Publications by authors named "B L Hunne"
Characterization of neuromuscular transmission and projections of muscle motor neurons in the rat stomach.
Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol
January 2024
The stomach is the primary reservoir of the gastrointestinal tract, where ingested content is broken down into small particles. Coordinated relaxation and contraction is essential for rhythmic motility and digestion, but how the muscle motor innervation is organized to provide appropriate graded regional control is not established. In this study, we recorded neuromuscular transmission to the circular muscle using intracellular microelectrodes to investigate the spread of the influence of intrinsic motor neurons.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPatients with Hirschsprung disease lack enteric ganglia in the distal colon and propulsion of colorectal content is substantially impaired. Proposed stem cell therapies to replace neurons require surgical bypass of the aganglionic bowel during re-colonization, but there is inadequate knowledge of the consequences of bypass. We performed bypass surgery in Ednrb-/- Hirschsprung rat pups.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe investigated the distributions and targets of nitrergic neurons in the rat stomach, using neuronal nitric oxide synthase (NOS) immunohistochemistry and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) diaphorase histochemistry. Nitrergic neurons comprised similar proportions of myenteric neurons, about 30%, in all gastric regions. Small numbers of nitrergic neurons occurred in submucosal ganglia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe strengths, directions and coupling of the movements of the stomach depend on the organisation of its musculature. Although the rat has been used as a model species to study gastric function, there is no detailed, quantitative study of the arrangement of the gastric muscles in rat. Here we provide a descriptive and quantitative account, and compare it with human gastric anatomy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- The study explored the effectiveness of different forms of dietary selenium (inorganic, organic, and nanoelemental) in increasing the activity of the antioxidant protein glutathione peroxidase (GPx) in mice.
- Results showed that all forms of selenium could be effectively incorporated into various tissues, with the highest selenium levels found in mice fed a diet rich in selenium (1.7 ppm).
- The research suggested that bacteria might play a role in converting nanoelemental selenium into forms that the body can use, especially in mice lacking gut bacteria (germ-free).