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We present a case of a 15‐year‐old female who was admitted in a comatose state with no spontaneous respiratory effort and absence of brainstem reflexes after cyclobenzaprine ingestion. Due to severe presentation and recent ingestion of high plasma protein binding medication with long half‐life, therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) was performed and resulted in full neurological recovery. This case explores the role of TPE as an effective treatment option for life‐threatening cyclobenzaprine overdose. TPE is generally beneficial for drugs that have a low volume of distribution and high plasma protein binding. Cyclobenzaprine is known to have a relatively high volume of distribution. However, in the case of drug intoxication with relatively high‐volume distribution, high protein binding, and long half‐life, TPE could be effective if it is conducted promptly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the effects of (1,4)-α-D-glucan (α-DG), a novel immune stimulatory drug from Tinospora cordifolia, on the concentration of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines (interleukin [IL]-1β, IL-6, tumour necrosis factor-α [TNF-α], γ-interferon [IFN-γ] and IL-10) in the lung and spleen of endotoxin-stimulated juvenile rats. Experimental groups (n = 16/group) included controls with an intraperitoneal injection of saline, endotoxaemic rats with a non-lethal dose of 10 mg/kg Escherichia coli endotoxin, and endotoxaemic rats treated with two doses of 10 mg/kg α-DG, intraperitoneally, 2 and 4 hr after endotoxin injection. At 24 hr of treatment, rats were euthanized and lungs and spleen were removed for cytokines determination and lung injury. Endotoxaemia increased IL-1β concentration by fivefold in both organs, while creating a moderate pulmonary hypercellularity (demonstrated by about 11% increase in the alveolar-septal thickening and 11% decrease in the alveolar-interstitial space ratio). In the lung, α-DG treatment reduced concentrations of IL-1β by 30% ( p > 0.05), IL-6 by 43% ( p < 0.01), IFN-γ by 46% ( p < 0.01) and the anti-inflammatory cytokine, IL-10, by 31% ( p > 0.05) compared to endotoxaemia. In the spleen, α-DG treatment decreased the ratio of IL-1β to IL-10 by 55% ( p < 0.05), demonstrating an anti-inflammatory trend. These data suggest that α-DG differentially modulates cytokine response in the lung and spleen and modifies the pro- and anti-inflammatory balance during an early period of endotoxaemia in juvenile rats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have established a method for in situ tissue engineering of the stomach in a canine model using an acellular collagen scaffold graft. The current study was conducted to evaluate the functional aspects of the tissue-engineered stomach wall. The anterior wall of the stomach in beagle dogs was replaced with a collagen sponge scaffold measuring 4 × 4 cm. At 16 weeks after implantation, the animals were sacrificed and the stomach specimens were evaluated immunohistochemically and physiologically. Regeneration of the proton pump and thin muscle layer, which are essential for mechanical and chemical digestion by the stomach, was observed in the tissue-engineered gastric tissue. However, acetylcholine-induced contraction was not observed in the tissue-engineered stomach wall. Although there is still room for improvement, the tissue-engineered stomach wall had a highly organized structure, and it is anticipated that this approach could eventually become an alternative for stomach reconstruction after gastrectomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]