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Background Kidney transplantation (KT) is the definitive treatment for ESRD. Ureteral stenosis (US) is one of the most common urologic complications and has been reported in 2.6%–15% of KTs. Methods We reviewed data for 973 consecutive KT procedures performed at our center from January 2004 to September 2014, with evaluation of US management and recurrence rate. Results The 973 KTs were performed with the use of the direct ureterovesical (UV) implantation Paquin technique, and the mean follow-up time was 44.3 ± 30.2 [range, 3–111] months. During this period, 33 cases of US (3.39%) were reported. The interval from KT to US diagnosis was 10.6 ± 23.0 (range, 0.5–98.0) months. The majority of the US cases were located in the distal ureter and UV junction (83.9%), with only 2 cases of middle ureter stenosis and 2 cases of ureteropelvic junction. Mean US length was 2.5 ± 1.9 (range, 1.0–10.0) cm. Surgical management and global and treatment-specific recurrence rates were reviewed. Primary surgical treatment recurrence rate was higher for the endoscopic approach, with a mean global time from treatment to US recurrence of 6.9 ± 16.3 (range, 0–65) months and a median of 2.0 months. Open surgical approach was the main recurrence treatment option (74%). There were 2 cases of graft loss. Success rate evaluation of overall and treatment-specific primary surgical management did not reveal significant differences ( P > .05) according to stenosis length (<1.5, 1.5–3.0, or >3.0 cm), time between transplant and stenosis (≤3, 3–12, or >12 mo), or stenosis location (distal, middle, or upper ureter). However, there was clearly a trend to higher success rate in smaller stenosis (<1.5 cm) and early management (≤3 mo), particularly with the use of balloon dilation. Conclusions US management should be decided on a case-by-case basis according to clinical characteristics, treatment-specific recurrence rate, and previous surgical options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high mortalities observed during Octopus vulgaris paralarvae culture have been associated with a nutritional imbalance, with long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA) appearing to have a critical role. In order to determine the in vivo capability of O. vulgaris hatchlings to incorporate and metabolise unsaturated fatty acids (FA), hatchlings were incubated in flat-bottom 6-well tissue culture plates at a density of 90 hatchlings/well in 10 mL of seawater (36‰). Incubations were performed with gentle stirring at 21 °C for 6 h with 0.2 μCi (0.3 μM) of [1 -14C]-labelled FA including 18:1n - 9, 18:2n - 6, 18:3n - 3, 20:4n - 6 (ARA), 20:5n - 3 (EPA) or 22:6n - 3 (DHA), which were added directly to the seawater as their potassium salts bound to bovine serum albumin (BSA). A control treatment without [1 -14C]FA was also assessed. O. vulgaris hatchlings not only possessed the ability to incorporate FA bound to BSA, but also to esterify them into phospholipid, with marked specificity. [1 -14C]DHA and [1 -14C]C18 FA substrates were mainly esterified into phosphatidylcholine, while [1 -14C]ARA and [1 -14C]EPA were esterified into phosphatidylethanolamine. The majority of radioactivity from [1 -14C]FA incorporated into hatchling total lipid was recovered as unmodified FA with elongation being the only metabolism detected. Of the FA investigated, [1 -14C]ARA was the most efficiently incorporated into hatchling lipids, but it was also the least modified FA. The fact that no desaturation activity was recorded towards the FA tested in this experiment may indicate that the nutritional requirements of O. vulgaris hatchlings in terms of FA are highly specific and LC-PUFA must be considered essential dietary nutrients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Adenosine can regulate synaptic transmission through modulation of the action of other neurotransmitters. The influence of adenosine on VIP enhancement of synaptic transmission in hippocampal slices was investigated. Facilitation of fEPSP slope by 1nM VIP (23.3±1.3%) was turned into an inhibition (−12.1±3.4%) when extracellular endogenous adenosine was removed using adenosine deaminase (ADA, 1U/ml). Blockade of adenosine A1 receptors with 1,3-dipropyl-8-cyclopentylxanthine (DPCPX, 10nM) or of A2A receptors with ZM241385 (20nM) attenuated the effect of VIP. When both DPCPX and ZM241385 were present the effect of VIP was abolished. In the presence of ADA, selective A1 receptor activation with N 6-cyclopentyladenosine (CPA, 15nM) or A2A receptor-activation with CGS21680 (10nM) partially readmitted the excitatory effect of VIP on fEPSPs. In contrast, facilitation of PS amplitude by 1nM VIP (19.1±1.2%) was attenuated in the presence of ADA or DPCPX but was not changed by ZM241385. CPA, in the presence of ADA, fully restored the effect of VIP on PS amplitude. In conclusion, VIP facilitation of synaptic transmission to hippocampal pyramidal cell dendrites is dependent on both A1 and A2A receptor activation by endogenous adenosine. VIP effects on PS amplitude are only dependent on A1 adenosine receptor activation. This differential sensitivity to adenosine modulation might be due to the different VIP circuits contributing to VIP effects on pyramidal cell dendrites and pyramidal cell bodies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]