OBJECTIVE: The ovine fetus responds to hemorrhage with a 10-20 fold increase in plasma erythropoietin (EPO) concentration at 24 hr and a return toward normal at 48 hr after the hemorrhage. The objective of the present study was more accurately to compare the magnitude and time course of the plasma EPO response after fetal hemorrhage. METHODS: Chronically catheterized, 12 of late gestation ovine fetus were gradually hemorrhaged 40% of their blood volume over 2 hr (1ml/min). Plasma was sampled for EPO concentration at 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 16, 20, 24, 30, 36 hr after initiating the hemorrhage were collected at these times. Radioimmunoassay was used to measure plasma EPO concentrations. Analysis of variance was used for statistical analysis. RESULT: After a slow hemorrhage in the ovine fetus (1ml/min over 2hr), plasma EPO concentration increased significantly at 4hr (2.3 times basal values), reached a maximum at 16 hr (33.3 times basal values), and declined thereafter. CONCLUSION: We studied change in time course of the fetal plasma EPO after slow hemorrhage and recent studies have shown that the fetal kidney, liver and placenta express EPO mRNA. These observation suggest that plasma EPO increase may be mediated by a tissue specific up-regulation of EPO transcription in the fetal kidney, liver and placenta. We have studied change in Epo mRNA expression in various fetal tissue after slow haemorrhage.
Blood Volume ; Catheters ; Erythropoietin* ; Fetus ; Hemorrhage* ; Kidney ; Liver ; Placenta ; Plasma* ; Pregnancy ; Radioimmunoassay ; RNA, Messenger ; Sheep ; Up-Regulation

PURPOSE: To investigate the anti-tumor effect of capsaicin on human pharyngeal squamous carcinoma cells (FaDu). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The expression of apoptosis/cell cycle-related proteins (or genes) was examined by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction, western blotting and ELISA methods, while the apoptotic cell population, cell morphology and DNA fragmentation levels were assessed using flow cytometry, fluorescence microscopy and agarose gel electrophoresis. RESULTS: Capsaicin was found to inhibit the growth and proliferation of FaDu cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Apoptotic cell death was confirmed by observing increases in nuclear condensation, nuclear DNA fragmentation and sub-G1 DNA content. The observed increase in cytosolic cytochrome c, activation of caspase 3 and PARP (p85) levels following capsaicin treatment indicated that the apoptotic response was mitochondrial pathway-dependent. Gene/protein expression analysis of Bcl-2, Bad and Bax further revealed decreased anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 protein and increased pro-apoptotic Bad/Bax expression. Furthermore, capsaicin suppressed the cell cycle progression at the G1/S phase in FaDu cells by decreasing the expression of the regulators of cyclin B1 and D1, as well as cyclin-dependent protein kinases cdk-1, cdk-2 and cdk-4. CONCLUSION: Our current data show that capsaicin induces apoptosis in FaDu cells and this response is associated with mitochondrial pathways, possibly by mediating cell cycle arrest at G1/S.
Apoptosis/drug effects ; Blotting, Western ; Capsaicin/*pharmacology ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/*metabolism ; Cell Cycle/drug effects ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation/drug effects ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Flow Cytometry ; Humans ; Microscopy, Fluorescence ; Pharyngeal Neoplasms/*metabolism ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2/genetics/metabolism ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; bcl-2-Associated X Protein/genetics/metabolism ; bcl-Associated Death Protein/genetics/metabolism

Using 3D ultrasound, bilateral chylothorax was diagnosed antenatally in the second trimester. Apparently stable, bilateral pleural effusion progressed rapidly to severe hydrops with facial edema during observation, and then we decided bilateral pleural-amniotic shunt operation. Here we present a case where drainage of pleural effusion by a double reverse pig tail stent made by ourself was achieved, although placement of the thoracoamniotic shunt resulted in near complete drainage of bilateral pleural effusion with normalization of intrathoracic anatomic relationships, subsequent resolution of fetal hydrops, but the ultimate outcome was unsuccessful due to the internalization of one catheter and unknown sudden death. We think that ongoing research is required to further evaluation about complications associated with this procedure, specifically failure of function due to obstruction, migration of the catheter,
Catheters ; Chylothorax* ; Death, Sudden ; Drainage ; Edema ; Female ; Humans ; Hydrops Fetalis ; Pleural Effusion ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Trimester, Second ; Stents ; Tail ; Ultrasonography