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Objective: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) caused by atherosclerosis remains a worldwide burden. Hydrogen sulfide is a promising new therapeutic avenue for the treatment of CVD, however reports show exogenous H 2 S has both vasodilator and vasoconstrictor effects depending on organ examined, and in vitro studies in animal models which are not resistant to developing atherosclerosis are limited. We sought to determine if rabbit arteries constricted or dilated to hydrogen sulfide., Material and Methods: The aorta, carotid, renal and iliac arteries were harvested from New Zealand White rabbits (n=4) and subjected to a concentration response curve to the fast H 2 S releaser NaHS. In addition, a bolus dose of NaHS was used to determine if further dilation was achievable after maximum dilation to acetylcholine similar to nitric oxide donors. Further, NaHS was used to determine if H 2 S could impair homocysteine induced endothelial dysfunction., Results: Blood vessels relaxed poorly to NaHS and contracted at higher doses. A bolus dose of NaHS relaxed then contracted the aorta, however a bolus dose of NaHS after maximal relaxation to acetylcholine caused marked contraction. NaHS did not prevent homocysteine induced vascular dysfunction., Conclusion: NaHS at low doses caused minor relaxation of rabbit blood vessels, indicating a possible therapeutic benefit for low dose H 2 S in the cellular milieu., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Gonadal hormones have been well-known to affect brain regions known to be involved in the modulation of mood and affective-related behavior. Prenatal stress might alter hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, it could be a target for development of affective-related disorders in male offspring. The present study was designed to examine an anxiety-like behavior in the adult male offspring with low levels of endogenous androgens delivered from pregnant dams exposed to prenatal stress from gestation day 15 to gestation day 19. The non-stressed and prenatally stressed intact, gonadectomized (GDX) and GDX male offspring treated with oil solvent or testosterone propionate (TP, 0.5 mg/kg, s.c., 14 days, once daily) were used in all experiments. Anxiety-like behavior was assessed in the elevated plus maze (EPM) and the open field test (OFT), respectively. Also, testosterone levels in the blood serum were measured in all experimental groups of offspring. Prenatally stressed GDX offspring demonstrated a significant decrease for time spent into the open arms and increase for time spent into the closed arms as compared to the non-stressed offspring. Administration of TP to the prenatally stressed GDX offspring resulted in a more markedly decrease of the time spent into the open arms and significantly raised the time spent into the closed arms as compared to the non-stressed GDX offspring treated with TP, non-stressed/prenatally stressed GDX offspring. Prenatally stressed GDX offspring showed a significant increase of crossing, rearing, grooming and defecation as compared to the prenatally stressed control offspring. On the contrary, administration of TP to the prenatally stressed GDX offspring significantly decreased crossing behavior, frequency of rearing and grooming behavior as compared to the non-stressed GDX offspring treated with TP, non-stressed/prenatally stressed GDX offspring. Prenatally stressed GDX offspring demonstrated a significant decrease of testosterone levels as compared to the non-stressed/prenatally stressed intact offspring, as well as non-stressed GDX offspring. Administration of TP significantly increased testosterone levels when prenatally stressed GDX offspring were compared with the prenatally stressed intact offspring, non-stressed/prenatally stressed GDX offspring. Thus, the results of the study clearly suggest that gonadectomy and TP supplementation profoundly changed an anxiety-related behavior in prenatally stressed male offspring in the EPM. Our current findings suggest that androgen deficiency in the prenatally stressed male offspring produces the high anxiety level and induces a marked anxious-like state. TP supplementation provokes development of profoundly anxious-like state in the prenatally stressed male offspring, Furthermore, this is the first study to show anxiogenic-like effect of TP administration on anxiety-related states in prenatally stressed male offspring with androgen deficiency.

Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) is produced and released by mammalian cardiomyocytes and induces natriuresis, diuresis, and lowering of blood pressure. The present study examined localization of ANP and a possible role of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) activity on the expression of proANP gene in the heart. The Sprague Dawley (SD) and Lewis (LE) rat strains were used. The animals were exposed to the two types of stress: immobilization and immobilization combined with water immersion for 1 hour. Localization of ANP was detected by immunohistochemistry and expression of the proANP mRNA by real-time qPCR in all heart compartments of control and stressed animals after 1 and 3 hours after stress termination (IS1, IS3, ICS1, and ICS3). Relatively high density of ANP-immunoreactivity was observed in both atria of both rat strains. In control rats of both strains, the expression of the proANP mRNA was higher in the atria than in ventricles. In SD rats with the intact HPA axis, an upregulation of ANP gene expression was observed in the right atrium after IS1, in both atria and the left ventricle after IS3 and in the left atrium and the left ventricle after ICS3. In LE rats with a blunted reactivity of the HPA axis, no increase or even a downregulation of the gene expression was observed. Thus, acute stress-induced increase in the expression of the proANP gene is related to the activity of the HPA axis. It may have relevance to ANP-induced protection of the heart.

Neuroendocrine neoplasmas are a form of cancer arising from cells of diffuse neuroendocrine system. They produce peptides or amines that act as hormones or neurotransmitters. Incidence of NENs is relatively low. Diagnostic work-up and treatment requires a multidisciplinary team approach. The aim of this study was an analysis of data from patients with well-differentiated neuroendocrine neoplasmas of gastrointestinal tract. The study included patients followed up from 1998 to 2013 with histologically confirmed well-differentiated digestive neuroendocrine neoplasm with low or intermediate malignant potential. 97 patients were included; 34 men (35.1%) and 63 women (64.9%). In patients being diagnosed after 2005 interferon treatment is significantly less used than endoscopic and peptide receptor radionuclide therapy. We have identified more appropriate discriminant values of 5-HIAA and chromogranin A (6.8 mg/24 hours; 70 ng/ml) for predicting the presence of metastases at the time of diagnosis. We have identified following risk factors for overall mortality: liver metastases, presence of diarrhea, flush, small bowel primary tumor, high values of CgA and 5-HIAA at the time of diagnosis (5-HIAA > 520.52 mg/24 hours, CgA > 174.5 ng/ml). Surgical treatment was found to be a positive prognostic factor.