Peripapillary Vitreous Traction Syndrome: Expanding the Spectrum of Anterior Optic Neuropathies.

Background: Peripapillary vitreous traction (PVT) occurring without any underlying eye disease has been contemplated as a distinct entity from nonarteritic ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) for many years and is sometimes difficult to differentiate from classical NAION. We report 6 new cases to analyze the clinical features of PVT syndrome that would expand the clinical spectrum of anterior optic neuropathies.

Methods: Prospective case series.

Non-alcoholic Wernicke's encephalopathy: toxic ingestion or an honest mis-steak?

A 21-year-old male presented with a 2-week history of nausea and non-bloody, non-bilious vomiting, accompanied by diffuse chronic myalgia. The patient endorsed headaches, dizziness, and diplopia that had started one day prior to admission. The patient had consumed a meat-only diet for the prior year.

Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone Receptor Alters the Tumor Development and Growth in Mice and in a Chemically-Induced Model of Colon Cancer.

The neuroendocrine circuit of the corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) family peptides, via their cognate receptors CRHR1 and CRHR2, copes with psychological stress. However, peripheral effects of the CRH system in colon cancer remains elusive. Thus, we investigate the role of CRHR1 and CRHR2 in colon cancer.

Chronic Alterations in Systemic Immune Function after Traumatic Brain Injury.

There is a compelling link between severe brain trauma and immunosuppression in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Although acute changes in the systemic immune compartment have been linked to outcome severity, the long-term consequences of TBI on systemic immune function are unknown. Here, adult male C57Bl/6 mice underwent moderate-level controlled cortical impact (CCI) or sham surgery, and systemic immune function was evaluated at 1, 3, 7, 14, and 60 days post-injury.

Bidirectional brain-gut interactions and chronic pathological changes after traumatic brain injury in mice.

Objectives: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) has complex effects on the gastrointestinal tract that are associated with TBI-related morbidity and mortality. We examined changes in mucosal barrier properties and enteric glial cell response in the gut after experimental TBI in mice, as well as effects of the enteric pathogen Citrobacter rodentium (Cr) on both gut and brain after injury.

Methods: Moderate-level TBI was induced in C57BL/6mice by controlled cortical impact (CCI).

Corticotropin Releasing Hormone and Urocortin 3 Stimulate Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Expression through the cAMP/CREB Pathway.

Colonic epithelium is the first line of defense against various pathological offenses in the gut. Previous studies have shown that the peptides of the corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) family modulate vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A production in other cells. Here we sought to investigate whether CRH and urocortin (Ucn) 3 regulate VEGF-A secretion in colonocytes through CRH receptors and to elucidate the underlying mechanism of action.

The anticancer effect of probiotic Bacillus polyfermenticus on human colon cancer cells is mediated through ErbB2 and ErbB3 inhibition.

A wealth of data implicates that ErbB receptors have essential roles in tumor development. Probiotic bacteria are known to exert an anticancer activity in animal studies. Bacillus polyfermenticus (B.