Effect of taurine on glycaemic, lipid and inflammatory profile in individuals with type 2 diabetes: study protocol of a randomised trial.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is characterised by chronic hyperglycaemia. Despite the efficacy of conventional pharmacotherapy, some individuals do not reach glycaemic goals and require adjuvant therapies. Taurine, a semi-essential amino acid, decreases blood glucose and cholesterol levels in rodents and humans.

Combined use of alcohol and cigarette increases locomotion and glutamate levels in the cerebrospinal fluid without changes on GABA or NMDA receptor subunit mRNA expression in the hippocampus of rats.

Interactions on neurotransmitter systems in the reward pathways may explain the high frequency of combined use of alcohol and cigarettes in humans. In this study, we evaluated some behavioral and neurochemical changes promoted by chronic exposure to alcohol and cigarette smoke in rats. Adult rats were administered with 2 g/kg alcohol (v.

Toxic elements in packed red blood cells from smoker donors: a risk for paediatric transfusion?

Background And Objectives: Smokers currently have no defined restrictions for blood donation. However, cigarette smoke contains toxic substances such as carbon monoxide (CO) and trace elements that can affect the packed red blood cells (PRBCs) quality and safety of transfusion. This study evaluated the effects of smoking on the concentration of essential and trace elements and on carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) levels in PRBCs from smoker donors.

Correlations between subunits of GABA and NMDA receptors after chronic alcohol treatment or withdrawal, and the effect of taurine in the hippocampus of rats.

Chronic use of alcohol and its withdrawal impairs the delicate balance between GABAergic and glutamatergic systems. This imbalance includes changes in GABA receptors - importantly in GABA subtypes - and glutamate receptors, especially in NMDA subtypes. A better comprehension of the different roles of GABAR and NMDAR subunits could be helpful to define new strategies to counteract the deleterious effects observed during alcohol withdrawal.

Changes in behavioral and neuronal parameters by alcohol, cigarette, or their combined use in rats.

Few studies have explored the effects of the combined use of alcohol and cigarette in humans, despite its prevalence. Here we evaluated the effect of isolated and combined use on behaviors and neuronal parameters in rats. Male adult rats were divided into alcohol (AL, 2 g/kg, by oral gavage), cigarette smoke (TB, six cigarettes, by inhalation), combined use (ALTB), or control (CT, water by oral gavage and environmental air) groups, treated twice a day (09.

Combined Exposure to Alcohol and Tobacco Smoke Changes Oxidative, Inflammatory, and Neurotrophic Parameters in Different Areas of the Brains of Rats.

Devastating effects of exposure to alcohol and tobacco smoke on health are extensively reported in the literature. However, few studies have attempted to elucidate the consequences of their combined use on the central nervous system. Here we studied the effect of this combined use on some oxidative, inflammatory, and neurotrophic parameters in the hippocampus, striatum, and frontal cortex of rats.

EUS liver assessment using contrast agents and elastography.

Transabdominal-US is the first-line imaging modality used to assess the whole liver parenchyma and vascularization; EUS assessment of the liver is incomplete and is not sufficient to rule out the presence of focal liver lesions. On the other hand, due the high diagnostic yield in detecting very small (< 1 cm) lesions, EUS is considered complementary to radiological imaging techniques for the investigation of liver parenchyma. Scarce data are available regarding the investigation of liver parenchyma using both EUS-elastography (EUS-E) and CH-EUS.

Acute intraperitoneal administration of taurine decreases the glycemia and reduces food intake in type 1 diabetic rats.

Taurine, an amino acid with antioxidant and osmoregulatory properties, has been studied for its possible antidiabetic properties in type 1 and type 2 diabetic animals. In type 2 diabetic mice, taurine decreases blood glucose through increased insulin secretion and insulin receptor sensitization. However, insulin is absent in type 1 diabetic individuals.

Catheter probe extraductal ultrasound (EDUS) exploration of the common bile duct is safe in elderly patients with suspicion of choledocholithiasis after distal gastrectomy.

Purpose: Post-surgical upper gastrointestinal anatomy may hamper a complete bilio-pancreatic evaluation with a standard echoendoscope. The aim of this study was to assess the role of catheter probe extraductal ultrasound (EDUS) for the evaluation of the common bile duct (CBD) in patients who are status post-gastric surgery and who are suspected of having choledocholithiasis.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed patients with a prior history of gastric surgery, who underwent EDUS for a suspicion of CBD obstruction.

Basics in Endoscopic Ultrasound Part 2: EUS-guided Sampling and Therapeutic Applications.

Background: Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) has been used in the clinical arena for almost 35 years and it is now well-integrated in everyday hospital practice.

Method: We conducted a systematic review of the available English-language articles.

Objective: The purpose of this review is to summarize the relevant applications of operative EUS.

Basics in Endoscopic Ultrasound Part 1: Diagnostic Indications and Tissue Sampling.

Background: Endoscopic Ultrasound has been used in the clinical arena for almost 35 years and it is now well-integrated in everyday hospital practice.

Method: We conducted a systematic review of the available English-language articles.

Objective: The purpose of this review is to summarize all the relevant indications to endoscopic ultrasound and analyze its relevant data in terms of accuracy and clinical outcomes.

Taurine counteracts the neurotoxic effects of streptozotocin-induced diabetes in rats.

Diabetes is a chronic metabolic disease associated with oxidative stress, damage to biomolecules such as DNA, and neuroinflammation. Taurine, a sulfur-containing amino acid widespread in the brain, has neuroprotective properties that might prevent tissue injury and DNA damage induced by chronic hyperglycemia. We evaluated the effects of chronic taurine treatment on oxidative stress parameters, DNA damage and inflammatory markers in the frontal cortex, and hippocampus of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

N-acetylcysteine Prevents Alcohol Related Neuroinflammation in Rats.

Alcoholism has been characterized as a systemic pro-inflammatory condition and alcohol withdrawal has been linked to various changes in the brain homeostasis, including oxidative stress and glutamate hyperactivity. N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant multi-target drug with promising results in psychiatry, including drug addiction. We assessed the effects of NAC on the serum and brain inflammatory cytokines after cessation of chronic alcohol treatment in rats.

Role of contrast harmonic-endoscopic ultrasound in pancreatic cystic lesions.

Incidental pancreatic cysts (PCs) are frequently encountered in the general population often in asymptomatic patients who undergo imaging tests to investigate unrelated conditions. The detection of a PC poses a significant clinical dilemma, as the differential diagnosis is quite broad ranging from benign to malignant conditions. Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) with fine-needle aspiration (FNA) has been reported to be an accurate tool in the differential diagnosis; however, its sensitivity is suboptimal and false negative results do occur.

Contrast enhancement and elastography in endoscopic ultrasound: an update of clinical applications in pancreatic diseases.

It is well established that endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) is fundamental in the characterization of many diseases concerning different organs, i.e. pancreaticobiliary diseases, gastrointestinal pathologic conditions, and lymph nodes of unknown origin.

Pancreatic necrosectomy: an evidence-based systematic review of the levels of evidence and a comparison of endoscopic versus non-endoscopic techniques.

Introduction: Endoscopic necrosectomy is now becoming common worldwide as a minimally-invasive treatment alternative to surgical necrosectomy. The aims of this systematic review are to record the entire body of the literature accumulated over the past 15 years on endoscopic necrosectomy techniques and to compare the outcomes of endoscopic versus non-endoscopic techniques.

Evidence Acquisition: All relevant articles were extracted up to December 2015 based on the results of searches in PubMed, Scopus and Google Scholar.

Role of endoscopy in the conservative management of biliary complications after deceased donor liver transplantation.

The clinical outcome of patients receiving liver transplantation could be significantly affected by biliary complications, including strictures, leaks, stones and bilomas; early diagnosis and treatment of these conditions lead to markedly reduction in morbidity and mortality. Therapeutic gold standard is represented by conservative approaches, both endoscopic and percutaneous, based on the type of biliary reconstruction, the local availability of the procedures and specific expertise. In patients with previous transplantation, the difficult biliary access and the possible presence of concomitant complications (mainly strictures) further restrict the efficacy of the endoscopic and percutaneous treatments; on the other hand, surgery should generally be avoided because of the even increased morbidity and mortality due to technical and clinical issues.

Performance of the forward-view echoendoscope for pancreaticobiliary examination in patients with status post-upper gastrointestinal surgery.

Background And Objectives: Failures of endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) imaging of the head of the pancreas (HOP) and the common bile duct (CBD) have been reported in up to 50% of patients with status postsurgery (e.g., Billroth II and Roux-en-Y).

Reliability of endoscopic ultrasound in predicting the number and size of common bile duct stones before endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography.

Background: Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) is accurate for the diagnosis of choledocholithiasis; however, data are lacking regarding the prediction of stone number and size.

Aims: To evaluate the concordance between EUS and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) in stone number and size assessment.

Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of consecutive patients undergoing ERCP due to detection of choledocholithiasis by EUS.

Contrast Harmonic-Endoscopic Ultrasound Is Useful to Identify Neoplastic Features of Pancreatic Cysts (With Videos).

Objectives: To evaluate the potential role of contrast harmonic endoscopic ultrasound (CH-EUS) in the differential diagnosis of pancreatic cysts and detection of malignancy.

Methods: Patients who underwent CH-EUS for evaluation of cyst wall, septae, and solid components of pancreatic cysts were included. The findings were compared to fine needle aspiration and surgery.