Effects of tetracyclines on aldosterone- and insulin-mediated Na+ transport in the toad urinary bladder

The effect of oxytetracycline and demethylchlortetracycline on aldosterone- and insulin-mediated Na⁺ transport (short-circuit current) were examined in toad urinary bladders mounted in modified Ussing chambers. Oxytetracycline had little or no effect on either basal or aldosterone-mediated Na⁺ transport. In contrast, demethylchlortetracycline markedly inhibited both basal and aldosterone-mediated Na⁺ transport. Furthermore, demethylchlortetracycline inhibited the aldosterone response significantly out of proportion to its effects on basal Na⁺ transport. Neither of the drugs had an effect on insulin-mediated Na⁺ transport. Consequently, the natriuresis observed in certain patients treated with demethylchlortetracyline may be related to drug-induced renal resistance to the effects of aldosterone.     

Ultrastructure of the swim bladder of the goldfish,Carassius auratus

Summary The swim bladder of the cyprinid Carassius auratus (goldfish) is a two-chambered organ connected to the esophagus by a pneumatic duct. The anterior chamber is lined by a single type of squamous epithelial cell. Two types of epithelial cells are present in the posterior chamber. Flattened cells with differences in the electron density of the cytoplasm line most of the chamber. Darker cells generally contain large amounts of glycogen. Cuboidal epithelial cells also occur in the posterior chamber. A glandular layer external to the muscularis in the posterior chamber is composed of large cells containing little glycogen, an extensive Golgi apparatus, and numerous mitochondria with single large granules. Capillaries and nerves are present in large numbers in this layer. Blood vessels form micro-retia mirabilia in the submuscular layer external to the glandular layer. Vessels are of two distinct types with wide lumina and flattened endothelium characterizing the venous vessels. Arterial vessels have smaller lumina, thick endothelial cells with prominent pinocytotic vesicles, and surrounding pericytes. Collagen is present in three forms in this swim bladder — large tactoids in the tunica externa of the anterior chamber, smaller tactoids in the lamina propria of the posterior chamber, and small fibrils in all other areas.Supported by a Young Investigator Pulmonary Research Grant # 1 R23 HL 19593-01 and by HL 23338-01 from the National Institutes of Health     

Ultrastructure of the salivary bladder of the nine-banded armadillo

Summary The nine-banded armadillo possesses a salivary bladder which is a dilated portion of the main duct of the submandibular gland at its origin. The wall of the bladder is composed of an epithelium, a submucosa and a thick coat of skeletal muscle. The ultrastructure of the epithelium reveals that it is complex and consists of three cell types: 1) principal cells, 2) light cells, and 3) basal cells. The general organization of the epithelium suggests that it is a transporting type of epithelium such as that found in the amphibian and reptilian urinary bladders and the mammalian gall bladder. The submucosa is composed primarily of densely-packed collagen fibers. The skeletal muscle is very vascular and richly innervated.This study was supported in part by a research grant from U.S.P.H.S. (GRS 5-S01-RR-05705)The authors wish to acknowledge the technical assistance of Elizabeth Underwood     

The use of Opalina sudafricana in a biological test for diagnosing disordered metabolism of tryptophan in human subjects

Injections of urine of patients with bladder cancer linked with bilharziasis, simple urinary bilharziasis, ascariasis or ancylostomiasis, induced cyst formation found in Opalina sudafricana when injected into its host Bufo regularis. It is suggested that the carcinogenic tryptophan metabolites present in the injected urine reach the parasites in the recta of the experimental toads and stimulate them to divide mitotically to form small forms which eventually encyst. This test may be of a diagnostic help in detecting any abnormality in tryptophan metabolism in some human patients.     

Cytokine gene polymorphisms are associated with risk of urinary bladder cancer and recurrence after BCG immunotherapy

The association of interleukin-1β (IL-1B) -511C?>?T and IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RN) VNTR, transforming growth factor-β (TGF-B1) +28C?>?T and interferon-γ (IFN-G)?+?874T>A polymorphisms with bladder cancer (CaB) susceptibility and risk of recurrence in Bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG)-treated patients was analyzed in 287 controls and 213 CaB patients (73 BCG treated). Increased risk was observed with the IL-1RN*2 allele (odds ratio (OR) 5.01) and the IFN-G +874 A allele (OR 1.78). TGF-B TT and IFN-G +874 A carriers were associated with reduced (hazard ratio (HR) 0.37) and enhanced (HR 2.24) risk of recurrence after BCG immunotherapy, respectively. The study suggests that cytokine gene variants may modulate CaB susceptibility and risk of recurrence after BCG immunotherapy.     

Bladder tissue characterization using probe‐based Raman spectroscopy: Evaluation of tissue heterogeneity and influence on the model prediction

Existing approaches for early‐stage bladder tumor diagnosis largely depend on invasive and time‐consuming procedures, resulting in hospitalization, bleeding, bladder perforation, infection and other health risks for the patient. The reduction of current risk factors, while maintaining or even improving the diagnostic precision, is an underlying factor in clinical instrumentation research. For example, for clinic surveillance of patients with a history of noninvasive bladder tumors real‐time tumor diagnosis can enable immediate laser‐based removal of tumors using flexible cystoscopes in the outpatient clinic. Therefore, novel diagnostic modalities are required that can provide real‐time in vivo tumor diagnosis. Raman spectroscopy provides biochemical information of tissue samples ex vivo and in vivo and without the need for complicated sample preparation and staining procedures. For the past decade there has been a rise in applications to diagnose and characterize early cancer in different organs, such as in head and neck, colon and stomach, but also different pathologies, for example, inflammation and atherosclerotic plaques. Bladder pathology has also been studied but only with little attention to aspects that can influence the diagnosis, such as tissue heterogeneity, data preprocessing and model development. The present study presents a clinical investigative study on bladder biopsies to characterize the tumor grading ex vivo, using a compact fiber probe‐based imaging Raman system, as a crucial step towards in vivo Raman endoscopy. Furthermore, this study presents an evaluation of the tissue heterogeneity of highly fluorescent bladder tissues, and the multivariate statistical analysis for discrimination between nontumor tissue, and low‐ and high‐grade tumor.     

An outcome model for human bladder cancer: A comprehensive study based on weighted gene co‐expression network analysis

The precision evaluation of prognosis is crucial for clinical treatment decision of bladder cancer (BCa). Therefore, establishing an effective prognostic model for BCa has significant clinical implications. We performed WGCNA and DEG screening to initially identify the candidate genes. The candidate genes were applied to construct a LASSO Cox regression analysis model. The effectiveness and accuracy of the prognostic model were tested by internal/external validation and pan‐cancer validation and time‐dependent ROC. Additionally, a nomogram based on the parameter selected from univariate and multivariate cox regression analysis was constructed. Eight genes were eventually screened out as progression‐related differentially expressed candidates in BCa. LASSO Cox regression analysis identified 3 genes to build up the outcome model in E‐MTAB‐4321 and the outcome model had good performance in predicting patient progress free survival of BCa patients in discovery and test set. Subsequently, another three datasets also have a good predictive value for BCa patients' OS and DFS. Time‐dependent ROC indicated an ideal predictive accuracy of the outcome model. Meanwhile, the nomogram showed a good performance and clinical utility. In addition, the prognostic model also exhibits good performance in pan‐cancer patients. Our outcome model was the first prognosis model for human bladder cancer progression prediction via integrative bioinformatics analysis, which may aid in clinical decision‐making.     

尿源干细胞对神经源性膀胱大鼠膀胱功能及Notch1、Jagged1蛋白表达的影响

目的:研究尿源干细胞对神经源性膀胱大鼠膀胱功能及Notch1、Jagged1蛋白表达的影响。方法:纳入60只健康雌性清洁SD大鼠作为实验对象,将其按照随机抽签法分为正常对照组、研究组以及损伤组,每组各20只。其中研究组和损伤组大鼠均建立神经源性膀胱模型,研究组在造模成功后予以尿源性干细胞尾静脉注射。28 d后,比较三组大鼠膀胱功能相关指标水平,膀胱湿质量和膀胱湿质量/体质量,Notch1、Jagged1蛋白表达水平。结果:损伤组收缩时间、排尿量、膀胱峰压均低于正常对照组,而研究组收缩时间、排尿量、膀胱峰压均高于损伤组(均P0.05);损伤组膀胱基压高于正常对照组,而研究组膀胱基压低于损伤组(均P0.05)。损伤组膀胱湿质量和膀胱湿质量/体质量均高于正常对照组,而研究组膀胱湿质量和膀胱湿质量/体质量低于损伤组(均P0.05)。损伤组Notch1、Jagged1蛋白表达水平均高于正常对照组,而研究组Notch1、Jagged1蛋白表达水平低于损伤组(均P0.05)。结论:尿源干细胞的应用可显著改善神经源性膀胱大鼠膀胱功能,同时可下调Notch1、Jagged1蛋白表达水平。     

Changes in Nkx2.1, Sox2, Bmp4, and Bmp16 expression underlying the lung‐to‐gas bladder evolutionary transition in ray‐finned fishes

The key to understanding the evolutionary origin and modification of phenotypic traits is revealing the responsible underlying developmental genetic mechanisms. An important organismal trait of ray‐finned fishes is the gas bladder, an air‐filled organ that, in most fishes, functions for buoyancy control, and is homologous to the lungs of lobe‐finned fishes. The critical morphological difference between lungs and gas bladders, which otherwise share many characteristics, is the general direction of budding during development. Lungs bud ventrally and the gas bladder buds dorsally from the anterior foregut. We investigated the genetic underpinnings of this ventral‐to‐dorsal shift in budding direction by studying the expression patterns of known lung genes (Nkx2.1, Sox2, and Bmp4) during the development of lungs or gas bladder in three fishes: bichir, bowfin, and zebrafish. Nkx2.1 and Sox2 show reciprocal dorsoventral expression patterns during tetrapod lung development and are important regulators of lung budding; their expression during bichir lung development is conserved. Surprisingly, we find during gas bladder development, Nkx2.1 and Sox2 expression are inconsistent with the hypothesis that they regulate the direction of gas bladder budding. Bmp4 is expressed ventrally during lung development in bichir, akin to the pattern during mouse lung development. During gas bladder development, Bmp4 is not expressed. However, Bmp16, a paralogue of Bmp4, is expressed dorsally in the developing gas bladder of bowfin. Bmp16 is present in the known genomes of Actinopteri (ray‐finned fishes excluding bichir) but absent from mammalian genomes. We hypothesize that Bmp16 was recruited to regulate gas bladder development in the Actinopteri in place of Bmp4.