Caracterización del pollo como biomodelo experimental en arteriosclerosis: lesiones en troncos supra-aórticos / Use of the chicken as experimental biomodel in atherosclerosis: supra-aortic lesions

La enfermedad cardiovascular es hoy en día la primera causa de mortalidad en las sociedades desarrolladas. Dada la complejidad del desarrollo de la lesión aterosclerótica en el ser humano resulta interesante investigar en modelos animales en los que dicho proceso sea semejante a la enfermedad humana. El pollo, al igual que otras aves, es capaz de desarrollar arteriosclerosis aórtica y coronaria de forma natural o espontánea, e inducida por una dieta enriquecida en colesterol. Teniendo en cuenta que la mayoría de los trabajos publicados describen las lesiones en segmentos aórticos y la variedad de métodos de inducción de la arteriosclerosis, el objetivo de esta investigación es caracterizar de manera adecuada en el modelo aviar utilizado, las lesiones arterioscleróticas de troncos supra-aórticos en un grupo experimental con respecto a un grupo control. Se emplearon 20 pollos de la raza White Leghorn divididos en dos grupos (control y aterogénico) que recibían una dieta normal o hiperlipémica respectivamente durante un periodo de 6 meses. Se sacrificaron entonces los animales para llevar a cabo el estudio bioquímico del plasma (perfil lipídico), evaluación histológica de los troncos supra-aórticos y valoración semicuantitativa de las lesiones según la clasificación de Stary. Se observaron diferencias estadísticamente significativas entre ambos grupos para los diferentes parámetros bioquímicos estudiados y para la cuantificación del grado de lesión de Stary. En el grupo aterogénico se observó un endotelio conservado, con íntimas muy aumentadas de tamaño (10 veces el tamaño del grupo control) y muy desorganizadas. En conclusión, estos hallazgos confirman el uso del pollo como biomodelo experimental para el estudio de la arteriosclerosis en troncos supra-aórticos, y podrían ser empleados como referencia para futuros estudios intervencionistas(AU)

Cardiovascular diseases are considered first cause of human mortality in developed countries. Animal models allow adequate research of atherosclerosis, given the similarities with the human lesions. Chickens may develop spontaneous and also induced atherosclerosis by use of a cholesterol-enriched diet. Most published findings describe aortic lesions in a variety of induction methods. Therefore, the aim of this research is to characterize the used avian model, describing supra-aortic trunk lesions in atherosclerotic chickens and to compare it with control animals. Twenty White Leghorn chickens were used (10 controls fed with a normal diet and 10 atherogenic animals fed with a hyperlipidemic diet, for 6 months). After sacrifice, lipid biochemical parameters were analysed, as well as histologic evaluation of supra-aortic vessels and quantification of lesions following the Stary classification. Statistically significant differences for each parameter were observed between the control and experimental groups. Increased intima layer width with disorganization was observed in atherogenic animals. These findings confirm the use of the chicken as an adequate experimental animal for atherosclerosis, and could be used as a reference for future interventional studies(AU)

Effects of atorvastatin on progression-regression of renal injury in hyperlipidemic chickens.

Complex interrelationships exist between hyperlipidemia and the progression of renal injury. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of high plasma cholesterol and triglyceride levels on renal structure and the effects of atorvastatin on progression-regression of renal injury. One-hundred chickens were divided into five groups: Group A: Standard diet (SD) for 6 months; Group B: Hyperlipidemic diet (HD) for 6 months; Group C: HD for three months and SD during the next 3 months; Group D: HD for 3 months and SD during the next 3 months, when they received oral atorvastatin (3 mg/kg/d); Group E: HD for the whole 6 months, and atorvastatin (3 mg/kg/d) during the last 3 months. Increased alpha-actine immunostaining was found in glomeruli of groups B and C. An important decrease of immunostaining was observed in glomeruli of atorvastatin treated groups. Group D showed the lowest value for presence of lipids, and significant differences were found with respect to the rest of the groups. The glomeruli of group B presented the highest damage grades and those of group D showed the lowest grades and presented significant differences from the rest of the groups. The combination of atorvastatin therapy and proper diet proved to be effective in promoting renal disease regression. However, the study of several parameters indicates that neither only diet nor atorvastatin in the progression group resulted completely effective in decreasing the progression of the disease.

Evaluación macroscópica y microscópica del efecto de la atorvastatina sobre la progresión-regresión de la esteatosis hepática en un modelo aviar / Effects of atorvastatin on macroscopic and microscopic characteristics of hepatic steatosis progression-regression in an avian model

Introducción. La enfermedad grasa del hígado no alcohólica (EGHNA) se asocia a patología vascular subsidiaria de ser tratada con estatinas, por ello creemos de interés desarrollar un modelo de esteatosis hepática en animales y valorar el efecto de la atorvastatina en la lesión hepática inducida, así como presentar métodos de evaluación macroscópica y microscópica de los grados de esteatosis. Métodos. Se emplearon pollos de la raza White-Leghorn, clasificados en 5 grupos experimentales con diferentes dietas y tratamiento con atorvastatina. Los hígados fueron valorados y clasificados macroscópica y microscópicamente en 4 grados de lesión. Resultados. En el presente trabajo se ha conseguido desarrollar un modelo de hígado graso inducido por una dieta aterogénica empleando el pollo como animal de experimentación. Conclusión. Se demuestra que este modelo es adecuado para el estudio de la esteatosis hepática. Además, se muestran dos métodos de valoración de los grados de lesión: macroscópico y microscópico. Se concluye que la valoración macroscópica es útil para una discriminación rápida del efecto de la dieta, observándose también una tendencia al efecto beneficioso de la atorvastatina aunque no sea estadísticamente significativa. La evaluación microscópica, basada en los depósitos lipídicos, completa este estudio dando un mayor detalle de los grados de lesión, especialmente en los grados de lesión intermedios. Por este análisis microscópico se demuestra una reducción de la lesión hepática en los grupos tratados con atorvastatina. La combinación de los dos métodos, macroscópico y microscópico, es de gran utilidad para las valoraciones de los grados de lesión de esteatosis hepática (AU)

Introduction. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is commonly associated with vascular disease secondary to statin therapy. Therefore, the development of a hepatic steatosis animal model could be useful to evaluate the effect of atorvastatin on induced hepatic lesions, as well as to provide macroscopic and microscopic methods for evaluating hepatic steatosis. Methods. White Leghorn chickens were used, classified into five experimental groups, with different protocols of atorvastatin therapy and diets. Livers were assessed by means of macroscopic and microscopic analysis and classified into four grades of lesions. Results-conclusions. The chicken is useful and suitable as an animal model of hepatic steatosis induced by an atherogenic diet. Two methods of assessment are described: macroscopic and microscopic analysis. It was concluded that macroscopic evaluation rapidly identifies the effect of diet; atorvastatin showed a beneficial effect, although this was not statistically significant. Histological analysis (by evaluation of lipidic deposits) provided a more detailed classification of the grades of lesion, especially in intermediate grades. The histological analysis showed a decrease in the severity of induced hepatic lesions in atorvastatin-treated groups. The combination of the two evaluation methods (macroscopic and microscopic) was useful for determining the grades of severity of hepatic steatosis (AU)

[Aggressiveness and the teaching function]. / Agresividad y función docente.

The authors study aggression with the "Instrument I to measure aggression of Ledesma Jimeno, Rodrigues Isidoro and Izquierdo de la Torre" in a sample of teachers (N = 48) made up of 15 university professors and 33 non-university professors (primary school, secondary school and professional training). The teacher sample is compared with a control sample of 479 men. The group of non-university professors showed more self-aggression and less aggression toward others than the control sample and university sample did. Both groups of teachers showed high levels of "technical intelligence". The aggression of the university professors was very similar to the control group and showed special peculiarities giving high values of intrapsychic incoherence that made their conduct more unforeseeable, with higher creative dispositions and a higher risk to their mental health than the other two groups studied.