INTRODUCTION: Radiotherapy (RT) of head and neck neoplasms often damages the salivary glands. AIM: To examine the pattern of morphologic changes resulting from RT of the head and neck region in minipig parotid glands in a clinical and experimental research setting. METHODS: Twelve 18-month-old male Brazilian minipigs weighing 30-40 kg were selected. Eight minipigs were assigned to the experimental group (group 1) and 4 to the control group (group 2). The RT was performed under general anesthesia at Erasto Gaertner Hospital, Curitiba, Brazil, using an á/â ratio of 2.5. The minipigs from group 1 underwent 3 sessions of irradiation with Cobalt 60 of the head and neck, bilaterally, with 3 exposures of 8 Gy each at 7-day intervals for a total dose of 24 Gy. The animals were sacrificed 12 weeks post-RT. RESULTS: The irradiated parotid glands displayed reductions in the size and number of acini as well as loss of secretory granules. The presence of fibrosis and loss of parenchyma relative to non-irradiated glands were observed, with an average reduction in volume of 54%. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate that this model for parotid gland damage resulting from an RT regimen appears to be useful for preclinical large animal studies of RT-induced damage and testing novel potential treatment options. Although recent advances in radiation therapy, such as intensity-modulated radiation therapy, have reduced the dose and limited the field of radiation, considerable salivary gland injury still occurs and can greatly impact the patient's quality of life after cancer treatment.

Muitas substâncias têm sido utilizadas após hepatectomias parciais a fim de conhecer como elas atuam sobre o processo de regeneração hepática. Adequado fluxo sangüíneo parece ter muita importância neste processo. Autores descreveram, após hepatectomias em ratos, elevação dos níveis plasmáticos de histamina. Substâncias inibidoras da histidina-decarboxilase e da histaminase leva a elevação da histamina endógena com vasodilatação sinusoidal e aceleração da regeneração hepática. No presente estudo busca-se conhecer a influência da histamina exógena administrada à ratos parcialmente hepatectomizados. Utilizaram-se 32 ratos Wistar que sofreram hepatectomia de aproximadamente 67% da víscera. Os animais do grupo experimento receberam por via subcutânea 0,5 mg/Kg/dia de histamina e os do grupo controle igual volume de solução salina isotônica. As aferições foram realizadas com 36 horas e 7 dias. A avaliação do peso da víscera não mostrou diferença entre os grupos. O número de figuras de mitose em 10 campos foi maior no grupo experimento com 36 horas (p=0,010). No sétimo dia o número delas era semelhante nos dois grupos. Concluiu-se que a administração de histamina exógena, talvez pela sua vida média curta, aumenta o número de figuras de mitose no início do processo, não interferindo na regeneração ao final de 7 dias.

Many substances have been used after partial hepatectomy in order to determine how they act on the process of hepatic regeneration. An adequate blood flow seems to be very important in this process. Increased plasma histamine levels after hepatectomy in rats have been reported by some investigators. Substances that inhibit histidine-decarboxylase and histaminase lead to an elevation in endogenous histamine with sinusoid vasodilation and acceleration of hepatic regeneration. The objective of the present study was to determine the effect of exogenous histamine administered to partially hepatectomized rats. Thirty two Wistar rats were submitted to approximately 67% hepatectomy. The animals in the experimental group received subcutaneously 0.5 mg/kg/day of histamine and the controls received an equal volume of isotonic saline. Determinations were made after 36 hours and after 7 days. Liver weight did not differ between groups. The number of mitotic figures in 10 fields was higher in the experimental group after 36 hours (p=0.010). On the seventh day, the number of mitotic figures was similar for both groups. We conclude that the administration of exogenous histamine, perhaps due to the short half-life of the substance, increases the number of mitotic figures at the beginning of the process but has no effect on regeneration after 7 days.

Em 1981 Glotzer et al. descreveram um tipo de proctocolite, semelhante à retocolite ulcerativa, limitado ao segmento excluído do trânsito fecal, na ausência de doença intestinal inflamatória. O presente estudo tem por finalidade avaliar as alterações ocorridas no cólon após sua exclusão do trânsito, com o fim de se estabelecer um modelo em ratos que permita estudar a doença. Utilizaram-se 35 ratos Wistar-PUCPR, machos com 120 dias de idade, divididos em 4 grupos. Sob anestesia inalatória procedeu-se à laparotomia mediana, secção transversa do cólon esquerdo e colectomia de 0,5 cm par se ter o padrão inicial (Mo). Seguiu-se o fechamento do coto distal, colostomia terminal com maturação precoce do coto proximal e laparorrafia. Realizaram-se as verificações nos seguintes tempos: grupo A após uma semana, grupo D após 2 semanas, grupo B após 4 semanas e grupo C após 8 semanas. Avaliou-se o cólon excluído macro e microscópicamente (Mf) analisando-se: a reação inflamatória, a concentração de colágeno e o comportamento das células caliciformes. Comparadas os momentos Mo e Mf registrou-se a presença de úlceras em 11 cólons (p=0,0010) não relacionadas com o tempo de exclusão. Reação inflamatória agudo-crônica ou crônica discreta esteve presente em todos os tempos. Em todos os cólons observou-se diminuição significante da espessura da parede. No Mo predominou o colágeno tipo I (p=0,008) enquanto que no Mf o predomínio foi do colágeno III (p=0,008). Foi constante a diminuição do colágeno total, a perda de colágeno I e o aumento de colágeno III. Não houve mudança significante do percentual de área ocupada por células caliciformes. Conclui-se que a exclusão do cólon distal, de até 8 semanas, no rato por colostomia determina: atrofia do cólon e o aparecimento de lesões ulceradas superficiais com reação inflamatória discreta.

In 1981 Glotzer et al. described a kind of proctocolitis, limited to a segment of colon, excluded from the fecal stream, with pathological features similar to the ulcerative colitis. The purpose of the present study was to establish a experimental model in order to evaluate the pathologic alterations of the colonic mucosa, excluded from the intestinal transit. Thirty five PUCPR Wistar male rats, with a mean age of 120 days were allocated in 4 groups. Under ether anesthesia, the animals were submitted to a 0,5cm resection of the left colon. A proximal terminal colostomy was performed and the distal rectal stump was closed. The excluded segment of the bowel was evaluated macro and microscopically a week (A group), 2 weeks (D group), 4 weeks (B group) and 8 weeks (C group) after the operation. The inflammatory reaction, collagen concentration and changes in the goblets cells were analyzed .Mo was considered the features of the excluded colon seen at the beginning of the experiment and Mf was these features seen at the end of experiment. When we compared these two different phases of the experiment, we verified that a mild acute and cronic inflammatory reaction was present in all of the groups. Ulcers were seen in 11 colons (p=0,0010) and they were not related to the exclusion phase. A significant reduction in the thickness of the colonic wall was observed in all the specimens. In Mo, the mature collagen (type I) was the predominant one (p=0.008) whereas in Mf, the immature collagen ( type III) was the predominant one (p=0.008). Reduction of total collagen, loss of collagen type I and the increase of collagen type III were constant. There was no significant change in the percentage of area occupied by the goblets cells. It was concluded that in rats, the exclusion of the distal colon by colostomy of up to 8 weeks, determines: colon atrophy and the occurrence of superficial ulcerated lesions with low-level inflammatory reaction.