The purpose of this study was to investigate the treatment efficacies of salmon calcitonin (SC) and estrogen in a type-I osteoporotic rat model. Sixty, 3-month-old, female Wistar rats were divided into six groups. The first group was used as the control, and the second a sham, the other four were surgically ovariectomized. 24 hours after the ovariectomy, they were either left untreated (OVX), or treated with an injection of either 17-beta estradiol (E2) 30 mcg/kg/24 hours, low-dose calcitonin (LDC) 10 IU/ kg/48 hours or high-dose calcitonin (HDC) 20 IU/kg/48 hours. 6 weeks later, the bone densities were measured by DEXA, the animals sacrificed and the femurs harvested for histomorphometric evaluation. The bone mineral densities (BMD) of the spine and proximal femur were lower in the OVX group, but only the values of the spine BMD were statistically significant. The BMD of the spine seemed to be preserved with all the treatments. The histomorphometric evaluation revealed that after the OVX the decrease in the trabecular volume was prevented by all the treatments. However, significant changes in the indices of bone formation were not shown. In conclusion, all the treatments prevented bone lost in the ovariectomized rats. Histopathological measurements of bone formation are unlikely to provide any evidence for the effects of these agents on the osteoblastic function. In the animal model of estrogen depletion, our results suggest that the calcitonin provides an important alternative therapy for postmenopausal osteoporosis.
Animals ; Bone Density/drug effects ; Calcitonin/*administration & dosage ; Comparative Study ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Estradiol/*therapeutic use ; Female ; Osteoporosis/*drug therapy/pathology/physiopathology ; Ovariectomy ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Salmon ; Spine/physiopathology

Endothelin (ET) receptor antagonists have been developed to produce a reduction of ET related effects in various diseases, as well as in animal models of airway inflammation. We aimed to investigate the anti-inflammatory potential of bosentan on a rat model of emphysema. Thirty Wistar male rats were classified as control group (group 1), intratracheally (i.t.) instilled with saline, treated with vehicle solution; elastase group (group 2), i.t. instilled with porcine pancreatic elastase (PPE), treated with vehicle solution; and PPE+bosentan group (group 3), i.t. instilled with PPE, treated with bosentan. The levels of TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, IL-6, and IL-8 in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and lung tissue, cell counts in BALF, and histologic analysis of all groups were evaluated. Neutrophile granulocytes (NG) and alveolar macrophages (AM) were increased more in group 2 than in group 1 (P<0.001, P=0.04, respectively). Compared with group 2, neutrophil granulocyte (NG) and alveolar macrophages (AM) counts were decreased in group 3 (P< 0.001). Histological examination confirmed a diffuse neutrophilic inflammation and irregular alveolar air space enlargement in group 2. Treatment with bosentan partially reduced the enlarged lung volumes. Compared with group 1, the BALF levels of TNF-alpha and IL-6, and the lung tissue levels of IL-1beta, IL-6, and IL-8 were increased in group 2 (P=0.028, P=0.005, P=0.001, P=0.019, P<0.001, respectively). The TNF-alpha and IL-8 levels of BALF (P=0.007, P=0.001, respectively), and the TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, IL-6, and the IL-8 levels of lung tissue (P=0.031, P=0.017, P=0.007, P<0.001) were decreased in group 3 compared to group 2. In conclusion, bosentan decreased the inflammatory response by reducing numbers of inflammatory cells and proinflammatory cytokines.
Animals ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal/pharmacology ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid/cytology/immunology ; Cytokines/*biosynthesis ; Disease Models, Animal ; Emphysema/*drug therapy/etiology/immunology/pathology ; Inflammation Mediators/metabolism ; Lung/drug effects/immunology/pathology ; Male ; Pancreatic Elastase/administration & dosage/toxicity ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Receptors, Endothelin/*antagonists & inhibitors ; Sulfonamides/*pharmacology

OBJECTIVES: In this study, we investigated whether a high-fat diet (HFD) affected the bone implant connection (BIC) in peri-implant bone. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Four male rabbits were used in this study. Dental implant surgery was introduced into each tibia, and four implants were integrated into each animal. In both the normal diet (ND) group (n=2) and HFD group (n=2), 8 implants were integrated, for a total of 16 integrated implants. The animals continued with their respective diets for 12 weeks post-surgery. Afterward, the rabbits were sacrificed, and the BIC was assessed histomorphometrically. RESULTS: Histologic and histomorphometric analyses demonstrated that BIC was not impaired in the HFD group compared to the ND group. CONCLUSION: Within the limitations of this study, we found that HFD did not decrease the BIC in rabbit tibias.
Animals ; Dental Implants ; Diet ; Diet, High-Fat* ; Humans ; Male ; Osseointegration* ; Rabbits ; Tibia

A 39-year-old female patient presented to our hospital with epigastric pain lasting for two months. Laboratory results showed impaired glucose tolerance. Ultrasonography of the patient showed a hypoechoic, diffusely enlarged pancreas. CT revealed a large pancreas, with multiple calcifications. On MRI, a diffusely enlarged pancreas was seen hypointense on both T1- and T2-weighted images with heterogeneous enhancement after gadolinium administration. A biopsy of the pancreas revealed primary amyloidosis of islet cells. Decreased signal on T1-weighted images without inflammation findings on CT and MRI were clues for the diagnosis.
Adult ; Amyloidosis/*diagnosis ; Contrast Media/diagnostic use ; Diagnosis, Differential ; *Diagnostic Imaging ; Female ; Glucose Tolerance Test ; Humans ; Islets of Langerhans/*pathology ; Pancreatic Diseases/*diagnosis

BACKGROUND: Dietary intake of lycopene has been associated with a reduced risk of ovarian cancer, suggesting its chemopreventive potential against ovarian carcinogenesis. Lycopene's molecular mechanisms of action in ovarian cancer have not been fully understood. Therefore, in the present study, we investigated the effects of lycopene on the ovarian cancer formation using the laying hen model, a biologically relevant animal model of spontaneous ovarian carcinogenesis due to high incidence rates similar to humans. METHODS: In this study, a total of 150 laying hens at age of 102 weeks were randomized into groups of 50: a control group (0 mg of lycopene per kg of diet) and two treatment groups (200 mg or 400 mg of lycopene per kg of diet, or ~26 and 52 mg/d/hen, respectively). At the end of 12 months, blood, ovarian tissues and tumors were collected. RESULTS: We observed that lycopene supplementation significantly reduced the overall ovarian tumor incidence (P < 0.01) as well as the number and the size of the tumors (P < 0.004 and P < 0.005, respectively). Lycopene also significantly decreased the rate of adenocarcinoma, including serous and mucinous subtypes (P < 0.006). Moreover, we also found that the serum level of oxidative stress marker malondialdehyde was significantly lower in lycopene-fed hens compared to control birds (P < 0.001). Molecular analysis of the ovarian tumors revealed that lycopene reduced the expression of NF-κB while increasing the expression of nuclear factor erythroid 2 and its major target protein, heme oxygenase 1. In addition, lycopene supplementation decreased the expression of STAT3 by inducing the protein inhibitor of activated STAT3 expression in the ovarian tissues. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, our findings strongly support the potential of lycopene in the chemoprevention of ovarian cancer through antioxidant and anti-inflammatory mechanisms.
Adenocarcinoma ; Birds ; Carcinogenesis ; Chemoprevention ; Diet ; Hemeproteins ; Humans ; Incidence ; Malondialdehyde ; Models, Animal ; Mucins ; Ovarian Neoplasms ; Oxidative Stress ; Transcription Factors