Beneficial effects of carotenoid-producing cells of Bacillus indicus HU16 in a rat model of diet-induced metabolic syndrome.

A well-established rat model of diet-induced metabolic syndrome was used to evaluate the effects of the oral administration of spores or cells of HU16, a carotenoid-producing strain of Bacillus indicus. Symptoms of metabolic syndrome were induced in 90-days old, male Sprague-Dawley rats maintained for eight weeks on a high-fat diet, as previously reported. Parallel groups of animals under the same diet regimen also received a daily dose of 1×1010 cells or spores of B. indicus HU16. Cells of strain HU16 were able to reduce symptoms of metabolic syndrome, plasma markers of inflammation and oxidative markers in plasma and liver to levels similar to those observed in rats under a standard diet. HU16 cells did not affect obesity markers or the accumulation of triglycerides in the liver of treated animals. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analysis showed that the oral administration of HU16 cells did not significantly affect the gut microbiota of high fat-fed rats, suggesting that the observed beneficial effects are not due to a reshaping of the gut microbiota but rather to metabolites produced by HU16 cells.

Late treatment of orbital fractures: a new analysis for surgical planning.

Surgical treatment of orbital fractures should be performed without delay; in some cases acute management is not possible due to general conditions and might be delayed for weeks or months. In the latter case, the fractured fragments can consolidate improperly, causing secondary deformities of the orbital region with aesthetic and functional alteration. Surgical planning of secondary deformities is critical for adequate pre-operative planning. In the last decade an increasing number of dedicated software applications for surgical planning have been developed. Standard computed tomography (CT) or the relatively new cone beam CT can be used for diagnostic purposes, pre-surgical visual treatment outcome and virtual surgery. In this report, the authors propose their pre-operative planning analysis for surgical correction of secondary deformities of orbital fractures. The treatment of orbital fracture must, in fact, analyse not only the bone structures but the soft tissue and surrounding periorbital region. The position of the orbit in the space should be determined in relation to the surrounding structures compared to the contralateral side, if this is not affected by the trauma or pre-existing malformations.

Caloric restriction followed by high fat feeding predisposes to oxidative stress in skeletal muscle mitochondria.

The purpose of the present study was to assess the impact of previous period of caloric restriction on energy balance and skeletal muscle mitochondrial energetics in response to high-fat (HF) diet. To this end, 1 group of rats was subjected to 2 weeks of caloric restriction with nonpurified diet and then fed HF diet (430 kJ metabolizable energy/day) for 1 week, while the second group was fed ad libitum with nonpurified diet for 2 weeks and then fed HF diet (430 kJ metabolizable energy/day) for 1 week. Body composition, energy balance, and glucose homeostasis were measured. Mitochondrial mass, oxidative capacity and efficiency, parameters of oxidative stress, and antioxidant defense were evaluated in subsarcolemmal and intermyofibrillar mitochondria from skeletal muscle. Body energy and lipid content, plasma insulin, and metabolic efficiency were significantly higher, while energy expenditure significantly decreased, in food-restricted rats fed HF diet compared to controls. Mitochondrial efficiency and oxidative damage in skeletal muscle were significantly increased, while antioxidant defence was significantly lower in food-restricted rats fed HF diet, compared with controls. Finally, food-restricted rats fed HF diet exhibited significant reduction in subsarcolemmal mitochondrial mass. In conclusion, caloric restriction elicits higher mitochondrial efficiency and predisposes skeletal muscle to high fat-induced oxidative damage, which in turn could lead to impaired glucose homeostasis in food-restricted rats fed HF diet.

Correlation of immune complexes with serum cytotoxic activity induced by antisperm cytophilic antibodies

En trabajpos previos (1) demostramos la presencia de anticuerpos citofilicos antiespermáticos (ACA) en suero de cobayos con orquitis inmunológica experimental, encontrándose una estrecha relación entre lesión testicular y ACA. Dichos ACA fueron asilados mediante elución de la superficie de macrófagos, demosntrando su naturaleza de IgG2 (12). Este trabajo tiene por objeto estudiar la capacidad citotóxica tanto in vitro, como in vitro, de ACA extraídos (HE) de sueros provenientes de cobayos con alto título de ACA (HS). Asimismo, en dichos sueros se investigó la presencia de complejos inmunes circulantes (CIC). Se demostró citotoxicidad in citro sobre: a) células germinales aisladas de tésticulo normal (Tabla 1) incubadas con HS (1/32) y con el anticuerpo aislado HE (1/128); b) espermatozoides (Tabla 1) incubados con HE (1/64). Se demostro citotoxicidad in vivo (Tabla 2) mediante el estudio histológico de testículos de cobayos normales a los cuales se inyecto HS y HE en el espacio subalbugineo. Con HS se hallo intensa orquitis desde el primer día post-inyección. Con HE las lesiones testiculares se observaron a partir del día 7. La incubación in vitro o la inyección en el espacio subalbugíneo utilizando suero normal o fracción citofgílica aislada de suero normal no demostratron citotoxicidad en ningún caso. La presencia de CIC se investigó ne HS mediante: 1) la técnica de combinación 125I-C1q(19), con la cual no se obtuvieron datos significativos en relación al suero normal (Tabla 3); 2) el test de precipitación de polietilenglicol (4) el cual permitió detectar nivelles elevados de CIC en HS (Tabla 4). Estos hallazgos sugieren que los ACA poseen actividad citotóxica sobre el tejido testicular. Esta citotoxicidad podría estar relacionada con los CIC precipitables con polietilenglicol (AU)

Correlation of immune complexes with serum cytotoxic activity induced by antisperm cytophilic antibodies

En trabajpos previos (1) demostramos la presencia de anticuerpos citofilicos antiespermáticos (ACA) en suero de cobayos con orquitis inmunológica experimental, encontrándose una estrecha relación entre lesión testicular y ACA. Dichos ACA fueron asilados mediante elución de la superficie de macrófagos, demosntrando su naturaleza de IgG2 (12). Este trabajo tiene por objeto estudiar la capacidad citotóxica tanto in vitro, como in vitro, de ACA extraídos (HE) de sueros provenientes de cobayos con alto título de ACA (HS). Asimismo, en dichos sueros se investigó la presencia de complejos inmunes circulantes (CIC). Se demostró citotoxicidad in citro sobre: a) células germinales aisladas de tésticulo normal (Tabla 1) incubadas con HS (1/32) y con el anticuerpo aislado HE (1/128); b) espermatozoides (Tabla 1) incubados con HE (1/64). Se demostro citotoxicidad in vivo (Tabla 2) mediante el estudio histológico de testículos de cobayos normales a los cuales se inyecto HS y HE en el espacio subalbugineo. Con HS se hallo intensa orquitis desde el primer día post-inyección. Con HE las lesiones testiculares se observaron a partir del día 7. La incubación in vitro o la inyección en el espacio subalbugíneo utilizando suero normal o fracción citofgílica aislada de suero normal no demostratron citotoxicidad en ningún caso. La presencia de CIC se investigó ne HS mediante: 1) la técnica de combinación 125I-C1q(19), con la cual no se obtuvieron datos significativos en relación al suero normal (Tabla 3); 2) el test de precipitación de polietilenglicol (4) el cual permitió detectar nivelles elevados de CIC en HS (Tabla 4). Estos hallazgos sugieren que los ACA poseen actividad citotóxica sobre el tejido testicular. Esta citotoxicidad podría estar relacionada con los CIC precipitables con polietilenglicol