[Histomorphological changes in newborn rat lung induced by maternal sugar intake]. / Cambios histomorfológicos en pulmón de rata recién nacida inducidos por ingesta materna de azúcar.

INTRODUCTION: Respiratory conditions are the most common reason for admission to the neonatal unit for both term and premature newborns. It is known that nutritional imbalances during pregnancy affect the maturation and functional capacity of organs. OBJECTIVE: to describe the pulmonary histomorpholo- gy of newborn rats due to maternal sugar intake by light microscopy. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Twenty 4-week-old female Wistar rats divided into control and experimental groups with sucrose before and during pregnancy were used. At week 15, the females mated with males overnight. We recorded va lues from the body and lung weight of the newborns. The lungs were stained using Hematoxylin and Eosin, Masson's trichrome, Periodic acid-Schiff, and Verhoeff. RESULTS: Newborns from the experi mental group presented significantly lower body and lung weight (6.980 ± 0.493* g, 0.164 ± 0.022* g; *p < 0,05) compared with controls (7.854 ± 0.497 g, 0.189 ± 0.005 g). The lungs of the experimental group showed structural alterations in the lung parenchyma, as well as changes in glycogen deposits, collagen fibers, and elastin compared with the control group. CONCLUSION: Alterations in newborn lung growth and development are associated with maternal sucrose intake. It is important to re member that interventions on the maternal diet have beneficial effects for both the mother and the newborn.

Reduction of all-trans-retinoic acid-induced teratogenesis in the rat by glycine administration.

BACKGROUND: Prenatal rat embryo exposure to retinoids induces severe malformations in various organs; the most active and teratogenic metabolite is all-trans-retinoic acid (atRA). The mechanisms of this embryopathy are only partly known. In the present study, the influence of glycine on the teratogenicity of atRA was investigated. METHODS: Embryos from 5 groups of white rats were studied: Group 1 remained untreated; Group 2 received glycine 2% in drinking water ad libitum from the first gestational day (GD 1); Group 3 was administered vehicle (corn oil); Group 4 was treated with atRA (50 mg/kg of body weight) injected (IP); and Group 5 was treated with atRA (50 mg/kg of body weight IP) plus glycine 2% in drinking water ad libitum from GD 1. atRA was administrated daily from GD 8-10. Dams were killed on the 21st day of pregnancy, and their fetuses were examined to detect external, visceral, and skeletal malformations. RESULTS: The results show that the atRA-administered dose is not toxic for the dams, and that although fetal death was not observed, it produced abnormalities in the fetuses. Glycine reduced atRA-induced teratogenic effects (external and skeletal defects). CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that glycine effectively reduces the teratogenic effects of atRA. Thus, glycine might be useful for the prevention of vitamin A teratogenicity.

Alteración de la actividad inflamatoria regulada por T H1-T H2 en asma / Alteration of the inflammatory activity regulated by T H1-T H2 en asthma

El asma afecta entre 100 y 150 millones de personas en el mundo. En la actualidad, esta enfermedad se puede controlar por diversas terapias, pero no se puede curar y representa una de las enfermedades más costosas y frecuentes en los sistemas de salud en muchos países, por lo que son necesarias estrategias de prevención eficientes para reducir la morbimortalidad y costos económicos; esto requiere, entre otros, de un conocimiento detallado de los mecanismos inmunológicos y fisiológicos involucrados en el asma. Esta revisión sintetiza el conocimiento sobre la inflamación mediada por T H2 en asma y se discute el origen d elas células CD4+ T H'2 y el papel de las citocinas T H2 en la producción y mantenimiento de la inflamación de las vías respiratorias en esta enfermedad.

Asthma affects between 100 and 150 million people around the globe. Currently, it is a disease that can be controlled by diverse therapeutic approaches; unfortunately, it cannot be cured. In many countries asthma is one of the most expensive and frequent diseases for the healthcare systems. Therefore, effective preventive strategies are greatly needed to reduce individual morbidity, mortality and economic burdens. This requires, among others, a detailed knowledge of the immunoiogicai and physiological mechanisms involved in asthma. This review synthesizes our understanding about the inflammation of T H2-mediated asthma and discusses the origin of CD4 + T H2 cells and the role of T H2 cytokines in producing and maintaining airway inflammation in asthma.

Ácido retinoico y función pulmonar / Retinoic acid and pulmonary function

El ácido retinoico (AR) es el principal metabolito de la vitamina A y es esencial, tanto en el desarrollo embrionario como en mantener el crecimiento en el organismo adulto. Asimismo, el AR es importante en periodos durante los cuales hay una proliferación celular acelerada, como ocurre en el desarrollo pulmonar. En el pulmón de los mamíferos el AR induce la formación y septación alveolar durante el desarrollo y periodo posnatal, pero este evento no sucede en el pulmón adulto. Sin embargo, hay evidencia que señala que el AR induce una regeneración alveolar completa cuando los alveolos han sido destruidos por tratamientos nocivos. En este artículo revisamos algunos de los efectos que tiene el AR en el desarrollo y regeneración pulmonar, así como su importancia terapéutica en enfermedades pulmonares.

Retinoic acid (RA), the main metabolite of vitamin A (retinol) is essential for both normal embryonic development and maintenance of differentiation in an adult organism. RA is important during periods of rapid cell proliferation, such as when development of lung occurs. In the mammalian lung RA induces alveoli formation and septation in the development and postnatal period but in the adult mammalian lung this event cannot be induced. Nevertheless, there is evidence that RA induces the complete regeneration of alveoli that have been destroyed by noxious treatments. In this paper, we review some of effects of RA in the development and regeneration of the lung and its importance in the therapy of pulmonary diseases.