Gluten-sensitive enteropathy in a cynomolgus monkey

A malabsorption syndrome was observed in a cynomolgus macaque. Clinical signs included weight loss despite increased appetite, and diarrhea, characterized by an increased volume of soft, tan, malodorous feces. Clinicopathologic findings included hypoalbuminemia, generalized dilation of bowel loops with a prolonged transit time, steatorrhea and markedly diminished absorption of D-xylose. Biopsies of the duodenum and jejunum had total villous atrophy, crypt hyperplasia and a plasmacytic-lymphocytic infiltrate of the lamina propria. The monkey's diet was changed to a semi-synthetic diet containing no grain products. Subsequently, stool characteristics, body weight and intestinal villous morphology returned to normal. This response to removal of grain products from the diet suggests a syndrome similar to gluten-sensitivity enteropathy in human beings.     

Radiation Enteropathy of the Small Bowel

The features of radiation injury of the small bowel are reviewed to focus attention on this uncommon but persistent problem which usually arises in women undergoing treatment for gynecological malignancy and which may be confused with recurrence of the malignant growth. Intestinal perforation, bleeding, obstruction and fistulas have all been observed in patients with radiation enteropathy. Three cases in which these complications occurred are reported. Early excisional surgery is considered to be the preferred treatment, although conservative surgical procedures have been used for patients who are very ill or for those with diffuse bowel changes. Medical measures alone have not been successful but have been utilized in preoperative preparation.     

超声诊断胰腺脂肪浸润与血脂、脂肪肝的关系研究

目的:探讨超声诊断胰腺脂肪浸润与血脂、脂肪肝的关系方法:回顾性分析63例胰腺脂肪浸润者与148例同期检查无胰腺脂肪浸润者的病历资料,研究胰腺脂肪浸润的超声特点以及与脂肪肝、血脂浓度、年龄、血压等的关系。结果:胰腺脂肪浸润超声显示为胰腺饱满,边缘模糊,回声增强且明显强于肝脏,与正常胰腺超声影像容易鉴别胰腺脂肪浸润组血浆甘油三酯浓度2.17±1.22mmol/L,比非浸润组的1.35±1.06mmol/L明显高(P<0.05),胰腺脂肪浸润组患者100%(63/63)合并脂肪肝明显高于非浸润组的20.95%(31/148)(P<0.05)二组在胆固醇浓度、高血压发病率及年龄方面无显著差异(P>0.05)。结论:胰腺脂肪浸润与脂肪肝、血浆甘油三酯浓度有着一定的相关性,超声诊断胰腺脂肪浸润对于提示其他相关疾病与异常的存在具有重要临床参考价值     

超声诊断胰腺脂肪浸润与血脂、脂肪肝的关系研究

目的：探讨超声诊断胰腺脂肪浸润与血脂、脂肪肝的关系。方法：回顾性分析63例胰腺脂肪浸润者与148例同期检查无胰腺脂肪浸润者的病历资料,研究胰腺脂肪浸润的超声特点以及与脂肪肝、血脂浓度、年龄、血压等的关系。结果：胰腺脂肪浸润超声显示为胰腺饱满,边缘模糊,回声增强且明显强于肝脏,与正常胰腺超声影像容易鉴别。胰腺脂肪浸润组血浆甘油三酯浓度2．17±1．22mmol／L,比非浸润组的1．35±1．06mmol／L明显高（P〈0．05）,胰腺脂肪浸润组患者100％（63／63）合并脂肪肝明显高于非浸润组的20．95％（31／148）（P〈0．05）。二组在胆固醇浓度、高血压发病率及年龄方面无显著差异（P〉0．05）。结论：胰腺脂肪浸润与脂肪肝、血浆甘油三酯浓度有着一定的相关性,超声诊断胰腺脂肪浸润对于提示其他相关疾病与异常的存在具有重要临床参考价值。     

An Indigenous Case of Intestinal Capillariasis with Protein-Losing Enteropathy in Korea

We encountered an indigenous case of intestinal capillariasis with protein-losing enteropathy in the Republic of Korea. A 37-year-old man, residing in Sacheon-si, Gyeongsangnam-do, admitted to the Gyeongsang National University Hospital (GNUH) due to long-lasting diarrhea, abdominal pain, anasarca, and weight loss. He recalled that he frequently ate raw fish, especially the common blackish goby (Acanthogobius flavimanus) and has never been abroad. Under the suspicion of protein-losing enteropathy, he received various kinds of medical examinations, and was diagnosed as intestinal capillariasis based on characteristic sectional findings of nematode worms in the biopsied small intestine. Adults, juvenile worms, and eggs were also detected in the diarrheic stools collected before and after medication. The clinical symptoms became much better after treatment with albendazole 400 mg daily for 3 days, and all findings were in normal range in laboratory examinations performed after 1 month. The present study is the 6th Korean case of intestinal capillariasis and the 3rd indigenous one in the Republic of Korea.     

Nephrotic Syndrome in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia

Two patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and the nephrotic syndrome are described in whom deposits were shown in renal glomerular basement membranes in a pattern suggesting immune-complex glomerulonephritis. This renal lesion has been described in one case of squamous carcinoma of the bronchus, in one case of Burkitt''s lymphoma, and in three cases of Hodgkin''s disease though not previously in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. Immune-complex glomerulonephritis is, however, a recognized finding in mice infected with leukaemogenic viruses     

Ultrastructure of Intestinal Epithelium in Cartilaginous Fish

Journal of Ichthyology - By means of electronic microscopy, the structural distinctions of epithelial cells are revealed in three species of cartilaginous fish differing in their foraging: spiny...     

Basis of Chloride Transport in Ciliary Epithelium

The aqueous humor is formed by the bilayered ciliary epithelium. The pigmented ciliary epithelium (PE) faces the stroma and the nonpigmented ciliary epithelium (NPE) contacts the aqueous humor. Cl⁻ secretion likely limits the rate of aqueous humor formation. Many transport components underlying Cl⁻ secretion are known. Cl⁻ is taken up from the stroma into PE cells by electroneutral transporters, diffuses to the NPE cells through gap junctions and is released largely through Cl⁻ channels. Recent work suggests that significant Cl⁻ recycling occurs at both surfaces of the ciliary epithelium, providing the basis for modulation of net secretion. The PE-NPE cell couplet likely forms the fundamental unit of secretion; gap junctions within the PE and NPE cell layers are inadequate to maintain constancy of ionic composition throughout the epithelium under certain conditions. Although many hormones, drugs and signaling cascades are known to have effects, a persuasive model of the regulation of aqueous humor formation has not yet been developed. cAMP likely plays a central role, potentially both enhancing and reducing secretion by actions at both surfaces of the ciliary epithelium. Among other hormone receptors, A₃ adenosine receptors likely alter intraocular pressure by regulating NPE-cell Cl⁻ channel activity. Recently, functional evidence for the regional variation in ciliary epithelial secretion has been demonstrated; the physiologic and pathophysiologic implications of this regional variation remain to be addressed.This revised version was published online in June 2005 with a corrected cover date.     

Defining Cell Lineages in the Prostate Epithelium

Understanding the stages of cell differentiation in the normal prostate epithelium isessential for the identification of the cell type(s) involved in prostatic carcinogenesis.Prostate glands are composed of three types of epithelial cells (i.e. basal, secretory andneuroendocrine) but the hierarchical relations among these cell types have been longcontroversial. We have recently developed a novel system to define prostate epithelialcell lineages in vivo. We find that, during normal prostate organogenesis, terminallydifferentiated secretory cells derive from p63-positive basal cells, which thusrepresent/include prostate stem cells. Future studies will determine if p63-positive basalcells retain stem cells capabilities in the adult prostate epithelium.     

Glucose Metabolism in Rat Retinal Pigment Epithelium

The retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) is the major transport pathway for exchange of metabolites and ions between choroidal blood supply and the neural retina. To gain insight into the mechanisms controlling glucose metabolism in RPE and its possible relationship to retinopathy, we studied the influence of different glucose concentrations on glycogen and lactate levels and CO₂ production in RPE from normal and streptozotocin-treated diabetic rats. Incubation of normal RPE in the absence of glucose caused a decrease in lactate production and glycogen content. In normal RPE, increasing glucose concentrations from 5.6 mM to 30 mM caused a four-fold increase in glucose accumulation and CO₂ yield, as well as reduction in lactate and glycogen production. In RPE from diabetic rats glucose accumulation did not increase in the presence of high glucose substrate, but it showed a four- and a seven-fold increase in CO₂ production through the mitochondrial and pentose phosphate pathways, respectively. We found high glycogen levels in RPE which can be used as an energy reserve for RPE itself and/or neural retina. Findings further show that the RPE possesses a high oxidative capacity. The large increase in glucose shunting to the pentose phosphate pathway in diabetic retina exposed to high glucose suggests a need for reducing capacity, consistent with increased oxidative stress.     

Velocity Fields in a Collectively Migrating Epithelium

We report quantitative measurements of the velocity field of collectively migrating cells in a motile epithelium. The migration is triggered by presenting free surface to an initially confluent monolayer by using a microstencil technique that does not damage the cells. To avoid the technical difficulties inherent in the tracking of single cells, the field is mapped using the technique of particle image velocimetry. The main relevant parameters, such as the velocity module, the order parameter, and the velocity correlation function, are then extracted from this cartography. These quantities are dynamically measured on two types of cells (collectively migrating Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells and fibroblastlike normal rat kidney (NRK) cells), first as they approach confluence, and then when the geometrical constraints are released. In particular, for MDCK cells filling up the patterns, we observe a sharp decrease in the average velocity after the point of confluence, whereas the densification of the monolayer is much more regular. After the peeling off of the stencil, a velocity correlation length of ∼200 μm is measured for MDCK cells versus only ∼40 μm for the more independent NRK cells. Our conclusions are supported by parallel single-cell tracking experiments. By using the biorthogonal decomposition of the velocity field, we conclude that the velocity field of MDCK cells is very coherent in contrast with the NRK cells. The displacements in the fingers arising from the border of MDCK epithelia are very oriented along their main direction. They influence the velocity field in the epithelium over a distance of ∼200 μm.