Allopurinol Protective Effect of Renal Ischemia by Downregulating TNF-α, IL-1ß, and IL-6 Response.

Allopurinol is a well-known antioxidant that protects tissue against ischemia and reperfusion injury, blocking purine catabolism, and possibly reducing TNF-α and other cytokines. It also plays a significant role in reducing the inflammatory processes by inhibiting chemotaxis and other inflammatory mediators. The objective of this study was to define the role of allopurinol regarding kidney ischemic injury particularly as to its effect on inflammatory molecules such as TNF-α, IL-1ß, and IL-6 response. One hundred and twenty five rats were subjected to warm renal ischemia. Five more animals were included as sham. Animal survival and plasma levels of lipid peroxidation, myeloperoxidase, lactate dehydrogenase, glutathione, urea, creatinine, and cytokines were determined. Inflammatory parameters (TNF-α, IL-1ß, and IL-6) were measured in all groups by quantitative immunosorbent assay. Further, immunohistological and histopathological studies were carried out on animals treated prior to, or following reperfusion with 10 and 50 mg/kg of Allopurinol. The statistical analysis included ANOVA and Fisher test as well as χ2 test. Significance was reached at a p < 0.05. The results of this study indicated that Allopurinol protected against kidney ischemia-reperfusion injury since significantly better results of survival, biochemical analysis, and histopathological testing were observed in treated animals as compared to ischemic controls. In conclusion, Allopurinol protected ischemic kidneys through a mechanism associated with downregulation of TNF-α, IL-1 ß, and IL-6, in addition to other well-known effects such as decreased lipid peroxidation and neutrophil activity. It also increased antioxidant capacity and diminished endogenous peroxidase stain in renal ischemic tissue. Therefore, this experiment showed an effectiveness of allopurinol protection against proteomic and morphological damage.

Heart transplantation.

On December 3, 1967, Christiaan Barnard (1922-2002) introduced heart transplantation in humans for the first time. The journey that took him from Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa to the University of Minnesota Hospitals in Minneapolis and back to Cape Town is described through this writing. We present the seminal events forming this incredible story, starting in antiquity as the first physicians of our civilization began to consider and study the heart. The anatomy of the heart, its physiology and pathology are reviewed, as Barnard gained knowledge that formed the basis for the transplantation of 1967. He studied open heart surgery with the Minnesota group, learned how to repair congenital heart defects while in Minneapolis, and then established a heart surgery program at Groote Schuur before performing the first clinical heart transplant. Finally, Barnard studied the heart transplant technique developed by Lower and Shumway in dogs and learned how to manage immunosuppressive techniques in Virginia and Colorado. These skills completed the requirements for proceeding with the first heart transplant operation.

[Exogenous nitric oxide donor in the liver inflammatory and hemodynamic response after hemorrhagic shock]. / Donador exógeno de óxido nítrico en la respuesta inflamatoria hepática y hemodinámica después de choque hemorrágico.

BACKGROUND: Hemorrhagic shock (HS) results in oxidative stress to cells and in the induction of the inflammatory response, with an increased expression of a number of proinflammatory mediators and cytokines. We tested the ability of the nitric oxide (NO) donor sodium nitroprusside (NP) to reduce tissue injury in a rodent model of uncontrolled hemorrhagic shock. METHODS: Seventy two Sprague Dawley rats weighing 250-300 g were subjected to a model of uncontrolled hemorrhagic shock. Four groups of animals were included (n = 18 per group): sham/saline, sham/NP, shock/saline, shock/NP. Experimental design consisted of the development of hemorrhagic shock (3 ml/100 g) in a 15-min period, tail amputation (75%) and drug administration at 30 min, fluid resuscitation (FR) with Ringer's lactate (RL) solution to reach a mean arterial pressure (MAP) of 40 mmHg, a hospital phase of 60 min with hemostasis and FR with LR solution to reach a MAP of 70 mmHg, and a 3-day observation phase. Treatment at the beginning of resuscitation included either normal saline (groups 1, 3) or NP (0.5 mg/kg) (groups 2, 4). The following parameters were evaluated: fluid requirements for resuscitation, liver injury tests, liver tissue myeloperoxidase (MPO), liver histology, and 3-day survival. RESULTS: NP significantly reduced fluid requirements for resuscitation (p = 0.0001). We also observed an improved statistically significant difference in tests demonstrating hepatic injury (p = 0.0001), neutrophil infiltration as evidences by liver MPO (p <0.05), and histology studies (p = 0.001). Survival was also increased from 40% in controls to 60% with NP treatment. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that excess NO mediates hemorrhage-induced liver injury, and that the suppression of NO with NP may reduce the pathological consequences of severe hemorrhage, possibly by scavenging superoxide (O(2)(-)), thus limiting the production of more aggressive radicals.

Donador exógeno de óxido nítrico en la respuesta inflamatoria hepática y hemodinámica después de choque hemorrágico / Exogenous nitric oxide donor in the liver inflammatory and hemodynamic response after hemorrhagic shock

BACKGROUND: Hemorrhagic shock (HS) results in oxidative stress to cells and in the induction of the inflammatory response, with an increased expression of a number of proinflammatory mediators and cytokines. We tested the ability of the nitric oxide (NO) donor sodium nitroprusside (NP) to reduce tissue injury in a rodent model of uncontrolled hemorrhagic shock. METHODS: Seventy two Sprague Dawley rats weighing 250-300 g were subjected to a model of uncontrolled hemorrhagic shock. Four groups of animals were included (n = 18 per group): sham/saline, sham/NP, shock/saline, shock/NP. Experimental design consisted of the development of hemorrhagic shock (3 ml/100 g) in a 15-min period, tail amputation (75%) and drug administration at 30 min, fluid resuscitation (FR) with Ringer's lactate (RL) solution to reach a mean arterial pressure (MAP) of 40 mmHg, a hospital phase of 60 min with hemostasis and FR with LR solution to reach a MAP of 70 mmHg, and a 3-day observation phase. Treatment at the beginning of resuscitation included either normal saline (groups 1, 3) or NP (0.5 mg/kg) (groups 2, 4). The following parameters were evaluated: fluid requirements for resuscitation, liver injury tests, liver tissue myeloperoxidase (MPO), liver histology, and 3-day survival. RESULTS: NP significantly reduced fluid requirements for resuscitation (p = 0.0001). We also observed an improved statistically significant difference in tests demonstrating hepatic injury (p = 0.0001), neutrophil infiltration as evidences by liver MPO (p <0.05), and histology studies (p = 0.001). Survival was also increased from 40% in controls to 60% with NP treatment. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that excess NO mediates hemorrhage-induced liver injury, and that the suppression of NO with NP may reduce the pathological consequences of severe hemorrhage, possibly by scavenging superoxide (O(2)(-)), thus limiting the production of more aggressive radicals.

De Humani Corporis Fabrica surgical revolution.

De Humani Corporis Fabrica (1543), by the Belgian anatomy master Andreas Vesalius (1514-1564), represents one of the most advanced surgical revolutions in history. The creation of an anatomy book that carefully and systematically introduced the structure of the human body in a way that was truthful to the findings of human dissection had never been accomplished before. No one challenged Galen's teachings as Vesalius did. De Humani Corporis Fabrica offered to the surgeon's world new knowledge and a systematic approach to human anatomy. The novel concepts and perspectives introduced by Vesalius constituted a real surgical revolution worthy of study in the annals of surgery.

Exercitatio Anatomica De Motus Cordis et Sanguinis in Animalibus surgical revolution.

William Harvey (1578-1657), renowned British physician, introduced to the world a unique scientific pradigm pertaining to the circulation of the blood. In 1628, his acclaimed work Exercitatio Anatomica De Motus Cordis et Sanguinis in Animalibus was published in Frankurt, Germany. Because of the discovery of the circulation, the medical world was forever changed afterwards! The incredible implications of Harvey's work on the yet-to-be developed surgical sciences in the centuries ahead make his outstanding contribution shine as a true surgical revolution. Without his knowledge and discovery, the development of surgery, particularly in the cardiac and vascular arena, would likely never have occurred. This work reviews the discovery of circulation within the context of the historical frame of earlier works that allowed the genius of William Harvey to complete his superb contributions to medicine.

The attenuation of hemorrhage-induced liver injury by exogenous nitric oxide, L-arginine, and inhibition of inducible nitric oxide synthase.

We investigated the role of nitric oxide (NO) in its ability to reduce liver injury in an animal model of hemorrhagic shock (HS). Ninety-six Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 250 to 300 g were divided in 6 groups (n = 16 per group) that included treatment at the beginning of resuscitation with normal saline (groups 1, 3) sodium nitroprusside (NP) (0.5 mg/kg) (groups 2, 4) L-arginine (300 mg/kg) (group 5), and L-N6-(1-iminoethyl) lysine (L-NIL, 40 mg/kg) (group 6). The experimental model of HS consisted of the withdrawal of 3 mL blood per 100 g in a 15-min period, tail amputation (75%), and drug administration at 30 min. This was followed by fluid resuscitation (FR) with lactated Ringer's (LR) solution to reach a mean arterial pressure (MAP) of 40 mm Hg, then a hospital phase of 60 min with hemostasis and FR with LR solution to reach a MAP of 70 mm Hg with a 3-day observation phase. NP, L-Arginine, and L-NIL significantly reduced fluid requirements for resuscitation (p =.0001) as well as significantly increased MAP after resuscitation from hemorrhage. We also observed an improved statistically significant difference (p =.001) in tests demonstrating less hepatic injury and histology damage. The mRNA expression of cytokines in the liver (interleukin [IL]-1alpha, IL-beta1, tumor necrosis factor [TNF]beta, IL-3, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-10, TNFalpha, IL-2, interferon [IFN]gamma) was reduced by NP treatment, L-arginine, and L-NIL. These data suggest that excess NO mediates hemorrhage-induced liver injury and that the suppression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS)-generated NO bioavailability with the NO donor sodium nitroprusside may reduce the pathophysiologic consequences of severe hemorrhage. This effect could be possibly related to the scavenging of to superoxide radicals (O2-) or the blockade of the deleterious effects of TNF and other inflammatory cytokines. The protective action noted with L-arginine cannot be fully explained within the context of this article, although it could be most likely associated with the supplementation of eNOS-generated NO.

Liver preservation

La Preservación y el transporte de hígados humanos ha sido limitada por la pobre tolerancia de estos órganos a la isquemia caliente y fría que normalmente reciben después de la disección y extirpación. En este trabajo estudiamos dos soluciones, la TP-II (una solución coloide hiperosmolar) y la solución de Collins (una solución cristaloide intracelular) en la preservación de hígados de perro por 24 horas. La solución TP-II resultó mejor que la solución Collins, en que la primera mantuvo los animales vivos por 12.6 + ou - 15.8 días después del transplante de hígado; en cambio la solución Collins mantuvo vivos los animales por 4.4 + ou - 7.2 días. Estos resultados parecen mostrar que soluciones coloides hiperosmolares son mejores que soluciones cristaloides, y es posible que en esta forma podamos obtener período más largos de preservación hepática