Extracellular matrix and vascular dynamics in the kidney of a murine model for Marfan syndrome.

Fibrillin-1 is a pivotal structural component of the kidney's glomerulus and peritubular tissue. Mutations in the fibrillin-1 gene result in Marfan syndrome (MFS), an autosomal dominant disease of the connective tissue. Although the kidney is not considered a classically affected organ in MFS, several case reports describe glomerular disease in patients.

Effects of the PARP Inhibitor Olaparib on the Response of Human Peripheral Blood Leukocytes to Bacterial Challenge or Oxidative Stress.

Prior studies demonstrate the activation of poly-(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP1) in various pathophysiological conditions, including sepsis. We have assessed the effect of olaparib, a clinically used PARP1 inhibitor, on the responses of human peripheral blood leukocytes (PBMCs) obtained from healthy volunteers in response to challenging with live bacteria, bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS), or oxidative stress (hydrogen peroxide, HO). The viability of PBMCs exposed to olaparib or to the earlier generation PARP inhibitor PJ-34 (0.

Ozone Therapy in the Prevention of Dental Plaque Formation in Dogs.

This study aims to assess ozonized mineral oil ointment application as an antiplaque therapy for dogs. Domestic healthy dogs received dental scaling and polishing under general anesthesia. Under standard feeding and homecare during 7 days, 20 dogs were randomly placed into 2 different groups for dental treatment.

Layered Double Hydroxides Are Promising Nanomaterials for Tissue Bioengineering Application.

Layered double hydroxides (LDHs) have emerged as promising nanomaterials for human health and although it has achieved some progress on this matter, their application within bioengineering is not fully addressed. This prompted to subject fibroblasts to two compositions of LDHs (Mg Al-Cl and Zn Al-Cl), considering an acute response. First, LDH particles are addressed by scanning electron microscopy, and no significant effect of the cell culture medium on the shape of LDHs particles is reported although it seems to adsorb some soluble proteins as proposed by energy-dispersive X-ray analysis.

Association of thoracic spine deformity and cardiovascular disease in a mouse model for Marfan syndrome.

Aims: Cardiovascular manifestations are a major cause of mortality in Marfan syndrome (MFS). Animal models that mimic the syndrome and its clinical variability are instrumental for understanding the genesis and risk factors for cardiovascular disease in MFS. This study used morphological and ultrastructural analysis to the understanding of the development of cardiovascular phenotypes of the the mgΔloxPneo model for MFS.

Sonic hedgehog drives layered double hydroxides-induced acute inflammatory landscape.

Although layered double hydroxides (LDH) have been listed as promising nanomaterials in human healthcare, very little has been achieved on osteoblast inflammatory signaling. Thus, osteoblasts were challenged with two LDHs (MgAl-Cl and ZnAl-Cl, at 0.002 mg/mL) up to 24 h, establishing an acute inflammatory mechanism, as well as identifying whether Sonic hedgehog (Shh) signaling has an influence.

Gut Microbiota Imbalance Can Be Associated with Non-malabsorptive Small Bowel Shortening Regardless of Blind Loop.

Introduction: Some traditional bariatric surgery procedures may lead to functional gut shortening, which may unsettle the fine-tuned gastrointestinal physiology and affect gut microbiota balance.

Purpose: Evaluate the gut microbiota behavior in rat models facing gut shortening due to intestinal bypass.

Materials And Methods: Wistar rats (n = 17) were randomly distributed in three groups: (1) sham group (n = 5); (2) blind loop group (n = 6); and (3) resection group (n = 6).

Mg-Al and Zn-Al Layered Double Hydroxides Promote Dynamic Expression of Marker Genes in Osteogenic Differentiation by Modulating Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases.

The effect of LDH samples comprised of chloride anions intercalated between positive layers of magnesium/aluminum (Mg-Al LDH) or zinc/aluminum (Zn-Al LDH) chemical composition on pre-osteoblast performance is investigated. Non-cytotoxic concentrations of both LDHs modulated pre-osteoblast adhesion by triggering cytoskeleton rearrangement dependent on recruiting of Cofilin, which is modulated by the inhibition of the Protein Phosphatase 2A (PP2A), culminating in osteoblast differentiation with a significant increase of osteogenic marker genes. The alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and bone sialoprotein (BSP) are significantly up-modulated by both LDHs; however, Mg-Al LDH nanomaterial promoted even more significance than both experimental controls, while the phosphorylations of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPKs)- extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) significantly increased.

Accessing the biocompatibility of layered double hydroxide by intramuscular implantation: histological and microcirculation evaluation.

Biocompatibility of layered double hydroxides (LDHs), also known as hydrotalcite-like materials or double metal hydroxides, was investigated by in vivo assays via intramuscular tablets implantation in rat abdominal wall. The tablets were composed by chloride ions intercalated into LDH of magnesium/aluminum (Mg2Al-Cl) and zinc/aluminum (Zn2Al-Cl). The antigenicity and tissue integration capacity of LDHs were assessed histologically after 7 and 28 days post-implantation.

Microcirculatory evaluation in sepsis: a difficult task.

Microcirculatory dysfunction plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of severe sepsis and septic shock; hence, microcirculation blood flow monitoring has gained increasing attention. However, microcirculatory imaging is still investigational in human sepsis and has not yet been incorporated into routine clinical practice for several reasons, including the difficult interpretation of microcirculation imaging data, difficulty to draw a parallel between sublingual microcirculation imaging and organ microcirculation dysfunction, as well as the absence of microvessel dysfunction parameters defining sequential microcirculatory changes from the early to late stages of the disease, which could aid in the context of therapeutic approaches and of prognostic parameters. The purpose of this review was to bridge the experimental abdominal organ microvascular derangement kinetics and clinical aspects of microcirculatory findings in the early phase of severe sepsis/septic shock.

The composition and behavior of capsules around smooth and textured breast implants in pigs.

Background: The surface of the implant is one of the many factors often associated with the occurrence of capsular contracture, the etiopathogeny of which remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to analyze the behavior of capsular contracture by means of applanation tonometry and histology using a midsized animal model.

Methods: Silicone breast implants were implanted into 33 pigs and observed at 30, 60, 180, and 270 postoperative days.

[Ileocecal valve reconstruction in dogs].

Purpose: The importance of keeping the ileocecal valve in the intestinal ressections has been reported by several authors. When preserved, the ileocecal valve was related to a longer survival and prevention of the short bowel syndrome, due to its ability to block the colonic content reflux into the ileum and to avoid the rapid empting of the ileal content into the cecum. It was assessed a tecnique of ileocecal valve reconstitution, based on vesicoureteral anti-reflux tecniques.

Providencia alcalifaciens strains translocate from the gastrointestinal tract and are resistant to lytic activity of serum complement.

The ability of Providencia alcalifaciens strains, isolated from patients with diarrhoeal disease, to translocate from the gastrointestinal tract and their resistance to serum complement lytic activity were investigated and compared with previously characterized differential invasive capabilities in HeLa cells. Translocation ability to several extraintestinal sites and resistance to lysis by human serum complement were observed in both highly invasive and non-invasive strains. These characteristics have not been previously described in P.

Vascular adventitia is a suitable compartment to transplant transduced vascular smooth muscle cells for ex vivo gene expression.

Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) are ideal for systemic gene therapy because of their proximity to blood vessels and they have demonstrated long-term exogenous gene expression in vivo. However, the procedure generally followed to seed the transduced VSMC onto arteries denuded of endothelial cells usually induces stenosis and thrombosis, with a consequent high risk for use in humans. We demonstrate here that the vascular adventitia is a suitable place to introduce transduced VSMC and to secrete therapeutic proteins into the blood stream by a simple procedure, avoiding postoperative vascular complications.