These results suggest that predeployment testing with the Retriever under evoked spinal cord potential monitoring is promising as a predictor of spinal cord ischemia in candidates for stent graft repair of thoracic aortic aneurysms.

The effects of zinc L-carnosine on ethanol-induced damage and the correlation of these effects with endogenous prostaglandin E2 were evaluated in rat gastric mucosa in vivo and in vitro. When given either intragastrically or intraperitoneally, zinc L-carnosine (10 or 30 mg/kg) prevented gross visible damage to gastric mucosa caused by ethanol without affecting the mucosal prostaglandin E2 level. This protective effect of zinc L-carnosine was not inhibited by indomethacin. Histological assessment showed that zinc L-carnosine inhibited deep mucosal necrosis, as did 16,16-dimethyl prostaglandin E2. Zinc L-carnosine (10(-6) or 10(-5) M) inhibited the damage caused by ethanol to gastric cells isolated from rat gastric mucosa in vitro; this effect was not inhibited by indomethacin. The results suggested that zinc L-carnosine protects the gastric mucosa and enhances cellular resistance to ethanol without the mediation of endogenous prostaglandins.

Regulation of b-Chemokine mRNA Expression in Adult Rat Astrocytes by Lipopolysaccharide, Proinflammatory and Immunoregulatory Cytokines. Scand J Immunol 1998;48:502-508 Astrocytes constitute a part of the blood-brain barrier. Chemokine expression by astrocytes may contribute to leucocyte infiltration within the central nervous system (CNS) during inflammation. To investigate factor(s) regulating chemokine expression by astrocytes, we studied the induction of b-chemokine mRNA expression in adult rat astrocytes. Astrocyte-derived monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), RANTES, macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-1a and MIP-1b mRNA were induced by interferon-g (IFN-g). Tumour necrosis factor-a (TNF-a) induced MCP-1, RANTES and MIP-1b mRNA expression, and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced MCP-1, MIP-1a and MIP-1b mRNA expression in astrocytes. LPS-induced MCP-1, MIP-1a and MIP-1b mRNA expression by astrocytes was antagonized by transforming growth factor (TGF)-b1 and interleukin (IL)-10. TGF-b1 and IL-10 also down-regulated MCP-1 and RANTES mRNA expression induced by TNF-a. IL-10, but not TGF-b1, inhibited MIP-1b mRNA expression induced by TNF-a. The results of this in vitro study suggest that b-chemokine mRNA expression by adult rat astrocytes can be induced by LPS or proinflammatory cytokines, while regulatory cytokines, such as TGF-b1 and IL-10, down-regulate astrocytederived b-family chemokine mRNA expression induced by LPS, IFN-g and TNF-a. Further study of CNS chemokines will enhance our understanding of leucocyte recruitment to the CNS and suggest therapeutic strategies for neurological disorders.