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Study on cross talk between inducible nitric-oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase in human gastric mucosa biopsy during Helicobacter pylori infection
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Antral mucosal Helicobacter pylori infection density as a risk factor of duodenal ulcer
No full textOBJECTIVE: Duodenal ulcer is regarded as the end result of alterations in which Helicobacter pylori (HP) plays a major role as a pathogenetic agent. The aim of this prospective study was to evaluate duodenal ulcer risk factors such as alcohol intake, smoking, use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, age and sex in relation to HP colonization density. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 495 patients consecutively examined by diagnostic upper digestive endoscopy were assessed; none of them had had previous upper digestive endoscopy or peptic ulcer, recent anticulcer-antibiotic treatment, upper gastrointestinal surgery, or cancer. The HP colonization on antral bioptic specimens was graded semi-quantitatively as follows: HP--- (absence of HP); HP+--(focal presence of small amounts of HP); HP++- (intermediate situation between HP+-- and HP+++), and HP+++ (diffuse presence of large amounts of HP). RESULTS: Logistic regression analysis identified only male sex (odds ratio 1.88, p < 0.02), smoking more than 10 cigarettes/day (odds ratio 2.53, p < 0.01), and HP grade (HP +-- odds ratio 0.79, p = NS; HP++- odds ratio 2.42, p < 0.02; HP+++ odds ratio 3.66, p < 0.001) as independent risk factors of duodenal ulcer. CONCLUSION: The duodenal ulcer risk was found to correlate with HP density, male sex, and smoking, but not with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug use
Influence of diet, physical activity and parents' obesity on children's adiposity: a four-year longitudinal study
No full textOBJECTIVE: To assess the relationships between diet, body composition, physical activity, parents' obesity and adiposity in children at the age of 8 y and four years later. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective observational study of anthropometric measures initiated in 1992, follow-up examination in 1996. METHODS: 112 prepubertal (age: 8.6 +/- 1.0 y) children were studied. Energy and nutrient intakes were assessed by diet history, body composition by anthropometry and physical activity, by a questionnaire. Obesity was defined as relative body mass index (BMI) (rel BMI) > 120%, where rel BMI = (BMI/BMI at 50th centile for age and gender) x 100. RESULTS: Prevalence of obesity was not statistically different at baseline (22.3%) than four years later (19.8%): rel BMI at the age of 8 y was positively self-related with rel BMI at the age of 12 y (r = 0.73, P < 0.001). After four years, eight (32%) obese children became non obese and five (6%) non obese children became obese. Multiple regression analysis (stepwise procedure) revealed that, in the final equation, the mother's BMI and TV viewing (independent variables) accounted for 17% of the children's rel BMI variance at the age of 8 y (R = 0.42, P < 0.001) while the parents' BMIs accounted for 13.5% of the children's rel BMI variance at the age of 12 y (R = 0.37, P < 0.001). Other variables such as total energy intake, nutrient intake percentage and amount of physical activity, were all rejected. An autoregressive unbalanced measures model regression analysis recognised the mother's and father's BMIs as the only variables able to predict rel BMI in the children (mother's BMI coeff. 2.53 (s.e.m. 0.26), P < 0.0001; father's BMI coeff. 2.07 (s.e.m. 0.23), P < 0.0001). A multivariate logistic regression analysis was also performed. The children who participated in the follow-up, were divided into two groups based on the positive or negative change in the rel BMI between final and baseline measurements. Of all the variables considered, only rel BMI at baseline was selected in the final equation. Other variables such as age, gender, energy and nutrient intake, TV viewing and amount of physical activity, as well as the parents' BMI, were all removed. CONCLUSIONS: The parents' obesity was the main risk factor for obesity in this group of children. Sedentary behaviour (TV viewing) was independently associated with overweight at the age of 8 y. Physical activity and energy and nutrient intakes did not significantly affect the change in rel BMI over the four-year period when the parents' obesity was taken into account
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
NS-398, a selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor, in human gastric mucosa biopsy
No full textCOX-2 inhibitor may modulate the iNOS pathway suggesting that COX-2 activity and/or products may be ralated to the functional activation of i-NOS but not to the expression of the i-NOS protei
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
The effect of NS-398, a selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor, in human gastric mucosa biopsy during H. Pylori infection
No full textBackground: The integrity of the gastrointestinal mucosa depends on the interplay of various protective and damaging factors to which this mucosa is exposed. The balance of prostanoids and nitric oxide (NO) originated from cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and inducible nitric-oxide (iNOS) is important in maintain integrity of gastric mucosa during inflammatory states. Nitric oxide is an important messenger, which not only plays an important physiological role in many systems and cells, but also contributes to the pathogenesis of many conditions, including cancer. Although the gastric mucosal integrity in inflammatory states can be modulate by the concerted action of endogenous NO and PGs, little is known of the cross talk effects between them. The cross talk represents an important mechanism by which the initial inflammatory response can be amplified or attenuated. H. pylori infection recognized as one of the most common chronic infections in humans and its colonization of gastric epithelium results in a chronic gastritis, gastric cancer, and gastric B cell lymphoma. In order to understand relationship between COX-2 and iNOS we examined the effect of 1400W and NS 398 inhibitors of iNOS and COX-2 on the levels of NO and PGE2 and expression of iNOS and COX-2 proteins in human gastric biopsies during H. pylori infection. Methods: A total of 20 subjects with dyspepsia undergoing upper gastrointestinal endoscopy were analysed. Gastric biopsies were taken from the antral mucosa for culture and histological examination. Helicobacter colonization was diagnosed by identification of characteristic curved or spiral bacilli. A pool of 1 or 2 biopsies for patient (n. 11 H. pylori positive and n. 9 H. pylori negative) were incubated at 37 in the medium with/without inhibitors of iNOS and COX-2. Following a 24 h incubation, levels of NO and PGE2 were measured into the medium whereas protein levels were measured in the biopsies. The expression of COX-2 and iNOS protein was evaluated by western blot analysis. Results: All patients (n.11) with H. pylori infection showed chronic active gastritis and a marked expression of COX-2 and i-NOS proteins. They produced also a significant increase of nitrite and PGE2, as a consequence of iNOS and COX-2 activation, compared with patients without H pylori infection. Expression of COX-2 and iNOS protein was absent and the level of nitrite and PGE2 was low in all gastric mucosa of non infected patients and with normal mucosa (n. 9). Addition of NS-398 inhibited significantly the rise observed in H pylori positive patients of both NO and PGE2, while no difference was evident in the group of H pylori negative. iNOS specific inhibitor, 1400W, had no significant effect on the concentration of H pylori positive gastric mucosal PGE2, whereas the level of NO was significantly inhibited. After addition of drugs no difference was observed in the COX-2 and iNOS protein level as determined by densitometry. Conclusions: We observed that COX-2 inhibitor may modulate the iNOS pathway suggesting that COX-2 activity and/or its products may be related to the functional activation of i-NOS but not to the expression of i-NOS protein
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