International journal of tissue reactions最新文献

Cutaneous xerosis is a common clinical condition associated with an altered barrier function of the stratum corneum. Xerotic skin appears dry, rough and slightly scaling. Patients complain of pruritus and stinging. Our aim was to investigate the clinical effects of a cosmetic ointment (Scherilan) in patients with circumscribed senile xerosis (also called asteatotic eczema). Moreover, variations in expression of epidermal proteins such as keratin (K)-5 and involucrin, detected by immunohistochemistry, were also evaluated before and after topical treatment. We enrolled 30 patients (11 males, 19 females) with asteatotic eczema. We examined dryness, roughness and desquamation and symptoms such as itching and dryness. A score of 0 to 3 was assigned to each of these parameters. A biopsy was performed in seven patients before and after a 21-day topical treatment. All skin specimens were then immunostained with antibodies to K5 and involucrin. At day 7 or 21 of treatment all signs of xerosis and pruritus were significantly reduced; furthermore, the reduction increased with the duration of therapy. Before treatment K5 was strongly expressed in stratum basale (SB) and stratum spinosum (SS), while involucrin was strongly expressed in stratum granulosum (SG) and the upper portion of SS. In contrast, after treatment immunostaining for K5 was restricted to SB and the lower part of SS, while involucrin showed intense staining in SG. We highlight the importance of treating cutaneous xerosis with an ointment such as this one, which probably induces an increase of lipid content of the SC intercellular matrix.

The morphological relationship of chondroitin sulphates A, B, and C, collagen types I-IV and fibronectin in the wall of venous sinuses of the red pulp in human spleen has not been a focus of interest among morphologists. Regarding the hypothesis that the structure of the spleen lends it the function of a blood filter the substances described in our study might play a significant role in the functional morphology. Of 146 human spleen surgical specimens, groups of 12 specimens each were examined under a light microscope using the method of antibodies against fibronectin, against collagen types I-IV and against chondroitin sulphates A, B, and C. The sections of the red pulp of human spleen stained with hematoxylin and eosin provided limited information about the wall of the sinuses. Chondroitin sulphates A and B were observed on the surface of sinus-lining cells (SLC), and fibronectin was detected on the surface of the annular fibers. Collagen type 11 was observed almost in the same places as chondroitin sulphates A and B. Collagen type IV was present in annular fibers of the wall of the sinus and in the basement membrane, like fibronectin. Chondroitin sulphate was not present in the walls of sinuses. Binding of antibodies against chondroitin sulphate A and against chondroitin sulphate B indicates the presence of chondroitin sulfates on the surface of SLC, where they probably play a role in helping the human organism to recognize alien and self substances. The presence of chondroitin,sulphates A and B probably affects inhibition of binding of cells with collagen type I, but not with fibronectin.

The aim of this study was to identify the distribution of aquaporin-9 by immunohistochemistry in rat tissues using specific antipeptide antiserum which we recently produced. Anti-aquaporin-9 antibody was raised in New Zealand white rabbits immunized with a conjugate of synthetic aquaporin-9 peptide with bovine serum albumin. Immunohistochemical analysis was performed by avidin-biotin complex method. Aquaporin-immunoreactivity was visualized in the anterior pituitary, central nervous system, retina, thyroid gland, gastrointestinal tract, liver lung, pancreas and testis. When using antiserum preincubated with synthetic peptides or rat hypothalamus homogenate, which contains aquaporin-9 peptide, no significant stain of the hypothalamus was detected. These findings suggest that aquaporin-9 is widely distributed and that the method used is valuable in studying the distribution of aquaporin-9 in rats.

The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of the cylooxygenase (COX)-2 specific inhibitor rofecoxib, on blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) in patients with well-controlled hypertension and osteoarthritis via 24-h ambulatory monitoring. Thirty patients with well controlled hypertension were included. Fifteen patients had osteoarthritis and were recommended by their rheumatologists to take rofecoxib 12.5 mg/day (rofecoxib group). The control group consisted of 15 patients who had hypertension but no clinical osteoarthritis and did not receive any anti-inflammatory drugs. Twenty-four-hour ambulatory monitoring of BP and HR were performed on the day before initiation of rofecoxib therapy and on days 3 and 14 of COX-2 therapy. The control group underwent 24-h monitoring three times at similar intervals. Antihypertensive medications were continued. On day 3 of rofecoxib therapy, mean HR for both daytime and nighttime were lower than those at baseline. On day 14, the changes in mean HR did not differ from baseline values. Similarly, diastolic BP (daytime and nighttime) on day 3 appeared to be lower than at baseline. However this difference was not observed on day 14, and mean daytime and nighttime diastolic BP returned to baseline values. There was no statistically significant difference in the mean arterial pressure or systolic BP recordings on days 3 or 14 than at baseline. Rofecoxib 12.5 mg/day did not significantly increase BP during 24-h ambulatory BP monitoring in patients with well-controlled hypertension and osteoarthritis.

Bowen's disease (BD) is a squamous cell carcinoma in situ. Recent studies suggest that human papilloma virus plays an important role in the development of BD. We investigated whether imiquimod 5%, a topical immune response modifier, is an effective treatment for BD in five immunocompetent patients. The lesions were one genital and four extragenital. The frequency of application varied from three times weekly up to twice daily, and treatment duration ranged from 8-24 weeks. Four patients achieved clinical and histological cure. The patient with the genital lesion gained an important reduction in size and infiltration, which enabled surgical removal of the remaining lesion with good functional and cosmetic result. Our results suggest that topical imiquimod 5% is an effective treatment for BD through its viral and antitumor effects.

Diabetes-induced erectile dysfunction is one of the most prevalent complications of diabetes in males. alpha-Lipoic acid (ALA) and its reduced form, dihydrolipoic acid, are powerful antioxidants. Data strongly suggest that, because of its antioxidant properties, ALA is particularly suited to the prevention and/or treatment of diabetic complications that arise from overproduction of reactive oxygen and nitrogen. The aim of this study was to investigate the localization of nitric oxide synthetase (NOS) in normal and diabetic rat cavernous smooth muscles and to examine the effects of ALA on them. Rats were divided into four groups: control, diabetic, diabetic plus ALA, and ALA only. Penile tissues were taken 15 days after drug application and examined histochemically and immunohistochemically. Comparison of the control and diabetic groups revealed that the axons of nerve cells were not identified with Masson trichrome in the diabetic group, whereas in the control group NOS localization and immunostaining (endothelial NOS [eNOS]) were normal. Diabetic rats administered ALA showed improvement in Masson trichrome, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate diaphorase (NADPH-d) and eNOS localization compared with untreated diabetic rats. Although there was no difference between the control group and the group administered ALA only, we observed an increase in NADPH-d and eNOS. In erection, eNOS and neuronal NOS (nNOS) may have a significant role. In pathologic conditions, erectile dysfunction may occur as a result of an increase in inducible macrophage-type NOS (iNOS). ALA plays an important role in treatment of erectile dysfunction by decreasing iNOS and increasing other isoforms of NOS.

Infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) can lead to osteoarticular involvement, usually in the late stages. The pathogenesis of these symptoms has usually been attributed to viral load or to dysregulated cytokine production. We evaluated the presence of rheumatic symptoms and levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha viral load and CD4 count in 46 patients with HIV from southern Italy. The prevalence of rheumatic symptoms was 23.9%; CD4 count and viral load presented no statistically significant differences between patients with rheumatic symptoms and patients without osteoarticular involvement, whereas TNF-alpha levels were increased in HIV patients with arthralgias compared with those in patients without arthralgias (p = 0.02). Evidence that TNF-alpha is increased in patients with osteoarticular or soft tissue involvement is a clear index of the pivotal role this cytokine plays in the pathogenesis of these manifestations.

Microvessels are composed of two types of cells: endothelial cells and pericytes. Pericytes are elongated cells of mesodermal origin that partially surround the endothelial cells of small vessels. As pericytes contain contractile muscle filaments on their endothelial cell side, they have long been regarded as just microvascular counterparts of smooth muscle cells, thus being implicated in the regulation of capillary tone. However recent understanding of pericyte biology suggests that pericytes play an important role in the maintenance of microvascular homeostasis. Indeed, loss or dysfunction of pericytes has been considered to play an active part in the pathogenesis of various types of disorders. In this study, we review the biology of pericytes and the pathological role of pericyte loss or dysfunction in various devastating disorders such as diabetic retinopathy, atherosclerosis and tumor angiogenesis

By using a reconstituted skin model, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy of a spray containing Rhealba oat extract on the rapidity of healing and the extension of the newly formed epithelium. A dermal equivalent was first made in a petri dish by combining skin fibroblasts with collagen type I. Then a punch biopsy as a source of epidermal cells was implanted on this dermal equivalent, where a multilayered epidermis developed. The spray containing Rhealba oat extract was added to the culture medium to evaluate epidermal growth by immunohistochemical analysis of mitotic activity (5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine [BrDu] incorporation). The extension of the neoepithelium in comparison with untreated reconstituted skin over 22 days was evaluated histologically. On day 12, 16% of positive BrDu basal cells was detected after spray treatment in comparison with 4.2% positive cells in untreated reconstituted skin (p < 0.05). During epidermal differentiation between days 12 and 22, we observed a significant increase in the number of cellular epithelial layers after 16 and 18 days of spray treatment. Moreover the extension of re-epithelialization was also significantly increased after spray treatment on days 16 and 18. In conclusion, our results demonstrate a positive modulation of re-epithelialization on a newly formed epithelium by a spray containing Rhealba oat extract displaying a healing effect.

Impaired endothelial cell growth and function have been suggested to be an initial event leading to the development of atherosclerosis. Nifedipine is one of the most widely used dihydropyridine-based calcium antagonists (DHPs) for the treatment of patients with angina and hypertension. Recently, nifedipine was shown to improve endothelial function in many cardiovascular diseases, thus slowing the development and progression of atherosclerosis. In this review, we discuss the molecular mechanisms for the atheroprotective effects of nifedipine, with special emphasis on its anti-oxidative properties.