Risk of Postpartum Flare Hospitalizations in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease Persists After Six Months

Digestive Diseases and Sciences - Although patients with IBD are at higher risk for flares during the postpartum period, little is known about the risk factors, timeline, and healthcare-associated...     

The disease burden of axial spondyloarthritis: through a gendered lens

Clinical Rheumatology - Axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) affects patients’ health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Prior studies have documented gender differences in axSpA across the disease...     

Parental resilience: A neglected construct in resilience research

The substantial focus of resilience research on childhood well‐being has resulted in limited knowledge regarding other aspects of resilience in families, such as that of parents. Informed by literature in childhood and family resilience, in this review, we progress conceptual understanding by focusing on parental resilience. The definition of parental resilience, as the capacity of parents to deliver a competent and quality level of parenting to children despite the presence of risk factors, is offered here as a worthwhile framework through which to explore variables thought to contribute to resilience among parents. A conceptual model is proposed whereby parental psychological well‐being and self‐efficacy, family functioning, and social connectedness are specifically addressed, with each posited as playing an important role in parents’ ability to deliver high‐quality parenting. In addition to these factors, how parents accommodate adversity and find meaning in their everyday lives within their families is hypothesised to be an important process in understanding parental resilience.     

Optimized isolation and expansion of human airway epithelial basal cells from endobronchial biopsy samples

Autologous airway epithelial cells have been used in clinical tissue‐engineered airway transplantation procedures with a view to assisting mucosal regeneration and restoring mucociliary escalator function. However, limited time is available for epithelial cell expansion due to the urgent nature of these interventions and slow epithelial regeneration has been observed in patients. Human airway epithelial cells can be expanded from small biopsies or brushings taken during bronchoscopy procedures, but the optimal mode of tissue acquisition from patients has not been investigated. Here, we compared endobronchial brushing and endobronchial biopsy samples in terms of their cell number and their ability to initiate basal epithelial stem cell cultures. We found that direct co‐culture of samples with 3T3‐J2 feeder cells in culture medium containing a Rho‐associated protein kinase inhibitor, Y‐27632, led to the selective expansion of greater numbers of basal epithelial stem cells during the critical early stages of culture than traditional techniques. Additionally, we established the benefit of initiating cell cultures from cell suspensions, either using brushing samples or through enzymatic digestion of biopsies, over explant culture. Primary epithelial cell cultures were initiated from endobronchial biopsy samples that had been cryopreserved before the initiation of cell cultures, suggesting that cryopreservation could eliminate the requirement for close proximity between the clinical facility in which biopsy samples are taken and the specialist laboratory in which epithelial cells are cultured. Overall, our results suggest ways to expedite epithelial cell preparation in future airway cell therapy or bioengineered airway transplantation procedures.     

Acute morphine affects the rat circadian clock via rhythms of phosphorylated ERK1/2 and GSK3β kinases and Per1 expression in the rat suprachiasmatic nucleus

Background and Purpose

Opioids affect the circadian clock and may change the timing of many physiological processes. This study was undertaken to investigate the daily changes in sensitivity of the circadian pacemaker to an analgesic dose of morphine, and to uncover a possible interplay between circadian and opioid signalling.

Experimental Approach

A time-dependent effect of morphine (1 mg·kg⁻¹, i.p.) applied either during the day or during the early night was followed, and the levels of phosphorylated ERK1/2, GSK3β, c-Fos and Per genes were assessed by immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization. The effect of morphine pretreatment on light-induced pERK and c-Fos was examined, and day/night difference in activity of opioid receptors was evaluated by [³⁵S]-GTPγS binding assay.

Key Results

Morphine stimulated a rise in pERK1/2 and pGSK3β levels in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) when applied during the day but significantly reduced both kinases when applied during the night. Morphine at night transiently induced Period1 but not Period2 in the SCN and did not attenuate the light-induced level of pERK1/2 and c-Fos in the SCN. The activity of all three principal opioid receptors was high during the day but decreased significantly at night, except for the δ receptor. Finally, we demonstrated daily profiles of pERK1/2 and pGSK3β levels in the rat ventrolateral and dorsomedial SCN.

Conclusions and Implications

Our data suggest that the phase-shifting effect of opioids may be mediated via post-translational modification of clock proteins by means of activated ERK1/2 and GSK3β.Tables of Links

Potential of biofluid components to modify silver nanoparticle toxicity

Establishing realistic exposure scenarios is critical for cytotoxic investigation of silver nanoparticles (AgNP) in the gastrointestinal tract. This study investigated the potential interaction with and effect of biofluid components, namely cholic acid, deoxycholic acid and ursodeoxycholic acid, on AgNP toxicity. Two cell lines corresponding to organs related to the biofluid components were employed. These were HepG‐2 a hepatocellular carcinoma derived from liver tissue and Hep2 an epithelial cell line. Physiochemical and cytotoxic screening was performed and the ability of biofluid components to modify AgNP cytotoxicity was explored. No alteration to the physiochemical characteristics of AgNP by biofluid components was demonstrated. However, biofluid component addition resulted in alteration of AgNP toxicity. Greater reactive oxygen species induction was noted in the presence of cholic acid and deoxycholic acid. Ursodeoxycholic acid demonstrated no modification of toxicity in HepG‐2 cells; however, significant modification was noted in Hep2 cells. It is concluded that biofluid components can modify AgNP toxicity but this is dependent on the biofluid component itself and the location where it acts. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.