Ethanol stimulates pepsinogen release by opening a Ca2+ channel of guinea pig gastric chief cells

Effects of perinatal exposure to Zamzam water on the teratological studies of the mice offspring

Zamzam water is well documented for plenty of medicinal value for curing illness. In the present study, the effects of perinatal consumption of Zamzam and normal drinking water by the pregnant mice on their offspring's physical parameters, early sensory motor reflexes, locomotor activities, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity in the homogenize brain tissue and blood parameters were compared. To achieve that; Zamzam water was given to female Swiss-Webster strain mice as the only source of drinking fluid and the control animals were administered plain tap water. Treatment started from the first day of pregnancy and continued until the postnatal day fifteen of delivery. All offspring were subjected to various tests. The rate of body weight gain remained relatively unaffected until the second week of weaning period, however; in the last week the offspring exposed to Zamzam water gained significant body weight as compared to their control offspring. Furthermore, the opening of eyes and appearance of body hairs in Zamzam exposed pups remained unaffected as compared to the controls. The sensory motor reflexes in Zamzam exposed pups after birth and during the first two weeks of weaning period were significantly increased. Locomotor Activity Test performed in the male and female offspring after weaning period showed a significant decrease in the male and increase in the female on most of the elements of this test due to Zamzam exposure. AChE activity in the homogenized brain tissue and blood parameters were unaffected as compared to the controls, the present Zamzam effects in the offspring are possibly via in utero action and/or via mother's milk.

Determination of Rare Earth Elements in Human Sperm and Association with Semen Quality

The aim of the present study was to measure lanthanum (La), cerium (Ce), europium (Eu), and gadolinium (Gd) concentrations in human semen and correlate the results with sperm quality. The median semen content of La was 19.5 µg kg(-1) dry weight (dw) (range 2.27-269), of Ce was 41.9 µg kg(-1) dw (range 4.52 to 167), of Eu was 0.68 µg kg(-1) dw (range 0.06-1.95), of Gd was 3.19 µg kg(-1) dw (range 0.38-12.0), and of calcium (Ca) was 4063 mg kg(-1) dw (range 484-17,191). Concentrations of La, Ce, Eu, Gd, and Ca were significantly lower in nondrinkers' semen than in semen from drinkers. Significant differences were detected between La, Ce, Eu, Gd, and Ca concentrations in semen from nondrinkers and moderate drinkers. Concentrations of La, Ce, and Gd in semen of short-term smokers were significantly lower than those in extremely long-term smokers. Significant differences were also detected between La concentration in semen from a group of short-term smokers and that of a group of long-term smokers. Positive correlations were found between La, Ce, Eu, Gd, and Ca concentrations in semen. La, Ce, Gd, and Ca concentrations in semen were positively associated with progressive motility and percentage of normal spermatozoa. Positive correlations were found between Ca and sperm concentration. Concentrations of La, Ce, and Gd were negatively associated with sperm concentration, whilst Ca concentration was negatively associated with volume of ejaculate. At the examined level, La, Ce, Eu, and Gd did not affect sperm quality, whereas alcohol consumption and smoking might have increased the level of rare earth elements in semen.

The therapeutic potential of NO-NSAIDs

NSAIDs, including those that are selective for cyclooxygenase-2, are among the most widely used drugs. However, these drugs produce significant side effects in the gastrointestinal and cardiorenal systems, which greatly limit their utility. In recent years, a new type of anti-inflammatory agent has been developed that appears to offer significant advantages over conventional and Cox-2-selective NSAIDs. No-NSAIDs are derivatives of conventional NSAIDs, which are able to release nitric oxide over prolonged periods of time. The combination of balanced inhibition of the two main isoforms of COX with controlled release of nitric oxide yields a series of drugs that exert anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities in a wide range of settings, and have markedly reduced gastrointestinal and cardiorenal toxicity. Recent clinical trials of NO-NSAIDs have provided a 'proof of concept' that is completely consistent with pre-clinical characterization of these compounds.

Nonselective cation channel as a Ca(2+) influx pathway in pepsinogen-secreting cells of bullfrog esophagus

In pepsinogen-secreting cells of bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana), recent evidence suggests that Ca(2+) release from internal stores followed by Ca(2+) influx across the plasma membrane elicits pepsinogen secretion. Such a Ca(2+) influx could be carried by a background current, potentiated by bombesin, that was found in these cells using the whole cell patch-clamp technique. The permeability ratio of Cs(+)-Rb(+)-K(+)-Na(+)-Li(+)-N-methyl-D-glucamine(+)-Ca(2+) was 1.01:1:1:0.86:0.72:0.54:0.34. The current was almost totally blocked by the nonselective cation channel blockers La(3+) (0.1 mM) and Gd(3+) (0.1 mM) and was activated by intracellular Ca(2+). These properties demonstrated that the current, which was activated by bombesin, was a nonselective cation current. At the same time, Gd(3+) suppressed pepsinogen secretion by 29 +/- 5.6% in isolated pepsinogen-secreting glands. These results are in accord with the idea that a nonselective cation channel in pepsinogen-secreting cells plays a role as a Ca(2+) influx pathway leading to secretion of pepsinogen in bullfrog esophageal mucosa.

Protection against ethanol injury by prostaglandin in a human intestinal cell line: role of microtubules

Prostaglandins have been shown to protect the gastrointestinal (GI) epithelium from injury induced by various luminal insults independent of their known acid-inhibitory effects, a process termed "cytoprotection." The mechanism of this protective action remains unknown. The present investigation determined the role of microtubules (a major cytoskeletal component) in GI injury induced by ethanol (EtOH) and its prevention by 16,16-dimethylprostaglandin E2 (dmPGE2) using cells from a human colonic cell line known as Caco-2 cells. These cells were preincubated in Eagle's minimum essential medium with and without dmPGE2 (2.6 microM) for 15 min and subsequently incubated in media containing 1, 2.5, 5, 7.5, and 10% EtOH. The effects on cell viability and tubulin (the major protein backbone of microtubules) were then determined. EtOH concentrations > or = 2.5% extensively disrupted the microtubules as demonstrated by fragmentation, kinking, and perturbation of the microtubule organizer center. EtOH treatment also led to a significant decrease in the S2 (polymerized) fraction and an increase in the S1 (monomeric) pool of tubulin. Concomitant with these effects were marked decreases in cellular viability. DmPGE2 pretreatment abolished the disruption of microtubules, significantly increased the S2 fraction of tubulin, and increased cellular viability in cultures exposed to EtOH. Furthermore, pretreatment with colchicine, an inhibitor of microtubule assembly, prevented the cytoprotective action of dmPGE2. Taxol, a microtubule stabilizing agent, mimicked the effects of dmPGE2 by also enhancing microtubule integrity and increasing cellular viability in cells exposed to EtOH. Our data indicate that organization and stabilization of microtubules may play an essential role in the mechanism of prostaglandin-induced protection.

Measurement of surgical costs: a clinical analysis

Because of reduced health care funding it is becoming necessary for surgeons to take a greater interest in the costs of individual operations. This study reports costs directly measurable to the patient, and also the indirect costs of hospital overheads, an operating suite and teaching, which were 37, 10 and 15%, respectively (62%), of hospital budget. A scheme has been developed which could give surgeons a standard to report direct costs. Pre-admission, ward, operating room, recovery, intensive care and post-admission are defined as cost periods and the modalities of staff, equipment (capital, maintenance and replacement), imaging, laboratory and consumables apply to each. This strategy was applied to assess open cholecystectomy (OC) and laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) as an example. The direct costs for OC were $3706 and LC $2868, a difference of $838; the indirect and direct costs were OC $6004 and LC $4646, a difference of $1358. Thus indirect cost magnified the difference between the operations. Bed stay, density of nursing and use of disposable instruments were the major influence on direct costs. The individual cost advantage of a shorter bed stay may be countervailed by an increased hospital activity. The main patient benefit of new operations may be improved quality of life and more rapid return to work with prevention of salary losses. A method has been developed to define costs of a particular surgical operation with the purpose of stimulating surgeons' interest in this topic and developing a common style of reporting.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Stimulation of prostaglandin E2 release from cultured rabbit gastric cells by sodium deoxycholate

Although bile salts are irritants in the gastric mucosa, their effects on prostaglandin (PG) release have not been well studied. We investigated the effects of bile salts on PGE2 release and the possible mechanisms involved. Cultured rabbit gastric mucous epithelial cells were studied. PGE2 was measured by radioimmunoassay. Intracellular free Ca2+ concentration was measured with Ca2+ fluorescent dye indo-1 AM. Dihydroxy bile salts, such as chenodeoxycholate and deoxycholate (DC), dose-dependently increased PGE2 release, while non-dihydroxy bile salts did not. Since agents involved in the cellular signal transduction system have been reported to play important roles in PG release, the possible involvement of Ca2+, calmodulin, and protein kinase C (PKC) in DC-induced PGE2 release was studied. Deprivation of Ca2+ from the medium blocked DC-induced PGE2 release. Lanthanum (La3+), which displaced surface-bound Ca2+, suppressed DC-induced PGE2. However, BAPTA (a chelator of intracellular Ca2+) did not decrease it. Neither calmodulin inhibitors nor PKC inhibitors altered DC-induced PGE2 release. DC increased intracellular free Ca2+ concentrations. This effect was blocked by deprivation of Ca2+ from the medium. Quinacrine (a phospholipase A2 inhibitor) blocked DC-induced PGE2 release. These results suggest that in cultured rabbit gastric cells, deoxycholate stimulates PGE2 release mainly through the influx of extracellular Ca2+.

Effect of (+/-)-verapamil and hydralazine on stress- and chemically-induced gastric ulcers in rats

The influence of (+/-)-verapamil and hydralazine on stress- and various chemically-induced gastric ulcers in rats together with their influence on various biochemical parameters which affect the development of the induced ulcers was examined. Pretreatment of rats with (+/-)-verapamil (4-16 mg kg-1 orally) significantly decreased cold-stress-induced gastric ulcers and enhanced ethanol-induced ulcers. It did not affect indomethacin- (30 mg kg-1 orally) or reserpine- (5 mg kg-1 i.p.) induced ulcers. Pretreatment of the animals with hydralazine (1-10 mg kg-1 orally) significantly enhanced ethanol-, reserpine- and cold-stress-induced ulcers. It did not affect indomethacin-induced ulcers. Pretreatment of the animals with verapamil increased gastric mucus secretion, inhibited gastric acid secretion, decreased glutathione content and enhanced gastric lipid peroxidation whereas pretreatment of the animals with hydralazine significantly decreased gastric mucus secretion. Hydralazine did not affect gastric acid secretion, glutathione or gastric lipid peroxidation. The results of this study suggest that verapamil-induced protection against stress-induced ulcer may be due to its ability to suppress gastric acid secretion and to increase gastric mucus secretion. Its enhancement of ethanol-induced ulcers may be due to its ability to increase lipid peroxidation. The hydralazine-induced enhancement of the experimentally-induced ulcers may be due to its ability to suppress gastric mucus secretion.

Mechanisms of hypocalcemia and markers of bone turnover in alcohol-intoxicated drinkers

Studies of hypocalcemia and osteoporosis frequently encountered in heavy users of alcohol have previously been performed on alcoholic people who have already recovered from alcohol intoxication. Bone and mineral metabolism during and after the intoxication may be different. We measured serum parameters of bone and mineral metabolism in 26 alcohol-intoxicated men and in 19 healthy control men. Although serum ionized calcium was 12% (P < 0.0001) lower in the patients than in the controls, serum intact parathyroid hormone was similar in the study groups. As reflected by decreased serum levels of osteocalcin (-43%; P < 0.001), bone formation was depressed in the patients. Serum cross-linked carboxyterminal telopeptide of human type I collagen (ICTP), a novel parameter of bone matrix degradation, was 9% higher in the patients (P = 0.03) than controls. The positive correlation between serum osteocalcin and ICTP in the controls (r = 0.59, P < 0.01) was absent in the patients (r = 0.05, P = 0.8). We conclude that in alcohol-intoxicated alcohol users, the parathyroid glands do not respond normally to a hypocalcemic stimulus, and that depressed bone formation is uncoupled from accelerated bone resorption.

Motilin and erythromycin stimulate pepsinogen secretion by chief cells isolated from guinea pig stomach

BACKGROUND

Motilin and erythromycin bind the same receptor in the gastrointestinal muscle cells. Motilin stimulates pepsinogen secretion in humans and dogs. However, it is unclear whether it acts directly on gastric chief cells or via other neurotransmitters.

METHODS

Isolated gastric chief cells were obtained from guinea pig stomach by collagenase digestion and calcium chelation with ethylene glycol-bis(B-amynomethyl ether)-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid.

RESULTS

Significant stimulation of pespinogen secretion induced by motilin occurred at 1 pmol/L, half maximum at 10 pmol/L, and maximum at 100 pmol/L. Erythromycin caused significant stimulation at 1 pmol/L, half maximum at 100 pmol/L, and maximum at 1 nmol/L. Atropine (1 mumol/L) had no effect on either motilin- or erythromycin-induced pepsinogen secretion. Motilin and erythromycin determined a threefold increase in the intracellular calcium concentrations. Pretreatment of isolated chief cells with motilin and erythromycin induced a reversible, dose- and time-dependent desensitization of the pepsinogen secretion stimulated by carbachol and cholecystokinin but not that stimulated by secretin, vasoactive intestinal peptide, or prostaglandin E2.

CONCLUSIONS

Motilin and erythromycin directly stimulate pepsinogen secretion in isolated chief cells.

M3 muscarinic receptors mediate pepsinogen secretion via polyphosphoinositide hydrolysis in guinea pig gastric chief cells

The muscarinic receptor system involved in pepsinogen secretion from isolated guinea pig gastric chief cells was investigated by evaluating the effect of muscarinic receptor antagonists on carbamylcholine (CCh)-stimulated chief cell responses. CCh stimulated the hydrolysis of polyphosphoinositide in chief cells at the same concentrations as it stimulated pepsinogen secretion. Each of five different muscarinic receptor antagonists, atropine, pirenzepine, 4-diphenylacetoxy-N-methylpiperidine methiodide (4-DAMP), AF-DX116 and scopolamine, inhibited both pepsinogen secretion and inositol phosphate accumulation stimulated by graded concentrations of CCh. The pA2 values of the antagonists calculated from data on inositol phosphate accumulation and pepsinogen secretion (atropine = scopolamine = 4-DAMP greater than pirenzepine greater than AF-DX116) suggest that the muscarinic acetylcholine receptor in gastric chief cells is the M3 subtype. On the other hand, CCh did not affect the adenylate cyclase/cAMP signaling pathway in gastric chief cells. All pA2 values of the antagonists were also in agreement with the Ki values determined by [3H]NMS binding to chief cells. Furthermore, GTP gamma S reduced [3H]acetylcholine binding to chief cell membranes in a concentration-dependent manner. The present study, therefore, suggests that muscarinic M3 receptors, which may be coupled to a G protein, mediate pepsinogen secretion, probably by activation of the polyphosphoinositide second messenger system in guinea pig gastric chief cells.

Gastric chief cells: receptors and signal-transduction mechanisms

Elucidation of receptors and mediators regulating gastric pepsinogen secretion has lagged behind understanding of the factors that control acid secretion. During the past decade, as a consequence of the development of in vitro models for studying the control of pepsinogen secretion at the cellular level, much information about chief cell receptors and signal-transduction mechanisms has been obtained, including the identification and characterization of receptors for secretin, vasoactive intestinal polypeptide, cholinergic agonists, gastrin, cholecystokinin, peptide YY, and cholera toxin. Moreover, these cell preparations have permitted secretagogue-induced changes in chief-cell calcium concentration, protein kinase C distribution, and phosphoinositide and cyclic nucleotide content to be measured and related to changes in pepsinogen secretion. This article reviews these advances, discusses areas of uncertainty and controversy, and indicates areas for future investigation.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs--the clinical dilemmas

Physicians using nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are concerned that effective anti-inflammatory doses cause few gastrointestinal side effects. Among the causes of discontinuing therapy, upper gastrointestinal symptoms and the development of 'ulcer' complications are major concerns; endoscopic findings in asymptomatic users are not. Initial symptoms, poorly correlated with endoscopic findings, are relieved by anti-ulcer drugs and ameliorate with time of NSAID use in most patients. Symptoms accompanied by epigastric tenderness, or unrelieved by H2 antagonists, or resulting in cessation of NSAID therapy are more predictive of underlying ulcers. Complications probably arise in several ways, including as hemorrhages due to interference with platelet function, and as complications due to exacerbations of underlying ulcer disease or of ulcers caused by the NSAIDs. Pathogenesis and effective prophylaxis (yet to be established) may therefore vary in different patients, a clinical dilemma.