Sex differences in ethanol liquid diet consumption in Sprague-Dawley rats.

There are reports of sex differences in ethanol intake between different strains of male and female rats; however, ethanol consumption (via an ethanol liquid diet) and blood ethanol levels (BELs) between male and female rats of the Sprague-Dawley strain have not been studied. Therefore, the aims of this study were to examine body growth, ethanol consumption (ml/day and g.kg(-1).day(-1)), and BELs in adult male and female (n=6-8 per group; sham-operated and ovariectomized) Sprague-Dawley rats consuming different concentrations (3% to 9% volume/volume) of the Lieber-DeCarli liquid ethanol diet. Throughout the study, male rats weighed significantly more than both female groups, and ovariectomized female rats weighed more than sham female rats. Ethanol diet consumption (ml/day) was significantly greater in male rats than in female rats at higher ethanol concentrations, whereas, when the diet consumption was expressed in grams of ethanol per kilogram of body weight per day, the sham female group was shown to consume significantly more ethanol than the male group. Even though there were differences in ethanol intake, BELs were similar among the groups. The data indicate that, similar to other strains, Sprague-Dawley rats also exhibit sex differences in their pattern of body growth (weight gain) and ethanol intake; however, BELs were similar among the groups.

Cellular cardiomyoplasty: a new therapeutic approach for regenerating the myocardium.

One of the most promising new therapeutic techniques for the augmentation and regeneration of the myocardium is cellular cardiomyoplasty. Reports from animal and clinical investigations indicate that the transplant of different cell types, such as autologous skeletal myoblasts and adult stem cells, into injured myocardium results in the generation of new cardiac myocytes and improvement in myocardial performance. Although there is no consensus with regard to the best cell type to transplant or the extent of myocardial renewal and regeneration, the technique of cardiac cellular myoplasty may become one of the most important advancements in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases such as myocardial infarction and heart failure.