatin. The difference was statistically significant. In conclusion, we are convinced that vitamin C and somatostatin analogues may have protective effects against bacterial translocation in mechanical bowel obstruction.

Effect of nabumetone treatment on vascular responses of the thoracic aorta in rat experimental arthritis.

Nabumetone is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAI) drug which is known to cause less gastrointestinal damage than other NSAI drugs. This study was performed to evaluate whether nabumetone treatment might alter the vascular aberrations related to inflammation in a rat model of adjuvant-induced arthritis. Nabumetone treatment (120 or 240 mg x kg(-1) x day(-1), orally) was initiated on the 15th day of adjuvant inoculation and continued for 14 days. Arthritic lesions, vascular contractile and relaxant responses and gastroduodenal histopathological preparations were evaluated 29 days after adjuvant inoculation. The contractile responses of aortic rings to phenylephrine and KCl were increased in grade 2 arthritic rats. In grade 3 arthritis only the phenylephrine contractility was decreased. The relaxant responses to acetylcholine and sodium nitroprusside were decreased in grades 2 and 3. In healthy rats, nabumetone did not change the vascular responses. After treatment of arthritic rats with nabumetone, both the contractile and relaxant response of the aortic rings returned to normal, and arthritic score and paw swelling were reduced. Gastroduodenal histopathology did not show erosions or ulcers in any of the groups. In conclusion, nabumetone improved the systemic signs and vascular alterations in experimental arthritis without showing any gastrointestinal side effects.

The prophylactic and therapeutic effects of glutamine- and arginine-enriched diets on radiation-induced enteritis in rats.

BACKGROUND: Recent studies indicated that glutamine and arginine support the mucosal barrier in several ways. This experimental study hypothesized that administration of glutamine- and arginine-enriched diets before abdominal radiation therapy would provide a radioprotective effect on intestinal mucosa, and this would augment the therapeutic effectiveness provided by postirradiation administration. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A rat model of radiation enteritis was designed with a single dose of 1100 cGy to the abdomen. Thirty-five rats were randomized into five groups of seven. A 7-day glutamine-enriched diet for Group I and a 7-day arginine-enriched diet for Group II were administered both pre- and postradiation. For Groups III and IV, the same glutamine and arginine diets were given, respectively, postradiation only. Group V was fed a glutamine- and arginine-free diet and was the control group. The rats underwent laparotomy for culture of mesenteric lymph nodes and removal of segments of ileum, jejenum, and colon for microscopic examination. RESULTS: Bacterial translocation was significantly higher in Group V (P < 0.05), while intestinal villus count and villus height were significantly higher in all of the groups fed glutamine and arginine when compared with the control group (P < 0.0001 and P < 0.05, respectively). CONCLUSION: Both arginine- and glutamine-enriched diets have protective effects on gut mucosa in the postirradiation state; however, pre- and postirradiation administration together does not provide superior protection versus postradiation administration alone.

Is administration of n-3 fatty acids by mucosal enema protective against trinitrobenzene-induced colitis in rats?

We investigated the protective role of fish oil (FO-source of n-3 FA) enriched diet (in the first protocol) in 20 rats and FO administration intrarectally (in the second protocol) in 40 rats with trinitrobenzene (TNB) colitis. All colonic specimens were pathologically evaluated, myeloperoxidase enzyme activities were measured, leukotriene B4 (LTB4) and LTC4 levels were determined by radioimmunoassay. In the first protocol 10 rats (group A1) were fed with 8% sunflower and cotton oil enriched diet and (group A2) with 8% FO enriched diet for 6 weeks. At the end of this period, TNB (30 mg in 0.25 ml of 30% ethanol) were intrarectally administered. After 2 weeks, rats were sacrificed. MPO activities (2.47 versus 30.17), LTB4 (34.5 versus 903.3) and LTC4 (77.7 versus 456.0) levels were significantly reduced in group A2 compared with group A1 (P<0.005). There was also a significant difference in pathologic scores (1.55 versus 2.12, P<0.002) between two groups. In the first part of the second protocol, 20 male rats were randomized into two equal groups (B1 and B2) and TNB colitis was induced. After 1 day, 1 ml of saline (group B1) or n-3 FA enemas (group B2) were administered every day for 2 weeks. At the end of this period, rats were sacrificed and evaluated as done for previous groups. Although there was no significant difference between the two groups in comparison with MPO enzyme activities and pathologic scores, the LTB4 (130.1 versus 971.0) and LTC4 (126.0 versus 532.0) levels of FO group were significantly reduced (P<0.005). In the second part of the second protocol, 20 male rats were randomized into two groups. One millilitre of saline (group B3) or FO enemas (group B4) were administered to rats every day for 3 days. At the fourth day, TNB-colitis was induced and after 24 h rats were sacrificed. We could not find any significant difference in MPO activities, pathologic scores, LTB4 and LTC4 levels between groups B3 and B4. In conclusion, FO enriched diet decreased both pathologic damage and tissue LT levels. The second protocol of our study revealed that the long-term FO enemas decreased the LTB4 and LTC4 levels; however, did not have any beneficial effect on the tissue lesions. Short periods of FO enemas did not have a protective role in the occurrence of experimental colitis. The present study showed that FO enemas significantly decreased LT levels. The protective effect of FO (oral and enema) in TNB colitis may open a new insight into the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease.

Effects of H2 receptor blocking agents on bacterial translocation in burn injury.

We experimentally studied the effects of H2 receptor blockers (ranitidine) on bacterial translocation (BT) in 42 male albino rats. Sham group (Group I, n = 12 rats) were exposed to 21 degrees C water while Burn group (Group II, n = 15 rats) and Ranitidine group (Group III, n = 15 rats) were exposed to 95 degrees C hot water for 10 seconds to produce a full thickness burn in 30% of total body surface area. 300 mg/kg ranitidine was administered to Group III starting immediately after the burn injury. Rats were sacrificed on the fifth postburn day. Sham group gained weight while groups II and III had significant weight loss. Gastric pH increased with the administration of ranitidine. Both gram negative and total number of bacteria were found to be reduced in cecal stool cultures in ranitidine group. Significant increase in BT was observed in Group III, and translocating bacteria were found to be different in burn and ranitidine groups with a final conclusion that administration of ranitidine changes intestinal ecological equilibrium and promotes BT.

Ulex Europeus Agglutinin (UEA-I) lectin binding in breast carcinoma and its relationship to prognostic factors.

In this study, lectin binding was compared with pathological prognostic factors and clinical follow-up details. Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues from 43 cases of breast carcinoma were studied for binding with Ulex Europeus Agglutinin (UEA-I) lectin. Staining results were compared with tumor size, histologic and nuclear grade, lymph node status (number, capsular and pericapsular invasion), blood and lymphatic vessel invasion, ER and PR status, clinical stage and the patients' short-term follow-up details. Analysis of staining with UEA-I showed a significant relationship with blood vessel invasion (P < 0.01) and lymphatic vessel invasion (P < 0.05). Furthermore, PR showed a significant inverse correlation with lectin binding (P < 0.05). Staining with UEA-I related significantly with axilliary lymph node metastases (P < 0.05). UEA-I was positive in four (66.6%) out of six cases with distant organ mestastasis. This study confirms that, in breast cancer, lectin binding to the cancer cells can be a reliable indicator for axilliary metastases, and the need for additional therapeutic interventions.

Microcolon-intestinal hypoperistalsis without megacystis: uncommon form of neonatal intestinal pseudoobstruction.

Two cases of microcolon-intestinal hypoperistalsis without megacystis are reported. They had dilated proximal small bowel and narrowed distal small bowel and malrotated microcolon. No organic obstructive intestinal lesion was found and double-barrel ileostomy was performed. The biopsy specimens showed ganglion cells to be normal in number and appearance in the entire intestinal wall. The ileostomy did not function postoperatively and drugs stimulating bowel movement failed to induce peristalsis. We have suggested that microcolon-intestinal hypoperistalsis without megacystis may be the cause of functional intestinal obstruction in neonates and it is a variant of megacystis-microcolon-hypoperistalsis syndrome.