Primary hydatid cyst of the gallbladder: a case report.

Introduction: Echinococcosis, or hydatid disease, is endemic in some regions of the world, and has been a common pathology of surgical wards in Kosovo. Primary hydatid cyst of the gallbladder is an unusual and very rare localization of hydatid disease. So far, only five cases that fulfill the criteria of primary gallbladder hydatidosis have been published in the English medical literature.

A comparison of three single layer anastomotic techniques in the colon of the rat.

Introduction: Although intestinal anastomoses are mainly made by staplers, manual anastomoses are still in use worldwide. In previous studies, single layer anastomosis has shown better results compared to double layer techniques.

Purpose: To test experimentally some aspects of three different single layer anastomotic techniques in order to identify advantages and disadvantages of each.

Role of brain-derived neurotrophic factor in hyperoxia-induced enhancement of contractility and impairment of relaxation in lung parenchyma.

Prolonged hyperoxic exposure contributes to neonatal lung injury, and airway hyperreactivity is characterized by enhanced contraction and impaired relaxation of airway smooth muscle. Our previous data demonstrate that hyperoxia in rat pups upregulates expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) mRNA and protein, disrupts NO-cGMP signaling, and impairs cAMP production in airway smooth muscle. We hypothesized that BDNF-tyrosine kinase B (TrkB) signaling plays a functional role in airway hyperreactivity via upregulation of cholinergic mechanisms in hyperoxia-exposed lungs.

Disruption of NO-cGMP signaling by neonatal hyperoxia impairs relaxation of lung parenchyma.

Exposure of immature lungs to hyperoxia for prolonged periods contributes to neonatal lung injury and airway hyperreactivity. We studied the role of disrupted nitric oxide-guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (NO-cGMP) signaling in impairing the relaxant responses of lung tissue from hyperoxia-exposed rat pups. Pups were exposed to >/=95% O(2) or room air for 7 days starting from days 1, 5, or 14.

An astrocyte toxin influences the pattern of breathing and the ventilatory response to hypercapnia in neonatal rats.

Recent in vitro data suggest that astrocytes may modulate respiration. To examine this question in vivo, we treated 5-day-old rat pups with methionine sulfoximine (MS), a compound that alters carbohydrate and glutamate metabolism in astrocytes, but not neurons. MS-treated pups displayed a reduced breathing frequency (f) in baseline conditions relative to saline-treated pups.

The basomedial hypothalamus modulates the ventilatory response to hypoxia in neonatal rats.

We sought to examine the role of the basomedial hypothalamus in the regulation of breathing in neonatal rats. Small basomedial hypothalamic lesions were produced by a lesioning agent, goldthioglucose, in 5-d-old male rat pups, and 2 d later, baseline ventilation and the ventilatory responses to hypoxia and hypercapnia were examined. When compared with vehicle-injected controls, goldthioglucose-lesioned rat pups had a significantly slower respiratory rate and longer expiratory time at baseline.

Inhibition of Na(+)/H(+) exchanger type 3 reduces duration of apnea induced by laryngeal stimulation in piglets.

Reflexes from the larynx induce cessation of breathing in newborn animals. The magnitude of respiratory inhibition is inversely related to the level of central chemical input. Recent studies indicate that selective inhibition of Na(+)/H(+) exchanger type 3 (NHE3) activates CO(2)/H(+)-sensitive neurons, resembling the responses evoked by hypercapnic stimuli.

Endogenous nitric oxide modulates responses of tissue and airway resistance to vagal stimulation in piglets.

The role of endogenous nitric oxide (NO) in modulating the excitatory response of distal airways to vagal stimulation is unknown. In decerebrate, ventilated, open-chest piglets aged 3-10 days, lung resistance (RL) was partitioned into tissue resistance (Rti) and airway resistance (Raw) by using alveolar capsules. Changes in RL, Rti, and Raw were evaluated during vagal stimulation at increasing frequency before and after NO synthase blockade with N(omega)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME).

Activation of the midbrain periaqueductal gray induces airway smooth muscle relaxation.

In this study, we examined effects of chemical stimulation of the ventrolateral region of the midbrain periaqueductal gray (vl PAG) on airway smooth muscle tone. We observed that in anesthetized, paralyzed, and artificially ventilated ferrets, vl PAG stimulation elicited airway smooth muscle relaxation. To clarify the mechanisms underlying this observation, we examined the GABA-GABA(A) receptor signaling pathway by 1) examining the expression of GABA(A) receptors on airway-related vagal preganglionic neurons (AVPNs) located in the rostral nucleus ambiguus region (rNA), by use of receptor immunochemistry and confocal microscopy; 2) measuring GABA release within the rNA by using microdialysis; and 3) performing physiological experiments to determine the effects of selective blockade of GABA(A) receptors expressed by AVPNs in the rNA region on vl PAG-induced airway relaxation, thereby defining the role of the GABA(A) receptor subtype in this process.

Effects of hypoxia on respiratory neural output and lower esophageal sphincter pressure in piglets.

We have previously documented anatomic and functional relationships between ventilatory and autonomic neural output. Therefore, we hypothesized in this study that hypoxia-induced changes in respiratory neural output are associated with changes in autonomic regulation of lower esophageal sphincter (LES) pressure. Respiratory neural output, heart rate, and LES pressure were measured before and during a 3-min exposure to 8% oxygen (balance nitrogen) in 12 3- to 7-d-old piglets.

Ventilatory behavior after hypoxia in C57BL/6J and A/J mice.

Given the environmental forcing by extremes in hypoxia-reoxygenation, there might be no genetic effect on posthypoxic short-term potentiation of ventilation. Minute ventilation (VE), respiratory frequency (f), tidal volume (VT), and the airway resistance during chemical loading were assessed in unanesthetized unrestrained C57BL/6J (B6) and A/J mice using whole body plethysmography. Static pressure-volume curves were also performed.

Nitric oxide deficiency contributes to impairment of airway relaxation in cystic fibrosis mice.

The pulmonary disease of cystic fibrosis (CF) is characterized by persistent airway obstruction, which has been attributed to chronic endobronchial infection and inflammation. The levels of exhaled nitric oxide (NO) are reduced in CF patients, which could contribute to bronchial obstruction through dysregulated constriction of airway smooth muscle. Because airway epithelium from CF mice has been shown to have reduced expression of inducible NO synthase, we examined airway responsiveness and relaxation in isolated tracheas of CF mice.

Differential effects of hypercapnia on expiratory phases of respiration in the piglet.

Hypercapnia induces prolongation of expiratory time (TE) during early development. In the present study, we determined the response to steady state hypercapnia of three neural phases of the total respiratory cycle, inspiration (TI), stage 1 or passive expiration, TE-1 and stage 2 or active expiration, TE-2. Experiments were performed in decerebrate, vagotomized, spontaneously breathing piglets aged 5-10 days.

Central GABAergic mechanisms are involved in apnea induced by SLN stimulation in piglets.

Stimulation of the superior laryngeal nerve (SLN) results in apnea in animals of different species, the mechanism of which is not known. We studied the effect of the GABA(A) receptor blocker bicuculline, given intravenously and intracisternally, on apnea induced by SLN stimulation. Eighteen 5- to 10-day-old piglets were studied: bicuculline was administered intravenously to nine animals and intracisternally to nine animals.

The excitatory amino acid glutamate mediates reflexly increased tracheal blood flow and airway submucosal gland secretion.

In six decerebrated and in eight alpha-chloralose anesthetized, paralyzed and mechanically ventilated beagle dogs, we have studied involvement of glutamate and glutamate receptors in transmission of excitatory inputs from the airway sensory receptors to the nucleus tractus solitarius and from this site to airway-related vagal preganglionic cells that regulate the tracheal circulation and the submucosal gland secretion. Stimulation of airway sensory fibers by lung deflation-induced reflex increase in tracheal blood flow and submucosal gland secretion. These responses were diminished by prior administration of AMPA/kainate receptor antagonist CNQX into the fourth ventricle (n=6).

Recurrent hypoxic exposure and reflex responses during development in the piglet.

The effects of recurrent hypoxia on cardiorespiratory reflexes were characterized in anesthetized piglets at 2-10 d (n=15), 2-3 weeks (n=11) and 8-10 weeks (n=8). Responses of phrenic and hypoglossal electroneurograms (ENG(phr) and ENG (hyp)) to hypoxia (8% 0(2), bal N(2), 5 min), hypercapnia (7% CO(2) bal O(2), 5 min) and intravenous capsaicin were tested before and after recurrent exposure to 11 episodes of hypoxia (8% O(2) bal N(2), 5 min). In piglets 2-10 d, ENG(phr) response to hypoxia declined in proportion to the number of hypoxic exposures; however, ENG (hyp) response to hypoxia was unchanged.

Role of endogenous nitric oxide in hyperoxia-induced airway hyperreactivity in maturing rats.

We sought to define the effects of maturation and hyperoxic stress on nitric oxide (NO)-induced modulation of bronchopulmonary responses to stimulation of vagal preganglionic nerve fibers. Experiments were performed on decerebrate, paralyzed, and ventilated rat pups at 6-7 days (n = 21) and 13-15 days of age (n = 23) breathing room air and on rat pups 13-15 days of age (n = 19) after exposure to hyperoxia (>/=95% inspired O(2) fraction for 4-6 days). Total lung resistance (RL) and lung elastance (EL) were measured by body plethysmograph.

Differential cardiorespiratory control elicited by activation of ventral medullary sites in mice.

We studied the respiratory and blood pressure responses to chemical stimulation of two regions of the ventral brainstem in mice: the rostral and caudal ventrolateral medulla (RVLM and CVLM, respectively). Stimulation of the RVLM by microinjections of the excitatory amino acid L-glutamate induced increases in diaphragm activity and breathing frequency, elevation of blood pressure (BP), and a slight increase in heart rate (HR). However, activation of the CVLM induced a decrease in breathing frequency, mainly due to prolongation of expiratory time (TE), and hypotension associated with a slight slowing of HR.

The alpha3 subtype of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor is expressed in airway-related neurons of the nucleus tractus solitarius, but is not essential for reflex bronchoconstriction in ferrets.

To assess the role of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nACh-R) in the transmission of afferent constricting inputs from bronchopulmonary receptors to the nucleus tractus solitarius (nTS) and in the mediation of reflex airway constriction, we performed a combined immunohistological and functional study. In ferrets, the expression of nAch-R on the nTS neurons activated by histamine stimulation of airway sensory receptors was studied using laser scanning confocal microscopy to co-immunolocalize c-fos encoded protein (cFos) and nACh-R alpha3 subunit. We observed that activation of airway sensory receptors by inhalation of aerosolized histamine, induced cFos expression in a subset of nTS neurons that also expressed the nAch-R alpha3 subtype.

alpha(2)-adrenergic receptors are not required for central anti-hypertensive action of moxonidine in mice.

In the mouse medulla oblongata, we characterized binding properties and functional responses of two recognition sites for imidazoline compounds: I(1)-imidazoline and alpha(2)-adrenergic receptors. The mouse medulla expresses a higher density of I(1)-receptors than in the rat, whereas alpha(2)-receptor densities were similar between the two species. In anesthetized, ventilated and paralyzed mice, we tested the hypotensive actions of the I(1)/alpha(2) agonist moxonidine, determined its central site of its actions, and the relative roles of I(1) and alpha(2)-receptors.

Involvement of glutamate in transmission of afferent constrictive inputs from the airways to the nucleus tractus solitarius in ferrets.

In this study, we identified the neurons within nucleus tractus solitarius (nTS) activated by stimulation of airway sensory systems and examined the expression of AMPA receptor subtype(s) by these cells. We also investigated the possible involvement of endogenously released glutamate and AMPA receptors in the transmission of excitatory inputs from the sensory system of the respiratory tract to the neurons of the nTS. In these experiments we used: (1) immunodetection of c-fos encoded protein (cFos) expression to identify the nTS neurons activated by the stimulation of the airway sensory system; (2) receptor immunochemistry and confocal microscopy to determine the receptor(s) expressed by activated nTS neurons; (3) microdialysis to measure glutamate release, and (4) physiological measurements to examine the effects of selective receptor blockers, and thereby define the role of the glutamate and AMPA glutamatergic receptor subtype(s) in reflexly induced airway constriction.

Ontogeny of neurokinin-1 receptors in the porcine respiratory system.

We characterized the ontogeny of NK-1 receptor agonist affinity (Kd) and density (Bmax) in membranes from tracheal epithelium, smooth muscle, and lung of pigs aged 1-7 days, 8-21 days, and adult in comparison to contractile responses in vitro. Affinity of [125I] Bolton-Hunter substance P ([125I]BH-SP) in epithelium and smooth muscle was three- to fourfold lower in young piglets than in adults. The Bmax of NK-1 sites in epithelium was elevated by more than twofold at 8-21 days relative to 1-7 days piglets and adults.

CO2-induced c-fos expression in medullary neurons during early development.

In this study, we characterized the responses of brainstem neurons to hypercapnic loading at 5, 15, and 40 postnatal days, using c-fos gene encoded protein (Fos), as a marker of neuronal activity. At any of these studied ages exposure to 10% CO2 for 1 h produced a significant increase in the number of activated neurons within the ventral and the dorsal aspects of the brainstem. In the ventrolateral aspect of the medulla oblongata, Fos positive cells were observed within the ventrolateral medulla, extending from the pontomedullary border to the decussation of the pyramids.

CO2-induced prolongation of expiratory time during early development.

In these studies, we determined the contribution of central mechanisms and the role of GABA(A)-receptor signal transduction pathways in mediating hypercapnia-induced slowing of breathing frequency. Experiments were performed in decerebrate, vagotomized, paralyzed and mechanically ventilated piglets of 3-5 days and 2-3 weeks of age (n=19). Repeated exposure to progressive hyperoxic hypercapnia induced a reproducible increase in phrenic nerve activity, accompanied by a CO2 concentration-dependent increase in expiratory duration.

Changes in respiratory timing induced by hypercapnia in maturing rats.

Premature infants respond to hypercapnia by an attenuated ventilatory response that is characterized by a decrease in respiratory frequency. We hypothesized that this impaired hypercapnic ventilatory response is of central origin and is mediated via gamma-aminobutyric acid-ergic (GABAergic) pathways. We therefore studied two groups of maturing Sprague-Dawley rats: unrestrained rats in a whole body plethysmograph at four postnatal ages (5, 16-17, 22-23, and 41-42 days); and ventilated, decerebrate, vagotomized, paralyzed rats in which phrenic nerve responses to hypercapnia were measured at 4-6 and 37-39 days of age.