Early pathological characterization of murine dissecting abdominal aortic aneurysms.

We report here on the early pathology of a well-established murine model of dissecting abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs). Continuous infusion of angiotensin II (AngII) into apolipoprotein E-deficient mice induces the formation of aortic dissection and expansion at some point after implantation of miniosmotic pumps containing AngII. While this model has been studied extensively at a chronic stage, we investigated the early pathology of dissecting AAA formation at multiple scales.

Sleeping through anything: The effects of unpredictable disruptions on mouse sleep, healing, and affect.

Many aspects of the laboratory environment are not tailored to the needs of rodents, which may cause stress. Unpredictable stressors can cause ulcers, prolonged pituitary-adrenal activation, and anhedonia. Similarly, pain has been demonstrated to slow wound healing, and mice experiencing pain exhibit altered behavior.

Subacute acrolein exposure to rat larynx in vivo.

Objectives/hypothesis: Inhaled pollutants can contact vocal fold tissue and induce detrimental voice changes. Acrolein is a pollutant in cigarette smoke and can also be inhaled during the combustion of fossil fuels, animal fats, and plastics in the environment. However, the vocal fold pathological changes induced by acrolein and the underlying inflammatory pathways are not well understood.

Cigarette Smoke Exposure to Pig Larynx in an Inhalation Chamber.

Objectives: This study investigated the effects of cigarette smoke exposure on the pig larynx using an inhalation chamber. Specifically, we compared the effects of cigarette smoke exposure from either 3 cigarettes per day (3cd) or 15 cigarettes per day (15cd) for 20 days.

Study Design: In vivo prospective design.

Listeria Adhesion Protein Induces Intestinal Epithelial Barrier Dysfunction for Bacterial Translocation.

Intestinal epithelial cells are the first line of defense against enteric pathogens, yet bacterial pathogens, such as Listeria monocytogenes, can breach this barrier. We show that Listeria adhesion protein (LAP) induces intestinal epithelial barrier dysfunction to promote bacterial translocation. These disruptions are attributed to the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-6, which is observed in mice challenged with WT and isogenic strains lacking the surface invasion protein Internalin A (ΔinlA), but not a lap mutant.

Cholesterol Esterification Inhibition Suppresses Prostate Cancer Metastasis by Impairing the Wnt/β-catenin Pathway.

Dysregulation of cholesterol is a common characteristic of human cancers including prostate cancer. This study observed an aberrant accumulation of cholesteryl ester in metastatic lesions using Raman spectroscopic analysis of lipid droplets in human prostate cancer patient tissues. Inhibition of cholesterol esterification in prostate cancer cells significantly suppresses the development and growth of metastatic cancer lesions in both orthotopic and intracardiac injection mouse models.

Chronic cuffing of cervical vagus nerve inhibits efferent fiber integrity in rat model.

Objective: Numerous studies of vagal nerve stimulation (VNS) have been published showing it to be a potential treatment for chronic inflammation and other related diseases and disorders. Studies in recent years have shown that electrical stimulation of the vagal efferent fibers can artificially modulate cytokine levels and reduce systematic inflammation. Most VNS research in the treatment of inflammation have been acute studies on rodent subjects.

Proton density-weighted laryngeal magnetic resonance imaging in systemically dehydrated rats.

Objectives/hypothesis: Dehydrated vocal folds are inefficient sound generators. Although systemic dehydration of the body is believed to induce vocal fold dehydration, this causative relationship has not been demonstrated in vivo. Here we investigate the feasibility of using in vivo proton density (PD)-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to demonstrate hydration changes in vocal fold tissue following systemic dehydration in rats.

A Method to Administer Agents to the Larynx in an Awake Large Animal.

Purpose: This research note describes an adapted experimental methodology to administer an exogenous agent to the larynx and upper airway of awake animals. The exogenous agent could be a perturbation. In the current study, the agent was isotonic saline.

Application of Hyperosmotic Nanoemulsions in Wound Healing: Partial Thickness Injury Model in Swine.

In this work, we introduce a novel hyperosmotic nanoemulsion (HNE) topical agent for use in wound healing. These topical emulsion complexes combine a lipophilic thymol nanoemulsion with a hyperosmotic saccharide matrix. This combination has been previously shown to possess synergistic antimicrobial activity against a host of common and drug-resistant pathogens .

Murine ultrasound-guided transabdominal para-aortic injections of self-assembling type I collagen oligomers.

Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) represent a potentially life-threatening condition that predominantly affects the infrarenal aorta. Several preclinical murine models that mimic the human condition have been developed and are now widely used to investigate AAA pathogenesis. Cell- or pharmaceutical-based therapeutics designed to prevent AAA expansion are currently being evaluated with these animal models, but more minimally invasive strategies for delivery could improve their clinical translation.

Notch activation drives adipocyte dedifferentiation and tumorigenic transformation in mice.

Liposarcomas (LPSs) are the most common soft-tissue cancer. Because of the lack of animal models, the cellular origin and molecular regulation of LPS remain unclear. Here, we report that mice with adipocyte-specific activation of Notch signaling (Ad/N1ICD) develop LPS with complete penetrance.

Nondermal irritating hyperosmotic nanoemulsions reduce treatment times in a contamination model of wound healing.

Increased microbial burden within the wound often complicates wound healing and may lead to subsequent infection or delayed healing. Here, we investigate a novel topical for addressing wound contamination that utilizes hyperosmotic saccharides with a cell membrane disrupting emulsion. These hyperosmotic nanoemulsions (HNE) were administered topically in a full-thickness biopsy model of wound healing.

In vivo investigation of acidified pepsin exposure to porcine vocal fold epithelia.

Objectives/hypothesis: The study objective was to investigate epithelial changes in response to direct, repeated, acidified pepsin exposures in an in vivo porcine model. We hypothesized that 12 acidified pepsin applications to simulate reflux would elicit a vocal fold response characterized by inflammation, epithelial proliferation, and increased intercellular space, as well as changes in the gene expression of epithelial junctional proteins, ion transporter proteins, and proinflammatory cytokines.

Study Design: Prospective, in vivo study.

Bicarbonate availability for vocal fold epithelial defense to acidic challenge.

Objectives: Bicarbonate is critical for acid-base tissue homeostasis. In this study we investigated the role of bicarbonate ion transport in vocal fold epithelial defense to acid challenges. Acidic insults to the larynx are common in gastric reflux, carcinogenesis and metastasis, and acute inflammation.

Critical role of acrolein in secondary injury following ex vivo spinal cord trauma.

The pathophysiology of spinal cord injury (SCI) is characterized by the initial, primary injury followed by secondary injury processes in which oxidative stress is a critical component. Secondary injury processes not only exacerbate pathology at the site of primary injury, but also result in spreading of injuries to the adjacent, otherwise healthy tissue. The lipid peroxidation byproduct acrolein has been implicated as one potential mediator of secondary injury.