Bioactivation to an aldehyde metabolite—Possible role in the onset of toxicity induced by the anti-HIV drug abacavir

Aldehydes are highly reactive molecules, which can be generated during numerous physiological processes, including the biotransformation of drugs. Several non-P450 enzymes participate in their metabolism albeit alcohol dehydrogenase and aldehyde dehydrogenase are the ones most frequently involved in this process. Endogenous and exogenous aldehydes have been strongly implicated in multiple human pathologies. Their ability to react with biomacromolecules (e.g. proteins) yielding covalent adducts is suggested to be the common primary mechanism underlying the toxicity of these reactive species.     

The “PErFecTED Technique”: Proximal Embolization First,Then Embolize Distal for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia

Prostatic artery embolization requires a refined technique to achieve good imaging and clinical success. The PErFecTED (Proximal Embolization First, Then Embolize Distal) technique has produced greater prostate ischemia and infarction than previously described methods with clinical improvement of lower urinary symptoms and lower recurrence rates. The microcatheter should cross any collateral branch to the bladder, rectum, corpus cavernosum, gonad, or penis and be placed distally into the prostatic artery before its branching to the central gland and peripheral zone. This technique allows better distribution of embolic material in the intraprostatic arteries and reduces risk of spasm or thrombus. Because benign prostatic hyperplasia develops primarily in the periurethral region of the prostate, the urethral group of arteries should be embolized first. Subsequent distal investigation and embolization completes occlusion and stasis of blood flow to the prostatic parenchyma. Since we added the second step to the PErFecTED technique, we have observed infarcts in all patients submitted to prostatic artery embolization.     

Assistive technology for communication of older adults: a systematic review

Objective: Describe the use of assistive technology to enhance communication opportunities for older adults.

Methods: A systematic review was conducted in two databases, PubMed and Web of Science, by using two different searches in each. The search was limited to original articles, in English language, including people aged 60 years and older that used any type of assistive technology for communication. The articles found in the initial search were filtered by title, abstracts and the remaining articles were fully read.

Results: Eighteen studies were included in this review after the reading of full-texts. Most of the studies included apparently healthy participants with communication limitations due to aging related changes and the others included people with some pathology that prevent them from normal communication.

Conclusion: Four categories of assistive technology were identified: assistive technology for people with speech problems; robot or videoconferencing systems; Information and Communication Technologies and, other types of assistive technology for communication, such as hearing aids and scrapbooks. Assistive technology for communication of older adults is not only used by people with disabilities that prevent them from usual communication. They are mostly for older adults without a pathological communication problem.     

A new technique for low-volume continuous sampling of spent dialysate: a validation study

Journal of Artificial Organs - The measure of hemodialysis (HD) adequacy recommended nowadays by most guidelines, Kt/V-urea, presents significant drawbacks. Direct dialysis quantification (DDQ)...     

New Definition Criteria of Myocardial Dysfunction in Patients with Liver Cirrhosis: A Speckle Tracking and Tissue Doppler Imaging Study

There are no clear recommendations regarding cirrhotic cardiomyopathy (CC) evaluation in patients with pre-transplant liver cirrhosis. The roles of new methods, tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) and speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) in the diagnosis and prognosis of cirrhotic cardiomyopathy remain controversial. We investigated the utility of TDI/STE parameters in cirrhotic cardiomyopathy diagnosis and also in predicting mortality in patients with liver cirrhosis. Left/right ventricular function was studied using conventional TDI (velocities) and STE (strain/strain rate). We assessed left ventricular diastolic dysfunction, graded into four new classes (I/Ia/II/III). Serum NTproBNP (N-terminal prohormone of brain natriuretic peptide), troponin I, β-crosslaps, QTc interval, arterial compliance and endothelial function were measured. Liver-specific scores (Child–Pugh, MELD, MELDNa) were computed. There was a 1-y follow-up visit to determine mortality. We observed resting biventricular diastolic myocardial dysfunction, not presently included in the definition of cirrhotic cardiomyopathy. We provided an improved characterization of cardiac dysfunction in patients with liver cirrhosis. This might change the current definition. However, the utility of STE/TDI parameters in predicting long-term mortality in patients with liver cirrhosis remains controversial.     

Glass fiber posts relining: can composite opacity influence retention to root canal dentin?

Odontology - This study aimed at evaluating the influence of glass-fiber post (GFP) relining with composites of different opacities on resin cement layer thickness (CLT), bond strength (BS) to root...     

In Vitro and In Vivo Antimicrobial Activities of Gallium Nitrate against Multidrug-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii

Multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii poses a tremendous challenge to traditional antibiotic therapy. Due to the crucial role of iron in bacterial physiology and pathogenicity, we investigated iron metabolism as a possible target for anti-A. baumannii chemotherapy using gallium as an iron mimetic. Due to chemical similarity, gallium competes with iron for binding to several redox enzymes, thereby interfering with a number of essential biological reactions. We found that Ga(NO₃)₃, the active component of an FDA-approved drug (Ganite), inhibits the growth of a collection of 58 A. baumannii strains in both chemically defined medium and human serum, at concentrations ranging from 2 to 80 μM and from 4 to 64 μM, respectively. Ga(NO₃)₃ delayed the entry of A. baumannii into the exponential phase and drastically reduced bacterial growth rates. Ga(NO₃)₃ activity was strongly dependent on iron availability in the culture medium, though the mechanism of growth inhibition was independent of dysregulation of gene expression controlled by the ferric uptake regulator Fur. Ga(NO₃)₃ also protected Galleria mellonella larvae from lethal A. baumannii infection, with survival rates of ≥75%. At therapeutic concentrations for humans (28 μM plasma levels), Ga(NO₃)₃ inhibited the growth in human serum of 76% of the multidrug-resistant A. baumannii isolates tested by ≥90%, raising expectations on the therapeutic potential of gallium for the treatment of A. baumannii bloodstream infections. Ga(NO₃)₃ also showed strong synergism with colistin, suggesting that a colistin-gallium combination holds promise as a last-resort therapy for infections caused by pan-resistant A. baumannii.