Dysregulation of gene expression within the peroxisome proliferator activated receptor pathway in morbidly obese patients.

Background: The causes of obesity are multifactorial but may include dysregulation of a family of related genes, such as the peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma). When activated, the PPARgamma pathway promotes lipid metabolism. This study used microarray technology to evaluate differential gene expression profiles in obese patients undergoing bariatric surgery.

Polypoid spindle cell carcinoma of the esophagus.

Rare histologic variants of esophageal cancer account for about 5% of cases. As its name suggests, polypoid spindle cell carcinoma of the esophagus (carcinosarcoma, pseudosarcoma) is comprised of both epithelial and spindle cell elements. The nomenclature reflects both the historical controversy over the lesion's cell of origin as well as its characteristic fungating intraluminal growth pattern.

Persistent HIF-1alpha activation in gut ischemia/reperfusion injury: potential role of bacteria and lipopolysaccharide.

In both animal models of hemorrhagic shock and clinical settings, shock-induced gut ischemia has been implicated in the development of the systemic inflammatory response syndrome and distant organ injury, yet the factors transducing these events remain to be fully determined. Because hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF-1), a transcription factor composed of oxygen-labile HIF-1alpha and constitutive HIF-1beta subunits, regulates the physiologic/pathophysiologic response to hypoxia and ischemia, we examined the HIF-1 response in two rat models of gut ischemia-reperfusion. We found that ileal nuclear HIF-1alpha protein levels were induced in rats subjected to trauma (laparotomy) plus hemorrhagic shock for 90 min relative to their trauma sham-shock and naïve counterparts and that this trauma hemorrhagic shock-induced mucosal HIF-1alpha protein response persisted after 1 h and 3 h of reperfusion.