Proximal gut mucosal epithelial homeostasis in aged IL-1 type I receptor knockout mice after starvation.

Background: Previous studies have shown that starvation induces small bowel atrophy, and that atrophy diminishes with aging. In this experiment, we assessed whether starvation-induced atrophy of proximal gut mucosa is associated with the Interleukin-1 receptor (IL-1R) signaling pathway in aged mice.

Materials And Methods: Thirty 26-month-old IL-1R knockout mice and age-matched wild-type C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into two groups: ad libitum fed and fasted.

Starvation-induced proximal gut mucosal atrophy diminished with aging.

Background: Starvation induces small bowel atrophy with increased intestinal epithelial apoptosis and decreased proliferation. The authors examined these parameters after starvation in aged animals.

Methods: Sixty-four 6-week-old and 26-month-old C57BL/6 mice were randomly assigned to either an ad libitum fed or fasted group.

Second hit post burn increased proximal gut mucosa epithelial cells damage.

Secondary infections after burn are common and are a major contributor to morbidity and mortality. We previously showed that burn disrupted proximal gut mucosal homeostasis through increased epithelial cell apoptosis. In the present study, we sought to determine whether proximal gut mucosal disruption is additively affected by secondary endotoxemia after a severe burn.

Decreased lymphocyte apoptosis by anti-tumor necrosis factor antibody in Peyer's patches after severe burn.

Severe burn results in immunosuppression, with increased lymphocyte apoptosis in both the central and peripheral immune system. As atrophy of the small intestine has been described in mouse models and intestinal lymphocytes have been implicated in the burn inflammatory response, we examined the effects of burn and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha on lymphocytes in intestinal Peyer's patches. Anesthetized C57BL6 mice received a 30% full-thickness scald burn on the upper back.

Effect of bombesin on gut mucosal impairment after severe burn.

Severe cutaneous bum alters gut epithelial homeostasis. In previous studies, treatment with bombesin decreased mucosal atrophy and improved maintenance of gut mucosal integrity after severe burn. Our current hypothesis is that bombesin reduces burn-induced gut impairment by decreasing gut epithelial cell death.

Effects of delayed wound excision and grafting in severely burned children.

Hypothesis: Advances in burn treatment including early excision of the wound have increased survival in patients treated at specialized burn centers. We hypothesized that the patients with delayed wound excision and grafting would experience deleterious outcomes.

Methods: From 1995 to 1999, 157 children with acute burns covering 40% or more of total body surface area and having more than 10% of full-thickness burns were admitted to our institution within 2 weeks of injury.