Short (2-Hour) Non-Oxygenated End-Ischemic Hypothermic Perfusion Versus Cold Storage in the Setting of Renal Transplantation.

Background: Kidney transplantation (KT) is the most effective treatment for end-stage renal disease. End-ischemic hypothermic machine perfusion (EI-HMP) has emerged as a promising method for preserving grafts before transplantation. This study aimed to compare graft function recovery in KT recipients of deceased brain-death (DBD) grafts preserved with EI-HMP versus static cold storage (SCS).

The effect of mechanical processing on avenanthramide and phenol levels in two organically grown Italian oat cultivars.

Avenanthramides (AVNs), free and bound phenols and their antioxidant capacities (ORAC) were evaluated in two L. cultivars, Donata and Flavia. The cultivars (cvs.

Multiple angiodysplasia diagnosed by capsule endoscopy.

A 28-year-old Caucasian man was admitted in our unit for acute massive rectal bleeding. Past medical and family history was unremarkable. Hemoglobin was 7.

Further Highlighting on the Prevention of Oxidative Damage by Polyphenol-Rich Wine Extracts.

Wine contains various polyphenols such as flavonoids, anthocyanins, and tannins. These molecules are responsible for the quality of wines, influencing their astringency, bitterness, and color and they are considered to have antioxidant activity. Polyphenols, extracted from grapes during the processes of vinification, could protect the body cells against reactive oxygen species level increase and could be useful to rescue several pathologies where oxidative stress represents the main cause.

Betacyanins enhance vitexin-2-O-xyloside mediated inhibition of proliferation of T24 bladder cancer cells.

Betacyanins (BC) were purified from beetroot (Beta vulgaris var. rubra L.) and tested, alone or in combination with vitexin-2-O-xyloside (XVX) from Beta vulgaris var.

Post-operative ileus in hemicolectomy for cancer: open versus laparoscopic approach.

Aim: This study aims to verify if the duration of postoperative ileus (POI), in patients undergoing abdominal surgery, is related to the surgical approach used (open or laparoscopic) or rather to the manipulation of bowel loops.

Materials And Methods: Ninety patients, undergoing elective colon resection for cancer, were randomized in three groups with different surgical approaches: open technique with extensive manipulation of intestinal loops (GROUP A), open technique with minimal manipulation (GROUP B) and laparoscopic technique (GROUP C). Return of bowel functions was investigated by: detection of bowel sounds, passage of flatus and passage of stool.

Synthesis of (E)-8-(3-chlorostyryl)caffeine analogues leading to 9-deazaxanthine derivatives as dual A(2A) antagonists/MAO-B inhibitors.

A systematic modification of the caffeinyl core and substituents of the reference compound (E)-8-(3-chlorostyryl)caffeine led to the 9-deazaxanthine derivative (E)-6-(4-chlorostyryl)-1,3,5,-trimethyl-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-d]pyrimidine-2,4-(3H,5H)-dione (17f), which acts as a dual human A(2a) antagonist/MAO-B inhibitor (K(i)(A(2A)) = 260 nM; IC(50)(MAO-B) = 200 nM; IC(50)(MAO-A) = 10 μM) and dose dependently counteracts haloperidol-induced catalepsy in mice from 30 mg/kg by the oral route. The compound is the best balanced A(2A) antagonist/MAO-B inhibitor reported to date, and it could be considered as a new lead in the field of anti-Parkinson's agents. A number of analogues of 17f were synthesized and qualitative SARs are discussed.

[Visual identification of the recurrent laryngeal nerve during thyroidectomy].

Introduction: Injuries to the recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) are always a possible complication of thyroidectomy, in spite of various technical proposals aimed at reducing these risks. The aim of this study is the description of the technical methods used by us for identification.

Materials And Methods: One hundred seventy-five patients underwent thyroidectomy with a technique consisting in a systematic search of the RLN in the tracheoesophageal groove where it crosses the ITA avoiding ligatures, sections or electro-coagulation before making a definite identification of the nerve which then takes place and is then safeguarded until laryngeal insertion.

A novel one-pot approach of hexahydropyrrolo[2,3-b]indole nucleus by a cascade addition/cyclization strategy: synthesis of (+/-)-esermethole.

A practical and efficient synthesis of 3-substituted hexahydropyrrolo[2,3-b]indole is described. The addition/cyclization of 3-substituted indoles with alpha,beta-dehydroamino esters in the presence of a Lewis acid provides hexahydropyrrolo[2,3-b]indole adducts in good yields and stereoselectivities. This approach has been applied to the concise synthesis of esermethole employing an appropriately substituted indole and an N-acyl dehydroamino ester.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of a gamma-cyclodextrin-based formulation of the anticancer agent 5,6,11,12,17,18,23,24-octahydrocyclododeca[1,2-b:4,5-b':7,8-b'':10,11-b''']tetraindole (CTet).

5,6,11,12,17,18,23,24-Octahydrocyclododeca[1,2-b:4,5-b':7,8-b'':10,11- b''']tetrai ndole (CTet), an indole-3-carbinol (I3C) metabolite endowed with anticancer properties, is poorly soluble in the solvents most frequently used in biological tests. This study indicates that the use of gamma-cyclodextrin (gamma-CD) avoids this problem. Formulated with gamma-CD CTet is a potent inhibitor of DNA synthesis in both estrogen receptor positive (MCF-7) and estrogen receptor negative (MDA-MB-231) human breast cell lines (IC50 = 1.

Antimicrobial activity of two propolis samples against human Campylobacter jejuni.

The aim of this study was to analyze the antimicrobial activity of two ethanolic extracts of propolis (EEPs) and selected flavonoids against 16 Campylobacter jejuni clinical isolates and several Gram-positive and Gram-negative human pathogens. The antimicrobial activity of EEPs and flavonoids was evaluated by the agar well diffusion method. The EEPs inhibited the growth of C.

[Rectus sheath haematoma as an early complication of laparoscopic hemicolectomy: a case report and review of the literature].

We report a case of rectus sheath haematoma (RSH) in a patient undergoing laparoscopic right hemicolectomy and anticoagulant prophylaxis of a pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE) with low molecular weight heparin. This pathological condition is rare and could be a cause of misdiagnosis in patients with acute abdominal pain. It can be a serious complication in the course of anticoagulant therapy.

[Integrated multidisciplinary treatment of colorectal neoplasms].

In this retrospective study, the modality and advantages of the multidisciplinary diagnostic work-up and therapy regarding colorectal neoplasm were analysed. Over the period 2004-2008, 63 patients underwent multidisciplinary treatment for colorectal cancer. All patients underwent surgery (laparoscopic/open).

[Severe postoperative complications in colorectal surgery for cancer. Incidence related to the techniques employed: open versus laparoscopic colectomy].

In this preliminary retrospective study, severe postoperative complications following surgery for colorectal cancer were analysed, comparing the results obtained with open versus laparoscopic colectomy. Over the period 2005-2007, 50 patients (29 female, 21 male; age range: 32-85 years) underwent surgical treatment for colorectal-anal cancer. Twenty-nine (58%) were submitted to the traditional open technique and 21 (42%) to the laparoscopic technique.

Synthesis, enantiomeric resolution, and structure-activity relationship study of a series of 10,11-dihydro-5H-dibenzo[a,d]cycloheptene MT2 receptor antagonists.

Racemic N-(8-methoxy-10,11-dihydro-5H-dibenzo[a,d]cyclohepten-10-ylmethyl)acetamide (compound 5) was previously identified as a novel selective MT(2) antagonist fulfilling the requirements of pharmacophore and 3D QSAR models. In this study the enantiomers of 5 were separated by medium-pressure liquid chromatography and behaved as the racemate. Compound 5 was modified at the acylaminomethyl side chain and at position C8.

Melatonin antagonizes apoptosis via receptor interaction in U937 monocytic cells.

Among the non-neurological functions of melatonin, much attention is being directed to the ability of melatonin to modulate the immune system, whose cells possess melatonin-specific receptors and biosynthetic enzymes. Melatonin controls cell behaviour by eliciting specific signal transduction actions after its interaction with plasma membrane receptors (MT(1), MT(2)); additionally, melatonin potently neutralizes free radicals. Melatonin regulates immune cell loss by antagonizing apoptosis.

Flavonoids from italian multifloral honeys reduce the extracellular ferricyanide in human red blood cells.

In this study we investigated some biological properties of flavonoids recovered in the aqueous (AqE) and ether (EtE) extracts from four Italian multifloral honeys. In particular, a cell-free assay was employed to detect direct reduction of ferricyanide, whereas an assay using intact human erythrocytes was used to measure the ability to donate electrons to a trans-plasma membrane oxidoreductase. It was found that the AqE displays greater "in vitro" ferricyanide-reducing activity than the EtE but, unlike the latter, is virtually ineffective in the cell-based assay.

Synthesis, antioxidant activity and structure-activity relationships for a new series of 2-(N-acylaminoethyl)indoles with melatonin-like cytoprotective activity.

5-Methoxy-2-(N-acetylaminoethyl)indole (5d), a melatonin analogue derived from the transposition of the acetylaminoethyl side chain from C3 to C2 of the indole nucleus, had been previously characterized as a low affinity antagonist at MT1 and MT2 membrane receptors; this molecule is endowed with good in vitro antioxidant and cytoprotective potency in rat cerebellar cell cultures, comparable to or better than those of melatonin. In order to further investigate the role of structure-antioxidant activity relationships in cytoprotection, the structure of 5d was systematically modulated to design a new series of compounds. The 5-methoxy group was replaced by substituents with different electronic and lipophilic properties and it was moved to a different position on the indole ring.

Reassessing the melatonin pharmacophore--enantiomeric resolution, pharmacological activity, structure analysis, and molecular modeling of a constrained chiral melatonin analogue.

3-(Acetylaminomethyl)-2-(ethoxycarbonyl)-6-methoxy-1,3,4,5-tetrahydrobenzo[cd]indole (2) is a rigid melatonin analogue that as a racemate displays about the same affinity and intrinsic activity of melatonin (1) in in vitro experiments. We report here the resolution of the racemate by preparative medium pressure liquid chromatography (MPLC) and the X-ray determination of the R absolute configuration of the (-)-enantiomer. The two enantiomers were separately tested as MT1 and MT2 ligands, and the (+)-(S)-2 showed a potency comparable to that of melatonin and about three orders of magnitude greater than that of its enantiomer.

Tricyclic alkylamides as melatonin receptor ligands with antagonist or inverse agonist activity.

This work reports the design and synthesis of novel alkylamides, characterized by a dibenzo[a,d]cycloheptene nucleus, as melatonin (MLT) receptor ligands. The tricyclic scaffold was chosen on the basis of previous quantitative structure-activity studies on MT1 and MT2 antagonists, relating selective MT2 antagonism to the presence of an aromatic substituent out of the plane of the MLT indole ring. Some dibenzo seven-membered structures were thus selected because of the noncoplanar arrangement of their benzene rings, and an alkylamide chain was introduced to fit the requirements for MLT receptor binding, namely, dibenzocycloheptenes with an acylaminoalkyl side chain at position 10 and dibenzoazepines with this side chain originating from the nitrogen atom bridging the two phenyl rings.

Antioxidant and cytoprotective activity of indole derivatives related to melatonin.

Melatonin (MLT) is known for its radical scavenger activity, which had been related to its ability to protect neuronal cells from different kinds of oxidative stress. In particular, MLT protects rat cerebellum granular cells from kainate-induced necrosis at concentrations higher than 100 microM, and is able to reduce lipoperoxidation induced by radical stress in rat brain homogenate at similar concentrations. On the other hand, MLT has nanomolar affinity for its membrane receptors (MT1 and MT2), and these are completely saturated at the high concentrations employed when the cytoprotective effect is observed.

Indole-based analogs of melatonin: in vitro antioxidant and cytoprotective activities.

The known neuroprotective actions of melatonin could be due to its antioxidant or radical scavenging activity, or they could be due to specific interactions of the indole with its receptors. A study of structure-activity relationships may provide useful information when a validated macromolecular target has not been (or is not) identified. A set of indole derivatives, with changes in the 5-methoxy and acylamino groups, the side chain position and the lipophilic/hydrophilic balance, were selected and tested for their in vitro antioxidant potency in the ABTS (2,2'-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid disodium salt) and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) assays and for their cytoprotective activity against kainate excitotoxicity on cerebellar cell cultures.

Plant-derived phenolic compounds prevent the DNA single-strand breakage and cytotoxicity induced by tert-butylhydroperoxide via an iron-chelating mechanism.

The protective effects of selected members from a series of caffeic acid esters and flavonoids were tested in various toxicity paradigms using U937 cells, previously shown to be sensitive to either iron chelators or bona fide radical scavengers or to both classes of compounds. It was found that all the protective polyphenols were active at very low concentrations and that their effects were observed only under those conditions in which iron chelators also afforded protection. Consistently, active polyphenolic compounds, unlike the inactive ones, effectively chelated iron in an in vitro system.