Is Bariatric Surgery Effective in Reducing Comorbidities and Drug Costs? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

The aim of this study was to assess drug use and costs before and after bariatric surgery (BS). A systematic review of the literature was carried out using the MeSH terms obesity, bariatric surgery, and drug costs for searches of 10 electronic databases up to July 2014. Data were extracted from the 11 studies (37,720 patients) that fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Where applicable, data were pooled by meta-analysis. The average number of drugs per patient decreased from 3.9 ± 1.86 before surgery to 1.75 ± 1.85 after surgery. Mean reduction in total cost of drugs was 49.8 % over a follow-up duration of 6-72 months. BS is effective for the improvement or resolution of comorbidities and significantly reduces drug use and costs.

Modulator activity of PSC 833 and cyclosporin-A in vincristine and doxorubicin-selected multidrug resistant murine leukemic cells.

Multidrug resistance (MDR) lines from a murine T-cell leukemia were selected in increasing vincristine (VCR) or doxorubicin (DOX) concentrations. Daunorubicin (DNR) efflux was evidenced after 25 additional passages with constant 160 ng ml(-1) of either VCR or DOX, an effect that was inhibited by verapamil, cyclosporin-A (CsA) and PSC 833. The expression of Pgp was not evidenced in the resistant cell lines using anti-human Pgp antibodies. Cell proliferation assay showed that cell lines resistant to VCR (LBR-V160) or DOX (LBR-D160) required higher doses of either drug to produce GI50 compared with control cell line obtained after culture in the absence of VCR or DOX. When resistant cell lines were maintained during 60 days in the absence of either VCR or DOX, MDR phenotype reversal was obtained in LBR-D160 while LBR-V160 remained resistant to the drug, as shown by cell proliferation assays and by drug efflux pump functionality. When VCR or DOX were used together with either CsA or PSC 833, the latter was more effective to produce reversal of resistance than the former, whereas CsA presented greater cytotoxic effect than PSC 833 for sensitive and resistant cells. Cross-resistance was found between VCR, DOX and other antineoplasic agents on murine leukemic cell line. VCR was more effective to induce MDR since the resistant cell lines were more stable to the MDR phenotype.

Chromosome studies of murine T-cell lymphoid leukemia and derived cell lines.

Several cell lines were previously established from a spontaneous murine T-cell leukemia (LB). The aim of this study was to analyze the G- and C-banded karyotypes of the parental LB tumor cells and the derived cell lines. A sensitive cell line (LBL) from which two sublines originated, as well as Vincristine (LBR-V160) and Doxorubicin (LBR-D160) resistant cell lines, were used. Our results showed that LB cells had a pseudo-diploid karyotype with 40 acrocentric chromosomes in which trisomy of chromosome 14 was the most relevant alteration. The sensitive cell line showed this alteration in all metaphases studied; no changes in karyotypes were observed in either subline, despite their dissimilar morphology and growth patterns. In contrast, both resistant lines displayed a more heterogeneous karyotype with no common markers, except for the finding that chromosome 5 was involved in a trisomy in LBR-V160 and in a translocation with chromosome 12 in LBR-D160. Taking into account that the mdr genes are located in chromosome 5, these results suggest a possible association between such alterations and the acquisition of drug resistance.

Leukaemia inhibitory factor abrogates Paclitaxel-induced axonal atrophy in the Wistar rat.

A prominent side effect of Paclitaxel chemotherapy is sensorimotor peripheral neuropathy. Leukaemia inhibitory factor (LIF) supports the survival and regrowth of axotomised sensory and motor neurons and we therefore investigated if systemically administered LIF abrogated Paclitaxel-induced neuropathy. We found that whereas animals administered Paclitaxel alone exhibited a significant decrease in the percentage of large myelinated axons, this reduction was prevented by the co-administration of LIF.

Leukemia inhibitory factor by systemic administration rescues spinal motor neurons in the SOD1 G93A murine model of familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) is a survival factor for motoneurons. In this study we investigated whether intense systemic LIF therapy prevents the loss of lumbar motoneurons in the transgenic SOD1 G93A mouse model of familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Treatment involved daily 25 microg/kg intraperitoneal injection for a period of 6 weeks starting at 70 days of age. Using the unbiased optical dissector technique, significant rescue of motoneurons in the LIF-treated group (3809+/-455) was found compared to the vehicle group (1085+/-140).

Correlation between decreased apoptosis and multidrug resistance (MDR) in murine leukemic T cell lines.

Cancer cells may frequently develop cross-resistance to structurally dissimilar chemotherapeutic agents. However, the molecular mechanisms for sensitivity and resistance of tumor cells towards chemotherapy are still partially understood. Antineoplasic drugs have been shown to induce apoptosis in chemosensitive leukemias and solid tumors. In this work, cross-resistance among vincristine (VCR), doxorubicin (DOX) and other antineoplasic agents commonly used in the treatment of leukemia such as etoposide (VP-16), methotrexate (MTX), cyclophosphamide (CTX), dexamethasone (DEX), cytarabine (Ara-C) and L-asparaginase on vincristine resistant (LBR-V160), doxorubicin resistant (LBR-D160) and sensitive (LBR-) murine leukemic T cell lines, was determined. The effect of antineoplasic agents was assayed by tritiated thymidine incorporation. Our results showed that VCR exhibited cross-resistance with DOX, VP-16, DEX and MTX, while DOX demonstrated cross-resistance with VCR, VP-16 and MTX. Ara-C failed to present cross-resistance with any cell line. Apoptosis induced by the above drugs on the same cell lines was analyzed by acridine orange and ethidium bromide staining, DNA hypoploidy (flow cytometry) and oligonucleosomal fragmentation of nuclear DNA showing that therapeutic concentrations of these chemotherapeutic agents induced apoptosis in the LBR- cell line. Our results demonstrated that, except for DEX, none of the drugs presenting cross-resistance were able to induce cell death on LBR-V 160 or LBR-D 160 cell lines.

Induction of apoptosis in murine lymphoma cells by cyclosporin A.

The aim of this study was to investigate if CsA could induce apoptosis in the murine T-lymphoma cell line LBC, whose growth is inhibited by this immunosuppressive drug. CsA induced programmed cell death in LBC cells with typical features of apoptosis demonstrated by exposure of phosphatidyl serine residues on the cell membrane, the decrease of cell DNA content, chromatin condensation, and nuclear fragmentation. Apoptosis was evident within 12 h after CsA incubation, with a maximal effect at 48 h, in a time and dose-dependent fashion. In addition, the role of apoptosis inhibitors (Bcl-2 and Bcl-x) and the apoptosis inducer (Bax) in CsA induced-apoptosis was evaluated. The expression of Bcl-2 and Bax proteins were high in LBC cells and following CsA treatment the expression of these proteins as well as Bcl-XL decreased. In this work we demonstrated that cell growth inhibition following CsA treatment in LBC was paralleled by the induction of apoptosis thus providing an interesting animal model to identify the mechanism participating in the regulation of apoptotic genes by CsA in T-cell neoplasms and to assess preclinical in vivo trials of T-cell lymphoma-related disorders.

Caracterização nutricional das folhas de Moringa oleifera (MOL) para frangos de corte / Chemical and nutritional characterization of moringa oleifera leaves for broilers

Objetivou-se determinar os valores energéticos e nutricionais das folhas de Moringa oleifera (MOL) para frangos de corte. Utilizaram-se 90 pintos machos, Cobb-500, com 14 dias de idade, distribuídos em delineamento inteiramente ao acaso, com cinco tratamentos e seis repetições de três aves. Os tratamentos consistiram de: uma dieta referência e quatro dietas com substituição de 10%, 20%, 30% e 40% da dieta referência pelas folhas de MOL. O período experimental teve duração de oito dias, utilizando-se a metodologia de coleta total de excretas. Foram determinados os valores de energia metabolizável aparente (EMA), aparente corrigida para o nitrogênio (EMAn), coeficiente de metabolizabilidade aparente da matéria seca (CMAMS), da proteína bruta (CMAPB) e da energia bruta (CMAEB). Os resultados obtidos foram submetidos à análise de variância e à análise de regressão a 5% de probabilidade. Houve efeito quadrático das variáveis à medida que a moringa era adicionada à ração referência. Na derivação das equações de regressão, o nível que proporcionou os melhores valores de EMA, EMAn e CMEB foi de 37,7% de substituição. O farelo de folhas MOL apresentou médias de 3140kcal/kg de EMA, 2845kcal/kg de EMAn, 76,92% de CMAEB, 76,63% de CMAMS e 73,42% de CMAPB.(AU)

This study aimed to determine the energy and nutritional value of the leaves of Moringa oleifera (MOL) for broilers. We used 90 male chicks, Cobb-500, with 14 days of age in a completely randomized design with five treatments and six repetitions of three birds. The treatments were: reference diet and 4 diets with substitution of 10%, 20%, 30%, and 40% of the diet by reference sheet MOL. The trial lasted eight days, using the method of total excreta collection. The apparent metabolizable energy (AME), apparent corrected for nitrogen (AMEn), apparent metabolizable coefficient of dry matter (AMCDM), crude protein (AMCCP) and gross energy (AMCGE). The results were submitted to analysis of variance and regression analysis at 5% probability. There was a quadratic effect of the variables as the moringa was added to the reference diet. In the derivation of the regression equations the level that provided the best values of AME, AMEn, AMCGE was 37.7% substitution. The leaves meal MOL presented average 3140kcal / kg of AME, 2845kcal / kg AMEn, 76.92% of AMCGE, 76.63% of AMCDM and 73.42% of AMCCP.(AU)

Composição físico-química e valores energéticos de farinhas de silagem de peixe para frangos de corte / Physicochemical composition and energy values of fish silage meal for broilers

Objetivou-se determinar a composição físico-química, os valores energéticos e os coeficientes de digestibilidade de quatro farinhas de silagem de peixe para frangos de corte. Foram produzidas quatro farinhas de silagem de peixe, utilizando-se o resíduo da filetagem de tilápias ensilado com diferentes fontes de carboidratos fermentáveis. Analisou-se a composição físico-química das silagens, e, em seguida, um ensaio de metabolismo com 180 pintos machos da linhagem Cobb de 14 a 25 dias de idade. Também foram avaliados o tempo de trânsito gastrintestinal das rações e o desempenho das aves nas gaiolas. Os animais foram distribuídos em delineamento inteiramente ao acaso, com cinco tratamentos, seis repetições e seis aves por unidade experimental. Os tratamentos consistiram de uma dieta referência e de quatro dietas teste compostas de 60 porcento da ração referência e 40 porcento do resíduo da filetagem de tilápia ensilado com diferentes fontes de carboidratos, sendo a farinha de silagem de peixe com o farelo de algaroba (SFA), com a farinha de varredura de mandioca (SFVM), com o farelo de milho (SFM) e com a casca da mandioca (SCM). A SFM obteve o maior teor de PB, 22,38 porcento, de EE, 27,35 porcento, e o maior tempo de trânsito, com 195,0min; a SCM apresentou o maior valor de MM, 11,12 porcento. Os valores de EMA e EMAn das farinhas de silagem de peixe não diferiram significativamente entre eles. O maior GP e a melhor CA foram apresentados pelos animais do tratamento SFM, e os piores GP e CA pelos frangos de corte alimentados com dietas contendo a SFVM. Com base na composição obtida, estas silagens de peixe têm potencialidade para serem utilizadas em dietas para frangos de corte...

The objective of this research was to determine the physical and chemical composition energy value and digestibility of four fish silage meal for broilers. Four flours were produced from fish silage using the residue of tilapia filleting ensiled together with different sources of fermentable carbohydrates. We analyzed the physical and chemical composition of silages and then a metabolism trial with 180 male Cobb chicks 14-25 days old, and also evaluated gastrintestinal transit time of feed and performance of birds in cages. The animals were distributed in a completely randomized design with five treatments and six replicates of six birds each. Treatments consisted of a reference diet and four test diets composed of 60 percent of the reference diet with the inclusion of 40 percent of the residue of tilapia silage with different sources of carbohydrates, and the fish silage meal with bran mesquite (SFA) with the scan cassava flour (SFVM) with corn meal (SFM), and peel cassava (SCM). The SFM had the highest content of CP, 22.38 percent, EE, 27.35 percent, and the largest transit time with 195.0 min, the SCM showed the highest MM, 11.12 percent. The AME and AMEn of flour fish silage did not differ significantly between them. The biggest and best GP CA was presented by animals in the SFM treatment and the worse CA GP was for broilers fed diets containing SFVM. Based on the composition obtained, these fish silage have the potential to be used in diets for broilers...

Effects of intraperitoneal injection of Rofecoxib in a mouse model of ALS.

There is increasing evidence that inflammatory mechanisms are involved in the pathogenesis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Inhibition of a key mediator of inflammation, cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2), represents a promising therapeutic approach in ALS. Here we tested the in vivo effects of a specific COX-2 inhibitor, Rofecoxib, administered by intraperitoneal injection, in the SOD1(G93A G1H) mouse model of the familial form of ALS (fALS). Rofecoxib administration commenced at postnatal day 60 (P60), since the hallmarks of inflammation in the spinal cord were found to occur beyond this time-point in this mouse model of fALS. We found a significant but small delay in the onset of locomotor impairment in mice treated with Rofecoxib at the dose of 10 mg/kg of weight. However, survival was not effected by treatment. As prostaglandin E2 levels in spinal cord or in plasma were not reduced by Rofecoxib treatment, these results may suggest lack of sufficient bioavailability as the reason for the modest clinical changes observed.

The serotonin precursor 5-hydroxytryptophan delays neuromuscular disease in murine familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

INTRODUCTION: Reduction in the levels of whole-blood serotonin is a common feature of Down syndrome (DS) individuals and transgenic mice overexpressing wild-type SOD1. Administration of the metabolic precursor 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) leads to reversal of both serotonin deficits and hypotonia in humans. The effect of 5-HTP treatment on the progression of motor neuron disease in mutant SOD1 mice was examined. METHODS: Pre-disease transgenic SOD1 G93A mice and wild-type littermates were systemically administered 5-HTP thrice weekly (0, 5 or 50 mg/kg). Animal weights, locomotor function and survival were recorded weekly. Plasma serotonin levels were measured post-mortem. RESULTS: Treatment with 5-HTP significantly delayed hindlimb weakness and mortality in SOD1 G93A mice in a dose-dependent manner. Wild-type mice were not adversely affected by 5-HTP administration. Baseline serotonin levels did not differ between wild-type and ALS mice. Blood platelet serotonin levels increased proportionally with dose. CONCLUSIONS: Increased blood serotonin by administration of 5-HTP in SOD1 G93A mice led to improved locomotor function and survival. A role for serotonin metabolism in mice with elevated SOD1 expression and motor neuron disease is suggested by these studies.

Opposing effects of low and high-dose clozapine on survival of transgenic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis mice.

Clozapine is a potent atypical neuroleptic or antipsychotic agent used to relieve symptoms of early-diagnosed schizophrenia. Aside from well-described dopamine and serotonin receptor blockade effects, clozapine may also be neuroprotective through its modulation of the p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75(NTR)) and superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) expression. The death-signalling activities of both p75(NTR) and mutant SOD1 are implicated in motor neuron degeneration in humans and transgenic mice with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). We therefore investigated the effects of clozapine in cell culture and mouse models of ALS. Clozapine dose-dependently inhibited full-length and cleaved p75(NTR) but not SOD1 protein expression in the motor neuron-like (NSC-34) cell line. Furthermore, low concentrations of clozapine protected NSC-34 cells from paraquat-mediated superoxide toxicity, nerve growth factor (NGF)-induced death signalling, and serum deprivation, whereas high concentrations potentiated death. Systemic thrice-weekly administration of low and high-dose clozapine to mutant superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1(G93A)) mice produced differential effects on disease onset and survival. Low-dose treatment was associated with delayed locomotor impairment and death, compared to high-dose clozapine, which accelerated paralysis and mortality (P < 0.05). Increased death was not attributable to toxicity, as clozapine-induced agranulocytosis was not detected from blood analysis. High-dose clozapine, however, produced extrapyramidal symptoms in mice manifest by hindlimb rigidity, despite reducing spinal cord p75(NTR) levels overall. These results suggest that although clozapine may exert p75(NTR)-mediated neuroprotective activity in vitro, its profound antagonistic effects on dopaminergic and serotonergic systems in vivo at high doses may exacerbate the phenotype of transgenic ALS mice.

Chemotherapy delays progression of motor neuron disease in the SOD1 G93A transgenic mouse.

BACKGROUND: A significant proliferation of glial cells occurs in the spinal cord and brainstem of SOD1 G93A transgenic mice with familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Since activated glia may contribute to motor neuron degeneration, we tested whether inhibition of gliosis using low-dose chemotherapy is beneficial in this mouse model. METHODS: Mice were administered fortnightly intraperitoneal injections of 0.1 mg/kg vincristine (VIN) or saline commencing at postnatal day 68 before disease onset. Mice were sacrificed at end-stage disease, and spinal cords were examined for histology. RESULTS: Survival of VIN-treated mice was significantly increased at 132.0 +/- 4.1 days compared to control animals at 117.8 +/- 2.1 days (p < 0.05). Furthermore, analysis of microglia and astrocyte populations suggests a reduction in the former following VIN therapy. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that chemotherapy may offer an alternative therapy or co-therapy for ALS.

A potential role for the p75 low-affinity neurotrophin receptor in spinal motor neuron degeneration in murine and human amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

INTRODUCTION: The p75 neurotrophin receptor has been recognized as a death-signalling molecule under certain circumstances. Its role in motor neuron degeneration in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) was analysed in SOD1-G93A transgenic mice and in spinal cords from human amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. METHOD: The precise loss of motor neurons in SOD1-G93A transgenic mice from birth to adulthood was established using the unbiased fractionator/optical dissector neuronal counting technique. RESULTS: This study showed an early trend in the loss of lumbar motor neurons in SOD1-G93A mice, beginning at birth and progressing to a massive 80% reduction by 4 months of age, when the disease is severe. This study also found that the p75 neurotrophin receptor was expressed in lumbar motor neurons in symptomatic SOD1-G93A mice and in motor neurons in the cervical spinal cords of patients with ALS. CONCLUSIONS: The murine and human ALS data suggest that the p75 neurotrophin receptor may play a death-signalling role in the pathogenesis of motor neuron degeneration. The precise mechanism by which this receptor drives the apoptotic process, both in murine SOD1-G93A motor neuron degeneration and in human amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, remains to be determined.