Ketotifen abrogates local and systemic consequences of rat intestinal ischemia-reperfusion injury.

Background: Mast cell-derived vasoactive and pro-inflammatory mediators, particularly histamine, might contribute to local tissue damage and multiorgan dysfunction induced by intestinal ischemia/reperfusion (I/R). The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effects of the mast cell stabilizer, ketotifen, on leukocyte adhesion within, and tissue leakage from the mucosal villous microcirculation after intestinal I/R.

Methods: Superior mesenteric arteries of untreated and ketotifen-pretreated (1 mg/kg orally twice daily for 3 days, and 90 min prior to ischemia) Piebald-Viral-Glaxo (PVG) rats were clamped for 30 min (n = 12 per group; sham operated controls n = 12).

Treadmill versus shuttle walk tests of walking ability in intermittent claudication.

Purpose: To compare treadmill and shuttle walk tests for assessing functional capacity in patients with intermittent claudication, with respect to test-retest reliability, cardiovascular responses, and patient preferences.

Methods: Patients with stable intermittent claudication (N = 55, ages 52-85 yr, median age 68 yr) were recruited from the Sheffield Vascular Institute at the Northern General Hospital, Sheffield, UK. Each patient performed an incremental shuttle walk test, a constant-pace shuttle walk test, and a standardized treadmill test (3.

Mucosal villus microcirculatory disturbances associated with rat intestinal ischaemia-reperfusion injury are not prevented by tacrolimus.

Background/aims: Microcirculatory disturbances following small intestinal ischaemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury lead to tissue damage that may affect short- and long-term outcome after transplantation. The immunosuppressive drug Tacrolimus (FK506) attenuates I/R injury in a number of organs, raising the possibility that it might be able to control both I/R injury and rejection after small bowel transplantation. However, its effects on intestinal I/R injury have not been evaluated.

The development of a model of the femoral artery bifurcation for use with duplex Doppler systems.

The ability to reproduce physiologic blood flow characteristics in vitro, combined with the ability to extract data using duplex Doppler ultrasound (US), is a desirable characteristic in a model of the femoral artery. This would allow duplex Doppler measurement protocols to be studied and developed on a realistic and repeatable platform. This paper describes the development and limitations of a model with these design specifications.

FK409 inhibits both local and remote organ damage after intestinal ischaemia.

In addition to localized tissue injury, intestinal ischaemia-reperfusion (I/R) leads to remote organ damage, in particular to the lungs. Given that nitric oxide (NO) can attenuate I/R-induced tissue injury in many situations, this study evaluated the effects of the NO donor, FK409, on leukocyte adhesion in the microcirculation of the intestinal villus and also assessed pulmonary tissue damage after intestinal I/R injury. PVG rats were subjected to 30 min intestinal ischaemia and a sub-group of animals received the NO donor FK409 (10 mg/kg; i.

Effects of hypothermia and rewarming on the mucosal villus microcirculation and survival after rat intestinal ischemia-reperfusion injury.

Objective: To determine the effects of hypothermia and rewarming on changes in the villus microcirculation induced by intestinal ischemia-reperfusion (I/R).

Summary Background Data: The small intestine is extremely sensitive to I/R injury, and although hypothermia can reduce cellular injury, its capacity to influence the villous microcirculation after intestinal I/R is unclear, especially after the return to normothermic conditions.

Methods: Core body temperature of PVG rats was maintained at either 36 degrees to 38 degrees C (n = 12) or 30 degrees to 32 degrees C (n = 24) and then subjected to 30 minutes of intestinal ischemia.