The local, general, and cerebral responses of rabbits exposed to pulmonary blasts were examined to define the role of vagal afferentation in cardiorespiratory as well as metabolic control after a blast injury. Two series of experiments were conducted on rabbits to analyze the general, local, and cerebral responses to pulmonary injury caused by blast overpressure, and to evaluate the effects of bilateral vagotomy on the general, local, and cerebral responses to local (pulmonary) blast injury. The blast wave was generated in laboratory conditions using an air-driven shock tube that was able to cause moderate pulmonary blast injury, i.e., four pulmonary contusions characterized as confluent ecchymoses involving 30 to 60% of the lungs. One group of animals was subjected to pulmonary deafferentation, performed by bilateral transections of the vagus, glossopharyngeal, and hypoglossal nerves. Numerous hemodynamic as well as biochemical parameters were observed in systemic circulation and in lung and brain (medulla oblongata) tissues. After observation during the early posttraumatic period, rabbits were sacrificed by decapitation 30 minutes after the blast injury. On the basis of obtained results, it was concluded that vagal afferents have an important role in the modification of general and local responses to a pulmonary blast injury. Furthermore, it was suggested that functional changes in medulla oblongata may be the consequences of afferent neural impulses from the injured region (lungs) rather than consequences of ischemia, energy transfer to the brain, or both.

The objective of this study was to examine the influence of oral supplementation with Zn or Mg on Cd content in the blood and organs of rabbits exposed to prolonged Cd intoxication. Rabbits were divided into the following groups: Cd group-received orally every day for 4 weeks 10 mg Cd/kg body weight (b.w.), Cd+Zn group and Cd+Mg group-exposed to Cd and supplemented with 20 mg Zn/kg b.w. or 40 mg Mg/kg b.w. 1 h after Cd treatment. Cd content in biological material was determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Blood Cd concentration was determined in all investigated groups at time 0 and after 10, 14, 18, 22, 25, and 28 days, whereas Cd content in the brain, heart, lungs, liver, kidney, spleen, pancreas, skeletal muscle, and bone was determined after 28 days. Blood Cd concentration was significantly increased in all groups from the 14th day of Cd intoxication and lasted till the end of the experiment. Zn or Mg supplementation significantly reduced blood Cd content on the 18th and 25th days. Supplementation with Zn or Mg significantly decreased Cd concentration in the kidney, spleen, and bone and, in addition, Zn reduced Cd content in the brain. Supplementation with Zn or Mg in Cd-intoxicated rabbits caused similar reduction of blood Cd concentration; however, reduction of tissue Cd content was more pronounced in Zn- than in Mg-supplemented group.

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On the basis of the degree of postoperative hearing improvement, tinnitus and the incidence of complications it can be concluded that the use of CO2 laser during inverse stapedoplasty represents an effective and safe method, justifying the promotion of its use in the surgical management of otosclerosis.

Our previous studies demonstrate a significant increase of sulfidopeptide leukotriene concentrations in animals exposed to a free air blast. The aim of this study was to analyze the role of leukotrienes in the local response of lung tissue as well as in the general response of organisms to blast overpressure. The study was conducted on adult rabbits exposed to moderate blast overpressure (four pulmonary contusions characterized as confluent ecchymoses involving 30 to 60% of the lungs), generated in laboratory conditions. One group of experimental animals was treated with 5-lipoxygenase (5-LO) inhibitor, diethylcarbamazine (DEC, Sigma, St. Louis, Missouri) (50 mg/kg, i.v.), immediately before blast. The early posttraumatic period was observed (30 minutes after blast). Hemodynamic parameters (mean arterial pressure, heart rate, blood gases) as well as arterial plasma levels of conjugated dienes were observed. The myeloperoxidase activity, lipid peroxidation products levels, and water contents were measured in the lung tissue of injured rabbits. We observed that 5-LO inhibition reduced edema formation, accumulation of neutrophils, and generation of lipid peroxidation products in injured lungs. In this study, we demonstrated that treatment with DEC inhibits the increased systemic generation of conjugated dienes after blast injury. Although DEC exerts local antioxidant activity with beneficial effects on lung tissue, this 5-LO inhibitor intensifies the blast overpressure caused hemodynamic insufficiency.