No abstract

Silicon nanocrystals can provide the outstanding imaging capabilities of toxic heavy-metal-based quantum dots without employing heavy metals and have potential for rapid progression to the clinic. Understanding the toxicity of silicon quantum dots (SiQDs) is essential to realizing this potential. However, existing studies of SiQD biocompatibility are limited, with no systematic progression from small-animal to large-animal studies that are more clinically relevant. Here, we test the response of both mice and monkeys to high intravenous doses of a nanoconstruct created using only SiQDs and FDA-approved materials. We show that (1) neither mice nor monkeys show overt signs of toxicity reflected in their behavior, body mass, or blood chemistry, even at a dose of 200 mg/kg. (2) This formulation did not biodegrade as expected. Elevated levels of silicon were present in the liver and spleen of mice three months post-treatment. (3) Histopathology three months after treatment showed adverse effects of the nanoformulation in the livers of mice, but showed no such effects in monkeys. This investigation reveals that the systemic reactions of the two animal models may have some differences and there are no signs of toxicity clearly attributable to silicon quantum dots.

Ghrelin, an endogenous ligand of the growth hormone secretagogue receptor, has been reported to have beneficial effects on cardiac function. The authors used the Langendorff model of ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury in isolated rat heart to determine whether ghrelin exerts direct cardioprotective effects. Also, the capacity of ghrelin to bind to sarcolemmal membrane fractions before and after ischemia and reperfusion was examined. Compared with vehicle administration, administration of ghrelin (100-10,000 pM) during the reperfusion period resulted in improvement in coronary flow, heart rate, left ventricular systolic pressure, and left ventricular end-diastolic pressure. Ghrelin also enhanced the rates of left ventricular contraction and relaxation after ischemia following reperfusion. Administration of ghrelin during reperfusion reduced myocardial release of lactate dehydrogenase and myoglobin, indicating protection against cardiomyocyte injury. In addition, ghrelin attenuated the depletion of myocardial ATP resulting from ischemia and reperfusion. A receptor-binding assay demonstrated that maximum binding capacity of ghrelin to sarcolemmal membranes was significantly increased after ischemia and was further increased after I/R. However, Scatchard analysis showed that the affinity of ghrelin for its receptor was not altered. The authors have concluded that administration of ghrelin during reperfusion protects against myocardial I/R injury. The cardioprotective effects are independent of growth hormone release and likely involve binding to cardiovascular receptors, a process that is upregulated during I/R.

No abstract

Dientamoeba fragilis was found in 4.2% of approximately 43,000 individuals who submitted stools for parasitological examination during 1970 to 1974. The parasite was more frequently found in the younger age group (less than 20 years) than in older age groups, and more often in females than in males. Symptoms in 255 of patients in whom D. fragilis was the only parasite found and for whom detailed symptoms had been supplied, included: diarrhea, abdominal pains, anal pruritus, and loose stools. Analysis of mixed infections of D. fragilis with intestinal helminths suggests that such infections are random except for the combination of D. fragilis and Enterobius vermicularis. This combination occurred 9 times more often than theoretically expected. Daily periodicity and distribution of D. fragilis within stools of one patient were studied over a period of 6 months. More than twice as many organisms per ml of stool were present in the last than in the first portion evacuated. The total number of organisms excreted fluctuated markedly from day to day.