Evaluation of Procedural Pain in Neonates in Cameroon

Introduction: Acute pain associated with caregiving is a major cause of pain among neonates. Left untreated, it can lead to long-term neurosensory and psychoaffective consequences. In Cameroon, this subject has been scarcely explored, thus constituting an impediment to the management of care-induced pain. Objective: Assess procedural pain in neonates in Yaoundé. Material and Methods: We conducted a cross sectional study with prospective data collection over a period of eight months (October 2022 to May 2023) in three hospitals. We included neonates who were being cared for and were not crying prior to the onset of healthcare, whose parents consented to the study. Assessments were done using the DAN scale, which is specific to care-induced pain. Data was entered and analyzed using SPSS 23.0 software. Results: A total of 161 newborns were included. The hospital prevalence of care-induced pain in neonates was 85%. Neonatal sepsis was the main cause for admission (96.6%). The most common procedures were venous blood sampling (94.4%) and insertion of peripheral venous lines (93.8%). The pain intensity for these procedures was severe (83.9%). The most painful procedure was lumbar tap, followed by venous access procedures. Conclusion: Neonates in hospitals are subjected to many painful procedures. The pain experienced during these procedures is severe. The most nociceptive procedure is a lumbar puncture.

Changes of the glutathione redox system during the weaning transition in piglets, in relation to small intestinal morphology and barrier function

Background: Weaning is known to result in barrier dysfunction and villus atrophy in the immediate post-weaning phase, and the magnitude of these responses is hypothesized to correlate with changes in the glutathione(GSH)redox system. Therefore, these parameters were simultaneously measured throughout the weaning phase, in piglets differing in birth weight category and weaning age, as these pre-weaning factors are important determinants for the weaning transition. Low birth weight(LBW) and normal birth weight(NBW) littermates were assigned to one of three weaning treatments;i.e. weaning at 3 weeks of age(3 w), weaning at 4 weeks of age(4 w) and removal from the sow at 3 d of age and fed a milk replacer until weaning at 3 weeks of age(3 d3 w). For each of these treatments, six LBW and six NBW piglets were euthanized at 0, 2, 5, 12 or 28 d post-weaning piglets, adding up 180 piglets.Results: Weaning increased the glutathione peroxidase activity on d 5 post-weaning in plasma, and duodenal and jejunal mucosa. Small intestinal glutathione-S-transferase activity gradually increased until d 12 post-weaning, and this was combined with a progressive rise of mucosal GSH up till d 12 post-weaning. Oxidation of the GSH redox status(GSH/GSSG Eh) was only observed in the small intestinal mucosa of 3 d3 w weaned piglets at d 5 postweaning. These piglets also demonstrated increased fluorescein isothiocyanate dextran(FD4) and horseradish peroxidase fluxes in the duodenum and distal jejunum during the experiment, and specifically demonstrated increased FD4 fluxes at d 2 to d 5 post-weaning. On the other hand, profound villus atrophy was observed during the weaning transition for all weaning treatments. Finally, LBW and NBW piglets did not demonstrate notable differences in GSH redox status, small intestinal barrier function and histo-morphology throughout the experiment.Conclusion: Although moderate changes in the GSH redox system were observed upon weaning, the GSH redox status remained at a steady state level in 3 w and 4 w weaned piglets and was therefore not associated with weaning induced villus atrophy. Conversely, 3 d3 w weaned piglets demonstrated GSH redox imbalance in the small intestinal mucosa, and this co-occurred with a temporal malfunction of their intestinal barrier function.

Artificial rearing influences the morphology,permeability and redox state of the gastrointestinal tract of low and normal birth weight piglets

Background： In this study the physiological implications of artificial rearing were investigated. Low（LBW） and normal birth weight（NBW） piglets were compared as they might react differently to stressors caused by artificial rearing. In total, 42 pairs of LBW and NBW piglets from 16 litters suckled the sow until d19 of age or were artificially reared starting at d3 until d19 of age. Blood and tissue samples that were collected after euthanasia at 0, 3, 5, 8 and 19 d of age. Histology, ELISA, and Ussing chamber analysis were used to study proximal and distal small intestine histomorphology, proliferation, apoptosis, tight junction protein expression, and permeability. Furthermore, small intestine,liver and systemic redox parameters（GSH, GSSG, GSH-Px and MDA） were investigated using HPLC.Results： LBW and NBW artificially reared piglets weighed respectively 40 and 33% more than LBW and NBW sowreared piglets at d19（P 〈 0.01）. Transferring piglets to a nursery at d3 resulted in villus atrophy, increased intestinal FD-4 and HRP permeability and elevated GSSG/GSH ratio in the distal small intestine at d5（P 〈 0.05）. GSH concentrations in the proximal small intestine remained stable, while they decreased in the liver（P 〈 0.05）. From d5 until d19, villus width and crypt depth increased, whereas PCNA, caspase-3, occludin and claudin-3 protein expressions were reduced. GSH,GSSG and permeability recovered in artificially reared piglets（P 〈 0.05）.Conclusion： The results suggest that artificial rearing altered the morphology, permeability and redox state without compromising piglet performance. The observed effects were not depending on birth weight.

Association of Morphology and Immunophenotype in Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphomas with Bone Marrow Infiltration in a Sample Mexican Population

Introduction: Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), not otherwise specified, is a large B-cell lymphoma with a diffuse growth pattern and aggressive clinical course. It is divided in subgroups according to its morphology, immunophenotype, and primary site. Dissemination to bone marrow occurs in 11% to 35% of cases and can be of concordant or discordant morphology. Objective: To examine the association, the type of bone marrow involvement in relation to the primary site, morphology, immunohistochemistry of DLBCLs and to determine the cases of Epstein-Barr virus positive DLBCLs. Materials and Methods: We reviewed lymph node and extranodal biopsies as well as the respective bone marrow biopsies in all cases of DLBCL diagnosed in the Hospital General de México during the period from 2002 to 2010. We used immunohystochemistry for immunophenotype identification (Hans’s algorithm) and an in-situ hybridization technique to detect presence of Epstein Barr encoded RNA (EBER). Results: We included 108 patients with a mean age of 51.9 years, 59 (55%) were men. DLBCL involved lymph nodes in 60% of cases and palatine tonsils in 13%. The centroblastic variant predominated (80%) and 58% originated from activated B-cells. Infiltration of bone marrow was present in 30% of cases and was discordant in 55% of these cases. Correlation between morphology and bone marrow infiltration was statistically significant (P = 0.0003). Presence of Epstein-Barr virus was demonstrated in 15% of patients older than 50 years. Conclusions: Dissemination to bone marrow occurred in 30% of cases and discordant involvement was most common. DLBCL originating from activated B-lymphocytes predominated and the most common extranodal sites were palatine tonsils, suggesting that our population has a clinical behavior similar to Asiatic populations.

Structural Changes in Vertebrae of Mice Based on Experimental Model of Rheumatoid Arthritis

Studies have shown that autoimmunity causes pathogenesis of more than 100 diseases. Among these diseases, approximately 1-2% of the world’s population has rheumatoid arthritis disease, which is a chronic disease that affects 45 out of every 3000 people who have autoimmune diseases. The aim of this research is to address the possible treatment of rheumatoid arthritis disease by comparing and contrasting the effectiveness and influence that treatments have on treating the disease. This study will be conducted by inducing the following treatments: ibuprofen and Boigor-10 on model animal subjects (mice) to determine the outcomes of the treatment. We will assess the outcomes by investigate the structural changes on vertebrae and joints of these subjects and the clinical manifestation score of each treatment. We hypothesize that these treatments will improve the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis disease. Furthermore, we hope that this research contributes to further understanding autoimmune disease and promotes proper treatment of the disease.

Alveolar macrophage functions and DNA damage in cigarette smoke-exposed mice

Alveolar macrophages (AM) are known to play an essential role in lung defense through their ability to remove the foreign matters reaching the lung alveoli. Cigarette smoke (CS) is a critical risk factor for many lung diseases. CS is inhaled into the lung by respiretion and affects AM. It has been previously reported that CS induces inhibition of cytokine production, cell surface receptor expression and antigen presentation in AM. However, the relationship of immune suppression and DNA damage caused by CS in AM is still unclear. Therefore, in this study, we investigated AM immune function and DNA damage in CS-exposed mice. Mice were exposed to CS of 20 cigarettes/day during 10 days using a HambrugⅡsmoking machine. After exposure, AM were obtained by bronchoalveolar lavage. The number of AM was significantly increased in CS-exposed mice compared with non-CS-exposed mice. Phagocytic activity of AM was significantly inhibited by CS exposure. Percentage of CD11b-, CD14-, Toll-like receptor (TLR)2- or TLR4-positive cells was significantly decreased in CS-exposed mice compared with non-CS-exposed mice. Interleukin-1β mRNA expression in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated AM was significantly inhibited by CS exposure. Intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) (, H2O2) production of AM was significantly increased, and DNA damage was induced by CS exposure. These results suggest that impaired immune functions by CS exposure may be related to DNA damage via excessive ROS induced by CS. These alterations of AM caused by CS could be associated with infection and development of pulmonary diseases.

Portal hypertension-related inflammatory phenotypes: From a vitelline and amniotic point of view

Prehepatic portal hypertension induces a splanchnic low-grade inflammatory response that could switch to high-grade inflammation with the development of severe and life-threatening complications when associated with chronic liver disease. The extraembryonic origin of the portal system maybe determines the regression to an extraembryonic phenotype, i.e., vitellogenic and amniotic, during the evolution of both types of portal hypertension. Thus, prehepatic portal hypertension, or compensated hypertension by portal vein ligation in the rat, is associated with molecular mechanisms related to vitellogenesis, where hepatic steatosis and splanchnic angiogenesis stand out. In turn, extrahepatic cholestasis in the rat induces intrahepatic portal hypertension, or decompensated hypertension, with ascites and hepatorenal syndrome. The splanchnic interstitium, the mesenteric lymphatic system, and the peritoneal mesothelium seem to create an inflammatory pathway that could have a key pathophysiological relevance in the production of ascites. The hypothetical comparison between the ascitic and the amniotic fluid also allows for translational investigation. The induced regression of the splanchnic system to extraembryonic functions by portal hypertension highlights the great relevance of the extraem-bryonic structures even during postnatal life.

Effects of dietary supplementation with essential oils and protease on growth performance,antioxidation,inflammation and intestinal function of weaned pigs

This experiment evaluated the impacts of essential oils(EO)and protease(PRO),independently or in combination,on growth performance,antioxidation,inflammation and intestinal function of weaned pigs.One hundred and sixty weaned pigs(21 d of age,BW of 6.74±0.20 kg)were randomly divided into 4 treatments with 8 replicate pens of 5 pigs per pen.Dietary treatments included the following:1)control diet(CON),2)CON with 300 mg/kg essential oils(EO),3)CON with 500 mg/kg protease(PRO),4)CON with 300 mg/kg essential oil and 500 mg/kg protease(EO + PRO).On d 8,one pig from each penwas selected for sampling.The remaining pigs were fed for an additional week and growth performance was monitored during this period.Dietary treatments had no marked effects(P>0.05)on the growth performance of pigs.However,pigs receiving EO diet had higher(P<0.05)serumglutathione peroxidase(GSH-Px)activity,and tended to decrease(P=0.063)serum concentration of tumor necrosis factor-a(TNF-a).In addition,pigs receiving EO diet had higher(P<0.05)abundances of phylum Actinobacteria,and genera Bifidobacterium,and lower(P<0.05)phylum Bacteroidetes and genera Alloprevotella in colonic digesta.Pigs receiving PRO diet decreased(P<0.05)the serum concentration of malondialdehyde(MDA)and diamine oxidase activity,increased(P<0.05)the villus height and the ratio of villus height to crypt depth in duodenum,increased sucrase activity in jejunal mucosa,and also increased the abundance of phylum Actinobacteria in colonic digesta.Furthermore,the synergistic effects of EO and PROwas observed(P<0.05)for pigs with decreasing serum TNF-a concentration and increasing serum GSH-Px activity.Collectively,the results indicated that dietary supplementation of EO and PRO had no significant effects on growth performance of weaned pigs.EO diet appeared to improve antioxidant activity and intestinal microbiota,while PRO diet improved intestinal morphology and digestive enzyme activity,and there was a synergistic effect of EO and PRO on reducing inflammatory parameters in weaned pigs.

Cholinergic neuromuscular junctions in Brachionus calyciflorus and Lecane quadridentata(Rotifera:Monogononta)

Objective:To identify the presence of joint muscular and cholinergic systems in two freshwater rotifer species,Brachionus calyciflorus and Lecane quadridentata.Methods:The muscle actin fibers were stained with phalloidin-linked fluorescent dye,and acetylcholine was detected with Amplex Red Acetylcholine/Acetylcholinesterase Assay Kit,and then confocal scanning laser microscopy was used.Results:The musculature of Brachionus calyciflorus showed a pattern similar to other species of the same genus,while that of Lecane quadridentata was different from other rotifer genera described previously.The cholinergic system was determined by co-localization of both muscles and acetylcholine labels in the whole rotifer,suggesting the presence of neuromuscular junctions.Conclusions:The distribution pattern of muscular and acetylcholine systems showed considerable differences between the two species that might be related to different adaptations to particular ecological niches.The confirmation of a cholinergic system in rotifers contributes to the development of potential neuro-pharmacological and toxicological studies using rotifers as model organism.