Neuronal nitric oxide synthase is up-regulated by angiotensin II and attenuates NADPH oxidase activity and facilitates relaxation in murine left ventricular myocytes

Angiotensin II (Ang II) is critical in myocardial pathogenesis, mostly via stimulating NADPH oxidase. Neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) has recently been shown to play important roles in modulating myocardial oxidative stress and contractility. Here, we examine whether nNOS is regulated by Ang II and affects NADPH oxidase production of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS(i)) and contractile function in left ventricular (LV) myocytes. Our results showed that Ang II induced biphasic effects on ROS(i) and LV myocyte relaxation (TR(50)) without affecting the amplitude of sarcomere shortening and L-type Ca(2+) current density: TR(50) was prolonged at 30 min but was shortened after 3h (or after Ang II treatment in vivo). Correspondingly, ROS(i) was increased, followed by a reduction to control level. Quantitative RT-PCR and immunoblotting experiments showed that Ang II (3h) increased the mRNA and protein expression of nNOS and increased NO production (nitrite assay) in LV myocyte homogenates, suggesting that nNOS activity may be enhanced and involved in mediating the effects of Ang II. Indeed, n(omega)-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (l-NAME) or a selective nNOS inhibitor, S-methyl-l-thiocitrulline (SMTC) increased NADPH oxidase production of superoxide/ROS(i) and abolished faster myocyte relaxation induced by Ang II. The positive lusitropic effect of Ang II was not mediated by PKA-, CaMKII-dependent signaling or peroxynitrite. Conversely, inhibition of cGMP/PKG pathway abolished the Ang II-induced faster relaxation by reducing phospholamban (PLN) Ser(16) phosphorylation. Taken together, these results clearly demonstrate that myocardial nNOS is up-regulated by Ang II and functions as an early adaptive mechanism to attenuate NADPH oxidase activity and facilitate myocardial relaxation.     

Linking ligand perception by PEPR pattern recognition receptors to cytosolic Ca2+ elevation and downstream immune signaling in plants

Little is known about molecular steps linking perception of pathogen invasion by cell surface sentry proteins acting as pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) to downstream cytosolic Ca²⁺ elevation, a critical step in plant immune signaling cascades. Some PRRs recognize molecules (such as flagellin) associated with microbial pathogens (pathogen-associated molecular patterns, PAMPs), whereas others bind endogenous plant compounds (damage-associated molecular patterns, DAMPs) such as peptides released from cells upon attack. This work focuses on the Arabidopsis DAMPs plant elicitor peptides (Peps) and their receptors, PEPR1 and PEPR2. Pep application causes in vivo cGMP generation and downstream signaling that is lost when the predicted PEPR receptor guanylyl cyclase (GC) active site is mutated. Pep-induced Ca²⁺ elevation is attributable to cGMP activation of a Ca²⁺ channel. Some differences were identified between Pep/PEPR signaling and the Ca²⁺-dependent immune signaling initiated by the flagellin peptide flg22 and its cognate receptor Flagellin-sensing 2 (FLS2). FLS2 signaling may have a greater requirement for intracellular Ca²⁺ stores and inositol phosphate signaling, whereas Pep/PEPR signaling requires extracellular Ca²⁺. Maximal FLS2 signaling requires a functional Pep/PEPR system. This dependence was evidenced as a requirement for functional PEPR receptors for maximal flg22-dependent Ca²⁺ elevation, H₂O₂ generation, defense gene [WRKY33 and Plant Defensin 1.2 (PDF1.2)] expression, and flg22/FLS2-dependent impairment of pathogen growth. In a corresponding fashion, FLS2 loss of function impaired Pep signaling. In addition, a role for PAMP and DAMP perception in bolstering effector-triggered immunity (ETI) is reported; loss of function of either FLS2 or PEPR receptors impaired the hypersensitive response (HR) to an avirulent pathogen.     

嗜酸乳杆菌对人舌癌细胞增殖的影响

目的研究嗜酸乳杆菌对人舌癌细胞Tca8113增殖及细胞周期的影响。方法体外培养Tca8113细胞,分别将不同稀释度（原液和4、16倍稀释）的嗜酸乳杆菌上清液、灭活菌液和无细胞提取物与Tca8113细胞共培养,采用倒置显微镜观察细胞形态并行细胞计数,磺酰罗丹明B（SRB）法测定细胞增殖率,流式细胞术分析嗜酸乳杆菌各组分对Tca8113细胞增殖及细胞周期的影响,激光扫描共聚焦显微镜（CLSM）检测细胞内自由基和Ca2+含量。结果嗜酸乳杆菌各组分作用于Tca8113细胞48 h后,在倒置显微镜下观察,细胞由菱形、多角形、铺路石状变为细长形。细胞计数与SRB实验分析：在不同稀释度同一培养时间与不同培养时间同一稀释度培养条件下,嗜酸乳杆菌各组分均可明显抑制Tca8113细胞增殖,抑制力随稀释度增加而降低,随培养时间延长而增强。流式细胞术分析：嗜酸乳杆菌各组分作用Tca8113细胞48 h后,细胞增殖指数降低（P<0.01）。CLSM检测：嗜酸乳杆菌各组分作用Tca8113细胞48 h后细胞内自由基和Ca2+含量均升高（P<0.01）。结论嗜酸乳杆菌代谢产物、灭活菌液、无细胞提取物均可抑制Tca8113细胞增殖,可能与菌体及其代谢产物引起细胞内自由基含量增多、Ca2+超载有关。     

Areal measures of healthy adults' hippocampal formation on brain magnetic resonance imaging

This study measured the area of the hippocampal structure using brain magnetic resonance imaging. We rebuilt a three-dimensional reconstruction of the brain and selected specific sections on the coronal plane, the cross section, and the sagittal plane and then measured the areas of the hippocampus using a software on the computer. In different sections, the left and right hippocampal areas were significantly different (P < 0.05), but the hippocampal areas of males and females are not concordant. There is no significant difference in the area in those aged 20 to 60 years. The hippocampal area is not correlated with the brain area in the same section. In conclusion, the standardization of the hippocampus is not suitable to judge the difference between males and females. The hippocampal area of healthy adults provides the criteria for atrophy of the hippocampus and a brief approach instead of the volumetric measures to apply in clinical diagnosis.     

Pharmacogenetic assessment of clinical outcome in patients with metastatic breast cancer treated with docetaxel plus capecitabine

Purpose

Docetaxel plus capecitabine, a commonly used chemotherapeutic regimen for metastatic breast cancer (MBC), is highly variable in its effectiveness. We aimed to investigate whether allelic variants of cytochrome P450 (CYP450) affected objective response, progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) in MBC.

Patients and methods

79 SNPs in CYP450, whose minor allele frequency were ≥10%, were genotyped in 69 MBC patients who were treated with docetaxel plus capecitabine. Pearson’s χ² test or Fisher’s exact test was used to investigate the influence of SNPs on objective response as appropriate. Log-rank test was used to assess the association between SNPs and survival outcomes.

Results

There is no significant association between polymorphisms and both objective response and OS. Only one SNP, CYP1A1 rs1048943 A>G (Ile462Val), was significantly associated with PFS (P?=?0.0003). Multivariate analysis confirmed its prognostic significance for PFS (P?=?0.004).

Conclusion

CYP1A1 rs1048943 A>G (Ile462Val) polymorphism is a potential prognostic marker for survival outcome after docetaxel plus capecitabine chemotherapy in MBC patients. However, confirmatory study is needed to validate this finding.     

Factors associated with hospital mortality in community-acquired legionellosis in France

The aims of this study were to describe the clinical, biological and radiological features of community-acquired (CA) Legionnaires' disease (LD) and identify the predictors of mortality in hospitalised patients. Demographic data, risk factors, clinical and biological features, medical management, complications, and outcome from 540 hospitalised patients with confirmed CA LD were prospectively recorded. 8.1% of patients (44 out of 540) died. The predictors of survival after Kaplan-Meier analysis were male sex (p = 0.01), age <60 yrs (p = 0.02), general symptoms (p = 0.006), intensive care unit (ICU) stay (p<0.001), and class II-III Pneumonia Severity Index score (p = 0.004). Six predictors of death were identified by multivariate analysis: age (per 10-yr increment) (relative hazard (RH) 1.50, 95% CI 1.21-1.87), female sex (RH 2.00, 95% CI 1.08-3.69), ICU admission (RH 3.31, 95% CI 1.67-6.56), renal failure (RH 2.73, 95% CI 1.42-5.27), corticosteroid therapy (RH 2.54, 95% CI 1.04-6.20) and C-reactive protein (CRP) >500 mg · L(-1) (RH 2.14, 95% CI 1.02-4.48). Appropriate antibiotic therapy was prescribed for 70.8% (292 out of 412) of patients after admission and for 99.8% (537 out of 538) of patients after diagnosis confirmation. In conclusion, female sex, age, ICU stay, renal failure, corticosteroid treatment and increased level of CRP are significant risk factors for mortality in CA LD.