Adipose Tissue Dysfunction and Obesity-Related Male Hypogonadism.

Obesity is a chronic illness associated with several metabolic derangements and comorbidities (i.e., insulin resistance, leptin resistance, diabetes, etc.) and often leads to impaired testicular function and male subfertility. Several mechanisms may indeed negatively affect the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal health, such as higher testosterone conversion to estradiol by aromatase activity in the adipose tissue, increased ROS production, and the release of several endocrine molecules affecting the hypothalamus-pituitary-testis axis by both direct and indirect mechanisms. In addition, androgen deficiency could further accelerate adipose tissue expansion and therefore exacerbate obesity, which in turn enhances hypogonadism, thus inducing a vicious cycle. Based on these considerations, we propose an overview on the relationship of adipose tissue dysfunction and male hypogonadism, highlighting the main biological pathways involved and the current therapeutic options to counteract this condition.

A case of pericarditis caused by Mycoplasma hyorhinis in a weaned piglet.

BACKGROUND: Mycoplasma hyorhinis (M. hyorhinis) is a bacterium commonly found in the upper respiratory tract of healthy pigs and an agent of polyserositis and polyarthritis. Moreover, it can carry antibiotic resistance genes (Wu et al, Vet. Microbiol. 76: 25-30, 2000). Economic losses caused by M. hyorhinis can be reduced by antibiotic therapy, however, isolation and antimicrobic susceptibility profile are rarely performed. CASE PRESENTATION: The present report describes a case of pericarditis caused by M. hyorhinis in a weaned piglet with respiratory symptoms and reduced growth performance. At post mortem examination, the main macroscopic finding was a severe fibrinous pericarditis and M. hyorhins was the only agent isolated from the pericardial fluid. In this strain, Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) determination revealed resistance to various antimicrobial molecules such as erythromycin, tylosin and tilmicosin. CONCLUSION: This paper highlights the importance of including M. hyorhins in the differential diagnosis of polyserositis in swine. Moreover, due the possible presence of multidrug resistance, the determination of antimicrobial susceptibility pattern should be performed on a regular basis.

Blood SIRT1 Shows a Coherent Association with Leptin and Adiponectin in Relation to the Degree and Distribution of Adiposity: A Study in Obesity, Normal Weight and Anorexia Nervosa.

Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) is a sensor of cell energy availability, and with leptin and adiponectin, it regulates metabolic homeostasis. Widely studied in tissues, SIRT1 is under evaluation as a plasmatic marker. We aimed at assessing whether circulating SIRT1 behaves consistently with leptin and adiponectin in conditions of deficiency, excess or normal fat content. Eighty subjects were evaluated: 27 with anorexia nervosa (AN), 26 normal-weight and 27 with obesity. Bloodstream SIRT1, leptin and adiponectin (ELISA), total and trunk fat mass (FM) %, abdominal visceral adipose tissue, liver steatosis and epicardial fat thickness (EFT) were assessed. For each fat store, the coefficient of determination (R2) was used to evaluate the prediction capability of SIRT1, leptin and adiponectin. Plasma SIRT1 and adiponectin coherently decreased with the increase of FM, while the opposite occurred with leptin. Mean levels of each analyte were different between groups (p < 0.005). A significant association between plasma variables and FM depots was observed. SIRT1 showed a good predictive strength for FM, particularly in the obesity group, where the best R2 was recorded for EFT (R2 = 0.7). Blood SIRT1, adiponectin and leptin behave coherently with FM and there is synchrony between them. The association of SIRT1 with FM is substantially superimposable to that of adiponectin and leptin. Given its homeostatic roles, SIRT1 may deserve to be considered as a plasma clinical/biochemical parameter of adiposity and metabolic health.

Micro-CT based finite element models for elastic properties of glass-ceramic scaffolds.

In this study, the mechanical properties of porous glass-ceramic scaffolds are investigated by means of three-dimensional finite element models based on micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) scan data. In particular, the quantitative relationship between the morpho-architectural features of the obtained scaffolds, such as macroscopic porosity and strut thickness, and elastic properties, is sought. The macroscopic elastic properties of the scaffolds have been obtained through numerical homogenization approaches using the mechanical characteristics of the solid walls of the scaffolds (assessed through nanoindentation) as input parameters for the numerical simulations. Anisotropic mechanical properties of the produced scaffolds have also been investigated by defining a suitable anisotropy index. A comparison with morphological data obtained through the micro-CT scans is also presented. The proposed study shows that the produced glass-ceramic scaffolds exhibited a macroscopic porosity ranging between 29% and 97% which corresponds to an average stiffness ranging between 42.4GPa and 36MPa. A quantitative estimation of the isotropy of the macroscopic elastic properties has been performed showing that the samples with higher solid fractions were those closest to an isotropic material.

Differential biohydrogenation and isomerization of [U-(13)C]oleic and [1-(13)C]oleic acids by mixed ruminal microbes.

The additional mass associated with 13C in metabolic tracers may interfere with their metabolism. The comparative isomerization and biohydrogenation of oleic, [1-(13)C]oleic, and [U-13C]oleic acids by mixed ruminal microbes was used to evaluate this effect. The percent of stearic, cis-14 and -15, and trans-9 to -16 18:1 originating from oleic acid was decreased for [U-(13)C]oleic acid compared with [1-(13)C]oleic acid. Conversely, microbial utilization of [U-(13)C]oleic acid resulted in more of the 13C label in cis-9 18:1 compared with [1-(13)C]oleic acid (53.7 vs. 40.1%). The isomerization and biohydrogenation of oleic acid by ruminal microbes is affected by the mass of the labeled tracer.

Adesivos de cianoacrilato para fixação de xenoenxertos / Cyanoacrylate adhesives for fixation of xenografts

O objetivo deste trabalho foi o de avaliar histologicamente os adesivos à base de etil-cianoacrilato e de butil-2-cianoacrilato na fixação de enxertos ósseos bovinos, em osso parietal de coelho. Vinte coelhos adultos receberam enxerto de osso bovino inorgânico liofilizado em bloco, sobre osso parietal. Previamente, foram realizadas osteotomias no osso bovino, com uma trefina de 6 mm. Os enxertos foram fixados com etil-cianoacrilato no grupo I (GI) e, com butil-2-cianoacrilato, no grupo II (GII). Após 5, 15, 30, 60 e 120 dias, os animais foram sacrificados, e as peças foram processadas segundo técnica histológica para coloração em H.E. Em 15 dias, em GI e GII, foram observadas discreta reação inflamatória. Notou-se presença de neoformação óssea adjacente ao enxerto em 30 dias, no GI e aos 60 dias, no GII. Aos 120 dias, tecido conjuntivo no interior do enxerto, pontos de neoformação óssea, presença de adesivo e os enxertos não se apresentaram incorporados ao leito receptor em todos os espécimes (GI e GII). Concluímos que tanto etil-cianoacrilato quanto butil-2-cianoacrilato foram biocompatíveis. Ambos os adesivos fixaram os xenoenxertos, promovendo estabilidade adequada para neoformação óssea no interior do enxerto e na interface enxerto/leito receptor, no entanto uma avaliação adicional a longo prazo é necessária para verificar a degradação completa dos adesivos.

The aim of this study was to histologically evaluate ethyl-cyanoacrylate and butyl-2-cyanoacrylate adhesives for fixation of bovine bone grafts on parietal bone of the rabbit. Twenty adult rabbits received a graft of freeze-dried inorganic bovine bone on parietal bone. Prior to the graft, osteotomies were performed on bovine bone with a 6mm-trephine. The grafts were fixed with ethyl-cyanoacrylate in group I (GI) and with butyl-2-cyanoacrylate in group II (GII). The animals were sacrificed after 5, 15, 30, 60 and 120 days and the specimens submitted to the routine laboratory procedures for H.E. staining. At 15 days, a slight inflammatory reaction was observed in both GI and GII. The presence of new bone formation around the graft was noted at 30 days in GI and at 60 days in GII. After 120 days, there was connective tissue within the graft, regions of new bone formation and presence of adhesive, none of the grafts being incorporated into the host bed in either GI or GII. We concluded that both ethyl-cyanoacrylate and butyl-2-cyanoacrylate were biocompatible and both adhesives fixed the xenografts, providing adequate stability for new bone formation inside the graft and on the graft/host bed interface. However, an additional evaluation long-term is necessary to verify the complete degradation of the adhesives.