Brain CT studies of 35 patients with anorexia nervosa confirmed the observations of other authors: cerebral dystrophic changes correlate with weight loss and the reversibility of these changes also correlates with the normalization of body weight. Other corroborated facts are: the most numerous and most pronounced enlargements are of the cortical sulci and the interhemispheric fissure, moderate widening affects the ventricles and the rarest and most insignificant changes are those of the cerebellum. The reversibility of the changes showed a parallel to the extent of the changes themselves and to the duration of improvement of the body weight. The reversibility of the enlargement of the cortical sulci and of the distances between the frontal horns of the lateral ventricles was more often significant than that of the abnormal measurements of the cella media. This difference is based on minimal early acquired brain damage which occurs in 60% of our patients. This high incidence of early acquired minimal brain disease in patients with anorexia nervosa is here discussed as a nonspecific predisposing factor. Although there is no exact explanation of the etiology of the reversible enlargement of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) spaces in anorexia nervosa, the changes resemble those in alcoholics. The mechanisms of brain changes in alcoholism, as shown experimentally, seem to us to throw light on the probable mechanism of reversible dystrophic brain changes in anorexia nervosa.
We determined the effects of a crude green tea extract given as drinking fluid on the promotion/progression phase of colon carcinogenesis in rats after induction of the neoplastic process by azoxymethane. Adult Wistar rats were given azoxymethane (15 mg/kg i.p.) once a week for two weeks. One week after the second injection, the rats were randomly divided into two groups. One group (n = 8) received daily prepared aqueous solutions of green tea extracts (GTE; 0.02%, wt/vol); the control group (n = 8) received tap water. After six weeks, rats receiving GTE showed a 60% reduction in the number of colonic preneoplastic lesions (aberrant crypts). The number of individual crypts per aberrant crypt focus (crypt multiplicity) was significantly reduced in the GTE group; the majority (80%) of the remaining aberrant foci contained only one or two preneoplastic crypts. A significant and selective decrease of cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 activity was observed in the colon of rats receiving GTE (23 +/- 3 vs. 117 +/- 30 mU/mg protein in controls), whereas COX-1 showed no alterations. Our data demonstrate that GTE reduces COX-2 and suppresses the formation of colonic preneoplastic lesions. They provide new insights into the mechanism of chemopreventive and anti-inflammatory properties of green tea.
Background-Ischaemialreperfusion (I/R) of the intestine causes mucosal injury associated with a high death rate in rats. Aim-To investigate whether nitric oxide (NO) might be implicated in the recovery of the intestinal mucosa after ischaemic insult. Methods-Wistar rats were subjected to mesenteric artery occlusion for 90 minutes. The animals were given either L-arginine, the substrate of NO synthase, or molsidomine, a NO donor. The controls received casein hydrolysate. The compounds were administered by gavage 19, 16, and 1.5 hours before ischaemia. Mucosal barrier permeability and cGMP content were determined 24 hours after ischaemia.Results-Survival after I/R was 500/o in the control group. Animals treated with L-arginine or molsidomine exhibited a higher survival rate (70% and 83% respectively). Mucosal barrier permeability was decreased in rats receiving L-arginine or molsidomine compared with controls (4.0 (0.9) and 2.6 (0.6) v 11.2 (1.6) 14C-PEG pmollsegment, p<0.05). Increased cGMP content was seen in the mucosa of the L-arginine group. Conclusion-The findings suggest that pretreatment with L-arginine or molsidomine ameliorates survival after intestinal I/R and improves mucosal barrier function.
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