Decellularization of porcine esophageal tissue at three diameters and the bioscaffold modification with EETs-ECM gel.

Damaged complex modular organs repair is a current clinical challenge in which one of the primary goals is to keep their biological response. An interesting case of study it is the porcine esophagus since it is a tubular muscular tissue selected as raw material for tissue engineering. The design of esophageal constructs can draw on properties of the processed homologous extracellular matrix (ECM). In this work, we report the decellularization of multilayered esophagus tissue from 1-, 21- and 45-days old piglets through the combination of reversible alkaline swelling and detergent perfusion. The bioscaffolds were characterized in terms of their residual composition and tensile mechanical properties. The biological response to esophageal submucosal derived bioscaffolds modified with ECM gel containing epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs) was then evaluated. Results suggest that the composition (laminin, fibronectin, and sulphated glycosaminoglycans/sGAG) depends on the donor age: a better efficiency of the decellularization process combined with a higher retention of sGAG and fibronectin is observed in piglet esophageal scaffolds. The heterogeneity of this esophageal ECM is maintained, which implied the preservation of anisotropic tensile properties. Coating of bioscaffolds with ECM gel is suitable for carrying esophageal epithelial cells and EETs. Bioactivity of EETs-ECM gel modified esophageal submucosal bioscaffolds is observed to promote neovascularization and antiinflammatory after rabbit full-thickness esophageal defect replacement.

Gastric responses to acute psychological stress in climacteric women: a pilot study.

OBJECTIVE: Women exhibit reduced ovarian sex hormones during the menopausal period that result in well-known physical and psychological symptoms. However, symptoms related to gastric motility (GM) have not been thoroughly investigated. We hypothesized that stress response gastric motility (SRGM) is lower in postmenopausal (PM) and perimenopausal (PERIM) women than in premenopausal (PREM) women. Estrogenic decline leads to neuroendocrine changes in different areas of the brain. These changes can result in hypothalamic vasomotor symptoms, disorders in eating behaviours, and altered blood pressure, in addition to psychological disorders such as stress, anxiety, depression, and irritability related to alterations in the limbic system. METHODS: In this pilot study, 55 PREM, PERIM, and PM women were clinically evaluated using the Nowack stress profile (SP) and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). GM was assessed via electrical bioimpedance using two psychological stress tests (Stroop and Raven tests). RESULTS: Basal SP and STAI-anxiety test scores were similar among the three groups of women (P > 0.05). PERIM women had lower GM in the basal state (P < 0.05) than did other women. PREM and PM women had significantly decreased GM during the stress tests (P < 0.05). However, PERIM did not exhibit GM changes during stress tests (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Changes in sex hormones during PERIM may affect GM and SRGM.

Design of Silica-Oligourethane-Collagen Membranes for Inflammatory Response Modulation: Characterization and Polarization of a Macrophage Cell Line.

The polarization of macrophages M0 to M1 or M2 using molecules embedded in matrices and hydrogels is an active field of study. The design of biomaterials capable of promoting polarization has become a paramount need nowadays, since in the healing process macrophages M1 and M2 modulate the inflammatory response. In this work, several immunocytochemistry and ELISA tests strongly suggest the achievement of polarization using collagen-based membranes crosslinked with tri-functionalized oligourethanes and coated with silica. Measuring the amount of TGF-ß1 secreted to culture media by macrophages growth on these materials, and quantifying the macrophage morphology, it is proved that it is possible to stimulate the anti-inflammatory pathway toward M2, having measurements with p ≤ 0.05 of statistical significance between the control and the collagen-based membranes. Furthermore, some physicochemical characteristics of the hybrid materials are tested envisaging future applications: collagenase degradation resistance, water uptake, collagen fiber diameter, and deformation resistance are increased for all the crosslinked biomaterials. It is considered that the biological and physicochemical properties make the material suitable for the modulation of the inflammatory response in the chronic wounds and promising for in vivo studies.

Effects of occupational stress on the gastrointestinal tract.

The aim of this review is to provide a general overview of the relationship between occupational stress and gastrointestinal alterations. The International Labour Organization suggests occupational health includes psychological aspects to achieve mental well-being. However, the definition of health risks for an occupation includes biological, chemical, physical and ergonomic factors but does not address psychological stress or other affective disorders. Nevertheless, multiple investigations have studied occupational stress and its physiological consequences, focusing on specific risk groups and occupations considered stressful. Among the physiological effects of stress, gastrointestinal tract (GIT) alterations are highly prevalent. The relationship between occupational stress and GIT diseases is evident in everyday clinical practice; however, the usual strategy is to attack the effects but not the root of the problem. That is, in clinics, occupational stress is recognized as a source of GIT problems, but employers do not ascribe it enough importance as a risk factor, in general, and for gastrointestinal health, in particular. The identification, stratification, measurement and evaluation of stress and its associated corrective strategies, particularly for occupational stress, are important topics to address in the near future to establish the basis for considering stress as an important risk factor in occupational health.