The role of nitric oxide in cellular response to hyperbaric conditions

Nitric oxide (NO) acts as a regulator in cell proliferation and expression of growth factors and forms peroxynitrite (ONOO⁻) in oxidative conditions. The aim of the study was to investigate the role of NO in cellular response to hyperbaric oxygen (HBO). NO and nitrotyrosine (NT), biochemical marker for ONOO⁻, cell proliferation and growth factors, were ex-vivo studied in cell cultures under HBO and normobaric (NOR) conditions. A549 (epithelial), L929 (fibroblast) and SVEC (endothelial) were exposed to 100% O₂, at P = 280 kPa for t = 60 min, once daily for five sessions. Cell proliferation was determined as the incorporation of bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) into cells and NO as nitrates/nitrites (NO₃ ⁻/ NO₂ ⁻) Gries reaction product in cell culture supernatant (CCSP). NT, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGFb1) were measured with enzyme-inked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in CCSP. The time course of total NO was opposite to that of cell proliferation in HBO conditions, peaking after the second HBO session, while cell proliferation showed a reverse trend, minimizing at the same time, suggesting a reverse and transient anti-proliferative effect. Released growth factors were significantly increased in late HBO sessions. NT peaked after second treatment, indicating the formation of ONOO⁻. In control cultures (NOR), proliferation rate was downward and no significant differences were found for the other parameters. In conclusion, the data suggested a key role for NO in the beneficial HBO action, depending on its concentration, which fluctuated with the time of HBO exposure and the activation of oxidant–antioxidant (REDOX) mechanisms, regardless of cell type.     

Measurement of tumour necrosis factor receptors for immune response in colon cancer patients

Immune system is crucial to tumour's initiation, progress and establishment and is contributing to prevent upcoming damaging invasion. Tumour development and surgical resection are both immunosuppressive processes. Immune response could be evaluated by ex vivo lipopolysaccharide (LPS) test, measuring cytokines and receptors release. The aim of the study is to investigate the postoperative immune recovery of cancer patients upon discharge. Twenty-two patients with colon cancer, without pre-treatment, and 16 healthy volunteers (HV) were enrolled in the study. Ten ml of whole blood were collected from every patient on admission (PRE) and upon discharge (POD7) and every HV. Diluted whole blood samples were stimulated with 500?pg/ml LPS, at 37°C, for 4H. Cell culture supernatants (CCSP) were removed after centrifugation and stored at -70°C. Tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-6 and interleukin-10 (IL-6, IL-10), soluble TNF receptors (sTNFRs) were measured in serum and CCSP by enzymelinked immunosorbent assay. Serum cytokines and receptors, PRE and POD7, were significantly elevated compared to HV (P??0.05) were found between PRE and POD7 levels in serum or CCSP. Cancer patients are not postoperatively immune restored until discharge. The trend of anti-inflammatory TNFRs release could account for alternative marker for the control of cancer patients immune response and the schedule of their following therapeutic treatment.     

Septal Dyskinesia and Global Left Ventricular Dysfunction in Pediatric Wolff‐Parkinson‐White Syndrome with Septal Accessory Pathway

LV Dysfunction in WPW Syndrome. Introduction: Echocardiographic studies have shown that some patients with Wolff‐Parkinson‐White (WPW) syndrome have myocardial dyskinesia in the segments precociously activated by an accessory pathway (AP). The aim of the present study was to determine the extent to which the AP contributes to global left ventricular (LV) dysfunction. Methods: Electrophysiological and echocardiographic data from 62 children with WPW (age at diagnosis = 5.9 ± 4.2 years) were retrospectively analyzed. Results: The left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) of patients with septal APs (53 ± 11%) was significantly lower than that of patients with right (62 ± 5%) or left (61 ± 4%) APs (P = 0.001). Compared to patients with normal septal motion (n = 56), patients with septal dyskinesia (n = 6) had a reduced LVEF (61 ± 4% and 42 ± 5%, respectively) and an increased LV end diastolic dimension (P < 0.001 for both comparisons). Multivariate analysis identified septal dyskinesia as the only significant risk factor for reduced LVEF. All 6 patients with septal dyskinesia had right septal APs, and a preexcited QRS duration that was longer than that of patients with normal septal motion (140 ± 18 ms and 113 ± 32 ms, respectively; P = 0.045). After RFA there were improvements in both intraventricular dyssynchrony (septal‐to‐posterior wall motion delay, from 154 ± 91 ms to 33 ± 17 ms) and interventricular septal thinning (from 3.0 ± 0.5 mm to 5.3 ± 2.6 mm), and a significant increase in LVEF (from 42 ± 5% to 67 ± 8%; P = 0.001). Conclusion: The dyskinetic segment activated by a right septal AP in WPW syndrome may lead to ventricular dilation and dysfunction. RFA produced mechanical resynchronization, reverse remodeling, and improvements in LV function. (J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol, Vol. 21, pp. 290–295, March 2010)     

Subtyping patients with heroin addiction at treatment entry: factor derived from the Self-Report Symptom Inventory (SCL-90)

Background  

Addiction is a relapsing chronic condition in which psychiatric phenomena play a crucial role. Psychopathological symptoms in patients with heroin addiction are generally considered to be part of the drug addict's personality, or else to be related to the presence of psychiatric comorbidity, raising doubts about whether patients with long-term abuse of opioids actually possess specific psychopathological dimensions.     

Cross-transmission of multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii clonal strains causing episodes of sepsis in a trauma intensive care unit.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the mode of transmission of imipenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii strains causing episodes of sepsis. SETTING: A 7-bed trauma intensive care unit (ICU) in an orthopedic hospital in Greece. DESIGN: During a 14-week period (from January 10 to April 16, 2006), clinical specimens, along with samples taken on a weekly basis from the ICU environment and from the hands of health care workers (HCWs), were prospectively tested for imipenem-resistant A. baumannii. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis was used to study the genetic relatedness of the isolates recovered from these specimens and samples. RESULTS: During the survey, imipenem-resistant A. baumannii was identified in 14 hospitalized patients, from whom 40 multidrug-resistant and imipenem-resistant A. baumanii isolates were recovered. These pathogens caused episodes of bacteremia and sepsis in all but one of the patients and contributed to the death of 3 patients. Samples for culture were obtained from the environment and from the hands of HCWs; 29 imipenem-resistant A. baumannii isolates were recovered from the environment, and 12 from HCWs. One predominant genotype and 2 less predominant genotypes were detected among the 81 imipenem-resistant A. baumannii isolates. All 3 of these genotypes were found among patients and HCWs and were recovered from environmental samples. INTERVENTIONS: Control measures consisted of the closure of the ICU and the transfer of the patients to other units. The ICU was disinfected, and adherence to proper hand hygiene protocol was reinforced. These same clonal isolates were not recovered from clinical or environmental samples during the month after the reopening of the ICU. CONCLUSIONS: The extensive dissemination of imipenem-resistant A. baumannii clonal strains causing episodes of bacteremia and/or sepsis resulted from modes of transmission via multiple contaminated surfaces and objects and transiently colonized HCWs' hands. Closure of the ICU and its meticulous environmental decontamination led to the successful control of the outbreak.     

Spartathlon, a 246 kilometer foot race: Effects of acute inflammation induced by prolonged exercise on circulating progenitor reparative cells

Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) and the recently described circulating fibrocytes (CFs) are strongly associated with tissue repair. We investigated the kinetics of both “repair” progenitor cells in healthy athletes who participated in the “Spartahlon” ultradistance foot race (246 km continuous running exercise), which provides a unique model of inducing dramatic systemic inflammatory changes. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated from 10 volunteer athletes, who completed successfully the race, before, at the end, and at 48 h post-race. EPCs and CFs were detected as endothelial colony-forming units (CFU-ECs) and as the number of adherent with a spindle-shaped morphology Collagen I⁺ cells detected after 6-day culture of PBMCs, respectively. The marked increase of plasma levels of CRP, IL-6, SAA, MCP-1, IL-8, sVCAM-1, sICAM-1, thrombomodulin (sTM) and NT-pro-BNP at the end of race established acute inflammation and tissue injury. EPCs increased by nearly eleven-fold in peripheral blood at the end of the race from 44.5 ± 2.5/ml to 494.6 ± 27.9/ml and remained increased 428.5 ± 31.5/ml at 48 h post-race (p < 0.0001). The number of the fibrocytes cultured from PBMCs obtained before, at the end, and 48 h post-race did not reveal any significant difference. These findings indicate that bone marrow responses to acute inflammatory damage, induced by exhausting exercise, with a rapid release of EPCs but not CFs into circulation. Given the ability of EPCs to promote angiogenesis and vascular regeneration, we may suggest that this kind of cell mobilization may serve as a physiologic repair mechanism in acute inflammatory tissue injury.     

Platelet aggregation in whole blood from patients with Glanzmann's thrombasthenia

We examined platelet aggregation in platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and in whole blood from two patients with Glanzmann's thrombasthenia. In PRP, aggregation was measured by monitoring the changes in light absorbance that occurred in response to aggregating agents; to measure platelet aggregation in whole blood, we used a platelet counting technique. In PRP, the patients' platelets showed defective aggregation in response to ADP, adrenaline, arachidonic acid (AA), and collagen, but normal agglutination occurred in response to ristocetin. In whole blood, however, platelet aggregation in response to the aggregating agents appeared to be either very similar to that which occurred in blood from normal subjects or only slightly reduced. There was a reduced response to all concentrations of ADP and to low concentrations of collagen but a normal response to all concentrations of adrenaline, AA, and higher concentrations of collagen. Conversely, there seemed to be an increased agglutination response to ristocetin. The abnormality in our two patients with Glanzmann's thrombasthenia probably lies in the inability of their platelets to form large, macroscopic aggregates rather than in platelet aggregation per se.     

血液病患者合并侵袭性真菌感染的相关危险因素分析

目的 探索血液病合并侵袭性真菌感染(IFI)患者的临床发病率、相关危险因素及预后,为临床诊疗提供参考依据.方法 回顾性分析2009年1月-2011年6月医院收治的450例血液疾病患者临床资料.结果 诊断血液病合并IFI 91例,发生率为20.22％;包括7例确诊:血液感染5例、曲霉菌属感染2例;50例临床诊断:均为肺部感染,其中有1例伴有肝多发低密度灶;34例疑似病例:均为肺部感染;确诊及临床诊断IFI 57例,发生率为12.67％;平均随访时间为240 d,累计发病率为24.44％;年龄、粒细胞缺乏时间及活动性基础疾病为IFI的独立危险因素(P＜0.01);450例患者治疗后1年的总体生存率为76.67％,IFI的相关死亡率为3.78％;确诊及临床诊断组在诊断6周及12周的病死率均显著高于疑似诊断组(P＜0.01).结论 针对年龄＞33岁,且伴有活动性基础疾病的血液病患者应予以重点关注,必要时应积极进行抗真菌预防治疗,以降低合并真菌感染的发生率     

Sesame oil in injectable gold: two drugs in one?

To investigate the potential anti-inflammatory effects of sesame oil, which is present in the injectable gold preparation Auromyose, the synthesis of tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and leukotriene B4 (LTB4) by in vitro stimulated blood cells was measured before, during and after 12 weeks of dietary supplementation with 18 g of sesame oil daily in 11 healthy male volunteers. Neither TNF-alpha, PGE2 nor LTB4 production levels showed statistically significant changes during the 12 weeks of dietary supplementation with sesame oil. These results do not suggest an anti-inflammatory effect of sesame oil as present in injectable gold preparations which are used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.